The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 23)

By MT Webmaster Last updated May 10, 2015

And are you telling me that Najib does not know this? Dr Mahathir already complained about Najib giving in to Singapore. So why would Najib do what he did and say what he said yesterday? Does Najib have a death wish or is he just plain stupid?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was in Singapore yesterday and you can read what he said in the Bernama news report below. I am not going to repeat what Najib said but suffice that I summarise a few key points of that speech.

First of all, Najib more or less indicated that Malaysia and Singapore are like Siamese twins — although he did not put it that way and instead used more diplomatic-type vocabulary and language. And this would mean Malaysia and Singapore need each other and would not be able to survive without one another.

Secondly, Najib said that Malaysia-Singapore relations are now ‘warm’ and are being further strengthened. Najib also said Malaysia-Singapore relations have never been better, which means it is the best since the separation 50 years ago in 1965.

In short, for 50 years Malaysia and Singapore have had a cold relationship but that has now changed. Singapore is now the top investor in Malaysia and Singapore needs Malaysia as much as Malaysia needs Singapore — a win-win situation for both countries, said Najib.

I would assume most people did not even bother to read what many would consider a most boring news report, and by Bernama on top of that, a government news organ that nobody trusts anyway. However, it is not the nice language and friendly words that are important. It is the implications behind what Najib did and said.

About 30 years ago back in the 1980s, one government officer told me that his department was giving the newly installed Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad (now Tun) a briefing and the officer giving the briefing tried to impress the Prime Minister by saying, “This is just like how Singapore does it.”

This officer was trying to impress Dr Mahathir that Singapore also does it this way so if Malaysia is doing it the way Singapore does it then it must be the best way of doing things.

The officer who was telling me the story said Dr Mahathir turned to look at that officer giving the briefing and said, “Don’t ever mention Singapore. Don’t you know we are at war with Singapore?”

Of course, I was not there and this is what the officer told me. But that officer was a close friend of mine and I see no reason why he should lie. And when Dr Mahathir whacked Singapore and called it a little red dot, this did not surprise me one bit because I already knew what the old man thought of that island-state.

One of the grievances Dr Mahathir had with Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was regarding Malaysia giving in to Singapore. Currently, one of the grievances Dr Mahathir has against Najib is also regarding Malaysia giving in to Singapore.

In other words, Dr Mahathir resents any Malaysian Prime Minister kowtowing to Singapore just like what Najib did yesterday.

I think not. I think this is Najib’s way of facing up to Dr Mahathir. This is Najib’s way of telling Dr Mahathir he is going to end the 50-year war with Singapore and treat that island-state like a brother.

Najib has just sealed his coffin. There is no way Dr Mahathir is going to allow him to live another year. Dr Mahathir will go all out to make sure that Najib does not survive Christmas.

But then this could be Najib’s way of telling Dr Mahathir to bring it on and let’s see who is the one who dies, you or me, by doing the most despicable thing in Dr Mahathir’s book — kowtowing to Singapore.

Don’t you think we are going to see interesting days ahead of us? I just love high noon gunfights at O.K. Corral. Now, where did Marina put that popcorn?

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(Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says what Malaysia and Singapore share and have in common are great opportunities as partners and neighbours in the region.

“Throughout the shared history of Malaysia and Singapore relations over the last five decades, it is clear that our two nations are intertwined and, in particular, enjoy very strong people-to-people connectivity,” he said in his speech entitled “Malaysia-Singapore: The Ties That Bind” at the Economic Society of Singapore’s (ESS) annual dinner, here tonight.

Also present at the event were Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, his wife Ho Ching, Singapore Minister of Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office S. Iswaran, Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore Datuk Husni Zai Yaacob and ESS president Professor Euston Quah.

Najib spoke about the state of Malaysia-Singapore bilateral relations, the Malaysian economy and its direction, and also ASEAN – where Malaysia holds the chairmanship.

Najib said the closeness of the bilateral ties was underlined soon after he became the Prime Minister.

Nevertheless, as close neighbours, he said: “We do have challenges like having to manage our differences. We have a Malay proverb for it:.”Sedangkan Lidah Lagi Tergigit”. We are like tongue and teeth. In other words, we are close and need to work together to find positive solutions,” he said.

Citing an example, Najib said: “Our resolution of the Points of Agreement (POA) in 2010 after a 20-year deadlock is a good case in point.”

“It was an example of how we chose to move forward in the spirit of friendship and mutual benefit, putting a long-standing stumbling block behind us.”

“So, I am delighted that relations between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and me, and between our two governments, are now warm – indeed, I feel it would be no exaggeration to say they have never been better in the history of our countries,” he said.

According to Najib, this closeness, and the agreements that followed, are of tangible economic and security benefit to all Malaysians and Singaporeans.

“This should be the priority of national leaders – the people’s interests above all else,” he said.

He said fruitful discussions on a number of issues were held, including on iconic projects such as the planned High Speed Rail linking Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, that he and Lee had discussed this morning and which would bring great benefit to both countries.

He said these ties were being further strengthened through regular exchange of visits at the highest level and that such bonds of friendship between the two countries should be the norm and the future.

“As it is, we are linked in so many ways. The economies of Malaysia and Singapore, for instance, have always had a high degree of interdependence. Bilateral trade between Malaysia and Singapore remained strong at RM209 billion last year,” he said.

Najib noted that Singapore remained one of the top investors in Malaysia, with a total value of approved projects last year standing at RM8.3 billion.

“Foreign direct investment (FDI) Stock from Singapore alone amounted to RM80.7 billion in 2013.”

Najib said three years ago he and Lee agreed that the Joint Ministerial Committee between the two countries should explore more ways to enhance collaboration in Iskandar Malaysia for mutual benefit.

He believed Malaysia and Singapore have already seen the fruits of this cooperation – it is a win-win situation for both, on either side of the Straits of Johor.

The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 22)

The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 21)

The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 20)

The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 19)

The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 18)

The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 17)

The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 16)

The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 15)

The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 14)

The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 13)

The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 12)

The Umno, PKR and PAS internal strife (part 11)