DAP welcomes agreement between Malaysia and
Singapore to sign the pact to refer the Pulau Batu Puteh to ICJ on Feb. 6
and calls for an end to sabre-rattling and all war talk between both
countries with the two governments setting an example of good
neighbourliness in the run-up to the 13th NAM Summit
Media Conference Statement
by Lim Kit Siang
(Petaling Jaya,
Saturday):
DAP welcomes the agreement between Malaysia and Singapore to sign the pact
to refer the Pulau Batu Puteh to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on
Feb. 6 and calls for an end to sabre-rattling and all war talk between both
countries with the two governments setting an example of good
neighbourliness in the run-up to the 13th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit
in Kuala Lumpur on February 20 - 25, 2003.
I see no reason why the governments of the two countries which are only
within an hour of flying time from each other could not have signed such an
agreement within a week. The length of time needed to sign the agreement
after the amount of bad blood poured out by both sides in the past three
weeks is not a reflection of a mutual realization and resolution to take
bilateral relations to a new chapter of understanding and good
neighbourliness.
The accord to sign on the dotted line to refer the island dispute to ICJ on
a specific date and venue is nonetheless an achievement of sorts and an
improvement from the bad-mouthing, baiting and provocations of each other,
which had marked Malaysia-Singapore relations after the International Court
of Justice upheld Malaysia's claims of sovereignty over Sipadan and Ligitan
againsr Indonesia last monrh.
Unfortunately, the heightening of tensions between Malaysia and Singapore,
accompanied by a lot of sabre-rattling and even war talk, was not only a bad
advertisement for Southeast Asia and ASEAN at a time of global nervousness
of FDIs (foreign direct investments) and foreign tourists about the safety
and security of the region from the threat of international terrorism, it is
also not helpful to make a great success of the 13th NAM Summit which
Malaysia will be hosting in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 20 - 25, 2003.
In his message to the NAM Business Forum scheduled for Feb. 23 - 24, the
Prime Minister, Daruk Seri Dr. Mahathir said it was imperative for member
countries of NAM to unite to promote "mutual growth, development and
prosperity". This message will lose all its relevance and potency when two
close neighbouring countries in ASEAN and NAM like Malaysia and Singapore
continue to publicly bicker and squabble almost on a daily basis to tell the
whole world of their inability to conduct their bilateral relations with
civility and amity without resort to sabre-rattling and war talk.
The greatest challenge of the 13th NAM Summit in Kuala Lumpur is to breathe
new relevance into the 42-year-old 114-nation Non-Aligned Movement which is
generally dismissed as an anachronism, and this great task cannot have a
worse start than a daily bickering between two NAM member nations, one the
host country to the 13th NAM Summit/
Malaysia and Singapore will make a special effort to give special meaning to
the 13th NAM Summit by holding up Malaysia-Singapore relations as an example
of good bilateral relations between two close NAM neighbours who are also
founding members of ASEAN, instead of being the talk behind the backs of
Malaysian and Singaporean delegates at the NAM Summit of how good neighbours
should not conduct themselves.
In fact, the continued deterioration of relations between Malaysia and
Singapore in the run-up to the NAM Summit might have the effect of driving
away the highest and most representative participation by all members
countries by their heads of governments to the NAM Summit, leading them to
send low-level replacements instead.
DAP calls on Malaysia and Singapore to immediately set up inter-governmental
ministerial committees to deal with all outstanding problems between them to
show the rest of NAM as to how conflicts and differences between NAM members
should be resolved with civility and amity - the first essential step to
breathe new relevance into NAM.
(11/1/2003)
*
Lim Kit Siang, DAP National
Chairman
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http://dapmalaysia.org