MELBOURNE – The deal with pop sensation Taylor Swift to make Singapore the only stop in South-east Asia on her Eras Tour is not “unfriendly” to neighbouring countries and has proven to be a successful arrangement, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
“If that is what is needed to be done to get an outcome that is mutually beneficial – and which, from Singapore’s point of view, serves not just to grow the economy, but also to bring in visitors and goodwill from all over the region – I don’t see why not,” he said.
PM Lee was responding to a question from The Sydney Morning Herald at a press conference after the 9th Singapore-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting in Melbourne on March 5.
Addressing the question regarding criticism that the agreement had undermined the spirit of cooperation within Asean, PM Lee said: “A deal was reached, and it turned out to be a very successful arrangement.”
He added: “I don’t see that as being unfriendly. Sometimes, one country makes a deal. Sometimes, another country does.”
He said the incentives provided to Swift were from a fund aimed at reviving the industry after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“If we had not made such an arrangement, would she have come to someplace else in South-east Asia, or more places in South-east Asia? Maybe, maybe not. These are things she will decide.”
PM Lee noted that the singer had performed in Australia in February, and while he was not sure of the exact arrangements, he was certain that the terms were “mutually acceptable”.
Swift’s concerts began in Singapore on March 2 at the National Stadium, with the last concert to be held on March 9.
In a joint statement on Feb 20, Singapore’s Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Singapore Tourism Board said they had worked directly with promoter AEG Presents and provided a grant to help bring Swift in.
The scale and conditions of the deal were not revealed, but it has been speculated that the amount is in the millions per show.
The deal came to light in mid-February, after Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said he was informed by the promoter that the Singapore Government had offered subsidies of up to US$3 million (S$4 million) for each concert, in exchange for Swift agreeing not to perform elsewhere in South-east Asia during The Eras Tour.
In a Facebook post on March 5, government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said the Thai Premier had mentioned the issue out of admiration for Singapore’s offer that allowed it to bag the exclusivity deal with Swift’s team. Furthermore, such deals are normal business practice, Mr Chai wrote.
“Both the tone and content of Prime Minister (Srettha’s) remarks on this matter do not contain any criticism or jealously towards Singapore,” he said, adding that Mr Srettha had meant to highlight Singapore’s strategy as a good example of promoting tourism.
The exclusivity deal, however, has been a point of contention among some politicians in neighbouring countries, such as the Philippines.
On Feb 28, Philippine lawmaker Joey Salceda criticised Singapore, asking the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs to formally protest against the deal.
“(This) isn’t what good neighbours do,” said Mr Salceda, adding that the city-state’s move is detrimental to its diplomatic relations with Manila.
