Singapore not interested in 'bashing' Malaysia says Goh

PRIME Minister Goh Chok Tong said Thursday he did not believe in "Malaysia-bashing" and saw no benefits in an ongoing media war.

"I don't believe, and nor does the Singapore government, in Malaysia bashing or in putting down Dr Mahathir," Goh said, referring to Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of education ministers of the 21-nation Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum here, Goh said Singapore and Malaysia had very close inter-related relations.

"We are an important investor in Malaysia," he said.

"A stable Malaysia, a prosperous Malaysia under a strong leader is a fundamental interest of Singapore."

Goh said Singapore and Malaysia had nothing to gain from a media war.

"There are so many negative articles in Singapore, in Malaysian newspapers," he said.

"I see no benefit in the two sides going in for a media war. No benefit at all for Singapore and Malaysia and I would urge that Singapore newspapers and also the Malaysian newspapers to be circumspect in their commentary of developments in each other countries."

Relations have often been prickly between the neighbours since Singapore was ejected from the Malaysian federation in 1965, and Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told the Singapore media on Monday to stop churning out untrue stories about his country.

Last week an article in Straits Times drew flak when it commented on Malaysia's leadership and described Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as "top dog" of the country.

The expression "dog" is considered insulting in a mainly Muslim country.

Mahathir later appeared play down the dispute over the article, which singled out Malaysia as the only Asian country which had not had a change of leadership in the past decade.

He said the Singapore media was "free to comment on other countries" and the Malaysian government did not "take any notice of such things."