This is really bad for Singapore. The Malaysian
government is coming after Singapore again. Mahathir is saying that as the economy of Singapore is well developed, we should pay more. A fresh proposal on
revised water rates is being tabled again. But Mahathir has conveniently missed
out the main essence again, that is, contractual terms needs to be respected
and has nothing to do with being rich or poor. The hustling continues.
The 1962 water agreement (1961 there was
another one which had expired) is not just about water. It is more than that.
It involves the sovereignty of Singapore. The water agreements were guaranteed
by the Government of Malaysia in the Separation Agreement signed in 1965 that
established Singapore as an independent and sovereign state. The guarantee was
also enacted into the Malaysian Constitution by an Act of Parliament. The
Separation Agreement was also registered with the United Nations. Any breach of
the Water Agreements would thus call into question the sanctity of the Water
Agreements and the Separation Agreement, and undermines Singapore’s very
existence.
Singapore has also paid more than S$300Mil
for the construction and maintenance costs as well as compensation for land
used for the Linggiu dam project to increase the yield of the Johor River.
Whom
are we dealing with for this long dragging issue and will there be a future
Malaysian Prime Minister?
The next confusing question comes in as to
who will be the new Prime Minister in Malaysia that follows up on the above
water agreement dispute with Singapore. PKR President Anwar Ibrahim has
mentioned in an interview with Bloomberg Television on 18 September 2019 that
he will be taking over as Malaysian Prime Minister by the middle of next year
(2020)- 2 years after the prior general election (“GE”) in May 2018. It was widely
reported that Mahathir has mentioned handling over of power to Anwar in 2
years.
However, over the past few months, it has
emerged that it may be in 2021 or even worse, no fixed agreement as per some
comments made by senior figures in the Malaysian government. PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali
said he agreed with Mukhriz Mahathir (son of Mahathir) that no official agreement was made to hand
over the prime minister’s post to Anwar Ibrahim within two years.
Murkier than mud
To compound
the confusion, on 26 September 2019, while at a dialogue at the Council on
Foreign Relations (a think tank in New York), Mahathir “promised that he would
step down before the next election and give way to another candidate and hence he may have at the most three years perhaps”. This effectively
means that Mahathir is hinting that he may be holding on to the Prime Minister
post up to moments before the next general election. This is really a
brilliantly executed move as Mahathir will be keeping his word to let another
candidate become the Prime Minister before the next GE. One or two days as a Prime
Minister for this “other candidate” is thus also a Prime Minister.
The promise will
indeed be perceived to have been honoured if crafted out as such. Also, I find
it strange that Mahathir used the term “another candidate” and not Anwar. Am I
thinking too much into the quote?
There were
also speculation among coffee shop chats that Azmin or Mukhriz Mahathir maybe a
challenger to Anwar for the top job in Malaysia.
Poignant conclusion
The only
thing for sure is that regardless of who is the new Malaysian Prime Minister,
Singapore will always remain the bad poster boy to bash up for political points
back in Malaysia. I do hope that the relationship will improve between our two
countries and reached an amiable settlement on the Water Agreement.
煮豆燃豆萁,
豆在釜中泣,
本是同根生,
相煎何太急?
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