By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP Life Advisor
PM Najib wants more development for Johore and Malaysia by improving relationships with Singapore. His proposal to build a third bridge to link South East Johore with Changi of Singapore was meant to bring economic development for South East Johore and Singapore.
Umno insisted that selling land to Singapore was akin to giving up Malaysia’s sovereignty. This is ridiculous.
Umno should be aware that large quantities of sand and quarry stone have been sold to Singapore for many years. Yet we have not lost our sovereignty.
Umno must realise that the rural population of South Johore – in particular both South East and South West Johore are still quite poor because development has not come to these places. These places need foreign investment to build factories and bring in tourists and provide employment and create prosperity.
CO-OPERATION BETWEEN MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE COULD CREATE A ‘SHENZEN’ FOR JOHORE.
Umno should organise a study trip to visit Shenzen and see the stupendous transformation of Shenzen from a fishing village to dynamic pulsating economic zone in the like of Hong Kong.
If Umno is sincere in wanting to help the rural population of South Johore, it should be serious in bring development to these people. Umno has no objections to open up the ISKANDAR development region to foreigners including Singapore, there is no good reason for refusing Singapore to help in the development of South East Johore.
Times have changed. UMNO’s old politics have no place in modern politics. The days of treating Singapore a suspicious intruder are no more. Both countries have to work together. Admittedly there is no love lost love between Malaysia and Singapore. But the hard facts of world wide recession, negative growth in both countries and a 60% drop in foreign investments are compelling reasons for active lasting co-operation between Malaysia and Singapore.
#1 by ChengHoi on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 5:55 pm
Send them to learn how to strike win-win deals, without the “correct, correct, correct” element.
The fear came from win-lose and must-win-all mentality.
#2 by ctc537 on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 5:57 pm
If PM Najib is willing to cooperate with Singapore for mutual benefits, then I can’t see why BN can’t work closely with Pakatan states on economic matters to rescue the nation’s economy. Since he has visited China recently, PM Najib should emulate China when it comes to dealing with other countries on economic matters. China may have misunderstandings with countries like the U.S., France, Germany, etc, on issues like human rights, Dalai Lamma, from time to time, but economic and trading relations with these countries have not suffered much.
#3 by Loh on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 5:57 pm
PKR used the 12-year ban to justify that the long ban was entitled to a study before it is lifted. The ban has no economic justification beyond jealousy and it was done to satisfy only TDM’s personal desire for his grudge against Singapore leaders, who through their statesmanship have developed the country and that put Malaysia to shame by comparison.
It is to settle TDM personal score that Malaysia chose to forgo the legitimate good business opportunity to sell sand. The sand sitting at the mouth of Pahang River causes floods on the banks. Singapore could have been offered sand at the mouth of Pahang River for a mutually agreed price, Pahang gets the funds, and the river has a clear flow.
Selling sand can never be equated to selling land as TDM wanted his followers to believe, and they took it in with line and sinker. If his followers would just reflect a little, they would know that no matter how much sand has been removed the space remains and so is its land areas, they did not get it from Malaysia as TDM would twist their brain to believe. TDM practised beggar-thy-neighbour policy to settle personal scores, and Malaysians just fell for it, for Bangsa and Uganma. There were wrong on Bangsa because TDM was only constitutional Malay.
If TDM wants then to believe that sand is national resources and could not be sold, that goes with all exports of non-renewable resources, including oil, tin and timber. The ban on the sale of sand has no valid reasons.
The hatred for Singapore stems from the fact that Singapore left Malaysia. Singaporeans had all the rights to everything in Malaysia when they remained, and now they are only confined to Singapore. That was an agreement, and it is not smart to cry over contracts done in the past. UMNO always wanted to have the right to amend agreement to its advantage, single-handedly because the other party could be bullied.
TDM started the Proton, and Malaysians have to pay heavily for that when it is called national car. A man’s decision is poisons for millions. Why should not Proton operate without the status of national car which has made it non-competitive?
TDM made teaching of science and mathematics in English in primary schools, and for six years now, people are suffering and the Education ministers simply dared not change what TDM started when they knew that millions of our children suffer.
Malaysia suffered enough during his 22 years reign with all the institutions damaged and it might take longer even if the powers-that-be turned statesman and wanted their revival. For a start, they should just remove all policies established by TDM starting with lifting the ban on the sale of sand.
Even absolute monarchs of the past would not interfere into the running of the state after the reign. Those monarchs at least loved their state, quite unlike TDM who loves only himself.
#4 by monsterball on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 6:08 pm
The Sultan of Johore have rejected the 3rd bridge!!
