I can't believe that all of you think that it is very normal and
acceptable for Singapore to use Malaysian airspace.
I can't believe that you guys think that Malaysians are being
"evil" for protesting this deal.
I would be out on the streets protesting if Lee Hsien Loon sold
airspace rights to Malaysia or Indonesia Air Force. I would hate to
have foreign warplanes over Singapore skies especially from a
potentially hostile country.
Come on guys, don't just see your own side of the issue.
I think anyother reason they are protesting is how cheaply and
easily their new leader can be bought.
Lousy $2 billion - and it's the Malaysian workers' CPF, their money
to begin with - and they hand over their airspace.
Maybe a few more billions and they would hand over the entire
Johore, its water and its women.
I recognize this is a military-enthusiast board but let's not
blow things out of proportion.
1stly, no one's "selling" anyone anything, so let's not go down
that juvenile road.
2ndly, Abdullah Badawi said the airspace issue (plus the CPF &
railway-land ones) "are not very difficult & can be resolved as
quickly as possible." That's cuz the RSAF doesn't linger in their
sphere all that much - let alone fly around like they own the
place. Go read his press statement again; he's considering allowing
Singapore to use Malaysian airspace en route to training
areas.
3rdly, let's backtrack a bit & pinpoint where exactly the
alleged intrusions took place. Most certainly, it couldn't be
anywhere near KL or the PAS-controlled territories cuz the border's
not there. Instead, it must be further south, at the tip of the
peninsula.
I recall a series of localized complaints about low-level flight
noise at Gelang Patah in west Johor (Second Link side of S'pore),
which their federal authorities took umbrage on behalf of -
noticeably within the generalized context of "violation of
Malaysian airspace"- even after we worked out an arrangement to
inform them in advance whenever we need to transit by.
Actually, Malaysia shows its hand whenever they mentioned
"sovereignty rights" in the same breath (sometimes blatantly to
their own media but which go unreported by the S'pore press): Pedra
Branca is the relevant token, in the eyes of their federal
government, of their perceived sense of territorial & airspace
integrity here. PAS argues for as much, though both get caught up
with the nationalist fervour & made muddle-headed contentions
as a result.
Gosh, they were themselves urging for the same restraint as us when
dealing with Indonesia over the Sipadan-Ligitan islands, as
Jayakumar quoted in Parliament:
"... Until Malaysias claim is decided by the ICJ, the status quo
must remain, consistent with Malaysias own position in the case of
Sipadan/Ligitan. There, Malaysia adopted the position that as they
were in possession of the islands, the status quo should prevail.
For example, this is what they said in a diplomatic note to
Indonesia on 3 January 1994, a note which they filed at the
ICJ:
The Government of Malaysia
reiterates that since Sipadan & Ligitan are parts of Malaysia,
any & all activities undertaken by Malaysia on or pertaining to
those islands & their surrounding waters constitute legitimate
exercise of its sovereignty & jurisdiction. The continuing acts
of intrusion by Indonesian naval vessels & aircraft in
Malaysias territorial waters & airspace around Sipadan &
Ligitan similarly cannot in any way, advance Indonesias claim over
the 2 islands.
http://www.mfa.gov.sg/kl/speech.html
So, from the Singapore side: As if flying near Gelang Patah (with a
bilateral protocol already in place) or flying past Pedra Branca
(which we own according the status quo until the ICJ's decision) is
really that provocative? Or are they merely using us as a bogeyman
to score political points & rally their own countrymen?
