LKY says KL reprisal over land could have led to war

By Clara Chooi

September 06, 2011

SINGAPORE, Sept 6 — Singapore’s influential founding father Lee Kuan Yew has praised Malaysia for honouring agreements that resulted in the return of the Tanjong Pagar railway land to the republic, saying any attempt to retaliate could have led to “war”.

Lee told a forum of 1,700 students at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) last night that he hoped the return of the Tanjong Pagar railway station to Singapore was a milestone in diplomatic relations with his Southeast Asian neighbour.

Lee said a third bridge would bring benefits to both nations. — Reuters pic

“I hope it is so. It shows that Malaysians are observing the agreements they have signed without trying to retaliate in other directions, such as water, which will lead to war,” he was quoted as saying in an article on his speech published in the Singapore Straits Times today.

The land swap has been contentious since the Malaysia-Singapore Points of Agreement (POA) was signed in 1990 over the issue of the future of the railway land. The POA was signed between Lee and former Malaysian Finance Minister Tun Daim Zanuddin.

Under the agreement, KTM was to vacate its historic railway station at Tanjong Pagar and move to Bukit Timah while all of KTM’s land between Bukit Timah and Tanjong Pagar would revert to Singapore.

Lee then spoke positively of increasing connectivity between Malaysia and Singapore through the construction of a third bridge, saying it would bring benefits to both nations.

“I think the more connectivity there is between the two countries, the more both will prosper... Where the bridge should be and what the cost will be have to be worked out,” he said.

He pointed to Singapore’s success above its regional neighbours and attributed it to the island republic’s commitment to using a system based on meritocracy.

Lee, Singapore’s longest serving prime minister, claimed the people’s solidarity and support of a meritocratic system that began since its 1965 independence had helped boost Singapore’s income per capita.

“The best people... took over the best jobs,” the daily quoted him as saying.

The federal opposition in Malaysia has often championed the use of a meritocratic system of administration, accusing the Najib government for purportedly returning to affirmative action policies to suit the Bumiputera community.

But recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak argued that depending 100 per cent on a meritocratic system would lead to inequality as it would be unfair to expect both the rural and urban folk to compete on a level playing field.

The Straits Times also quoted Singapore’s straight-talking former minister mentor as saying that the island republic’s biggest challenge is in maintaining the growth and well-being of its populace, not merely in terms of material wealth but “cultural standards and a civilised way of living”.

“My worry about the future is whether we’ll have the same national solidarity — that same desire to increase educational levels, increase performance and having the best people in the best jobs or holding the most important jobs.

“It is a different society that we face and therefore the political leaders will have a much more complicated job of getting society as a whole to accept a programme which is segmented to meet the needs of various strata of society,” the daily quoted Lee as saying.