Two bridges to one tiny island..why 3rd one?
ha yes…new bridge means new land huge profits .. and start all over again….how to kill two birds… with one stone.
That’s a slap in the face to Najib…as the Sultan did to Mahathir..some 30 years ago..while he was the Agong.
Say what you like..this Sultan do have Malaysians in his heart…and not play to the tune as a racialist and political Sultan.
#5 by -ec- on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 7:13 pm
i have to say that i do not agree with dr. chen:
(1) southern johore as shenzen to hong hong: this argument is FLAW. shenzen and hk are one country. that year when deng opened up shenzen was because 97 was close and deng did not want panic in the transition and ensured the hk people that their economic position was not threatened. that year when singapore decided to leave malaya, there are two countries. they are them, we are we. we are not even talking about win-win or win-lose. no trade-off of our sovereignty and dignity as a country, for whatsoever reason! i believe there are plenty other ways to development the rural southern johore. we do not beg for development.
(2) when dealing with external relationship (please forget the days when singapore was part of us) i say we, i mean WE. i do not see what internal politics has to do with it. anyone who is not doing the good of this country (no matter which political party he/she comes from), he/she is a traitor. no matter how furious is the political fight in the country, we are we when when face others.
(3) still, NO SAND FOR SINGAPORE. are we that poor that we cannot even clear up the contaminated river in pahang? can we use this sand to fill up our many mining lakes? can we use this sand to enlarge the land area of penang for more development?
(4) the sultan of johore had made a sound decision. i salute him.
#6 by -ec- on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 7:21 pm
(5) there is no compromise if it involved national sovereignty. i can guess what the singaporean will say: “see, we have money, we can buy everything on earth, i am so proud to tell you that the place that i am standing on is made out of sand that we bought from our poor neighbor.”
i would not want to see when our land in other people’s feet.
#7 by -ec- on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 7:32 pm
to dr. chen: if there is other intention in this piece of writing (and i do not want to speculate), pr, or dap in particular shall never gain control of johore!
#8 by Godfather on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 7:34 pm
Singapore is a stark reminder to UMNO of all that ills Bolehland. Mamakthir was “bullied” or “intimidated” by hardworking and smarter kids at the university in Singapore, and I think he plotted his revenge because of this. Deny Singapore this and that. Make sure they are last on the list of foreign investors. Take their money only as a last resort. UMNO would rather be screwed by the Arabs.
When Singapore has a per capita income 5 times that of Bolehland, pour scorn and say that it was so easy to manage a city state.
This is the UMNO position on Singapore, so don’t expect anything positive. LKY knows this. He made the recent trip to figure out if anything has changed – and he knows that nothing has changed.
#9 by HJ Angus on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 7:35 pm
I do not agree that “sand” equates to land in another country.
If we apply that logic we cannot export cement as that uses up a lot of limestone cliffs etc.
As for the third bridge rejection, to me it is just part of the game of WIIFM.
But JB and south Johor really depends on Singapore spenders to survive and now with the “crooked bridge” diversion from the old town centre, the place is dying a slow death with only City Square gaining.
A more worthwhile project would be a fast rail link between JB and say Kranji, perhaps a JV extension of the SMRT and also links to say Tebrau City and Tampoi?
That would drastically reduce the number of buses plying the Causeway and these excess buses could be used to provide the feeder services to these 2 transport hubs.
#10 by DAP man on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 8:30 pm
Those who support the …barring the sale of sand to Singapore or refute the comparison of Shenzen/HongKong to Singapore/Johor, I wish you good luck.
Time will tell when other countries progress and we remain in the backwaters.
Remember, our economy is in shit and it will remain there unless we wake to the fact that investors have many choices today and may well by-pass Malaysia.
Now you guys can wallow in your pride and smugness.
#11 by Bossa Roo on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 9:19 pm
UMNO is too deeply entrenched in its racial politics for more than 50 years and that includes looking at Singapore as a Chinese state which was once part of Malaysia until 1965. UMNO is jealous of Singapore’s progress since separation 44 years ago, because it reflects on UMNO’s own mismanagement. Where Singapore has now reached the stage of a 1st world country, Malaysia slides towards the status of Zimbabwe or Somalia. UMNO would rather let the Johor Malays continue to mire in poverty than to let them progress through Singapore’s cooperation because that would work against UMNO’s politics. Thus UMNO is prepared to cut its own nose to spite its own face. UMNO hopes and wishes that Singapore will die from lack of resources, overcrowding, etc, but the more UMNO hopes Singapore dies, the more determined Singapore is not only to survive but to prosper as well.
