Singapore’s Disdain Exposed
December 14, 2010
www.thestar.com.my
Singapore’s Disdain Exposed
Comment
By Mergawati Zulfakar
SINGAPORE’S most senior Foreign Ministry official Bilahari Kausikan is heading for Kuala 
Lumpur on December 22 as a leader of a delegation to discuss KTM Berhad’s land swap deal in Singapore agreed in May by the Prime Ministers of the two countries.
This is the fifth round and possibly the last meeting of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Implementation Team (MSJIT) between officials of both countries, each side with about 20 people representing various ministries and agencies.
After the last meeting two weeks ago, a short one-paragraph joint statement was issued describing the meeting as one held in a cordial atmosphere. Come December 22, the atmosphere will definitely be awkward, at least to some officials. Simple analogy – imagine sitting with someone that you know who has been bad-mouthing you to others. How would you feel?
Now, how about sitting down to a meeting with the very man who claimed, among others, that Malaysia was “confused and dangerous, fueled by the distinct possibility of racial conflict”?
Not only that, Kausikan said back in September 2008 that “a lack of competent leadership is a real problem for Malaysia”. Courtesy of WikiLeaks and not exactly denied by his boss, Foreign Minister George Yeo, Kausikan’s remarks are riling up officials in Putrajaya.
“His remarks are crude and smack of arrogance. It is not just what he has said but how he said it. It shows his sentiment for us.Every time there is an MSJIT meeting, the host country will host lunch and dinner. It is going to be an awkward situation for us”, said one government official.
Kausikan’s predecessor Peter Ho has also made damaging remarks on Malaysia, along with the ministry’s Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh whose views of Japan and India were damaging.
“Fat losers, stupid, bad leadership” are some adjectives that had been used by Singaporean diplomats to describe their neighbours. Yeo, in an immediate attempt to play down reports, defended his officials, saying their comments were taken out of context and were interpretations of views reflected by American officials.
The comments, which Yeo described as “cocktail talk”, were confidential and should not have been released. Yeo said his ministry would not check the veracity of the remarks, nor comment on what could have gone on in an informal and confidential setting.
It is normal for diplomats to get information from others during cocktails. What is surprising, though, is that the information gathered from the Singaporeans merit attention from the Americans.
“I am sure how it was said by the Singapore diplomats and the sentiment that it merits attention,” said an official. For those who have dealt with Singapore, nothing has changed.
The general feeling among officials is that their Singapore counterparts do have condescending traits. WikiLeaks exposés in the past weeks have caused embarrassment to diplomats and government officials around the world.
This week, it is Singapore’s turn. There are thousands of documents yet to be made public by WikiLeaks and who knows if Malaysia would be next, as we are never short of politicians who may not be able to keep their mouths shut.
As Yeo said, he did not think relations with the countries will be affected.True, but as the closest neighbour with supposedly warm ties, Singapore would do well to show some kind of regret over the remarks made by its officials.
If it had been Singapore at the end of the stick, they would not stop until they get what they want. No doubt, Malaysia will now need to be more alert when dealing with Singapore.
During next week’s meeting, officials will need to remain professional when they meet Kausikan. They have to stick to the agenda as there are objectives to be met since the leaders have given officials until end of the year to iron out details of the KTM land swap deal and other related projects.
The days of being emotional are long gone. It is time to think strategically for the long term and best interest of Malaysia.
Privately we all have made negative comments about the other fellow but for the sake of good will and harmony we smile and shake hands and this is how we manage relationship.
Unless Wikileaks have poor opinion of malaysians and don’t bother with what we said privately we may be similarly “exposed.” So it may be better we don’t overreact.
Thomas - December 14, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Thomas, I agree. Good bilateral relations should be encouraged. –Din Merican
dinobeano - December 14, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Many people are claiming that these were reported in WikiLeaks but where is the proof.
Show me the URL or direct me to the website where I can read this WikiLeaks report.
At this point of time it is, “he said that he said that he said.”
Lawyer - December 14, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Hearsay Lawyer? Fine and good but what IS singapore’s real intention I want to know now that it is out.
Kathy - December 14, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Dear Kathy
Lee Kuan Yew and his PAP regime fear
a Malaysian federal government with PAS in it.
Phua Kai Lit - December 14, 2010 at 4:35 pm
One more comment, Kathy.
Read the writings posted on the website of the Singapore Democratic Party.
Phua Kai Lit - December 14, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Mr Phua, thanks for your revelations but I have failed to find that view anywhere. I am very much a person who believes that though ,the freedom to be able to express ones views is part of developing a strong and independent mind. I grew up that way and have lived overseas nearly my entire life. I however find that remarks by Singapore if indeed true smacks of arrogance and opportunistic,sinister somewhat .( That in any way does not negate my own observation of the fact that the entire system of governance in M’sia needs major overhaul and change in mindset , which is the hardest task after being systematically destroyed for over 50 years, resulting in change in conduct). I find that , as neighbours alarming and discomforting. I therefore find I am treating singapore with much suspicion at the covert way they have been potrayed here.
