‘Are we supposed to hold ourselves back?’: Bilahari praises STB for moving quickly on

He said that nothing was stopping other countries in Southeast Asia from doing the same.

By Sudeshna Dhar – 2 Mar 2024, 3:20 pm

‘Are we supposed to hold ourselves back?’: Bilahari praises STB for moving quickly on Taylor Swift deal

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He said that nothing was stopping other countries in Southeast Asia from doing the same.

By Sudeshna Dhar – 2 Mar 2024, 3:20 pm

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Bilahari Kausikan praises STB for moving quickly on Taylor Swift concert deal
On Friday (1 Mar), retired diplomat Bilahari Kausikan praised the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) for quickly securing the Taylor Swift concert deal.

He noted that it was “good business”, as the deal would be worth millions considering her immense fanbase in Southeast Asia.

Singapore will be the only stop in Southeast Asia for the American singer’s The Eras tour.

Mr Bilahari also pointed out that there was nothing stopping other Southeast Asian countries from working out a similar deal with Swift.

This comes after criticisms of the deal’s regional exclusivity, the latest of which came from Filipino politician, Joey Salceda.

Bilahari praises STB for Taylor Swift deal
Posting to Facebook on 1 Mar, Mr Bilahari addressed the recent criticisms surrounding Singapore’s exclusive deal with Taylor Swift.

“Sour grapes. Whenever I hear calls for Singapore to be more ‘sensitive’ to others in Southeast Asia, it really means be as inefficient as they are,” he said.

“That way lies ruin for a small city-state. We have to be better, faster and more creative than the competition.”

Mr Tong similarly noted that other countries in the region could have done the same too.

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Featured image adapted from NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and @taylorswift13 on X.