Malaysia Has Right To Relocate Pipelines To Singapore -
Dr M
JOHOR BAHARU, April 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has the right under
its agreement with Singapore to relocate the pipelines supplying
water to the island for specified reasons but only after giving
about six months notice, said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad.
He said the provision for relocation was proven valid because
Malaysia had relocated the Singapore pipelines on land during the
construction of the new road and railway station for the Integrated
Southern Gateway project.
"So, if they (Singapore) say (the relocation of the pipelines)
constitutes an 'act of war', it is totally unreasonable," he told a
news conference after making a visit to the new Customs,
Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex here Saturday.
The complex was planned as part of the RM2.5 billion Integrated
Southern Gateway which was to have included a bridge to replace the
causeway linking Johor to Singapore.
Accompanying him on the visit were Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul
Ghani Othman, CIQ contractor Gerbang Perdana Sdn Bhd managing
director Datuk Yahya Jalil, its chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail and
leaders of Barisan Nasional parties in the state.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Wednesday
announced that Malaysia had dropped plans to build a half-bridge to
replace the Malaysian section of the causeway and would cease all
negotiations on the project with Singapore.
Abdullah cited legal implications and strong public sentiments
against Singapore's demands for the supply of sand for the
republic's reclamation programme and allowing its jet fighters to
use Malaysia's air space in exchange for its agreement to build a
full bridge.
Dr Mahathir said the issue of the water pipelines had been studied
carefully by the government during his administration as he was
personally involved in the implementation of the Integrated
Southern Gateway project from its beginning.
"We know where we stand (on the pipelines)," he said, adding that
the agreement even required Singapore to be fully responsible for
the cost of any relocation of the pipelines.
He said that if the present administration was unsure about the
provisions of the agreement, it could refer the agreement to either
the Malaysian or international courts for a ruling.
"That was the case with the Sipadan and Ligitan islands (off the
east coast of Sabah once claimed by both Malaysia and Indonesia),
where we took it to the World Court and they ruled it belongs to us
and this was accepted by Indonesia," he said.
According to him, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar
recently acknowledged that the World Court might favour Malaysia on
the issue of relocating the pipelines.
Dr Mahathir said Malaysians, particularly those living in Johor,
only rejected the conditions set by Singapore and not the
construction of the bridge.
"The people certainly do not agree with the two conditions but this
does not mean they do not agree with building a crooked bridge," he
said.
He suggested that a referendum be held to determine the views of
the Johor people regarding the government's decision to cancel the
crooked bridge project.
"Let me say it frankly that I do not agree with the government's
view that the people do not want the crooked bridge," he
added.
Asked to comment on Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo's remark
that the question of who won and who lost did not arise in the
decision by Malaysia to cancel the bridge project, Dr Mahathir
said: "Singapore will surely think it did not win but Malaysia
lost."
On how he felt after his visit to the Integrated Southern Gateway
project and the cancellation of the bridge project, he said it was
something that greatly saddened him.
"I am hiding my sadness because if I were to cry like I did when I
announced my resignation (as Prime Minister at the Umno General
Assembly in 2002), I will embarrass you (reporters). So, I
laugh.
"This is because I cannot believe that before I die -- and I do not
know how long I have left as I am already 80 years old -- the
sovereignty of our country can be violated so easily. We retreated
as if we surrendered our land to others," he said.
Dr Mahathir said in the issue of the bridge Malaysia had lost a
little of its independence because it was unable to do something
like building a road and bridge in a place within its own
territory.
-- BERNAMA 15/04/06