True that we are amoslem nation adn they may have , and I say MAY, soemthing to be aware of. Hoever we have never, in our history been a nation to go out and declare any military or other intention to harm our neighbour. we squable and squabble but thats it because we all know that singapore is arrogant. ( perhaps they thinbk it is within their right to be so , although I disagree) .So where does this engratiating with USA in such a manner come from?
Kathy - December 14, 2010 at 5:00 pm
It is not surprising that our neighbouring country made such remarks. Look at how we dealt with our foreign counterpart, when come to land/island disputes. We have lost the sovereighty of so many pieces of land/island to, not just one neightbour, but two, at least, to the publics knowledge. So how not to expect such comments . We may said that our neighbour is arrogant, but they have strive, and has been well recognised internationally. Should we not review ourselves, and why we received such negative comments.
concerned citizen - December 14, 2010 at 6:08 pm
I don’t disagree the contents of the remarks. I am cautious ( very curious, highly in fact, suspicious in the extreme) of the manner in which those remarks were made. On the one hand, it smacks of arrogance because they have assumed their right to do so with USA?. Does this action then reflect S’pore’s presumption of their higher place in ASEAN, their wider role to influence ( not just in the economic sense ).
Kathy - December 14, 2010 at 6:25 pm
My opinion is that Malaysia’s socio-politico-economic credibility has been so ravished & debilitated ( weakened ), that LKY and his PAP are already ambitious to see to it that DAP ( through PKR regime change ) would hold the reign to enforce a clean, efficient political system, with competent state apparatus – not IF but when they clinch power in the impending GE of Malaysia…..
This is not a joke, unless that fellow debunk his grandiose idea of continuing his legacy in his vision of continuing through Dynasty mechanism that he has been dreaming about !
God forbid !
Abnizar7 - December 14, 2010 at 6:30 pm
sinagapore will not allow an islamic government in kuala lumpur – lky to visiting chief of defence forces. gen tan sri hashim ali…
hussin.abdaziz - December 14, 2010 at 9:07 pm
singapore will not allow an islamic government in kuala lumpur – lky to visiting chief of defence forces. gen tan sri hashim ali…
hussin.abdaziz - December 14, 2010 at 9:09 pm
On the issue of disdain Singapore leaders have for their Malaysian counterparts.
Singaporean leaders have a legitimate right to express concern with what is happening on the front step of their door. The wrong they did was not to express their fears in a more public way.
In the event of a blood cuddling uncontrollable cry of ‘Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban’ being heard across the Causeway, sounds of bullets going through human flesh and swords and parangs meet, and the flood of refugees to follow and heading their way, jamming their streets, straining their food supply, their housing etc how could they not be concerned?
The opposition take-over of five states in that country and the embattled federal government having had to engineer a political coup in one of those states at the cost of respect for the Malay institution of royalty, the breakdown in the rule of law that never was since there was no rule of law to begin with, the continued persecution of citizens – never the job description of any country’s top prosecutor – and the sense of hopelessness that accompanies the in -fighting in the political party that has been given the task of putting together ill-fitting pieces, round pegs into square holes and make it into a cohesive whole. A near impossible task but a task nevertheless. For that tiny island, this would be a Doomsday scenario.
Imagine an island filled to full capacity. There won’t be enough sampans to put people out to sea.
Mr Bean - December 14, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Yes, talk about the ‘shoo shoo’ policy which ApaNama once had with the fleeing boat people from Vietnam!
Mr Bean - December 14, 2010 at 10:02 pm
It is unfortunate that the exposure of what was said in private and in confidence in diplomatic dealings has caused embarrassment to Singapore and offence to Malaysia.
However, one should understand that criticising the political leadership of a country at a specific point in time, does not necessarily mean running down that country. I am sure that Singaporeans by and large love Malaysia and its people generally.
The Singapore officials have given their candid views, disparagingly so they may be, but many would agree that they are not off the mark nevertheless. But I would take issue with on two points.
Singapore having ‘technical intelligence’ pointing to Anwar’s guilt in the sodomy affair could be nothing more than what has been given to them by Malaysian sources. If not, one has to assume that Anwar had ‘misconducted’ himself in Singapore and they have it on tape.
The inference that Najib is incompetent is also contestable. To be shrewd and clever in doing unsavoury things to undermine the opposition and his ‘opponent’ is also another kind of competency. In this respect he is as good as Mahathir with time being on his side to outdo the master. Najib is hemmed by compulsions of coalition politics and more dangerously so by a coterie of race-fixated UMNO Supreme Council members. If he can get rid of these pests and clean up the slate in BN, one may get to see Najib at his competent best in a more positive way.
K Das - December 15, 2010 at 12:33 am
PAP and BN politicians are very similar.
Both groups want to hang on to power by almost any means possible. Big exception is that there are a lot more competent people in the first group (PAP politicians) than in the second group! Another is that the legitimacy of the first group is higher in the eyes of its citizens than the second group.
Lots of dissatisfaction in both Singapore and Malaysia, with many citizens of both countries emigrating. So, it is better for the citizens of both countries if our respective political systems become more genuinely democratic and competitive. And that both countries join together in an economic union.
Phua Kai Lit - December 15, 2010 at 8:37 am