President Abdurrahman lashes out at Singapore<\/p>\n
By Budiman Murdiyat<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (JP): In a speech likely to cause a new
\ncontroversy and increase tension in the region, President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid launched here on Saturday a scathing verbal
\nattack on Singapore, saying the country had done nothing but take
\nadvantage of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Speaking before members of the Indonesian community in
\nSingapore, Abdurrahman said Jakarta had been \"manipulated\" by the
\nisland-nation.<\/p>\n
The President, who was in Singapore to attend an informal
\nsummit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Friday
\nand Saturday, went on to mull the possibility of controlling the
\nwater supply to Singapore \"to teach a lesson\" to the island-
\nnation.<\/p>\n
The verbal attack came only a day after presidential spokesman
\nWimar Witoelar said Abdurrahman was unhappy with the summit's
\nemphasis on economic competitiveness at the expense of \"ASEAN
\nsolidarity\".<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman later said he was angry that the two-day informal
\nsummit was not placing sufficient emphasis on the least-developed
\nASEAN member countries.<\/p>\n
He expressed his displeasure with the host country, which he
\naccused of \"seeming to be keen only on developing relations with
\nChina and other East Asian countries\" during the summit.<\/p>\n
\"If (Singapore Prime Minister) Goh Chok Tong really wants to
\ngo his own way ... go ahead, it would not be a problem for us
\nbecause we can also go our own way,\" Abdurrahman said.<\/p>\n
The President added that he was also unsatisfied with his
\nmeeting earlier this week with one of his international advisers,
\nSingapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew.<\/p>\n
The result of this displeasure, the President said, was Lee's
\nrejection of his proposal to admit East Timor and Papua New
\nGuinea into ASEAN because \"the cost of letting those countries in
\nwould be too much to bear\".<\/p>\n
\"It became clear from my meeting with Lee Kuan Yew that
\nSingapore is only looking for profit,\" Abdurrahman said, adding
\nthat he might establish a new multilateral grouping with Papua
\nNew Guinea, East Timor, Australia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n
\"Singapore might be unhappy with this move but I don't think
\nthat would be the case, because when they established a defense
\nagreement with New Zealand and Australia and when they decided to
\nopen their port to refuel U.S. navy ships they didn't tell
\nIndonesia or Malaysia anything,\" Abdurrahman said.<\/p>\n
He went further, saying \"Singaporeans basically like to
\nunderestimate Malay people\".<\/p>\n
\"We are considered nonexistent, and even during my meeting
\nwith Lee Kuan Yew the other day he thought that I would be
\nstepping down,\" Abdurrahman said, referring to the increasing
\ncalls in Jakarta for his resignation.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman said, however, that he did not blame the
\nSingaporeans as Jakarta had been \"too soft and dependent\" on the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
\"Before, only (Malaysian) Prime Minister Mahathir (Mohamad)
\nwas brave enough to confront Singapore, but now ... Mahathir has
\na new friend,\" Abdurrahman said, implying that Jakarta would also
\nbe taking a tough stance with Singapore.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman added that during his breakfast meeting with
\nMahathir on Saturday, he had proposed that Indonesia and Malaysia
\njointly control the water supply to Singapore.<\/p>\n
\"Why don't we control the water supply to Singapore ... if we
\nhold the water for a moment, they will have no water to drink.<\/p>\n
\"So we should not be afraid, or in other words our interests
\nshould come first before the interests of other people,\"
\nAbdurrahman said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/president-abdurrahman-lashes-out-at-singapore-1447893297",
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