I heard that the peranakan bastard Harry Lee Kuan Yew said that
Johor is unsafe.
SINGAPORE— Seeking to prevent a serious rift
in relations with Malaysia, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's senior
minister, apologized "unreservedly" Thursday for remarks that
brought a storm of protest from Malaysians.
The public apology was a rare act for Mr. Lee, a tough and often
outspoken former prime minister from 1959 to 1990 who remains a
powerful figure in Singapore.
"The senior minister had no intention to cause offense and
apologizes unreservedly for the offense he has caused to the
government and people of Malaysia by his statement on Johor," a
statement from Mr. Lee's press secretary said.
Mr. Lee said in a recent affidavit for a libel case that the
Malaysian state of Johor, which is linked to
Singapore by a causeway, was "notorious for shootings, muggings and
carjackings."
Analysts said that the strength of the protests in Malaysia
threatened to damage relations unless an apology was
forthcoming.
Most of Singapore's water and much of its food comes from Malaysia.
Although the two countries have close ties and cooperate in some
areas, there is increasing economic rivalry between them.
Analysts said that Mr. Lee's derogatory reference to Johor touched
a sensitive nerve in Malaysia.
"Some Singaporeans feel themselves to be generally superior to
Malaysians, and even if they don't, most Malaysians think they do
and that is enough," said Bruce Gale, Singapore regional manager of
Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Pte.
Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad of Malaysia said Thursday that
many Malaysians felt that Mr. Lee should "make amends" for what he
said about Johor. At a demonstration in Johor, members of the youth
wing of the party Mr. Mahathir heads, the United Malays National
Organization, brandished placards calling Mr. Lee "senile," "stupid" and a
"pig" — terms that are almost unheard of in the normally smooth
diplomacy between leaders of countries in the Association of South
East Asian Nations. Mr. Mahathir said that Mr. Lee's comments
revealed the difficulties in relations between the two
countries.
Singapore was expelled from the Malaysian federation in 1965,
partly because Malay leaders suspected that Mr. Lee wanted to win
power in Malaysia and end the special privileges given to
Malays.
Mr. Lee's libel case was one of 13 brought by members of
Singapore's governing party against an opposition politician, Tang
Liang Hong, who fled to Johor after general elections in January in
which he failed to win a seat in Parliament.
The comment in Mr. Lee's affidavit about Johor was made as part of
an argument disputing claims by Mr. Tang that he feared for his
life in Singapore.
"Of all places,
he went to Johor," Mr Lee said. "That place is notorious for
shootings, muggings and carjackings. It does not make sense for a
person who claims to be fearful for his life to go to a place like
Johor."
The statement by Mr. Lee's press secretary said the affidavit was
not intended to be made public. But Mr. Tang had asked for and
gotten an open court hearing where it was discussed. The statement
added that Mr. Lee had not been in Johor since 1990 and that the
affidavit reflected "his perception based on reports he had read in
the press."
"It was unfortunate that subsequently it became public by the way
the litigation developed," it said.
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/14/news/14iht-malay.t_0.html