Singapore, Malaysia mend ties as railway dispute eases
| Agence
France Presse February 8, 2001 SINGAPORE RELATED: Abdullah, the heir apparent of veteran Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong began the day with a round of golf -- an important tool of diplomacy in Southeast Asia. They were joined by their respective foreign ministers, S. Jayakumar of Singapore and Syed Hamid Albar of Malaysia, at the Sentosa resort island. The visit took off on an upbeat note late Feb 7 after Singapore extended a February 10 deadline to move a Malaysian-owned railway station and immigration facility from the heart of Singapore to their border. The station is a relic from British colonial rule over then Malaya, and is seen as an affront to Singapore's sovereignty. After golfing, Abdullah met Feb 8 with Defence Minister Tony Tan, before an early evening meeting with Senior Minister Lee, the former prime minister who led Singapore out of the Malaysian federation in 1965. Abdullah was to cap his day with a dinner hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the elder Lee's son, tipped to be Singapore's next leader. After meeting Abdullah late Feb 7, Singapore's Premier Goh said he was "happy" to extend the deadline for the relocation of the railway station in response to an earlier request by Mahathir. There were no signs of an earlier racially-charged debate between officials and the media over remarks by Goh which favourably compared the achievements of Singaporean Malays to Malays in Malaysia -- a sensitive issue for both countries. Goh and Abdullah agreed that the old colonial-style Malaysian railway station building in Singapore's Tanjong Pagar district -- which houses Malaysia's quarantine and immigration facilities -- would be relocated along with the facilities to Kranji near the northern border. A banner with the words "Welcome to Malaysia" is hung at the entrance. However, transferring the station to Kranji would need an amendment to a 1990 agreement which specifies that the station be moved to either Bukit Timah or Woodlands, also near the border. Goh said details of a new agreement will have to be studied. "So I am therefore happy to give Malaysia more time," he said, but added that "discussions can't go on forever". Goh said Mahathir wanted a tunnel to be built from the Malaysian state of Johor to connect with the new station at Kranji, where the railway from Malaysia will now end. The railway problem is among a host of outstanding issues still dogging the neighbours since Singapore was ejected from the Malaysian federation in 1965. But Goh said the futures of both countries are "more intertwined than most people realise", citing family relationships and two-way trade which surpassed S$80 billion (US$46 billion) last year -- a 10-year high. Other issues include the long-term supply of water to Singapore and use of Malaysian air space by the Singapore Air Force. Malaysia also wants Singapore to allow Malaysians who had worked in Singapore to withdraw money from their pension funds in Singapore before retirement age. Abdullah stressed Kuala Lumpur's policy which guarantees a steady supply of water to the island-state, which lacks natural resources. "We will not allow the Singaporean people to be deprived of water that they need for their consumption," Abdullah said. However, details on pricing and volume still have to be worked out. "There are certain complexities. But I believe these complexities, these problems are not insurmountable," Abdullah said. Highlighting the importance attached to the visit, Singapore assigned Acting Environment Minister Lim Swee Say as a "minister in attendance" to Abdullah -- a protocol normally given to a head of state. |