Crooked bridge at the heart of Najib-bashing, says Salleh
Salleh Said Keruak says Mahathir Mohamad is incensed the successor he handpicked has gone back on his word and humiliated him in front of Singaporeans.
The construction of the “Crooked Bridge” to Singapore, a project Najib Razak said he would pursue as prime minister but which he later abandoned, is the main reason why Mahathir Mohamad is angry with him, Salleh Said Keruak has said.
The source of an intense conflict between the former prime minister and the Singapore government, the Sabah speaker said, “It (Crooked Bridge) is basically a tug-of-war with Singapore and as far as Dr Mahathir is concerned Malaysia must win.”
“But if the ‘Crooked Bridge’ is not going to be built then Singapore would win instead. And this is something that Dr Mahathir cannot accept – losing to Singapore,” Salleh rationalises.
Salleh said Najib had given his word to Mahathir that the bridge would be built even if Singapore was opposed to it but that he didn’t keep his promise.
“What upset Dr Mahathir even more is that Najib ‘bends’ to Singapore by not proceeding with the construction of the bridge,” he wrote in his latest blog entry, after citing an earlier quote by Mahathir that it was Malaysia’s “sovereign right” to build the bridge because it was in the country’s territorial waters and that Malaysia was not answerable to Singapore.
