Malaysia-Singapore Relations Reach Tipping Point?

26 May 2010 , By Bernama

Has the long insipid Malaysia-Singapore relations already reached the tipping point?

Or is the stage already set for the two neighbouring countries to take their relationships to greater heights, establishing better ties, greater economic cooperation, and renewing business collaboration?

And if yesterday's meeting between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong was any indication, the bland relations between the two countries are now set to enter a new phase.

In their retreat here yesterday, both Najib and Lee had removed their jackets and the cumbersome ties to sit and talk away their problems in a relaxed atmosphere in a five-star hotel surrounded by the lush green and tall trees away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Nobody expected much would come out of the meeting between Najib and Lee, as their predecessors too had failed to resolve the many disputes that had long impeded the ties of the two countries in their previous meetings or retreats.

But to the surprise of many, the two young prime ministers stunningly resolved the many thorny issues that had dogged relations between Malaysia and Singapore for the past 20 years.

They managed to resolve the item highest on the meeting's agenda - the Points of Agreement (PoA) on the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) land in Singapore that was signed between former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and then Malaysian Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin on Nov 27 in 1990.

They easily resolved the obstacles in the PoA that their predecessors could not overcome for many years, in less than a year after Najib first came to Singapore for an introductory visit, or actually half-a-day during the retreat Monday.

From their comments yesterday, both Najib and Lee were clearly eager in wanting to quickly resolve the disputes to further develop the bilateral relationship.

Najib said they decided not to allow outstanding bilateral issues to be in the way of developing and strengthening bilateral ties and the two countries needed to move forward in areas which they could achieve common agreement.

Lee said: "If you can't solve this, how can you talk about new things? But we can solve this, and we are talking about new things."

The Singapore media today gave a wide coverage on the outcome of the meeting, lauding both Najib and Lee for ending the disputes between the two countries on a positive note.

"A large thorn on the side of Singapore-Malaysia relations was removed yesterday," said local media, the Straits Times today in its lead story on the outcome of Najib and Lee's meeting.

The Business Times carries a headline fusing a part of Najib's quote: "Malaysia, Singapore see light at the end of rail tunnel".

Its news began with: "Many of the disputes that have dogged ties between Singapore and Malaysia over the past 20 years have stunningly been resolved".

All the major newspapers in the city-state front-paged the historic outcome of the leaders' retreat.

The city-state's Berita Harian newspaper splashed the story on the historic meeting with the headline "Kemajuan bersejarah perjanjian Singapura-Malaysia" (A historic development on Singapore-Malaysia agreement).

Najib and Lee yesterday not only managed to resolve the PoA, but added more initiatives to increase trade ties and people-to-people relations by way of facilitating travel between the two countries.

Among the key decisions made are the relocation of the 78-year old Tanjong Pagar railway station to Woodlands, instead of Bukit Timah, by July next year, the building of the rapid transit system linking Johor and Singapore by 2018, and the joint development of a wellness township project in Iskandar Malaysia and KTMB land.

Singapore's former High Commissioner to Malaysia, K. Kesavapany, is optimistic that the agreement between Singapore and Malaysia will lead to better relations and produce concrete benefits.

Both Najib and Lee had realised the wisdom of taking an approach so it was a win-win situation, he was quoted by local media.

"It is therefore a very welcomed development because it removes one of the thorns and the way it has been resolved is also unique," he said.

"Instead of public diplomacy, it has been done quietly, away from the media and other glares, and so we were able to come to a satisfactory conclusion, which both prime ministers have announced," he added.

Kesavapany said this also boded well for the regional grouping of the 10-member Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"What is most important is that we are looking forward, we are looking forward at a time when ASEAN is trying to come together as a community and Singapore and Malaysia can play leading roles in the formation of this community," he said.

To Najib, the outcome of the retreat is a positive signal for the private sectors and people of both countries to engage in greater collaboration.

"If you are looking for a positive signal, this is it," he said, adding that now is the time for both sides to engage in more investment, education, trade and greater collaboration between the two countries.

The outcome of the leaders' retreat has also created a buzz among the locals especially those staying in the Woodlands area.

The local media reported that the relocation of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station to Woodlands would revive businesses in the sleepy neighbourhood at Woodlands Centre Road.

Residents and businesses in Woodlands are now counting on the railway station in the neighbourhood to revive the area.