#12 by TomThumb on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 9:31 pm
“Umno insisted that selling land to Singapore was akin to giving up Malaysia’s sovereignty. This is ridiculous” chen man hin
Of course it is ridiculous.
mahathir cannot be expected to know the difference between chin peng stepping on malaysian soil after years of exile and rpk stepping on Malaysian soil.
#13 by limkamput on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 9:48 pm
If DR Chen made a mistake saying “selling land” (instead of selling sand) to Singapore, some dumb here must quote him blindly and gave out more sh!t. A dumb is what a dumb does, vomiting sh!t day in and day out, no more and no less.
#14 by tanjong8 on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 10:50 pm
Umno is not Umno if they can think rationally !
If fact, Singapore should be angry when Mahathir imposed the ban of the sale of sands. They could have seen it as an act of aggression, an economic aggression.
But Spore is Spore. They instead do not despair and find alternative ways. Meanwhile the Malaysia people are losing an income source. Whose fault is it ?
Che Det, can be answer me ?
#15 by passerby on Thursday, 18 June 2009 - 11:43 pm
Can’t blame that dumb moron when his brain is the size of his thumb! Umno was and is just jealous of S’pore progress and development when some thumb-size brain morons in umno suggested to stop exporting sand to S’pore to hopefully slow down their development in those days.
When S’pore continue to prosper, it find that it can afford to buy sand from other countries and continue it development. The good part is that S’pore has continue to prosper to become a developed country and the sad part is malaysia is still stuck with the sand and is causing flood all over the place.
#16 by boh-liao on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 1:44 am
Why not do an experiment
Divide Johor into two halves
One half continues to be ruled by the BN
The other half be rented and ruled by the little red dot
for the next 50 years
Let’s see the outcome 50 years later :)
#17 by Godfather on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 4:22 am
UMNO Johore says that they would rather remain under the coconut tree and observe the skyscrapers across the straits.
#18 by Joshua on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 6:36 am
What kind of a policy is that we fight amongst our nearest neighbour for what we can get like common good?
What kind of a policy that we try our best to please some nations so far away that a cry to them cannot be heard or even ignored in time of needs or emergency?
What kind of policy is that when millions of some foreigners can become Malaysians by dubious means like project IC as especially in the case of Sabah when the nation has issued 5 million MyKads to people including illegal ones in M’sia?
pw: Nellson kuser
#19 by k1980 on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 6:37 am
The economy is in a worse state than umno dare admit. Pay cut for civil servants next?
The 400,000 workers in government-linked companies (GLCs) have been forewarned to brace for a salary cut by September because of the economic downturn, MTUC Vice-President Mustafa Maarof disclosed today.
#20 by Taxidriver on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 7:01 am
For decades UMNO leaders successfully lulled the Malays into believing that they are the defenders of Islam and the Malay race. But ARE THEY?
Now more and more are beginning to see that UMNO is a sin party run by power-crazy, greedy ang pleasure-seeking leaders who would rather keep the Malays ‘under the coconut shell’ and be forever dependent on whatever bits of crumbs they throw to them and walking sticks which can and will be taken away from them if they do not support UMNO or if UMNO loses its grip on power.
To substantiate the above, we see UMNO’s protest against developments in south east and south west Johor which are predominantly Malay areas. UMNO knows ( Mahathir will agree ) that a prosperous and progressive generation of Malays will not support them. If that happened, the danger of Johor in a GE is great. Johor is UMNO’s Fort which, once lost, UMNO would have become history.
I really wonder how long more can UMNO continue to cheat, not only the Malays but also all Malaysians.
Bangkitlah Rakyat Malaysia. Tumbangkan Kerajaan UMNO/BN
#21 by Taxidriver on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 7:05 am
correction: …..the danger of losing Johor in a GE is great.
#22 by taiking on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 8:43 am
Change? No. Not umno. Not even in a million year. Certainly not when umno is in the picture. Change would happen for the betterment of both sides the moment umno is out of the picture. Umno is just too ridiculous with its ideas on working with singapore. They laughed at singapore and belittled singapore as a little tiny dot and at the same time is very fearful and jealous of that little dot particularly its success and progress. Singapore had progressed on all front. At the same time we had regressed on all front. That sort of openned up the gap between the two countries greater. But really this is not a reason to shun singapore. Singaporeans understand us and our culture better than most other foreigners – like indonesians, bangladeshi, pakistani, arab and africans (the group most favoured and welcomed by the umno gobermen). Really we ought to move upwards by engaging singapore and not backwards. The real issue I fear is again racial. Umno dislike and therefore belittle singapore because singaporeans are predominantly chinese! Umno even bullies and belittle non-malays in malaysia and labeled them pendatang and what not and threatened to cancel their citizenship (an impossibility but nonetheless they make them anyway).
