Malaysia freezes fresh dealings with Singapore

Malaysia freezes fresh dealings with Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysia said Wednesday it was
freezing fresh dealings with Singapore, including awarding new
contracts to Singapore firms, over unkind remarks made by elder
statesman Lee Kuan Yew about a Malaysian state.

The decision was made at a cabinet meeting chaired by Deputy
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the national news agency Bernama
said, quoting several cabinet ministers whom it did not name.

One minister, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the
Cabinet decided to cool off ties for a while in terms of
bilateral talks "or anything to do with Singapore".

Any ongoing bilateral talks will also be postponed for now, he
said.

Bernama quoted another minister as saying awarding of
contracts to Singapore companies, government-to-government
contacts and meetings between ruling political parties would also
be affected.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is currently on a four-day
official visit to Japan. Foreign Minister Datuk Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi is accompanying him.

No Singapore government official was immediately available for
comment.

Bernama quoted a minister as saying the decision was prompted
by remarks from Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and
Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar after Malaysia last week announced
it had accepted Lee's "unreserved apology" for describing Johor
state as "notorious for shootings, muggings and car-jackings".

Badawi said after last week's cabinet meeting the government
accepted the apology but the episode had deeply hurt all
Malaysians and "restoration of the old level of relationship
would take time."

Radio Corporation of Singapore reported the same day that
Jayakumar expressed surprise at Badawi's statement.

Earlier this week, Malaysia newspapers quoted Goh as telling
Radio Corporation the differences between the two countries were
mainly due to inaccurate newspaper reports.

The latest fuss between two neighbors, who share the same
colonial legacy and were briefly united between 1963 and 1965,
appeared to have died down after Lee's apology and his move to
withdraw the offending remarks from a court affidavit.

It was a rare public apology by the 73-year-old Lee, who led
the fight for Singapore's independence and was its prime minister
from 1959 until 1990.

But his bitter debates with Malaysian leaders over "special
rights" for ethnic Malays led to Singapore's expulsion from the
Malaysia Federation in 1965, leaving wounds that linger today.

Last year, Lee hit a raw nerve when he said some day Singapore
might be forced to re-unite with Malaysia if the island state was
unable to compete on its own. But it would only do so if Malaysia
adopted meritocratic policies.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, infuriated by the
reference to meritocracy, accused Lee of conjuring up Malaysia as
a "bogeyman" to scare voters ahead of Singapore elections that
were eventually held in January.

Malaysians said they were not altogether happy with Lee's
apology and retraction, which were done by issuing statements
through his press secretary. Lee, himself has not personally
commented about the incident.

Lee's controversial remarks were part of an affidavit he made
in court on Jan. 27 in his libel suit against opposition
politician Tang Liang Hong.

Tang fled to Johor Baru, capital of Johor state, immediately
after losing a race for parliament in Singapore's general
elections on Jan.2.