DR Mahathir Mohamad’s antagonism towards Singapore since returning to power spelled greater uncertainty for Malaysia’s bilateral relations with its neighbour, said panellists at a forum on Pakatan Harapan’s first 100 days in office.

The forum in Singapore today also heard about fears of strained ties, based on Dr Mahathir’s ruling style during his first stint as prime minister.

Joseph Liow, a leading political analyst on Southeast Asian governments, said Dr Mahathir’s return to power after May 9 had sparked “some measure of concern” among Singapore’s leaders.

Liow said PH’s first 100 days in office has been punctuated by uncertainty as to the direction of the government’s foreign policy.

“There is a lot of uncertainty. The first 100 days has set the stage for more uncertainty with regards to bilateral relations,” he told some 150 people at the forum organised by the Straits Times and OCBC.

Barely a month after claiming his election victory, Dr Mahathir announced the new government would be scrapping the high-speed rail (HSR) project, a deal inked by the Najib Razak administration and Singapore.

Dr Mahathir later said Malaysia was postponing the project, but Putrajaya has yet to make its plans clear to Singapore via official channels.

Liow said he found Malaysian leaders’ refusal to officially clarify their position, on the HSR, in particular, to be “in very bad taste”

“It’s not the best way to conduct diplomacy,” he said.

Dr Mahathir continued to ruffle feathers across the Causeway when he told media agencies last month that Malaysia intended to renegotiate a water deal between the two countries which expired in 2061.

Several members of the audience raised questions on whether Malaysia’s new government, led by a man who had a clear dislike for Singapore, would pose a threat to the tiny republic.

Economist Selena Ling, a forum panelist, said she believed that Malaysia’s recent actions regarding the HSR and the water deal were just part of the new government’s efforts to “trim the fat” and excesses of the previous government.

“There have been questions on whether Malaysia could be singling Singapore out,” said Ling, head of OCBC Bank’s global treasury research and strategy.

“I don’t think it’s personal.”

Liow later said that in order to work better with the PH government, Singapore’s leaders must try to look beyond Dr Mahathir’s caustic persona and actively seek to build ties with his new cabinet.

“Mahathir has always liked to ‘cucuk’ (antagonise) Singapore… he doesn’t miss an opportunity to ‘cucuk’,” he said.

“They have to actually distinguish between Mahathir and the rest of the government, including Anwar, because Mahathir is on a different level altogether.

“I think if Singapore’s leadership invests in building up relations with the rest of the PH candidates, I think that’s important to do.

“They need to set aside whatever hang-ups they have about Mahathir. Of course, he’s the PM, (so) you need to deal with him, but at the same time you need to build these bridges because a lot of (new cabinet members) are unknown (to Singapore).”

At the end of the day, Liow said the “course of nature” meant that the 93-year-old Dr Mahathir would one day have to pass the reins of leadership to another. – August 13, 2018.