Lee visits Malaysia to boost bilateral ties<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan
\nYew arrived in Malaysia on Monday for his first visit in a
\ndecade, and Malaysia's foreign minister said he hoped for
\nprogress in settling long-standing disputes.<\/p>\n
Lee, who drove up from Singapore, was greeted on arrival at
\nhis hotel in Kuala Lumpur by Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar.
\nHis four-day visit includes talks with Prime Minister Mahathir
\nMohamad.<\/p>\n
Relations have often been prickly since Singapore was ejected
\nfrom the federation of Malaysia in 1965, two years after it was
\nfounded.<\/p>\n
Among contentious issues at present are water supplies to
\nSingapore, customs, immigration and quarantine arrangements on a
\nrailway linking the two countries, withdrawal of pensions by
\nMalaysian workers in Singapore and the use of Malaysian airspace
\nby Singaporean aircraft.<\/p>\n
Syed Hamid said he hoped Lee's meetings with Finance Minister
\nDaim Zainuddin on Monday night and with Mahathir on Tuesday "will
\nbring some useful and productive decisions for our bilateral
\nrelations."<\/p>\n
He said the visit also underscored the need to strengthen
\nties.<\/p>\n
The Malay-language Berita Harian said Lee's visit was
\nimportant in helping resolve bilateral issues since he was still
\ninfluential and his trip would have been approved by Prime
\nMinister Goh Chok Tong.<\/p>\n
"We hope his visit this time would open a new chapter towards
\na deepening in bilateral relations, apart from boosting regional
\nprosperity and stability in general," it said in an editorial.<\/p>\n
But the newspaper said the republic must discard the kiasu
\nsyndrome -- literally meaning "fear of losing" in the Hokkien
\ndialect.<\/p>\n
"No one will like it if it sees itself as the best and exudes
\nthe arrogance that it has left others far behind. This is the
\ntype of belief that made actions by Singapore ... seen as
\nbelittling or mocking its neighbors," it said.<\/p>\n
The daily also questioned Singapore's high defense spending,
\nciting its $4.8 billion bill in 1998 compared to Malaysia's $1.5
\nbillion, Thailand's $2.1 billion and Indonesia's $5 billion.
\nIt said this created uneasiness among neighbors.<\/p>\n
No issues<\/p>\n
"I have no issues to raise," the Television Corporation of
\nSingapore quoted Lee at the weekend as saying, dampening
\nspeculation of any deals to resolve longstanding disputes between
\nthe two nations.<\/p>\n
Malaysia's media said the visit was significant because it
\nmight be the last by modern Singapore's founding father, who is
\nseen as still retaining influence a decade after he stepped down
\nas prime minister.<\/p>\n
"Analysts see the visit as a soft sell to mend fences, renew
\nties with important Malaysian leaders and for Lee to see himself
\nthe sea of changes that Malaysia has been through," The Sun
\nnewspaper said in a commentary on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Lee was prime minister of Singapore from 1959 until 1990 when
\nhe stepped down and was named senior minister. The 76-year-old
\npatriarch is a key adviser to Prime Minister Goh and a frequent
\nemissary and spokesman of Singapore.<\/p>\n
Lee said his visit was to see recent developments in Malaysia
\nsuch as the new Kuala Lumpur airport, the Petronas Twin Towers
\nand the Putrajaya federal administrative center.<\/p>\n
Lee enraged Malaysia in 1997 when he described the country's
\nsouthern Johor state which borders Singapore as "notorious for
\nshootings, muggings and car-jackings". A year later, he wrote a
\nbook accusing Malaysian politicians of instigating race riots in
\nhis country which killed 23 people in 1964.<\/p>\n
Lee was accompanied by his wife and 10 officials on the visit
\nwhich the Malaysian government said was aimed to "enhance"
\nbilateral ties.<\/p>",
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