Respect thy neighbor (II)
Despite the success the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has achieved in boosting cooperation and confidence among its members, there will always be discord between member countries which, at times, may put extra strain on the relations between the countries concerned. This is natural, as it is part of the dynamism of how friendship and solidarity are molded.
As in the case of the recent barbed exchanges between Malaysia and Singapore, following Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's accusation that the Singaporeans had spread negative rumors regarding his health and Malaysia's economy because of business competition between the two countries.
"From Singapore, you get three rumors a day. And Malaysians acted in full faith on those rumors, but if the Malaysian prime minister told them the truth, they would say he is lying," Mahathir reportedly said.
Understandably, Mahathir's remarks enraged the Singaporeans who feel they are being made the scapegoat for Malaysia's financial crisis. Singaporeans' outrage, despite calls for calm from both Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng, was reflected in the city state's newspapers.
A love-hate relationship between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore occasionally surfaces because the two countries are geographically very close -- with Singapore lying on the southern tip of the Malay peninsula and formerly part of the Malaysian federation -- so that any careless remarks by leaders of the two countries could end up being a bone of contention.
Only eight months ago, Singapore's senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew had to apologize to the Malaysian government and people for a slip of the tongue when he referred to Malaysia's state of Johor as a notorious place. The apology was accepted and no harm was done to the countries' relationship.
History has shown that Singapore and Malaysia always complement, if not rely greatly on, each other. While Malaysia requires Singapore to be its gateway for some of its export commodities and access to foreign lenders, Singapore also needs an abundant supply of drinking water from Johor, just to mention a few examples.
All in all, we believe that the diplomatic spat between the two countries will subside in no time. Even the longest day comes to an end. Besides, Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Badawi responded positively Tuesday to the Singaporean leaders' appeal, saying that both countries should continue to cooperate and that the two cannot be separated easily.
"Malaysia and Singapore are old friends, but sometimes we forget and do careless things," Abdullah said, stressing that the best choice for both governments is to work together and that economic relations between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are still strong and stable.
Although it is common for neighboring countries to experience occasional discord, the recent spat between the two ASEAN members shows us that more dialogs have to be undertaken and deeper understanding should be demonstrated by each member of the regional grouping if it wishes to see cooperation among member countries greatly improved and their solidarity enhanced.