Mahathir: Being friendly towards S'pore didn't work
March 26, 2006
The Straits Times
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad
said yesterday that being friendly towards Singapore had failed to
build relations and resolve bilateral spats.
He said only time would tell if the more conciliatory approach
taken by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi would yield results.
'When I first became Prime Minister in 1981, I went to Singapore to
promote good relations with its Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, but it
was clearly evident they weren't sincere in wanting to be friendly
to us,' he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
He admitted that he had been unable to resolve a variety of
disputes with Singapore during his 22-year tenure, but blamed the
country for making demands that Malaysia would not accede to.
Negotiations are under way between the two countries over replacing
the Causeway linking the two sides with a new bridge, an issue
dating back to Tun Dr Mahathir's administration.
He said Singapore was asking for concessions for agreement to build
a new bridge but offered nothing in return.
'Now they want sand and permission to use our airspace for their
military aircraft to agree to the construction of a bridge to
replace the Causeway. But what do they give us in
return...nothing...zero,' he said. -- AFP, Bernama