Pakatan ‘falling apart’, fuelling Singapore-Malaysia spats, says ex-envoy

Julia Yeow Julia Yeow Updated 5 years ago · Published on 22 Feb 2019 7:00AM · 7 Comments

Dr Mahathir Mohamad's second stint as prime minister, this time as the Pakatan Harapan leader, is just as combative towards Singapore as during his 22-year tenure as BN leader. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, February 22, 2019.

POLITICAL instability in the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition and its failure to capture Malay support are aggravating relations between Malaysia and Singapore, said a former Singaporean diplomat.

Ambassador-at-large Bilahari Kausikan said after Barisan Nasional was replaced by PH in the 14th general election last year “old bilateral issues almost immediately resurfaced”.

He was referring to recent disputes on maritime boundaries and joint airspace control, as well as ongoing negotiations into the price of water Malaysia sells to Singapore.

“These issues are not new and they cannot be resolved,” Bilahari said at a public lecture in the National University of Singapore.

“To resolve an issue, both sides must want to resolve it. Whereas in this case, the other side’s interest is to keep them alive to use them to rally support.

“It would be wrong to place too much emphasis on the personality of (Prime Minister) Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) although that was undoubtedly a factor,” he told more than 200 attendees.

“More importantly, the new Pakatan Harapan government is fundamentally incoherent.

“It’s falling apart,” said Bilahari.

He cited a Merdeka Centre research last year which found a three-way split of Malay votes for PH, Umno and Islamist party PAS, meaning that the support of Malaysia’s largest ethnic group looks to be fiercely contested by the three groups.

The results, said Bilahari, reveals the instability of the ruling pact, which will grow further as it desperately tries to rally greater Malay support if it hopes to retain power in the next general election.

“Using Singapore as a bogeyman or whipping boy to rally the Malay ground is a time-tested tactic,” he said.

“Dr Mahathir used it when he led Umno, he uses it now that he is head of Bersatu.

“This is not just a matter of personality or historical baggage.”

In his lecture, Bilahari also said he expects Malaysia’s political scenario to remain in a flux for some time because of infighting within PH and the growing threat of Islamic fundamentalism.

Ambassador-at-large Bilahari Kausikan says at a lecture on Wednesday Malaysia cannot accept the multiracial meritocracy across the Causeway, leading it to acts of provocation. – The Malaysian Insight pic, February 22, 2019.

Show of might

The former policy adviser to Singapore’s ministry of foreign affairs urged the republic’s incoming new leadership to maintain the country’s military capabilities, saying that a show of might is crucial in its dealings with Malaysia.

This is because Malaysian leaders will always seek to undermine and subjugate the city-state.

“Even though Singapore is now accepted as a sovereign state, it is not a situation which Malaysia is entirely comfortable with,” Bilahari said at the lecture titled Singapore’s relations with Indonesia and Malaysia.

“Today, the governments of our neighbours deal with Singapore as a sovereign nation only because we have developed capabilities that have given them no other choice.

“It is not their preferred way of dealing with a small, ethnic Chinese-majority city-state.

“They would prefer us to accept a subordinate role as do their own Chinese populations,” he said.

Singapore’s new leaders must, therefore, continue to “establish red lines” which send a clear message to Putrajaya that the country is equipped and ready to use its military might in the event it is forced to a corner.

“The threat of use of force is as much part of diplomacy as negotiations. Diplomacy is not just about being nice.

“It is essential to establish red lines because it is only when red lines are clearly understood that mutual relations can be conducted on the basis of mutual respect.”

Bilahari said the fundamental reason for Malaysia’s continued provocative acts towards Singapore is because of the republic’s system of a multiracial meritocracy, which greatly contrasted from the former’s race-based policies.

“The basic and enduring issue is not what we do, but what we are – a multiracial, meritocratic small city state that performs better than they do and we must always perform better.

“The very existence of our dramatically very different system, too close to be ignored or disregarded, that does better than their system, poses an implicit criticism of their system to their own people.” – February 22, 2019.

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Comments

  • Bilahari is talking without thinking. Simply talk! PH will not fall apart. Yes! It does have problems. Having problems and differences doesn't mean they're going to fall apart. It showed they don't do things blindly without being critical of their leaders' actions.

    Posted 5 years ago by Jordan Lee · Reply

  • Coming from a diplomat, his comments are most unbecoming of an ambassador. But we can't expect any much better from our pricky neighbor. It is par for the course as far as Singapore Malaysian relations are concerned. Somehow we get the impression that they will be most happy should Malaysia Baru fail. The little red dot will be using their opinion making more useful in how to further democratise Singaporean society and politics instead of falling back on the old recipe left behind by LKY. Then perhaps the ties that bind us would be more amicable. As it is, the noise coming from South of the causeway is mere juvenile static.

    Posted 5 years ago by Panchen Low · Reply

  • A self serving statement from our southern neighbour. Selfish though but a wishful thought. Of course they would want the old corrupted government back as its easier to negotiate to their advantage.

    Too bad mate, we will prevail. Malaysia Baru.

    Posted 5 years ago by Robert Phang · Reply

  • The exact analysis should say BN fell apart, PH brings together all Malaysians under the leadership of TDM to continue to pursue the outstanding issues with Singapore.

    Posted 5 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • A pedestrian diplomat!!! Utterly a low tier level politician found a plenty in the garbage bins of Umno office. Shame !!! for it is often seen that Ministers or Diplomats of Singapore all speak with astuteness and intellience while this fool is playing low level reverse psychology and using false military might to intimidate. All it just take for Malaysia to do is having severe downtime cleaning of the water pipe line to singapore and invite China Lao Ning aircraft carriers to test the saltiness of the Strait of Melaka will definitely STFU in singapore arrogance. It is also good in the sense that the Malays here in Malaysia understand and make to be aware the very fact that there is Malaysian who stand for their country and not just selfishly one community in this Bumiputra soil when troubles arises and too hot for them to handle

    Posted 5 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • He calls it a 'time-tested tactic' and yet he blames TDM, forgetting that during the first two PMs era Singapore left Malaysia. His ;to establish red lines' is making the minor Singapore-Malaysia rail link problem into a 2nd Arab-Israeli dispute in this region. Bilahari sir, your views are lop-sided.

    Posted 5 years ago by Citizen Pencen · Reply

  • Perhaps, an Umno-PAS supporter has written the script for this diplomat or at least supplied him the secret information on the breakup of Pakatan. To hear him speak is like attending an Umno-PAS election rally.

    Posted 5 years ago by Neoh Choo kean · Reply