A special exhibition to commemorate 50 years of the Brunei-Singapore relationship has opened at the art gallery at the Royal Wharf.
Abode of Peace & the Lion City: A Brunei-Singapore Exhibition will feature stamps, notes ands coins to mark the 50th anniversary of the Currency Interchangeability Agreement between the two countries.
The exhibition was launched in Bandar Seri Begawan on Saturday by HRH Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.
HRH Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah, HRH Prince ‘Abdul Malik and HRH Princess Hajah Masna were also present at the launching.
Abode of Peace & the Lion City is a two-part exhibition co-curated by the Singapore Philatelic Museum and Brunei’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
The Singapore leg of the exhibition kicked off on July 2017, officiated by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzadin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The exhibition will run in Singapore until February and in Brunei until April 2018.
Singapore Philatelic Museum Director, Tresnawati Prihadi, told The Scoop that the exhibition is divided into two galleries — the first to celebrate the special bilateral relationship and the second highlights the people-to-people ties and unique multicultural aspects of the city-state.
The exhibition aims to give people a deeper understanding of the culture, history, political and economic ties between the two countries.
“Singapore and Brunei are very good friends and we have collaborations in many areas. One significant collaboration is the Currency Interchangeability Agreement… Other areas are education and defence,” said Tresnawati.
She aded that the Singapore staging of the exhibition features aspects of the Sultanate’s history, royal regalia, ethnic communities and flora and fauna.
“We want to bring visitors to Singapore through the [Brunei leg of the] exhibition, and to let them experience the Singaporean way of life, food and celebrations,” she said.
“We hope that more Bruneians will visit Singapore not only to explore Orchard Road but also to go to different parts of Singapore and see our nature.”
DPM Teo is currently in Brunei from November 3 to 5 at the invitation of HRH Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, leading a delegation of Singapore political office holders who are part of the 5th Young Leaders’ Programme (YLP).
Teo and his delegation were also received in an audience by His Majesty on Saturday.
On Sunday, the delegation is expected to join the Crown Prince in a morning walk tomorrow at the Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas, Brunei’s new 12-hectare riverfront park which was lauched by His Majesty on October 22 in conjunction with his Golden Jubilee celebrations.