#23 by HJ Angus on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 8:53 am
Based on the performance of the PR governments in Penang and Selangor, it is not impossible for the opposition to win more seats in Johor.
After the fiasco over the crooked bridge project that really only benefitted the few, thousands of JB folks are suffering from the diversion – I expect JB parliament seat to go opposition the next GE.
#24 by Bigjoe on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 8:53 am
Mahathir says that Singapore think of Malaysia and rest of South East Asia as its hinterland. The problem with that argument is that when you look at the per Capita GDP of Singapore and Malaysia, Malaysia don’t qualify to be its hinterland. Typically per capita income of rural area of a country is 1/3 of its urban area. The per capita of Malaysia is only 1/6th of Singapore!! In other words, if there were no cities in Malaysia and Singapore was the center of govt of Malaysia-Singapore country , our per capita should be double what it is now….
#25 by Godfather on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 9:21 am
In order to keep control of Johor, UMNO has to play the racial card. Blame Johor’s backwardness on Singapore. Blame the plilght of the Malays on Singapore. Blame Singapore for impoverishing Johor by paying only 3 sen per 1000 gallons of water. Blame Singaporeans for buying up property in Johor, and driving up the housing costs.
UMNO will instigate demonstrations against Singapore, they will even go to the extent of boycotting the major shopping malls now owned by GIC.
Just go to Kampung Majidee in JB. The mat rempits all live there. They hang around doing nothing and expect the government to feed them. Of course UMNO will use our taxpayers’ money to feed them and treat them with kids’ gloves.
#26 by cintanegara on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 10:29 am
It is useless to co-operate with one so arbitrary and so untrustworthy…We may not like their kiasu attitudes or their snobbish behavior….Only DAP have great respect for the TINY country while others not…..
#27 by rabbit on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 10:47 am
Poor Malaysian. we work so hard for what? all tax bring to feed others.
#28 by cintanegara on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 10:47 am
I remember watching Indecent Proposal when I was in the secondary (1993)….
#29 by Godfather on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 11:35 am
We have bred a bunch of malays who have no confidence in dealing with Singapore. That’s what happens when there is no meritocracy in our system. That’s why we lost the Rock. They don’t know how to structure a commercial deal because there are no commercial deals in Bolehland.
#30 by cintanegara on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 11:49 am
How to deal when the deal always unfair and baised?
#31 by Godfather on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 12:41 pm
When you are stupid and are taken advantage of, don’t go complaining that the deal is unfair and biased. Admit you are stupid, and go hire some people who are more intelligent or promote people who are more intelligent. There are many of us who can match the singaporeans in terms of skill, wit and commercial sense.
Don’t cry when you are stupid. The alternative is always not to do a deal because you are scared that someone will rip you off. That’s the real world.
#32 by Godfather on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 1:02 pm
Let me give you an example. In the 70s, we found lots of gas, and we started building LNG facilities. Who do we sell it to ? Japan and then Korea and then Taiwan. We sold LNG at a fixed price for 20 years ! Now we are buying LNG from Queensland. Whose idea was this ? None other than Mamakthir.
Back to Singapore. They have something we want – money. We have something they want – sand. With their money, they can buy sand anywhere. It’s just a matter of price. If you don’t sell them sand, they buy from Sumatra, and from Bintan. Instead we have surplus sand that clogs up our rivers, but we are not prepared to negotiate a decent price for the sand. Are we stupid or are we scared that they will use the sand to reclaim even more land ? If they obey international laws, what’s the problem with them reclaiming more land ?
The underlying theme has always been to make life difficult for Singapore – and Mamakthir is to be blamed for putting Bolehland in such a bad light.
#33 by limkamput on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 1:23 pm
Don’t just talk about they hold up Singapore. Have we not realized by now that because they want to move at leisurely pace, everybody must also do the same?
#34 by ktteokt on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 1:26 pm
It will take great courage for Najis to admit Malaysia is far behind Singapore and for him to OPEN the cage to liberate the Malays from their “protected” status! He knows very well that these guys have turned into “bean curds” after so many years of protection that they have to be classified as “protected species” and most probably qualify for a certificate from WWF!
To catch up with Singapore, UMNO has to forgo so many things! Bumiputra status, special privileges, ketuanan melayu,……..you name it, they have it! Most important of all, of course, is they have to forgo CORRUPTION which is the foundation on which the whole BN is built! Take away corruption and the whole BN will just collapse like what happened to the stadium in Trengganu, which was such a BIG DISGRACE!
