“What Malaysia and Indonesia did was not sabotage but competition. In the past both countries’ goods were marketed through Singapore because its port could be used for big ships.
“Realising that shipping companies could contribute to the economy, so both countries decided to develop their own ports to reap more benefits from each other’s import-export industry,” Dr Mahathir said today.
In a letter written to Utusan Malaysia today, the former prime minister said that he was “clarifying” his Mingguan Malaysia interview last Sunday.
In the interview, Dr Mahathir accused Singapore of exploiting Malaysia and Indonesia for its own economic benefits.
He then said Singapore’s claims about Malaysia and Indonesia’s were baseless, because Singapore depended on their resources as(Singapore) had “nothing.”
“If we want to build our own ports with our own resources, why can’t we? It is our right, we are not taking away their riches,” he was quoted in his weekend edition interview.
Dr Mahathir repeated his stand today, stressing earlier points highlighted in the interview.
“Do free and independent countries have to maintain our coloniser’s system where Singapore remains the main port in South East Asia? What is wrong with countries wanting to develop their own economy through the port industry? Now is this a threat to Singapore?” he said today.
The country’s longest-serving PM has admitted that Malaysia’s growth was slower compared with Singapore’s, but alleged it was due to Putrajaya ensuring all races had slices of the country’s economic pie.
Dr Mahathir in his interview suggested the island republic was less into “balance of wealth” among races, letting minorities like Malays trail Chinese.
This, Dr Mahathir feels, gave Singapore its edge over Malaysia. Singapore helped form Malaysia in 1963 but was asked to leave two years.
The former PM has been highly critical of Singapore over the past recent weeks.
Two weeks ago he claimed that Malaysia was more democratic, and argued Singapore’s “disciplined” image was at the expense of its citizens’ freedoms.
Malaysia on the hand he argued was more “democratic” and did not use extreme measures to govern.
In June last year, Dr Mahathir told a rally of Malay NGOs that Malays in Malaysia risked becoming marginalised like their Singapore counterparts because of political division.
The former prime minister said: “If we do not think deeply about the future of our community then there is a possibility that we can become [like] the Singaporean Malays and have no power.”
His remarks were heavily criticised by Singapore Berita Harian readers, who insist Singaporean Malays are not marginalised, and that their rights were fully protected. - Malaysian Insider
Dr. M is a fool. Maybe a visit to a proper library (with no rewritten history) will jog his old senile mind. Singapore letting Malays trail behind Chinese? What kind of hogwash is that? It is all about effort and merit. Malays can thrive and flourish if they want to without the 'helping hand (outs)' the Malaysian Government so condescendingly give. It is as if the Malays are unable to get by themselves on their own energy, wisdom and abilities in Malaysia as compared to Singapore. Singaporeans are equal and rely on fair competition. Fair, being the operative word here. Chinese and Indians of Malaysia go up against unfair competition and still the Government harps on about why Bumis need more help. How much more help - do they need to issue Bumis with individual food processors to help blend up their food to help them with their eating? Give the Bumis some credit. They can survive on their own without the Government's scaremongering about deepest darkest poverty awating them. The same poverty is also suffered by the very Chinese and Indians who helped built Malaysia. Given Malaysia and Indonesia with all their natural resources, these Governments did very little apart from lining their pockets and those of their cronies. Singapore branched into offering services that neither of these 2 countries have not or could not or would not tap into. Hong Kong and Taiwan are small nations too. They also did what they could when they have no natural resources. These are the real competitors to Singapore. Indonesia and Malaysia cannot compete mano-a-mano figuratively speaking. Years of dumbing down education, basically ruled them out of venturing into any high-tech industry, financial services or anything that needed brain power. Malaysia can choose to turn off fresh water supply, but that would be very juvenile, wouldn't it? Dr. M, please retire, choose your ultimate yoghurt and prune juice and keep your verbal diarrhoea to yourself.
ReplyDelete