All matters related to territorial tussle with Singapore would be handled by the Foreign Ministry, said Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu.
He told reporters when refusing to comment about the ongoing row between Putrajaya and the Singapore government over the countries' borders at the Straits of Malacca.
"The issue is handled by the Foreign Ministry, which had issued a statement. The Foreign Ministry had been tasked to handle everything related to this," he said during a press conference at the Amanah Convention 2018 in Ipoh today.
On Wednesday, former defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein reiterated his call for the Defence Ministry to speak up about the ongoing territorial dispute with Singapore.
Hishammuddin reminded Mohamad's deputy Liew Chin Tong that it was the ministry's job to defend the country, after Liew was reported as saying that they would not get involved as “we don’t want to fight fire with fire, we want to de-escalate the situation.”
“This isn't about fighting fire with fire. This is no longer a verbal war with Singapore. This is about standing your ground for Malaysia as the government.
“You have been entrusted to lead the Armed Forces and defend the nation. Stop the rhetoric and just do it,” Hishammuddin said on Twitter on Wednesday.
The former minister had made a similar call on Monday, where he complained on Twitter that the ministry had been quiet whereas Singapore Singapore’s cabinet was standing behind the republic on the matter. - Mkini
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