#35 by cintanegara on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 2:27 pm
Ktteokt has shown his bias coz he is putting across an unfair and one-sided opinion…Why must only one side to forgo their privileges???? Unfair Double Standard !!! …In addition, it has not been forgotten by those involved nor has it been forgotten by you…..The New World Hotel disaster that claimed 33 lives…
#36 by taiking on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 2:33 pm
Cintanegara spoke with a lot of anger and if I may add, envy. Of course he will never admit his envy. (But pssst between you and me and the computer screen tell me do you shop in singapore?) Why should we respect singapore? He asked. That tiny piece of land is only a fraction of malaysia in land size and in population size and unlike us it has no natural resources at all. Yet it has build up an economy which is equivalent to ours (if not bigger) in size. It is like susan boyle isnt it? The frumpy woman from a village in scotland who could sing so well. Like singapore, susan too has gained the respect of many in the world. You think singapore yearns umno’s respect? Godfather said it well. Singapore has money and they can buy sand from elsewhere. It may be costlier but they can afford it. You think they are bothered by our umno gobermen’s decision not to sell to them our sand?
Umno is obsolete. But that is alright. Why? Because it is sinking. So just let nature take its course.
#37 by cintanegara on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 3:00 pm
Sands symbolize sovereignty, Honor and Pride….Money can buy just about anything, except dignity and grace…. As for The Great National statesman, Tun Dr Mahathir….. dignity is worth much more than money…Unlike DAP Supporters… willing to throw away everything including pride…to develop relationship with the TINY country….
#38 by Loh on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 4:01 pm
TDM initiated the equivalent of sand to land. So if Malays are agreeable to selling sand, then they can sell land too. If land can be sold, then they will choose to see it to Muslims. There is a piece of land which cuts Brunei in two. Brunei would pay fair price for the country to be joined on land in addition to joining by sea.
UMNO has the easy way to increase GDP, if Brunei is agreeable. UMNO believes in big business, not the tiny one retailing sand.
#39 by cheng on on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 4:12 pm
For info, South Johor is not the only near place for Spore, Indonesia in fighting for investment from “tiny red dot” by opening up their Batam, Karimun, and Bintan islands.
#40 by cheng on on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 4:28 pm
So, it took 16 years (1981 to 1997) for wise 4th PM to realize that selling sand to Spore will make Msia lose \maruah\ ??
#41 by cheng on on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 4:38 pm
What will happen if those countries that supply coal to us think the same way., since coal is also taken from their good mother earth (or motherland), then we shall hv a lot of “black out” , since TNB depend a lot on coal.
#42 by ctc537 on Friday, 19 June 2009 - 4:56 pm
Umno insisted that selling land to Singapore was akin to giving up Malaysia’s sovereignty. This is ridiculous.
Umno should be aware that large quantities of sand and quarry stone have been sold to Singapore for many years. Yet we have not lost our sovereignty.
TDM has always wanted to slow down the progress of Singapore. He would like the Malays to believe that selling sand to Singapore was akin to giving up Malaysia’s sovereignty. TDM simply cannot stomach this sell-sand-to-Singapore business because he doesn’t like to see the island republic expand its land area, and thus has enough land to accommodate more than 5 million inhabitants. Singapore’s biggest constraint is acute land shortage.
Umno and BN must reconcile themselves to the reality that across the Causeway is THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE and it can’t being not our neighbours. “The 2 countries are willy-nilly bound together by the facts of our geography, history and culture”, in the words of the late father of PM Najib, 2nd Premier Tun Razak. Umno should admit that Malaysia has not been able to develop as rapid as Singapore is because of our government pursuing the obsolete race-based policy. Clinging on to this policy will only see snail pace progress of our country.
Umno and BN can survive by doing the following; doing away with race-based policy and replacing it with one based on merit, equiping the Bumis and all other M’sians with a useful second language ENGLISH, working closely with Pakatan state governments to rejuvenate the economy, speeding up national development, and, last but not the least, adopting the Look-South Policy by working closely with Singapore. Singapore should be more than willing to work closely with us since they are well-known as the ultra-rational lot for they firmly believe that “A prosperous Malaysia is also a prosperous Singapore’. It is only the question of whether we want to do it or not. Decide and do it fast, Umno. Time and tide wait for no man.
#43 by Bossa Roo on Saturday, 20 June 2009 - 9:21 pm
Monsterball,
You are certainly wrong in saying that the sultan of Johore slapped Mahathir 30 years ago. Where did you get this information? If that had really happened, the news would have leaked out -one way or another assuming that the NST, Utusan, Star blacked it out. The news would have gone through the grapevine because it is certainly a very big incident. And being the revengeful man that he is, Mahathir would have got back at the sultan of Johor. But he did not