Singapore rapped for looking down on Malaysia

SINGAPORE has been criticised for reportedly looking down on Malaysia's leadership in a commentary published in a local newspaper.

In his commentary in Sunday's Mingguan Malaysia, Mr Zainuddin Maidin, the former chief editor of the Utusan Melayu group, criticised the Singapore government, notably its Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and the republic's media for its negative coverage of Malaysia.

He said that ever since the separation, both the Singapore government and the media had "belittled Malaysia's economic ability, stability and security".

The Singapore media, according to him, regarded Malays initially as "descendents of pirates and lazy sakai, receiving government positions and obtaining wealth through theft". Sakai is a derogatory term for aborigines.

In his commentary, he also highlighted the differences in the leadership styles of Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Singapore's Senior Minister.

Mr Zainuddin said Mr Lee's "obsession" with outdoing the Malay leadership in Malaysia had "hurt" relations between the two countries from time to time.

Despite the economic progress Malaysia had made, particularly among the Malays through the New Economic Policy, Mr Lee remained adamant that such "achievements came about through cronyism and not meritocracy", he said.

Referring to Dr Mahathir's "prosper thy neighbour" concept, the writer said Malaysia's economic strategy was not aimed at suppressing Singapore -- a nation he described as being "steeped in its inheritance of the world's oldest history and culture".

Malaysia's mega projects such as the Twin Towers and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the writer said, should be a psychological boost for Malaysians.

He supported his commentary with examples of what he considered were negative remarks about Malaysia.

These include some of Mr Lee's remarks on Johor and a recent speech in which he cited the differences between Malays and Chinese, and a recent Business Times editorial that "attempted to alter the future leadership of Malaysia".

Referring to the Business Times report, Mr Zainuddin wrote that the Malaysian government found it difficult to "separate the opinion of the Singapore media from that of the Singapore government".

Malaysia remained wary of Singapore not because of its mainly Chinese population but, rather, because of its potential as a small country to be manipulated easily by bigger powers, he wrote.

Mr Zainuddin said the West was more comfortable with Mr Lee, their "Western-oriented gentleman", rather than the anti-Western Dr Mahathir.

The Malaysian leader's non-conformist stance had riled the US when he proposed setting up an East Asian Economic Caucus.

"Dr Mahathir does not believe in the theory of an open market exposed to competition on a level playing field," the commentary said.

Not once had he bowed to pressure from the West or "deceit from its neighbour", the writer said.

Mr Zainuddin added that if Singapore were to cast a wary eye on Malaysia, it would not be because its neighbour was an instrument of foreign powers but because it had a non-conformist attitude.