[Kabar-indonesia] Text: MM Lee Kuan Yew's Letter to Malaysian PM Abdullah Badawi [4 reports]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

4 Reports:

- ST: MM Lee Kuan Yew's letter to Malaysian 
  PM Abdullah Badawi dated Sept 29
- BT: MM Lee apologises to PM Abdullah
- ST: MM says sorry to Abdullah for 
  discomfort caused
- ST: Syed Hamid reserves comment

The Straits Times (Singapore)
Tuesday, October 3, 2006

MM Lee Kuan Yew's letter to Malaysian 
PM Abdullah Badawi dated Sept 29

THANK you for your letter of Sept 25, 2006.

I made the remarks in a free-flowing dialogue session with former US
secretary of treasury Larry Summers before many foreign delegates
attending the IMF/WB meeting. To put what Reuters reported into
context, I set out the transcript of the relevant passage:

'Let me sum it up nicely, why you must have a government in Singapore
which is really firm, stout-hearted, subtle and resolute. My
neighbours both have problems with their Chinese. They are successful,
they are hardworking and, therefore, they are systematically
marginalised, even in education. There are quotas to prevent you. So,
you've got to make money to go abroad or go to one of the private
universities which are being set up. And they want Singapore, to put
it simply, to be like their Chinese, compliant. So, every time, we say
'No' to some scheme to knock down the Causeway and build a bridge, he
says, 'Oh, you're not cooperative, you're only thinking of yourself.'
For no rhyme or reason, we knock down a causeway, nearly 100 years
old, which served us well. He wants to build a bridge because it looks
pretty and he says ships will sail and his containers can move from
the East Coast to the West Coast via this. But we saw no... So, we
said, 'All right, if you give us commensurate benefits, we'll agree'.
But you need a government who'll be able to, not only have the
gumption, but the skill to say 'No' in a very quiet, polite way that
doesn't provoke them into doing something silly.'

On the bridge and the half bridge to remove the Causeway, you made the
position of your government clear; that Malaysia respects legally
binding agreements and acts in accordance with international law. This
made unnecessary a reference to ITLOS and the International Court of
Justice that would otherwise have been unavoidable. This respect for
the law is the basis for sound long-term relations between us.

I was explaining to a liberal audience of Westerners who wanted to see
a stronger opposition in Singapore, why Singapore needs a strong
majority government, not a weak coalition that will hamper us in
defending our national interests.

Singapore needs a strong government to maintain good relations with
Indonesia and Malaysia, and to interact with Indonesian and Malaysian
politicians who consider Singapore to be Chinese, and expect Singapore
to be 'sensitive' and comply with their requests.

On numerous occasions UMNO leaders, including Dr Mahathir and many
others, have publicly warned Malaysian Malays that if they ever lose
power, they risk the same fate as Malays in Singapore, whom they
allege are marginalised and discriminated against (see Annex*). And
from time to time, when Malaysian politicians attack Singapore
fiercely over some bilateral issue, some of them tell us privately
that we should just accept this as part of Malaysian politics and not
react to these attacks.

Singapore understands the reality of Malaysian politics. We have never
protested at these attacks on our multiracial system or our policies,
except to clarify our own position when necessary. But we have to
explain to our people the root cause of these difficulties in our
bilateral relations. Otherwise, Singaporeans will believe that their
own government is doing wrong, either to our own people or to
Malaysia.

As for the international audience, with so many foreign embassy staff
and foreign correspondents reporting on Singapore and Malaysia, plus
tens of thousands of expatriate businessmen working in our two
countries, these people will come to their own judgment of the true
position, regardless of what I say.

I have not said anything more than what I have said many times before.
In fact, I have said less than what I had written in my memoirs
published in 1998. I had no intention to meddle in your politics.
Indeed I do not have the power to influence Malaysia's politics or to
incite the feelings of the Chinese in Malaysia.

Since you took over as Prime Minister in November 2003, relations
between our two countries have much improved. Singaporeans, and I
believe, Malaysians too, appreciate this.

I am sorry that what I said has caused you a great deal of discomfort.
After a decade of troubled relations with your predecessor, it is the
last thing I wanted.

Yours sincerely, Lee Kuan Yew

PS: The fact that you have written to me is now well publicised. As I
have been asked about my reply, I will have to release my letter to
the media after you have received it.

* The Annex lists numerous media reports on Malaysian leaders talking
about the alleged marginalisation of Singapore Malays.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Business Times Singapore
Tuesday, October 3, 2006

MM Lee apologises to PM Abdullah

Says he is sorry his remarks caused him 'a great deal of discomfort'

By Jean Chua

MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has apologised to Malaysian Prime
Minister Abdullah Badawi for causing him great discomfort with his
comments on the Chinese in Malaysia.

In his letter to PM Abdullah released to the media yesterday, Mr Lee
said his remarks were made in a 'free-flowing dialogue session' with
former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers, before many delegates
attending the World Bank-IMF meetings.

To put media reports of the remarks in context, Mr Lee released the
transcript of his comments: 'Let me sum it up nicely, why you must
have a government in Singapore which is really firm, stout-hearted,
subtle and resolute.

'My neighbours both have problems with their Chinese. They are
successful, they are hardworking and, therefore, they are
systematically marginalised, even in education. There are quotas to
prevent you. So, you've got to make money to go abroad or go to one of
the private universities which are being set up. And they want
Singapore, to put it simply, to be like their Chinese, compliant. So,
every time, we say 'No' to some scheme to knock down the Causeway and
build a bridge, he says, 'Oh, you're not cooperative, you're only
thinking of yourself'.

'For no rhyme or reason, we knock down a Causeway, nearly 100 years
old, which served us well. He wants to build a bridge because it looks
pretty and he says ships will sail and his containers can move from
the East Coast to the West Coast via this. But we saw no . . . So, we
said, 'All right, if you give us commensurate benefits, we'll agree.'
But you need a government who'll be able to, not only have the
gumption, but the skill to say 'No' in a very quiet, polite way that
doesn't provoke them into doing something silly.'

Mr Lee said he was explaining to a liberal audience of westerners who
wanted to see a stronger opposition in Singapore, why Singapore needs
a strong majority government, 'not a weak coalition that will hamper
us in defending our national interests'.

'Singapore needs a strong government to maintain good relations with
Indonesia and Malaysia, and to interact with Indonesian and Malaysian
politicians who consider Singapore to be Chinese and expect Singapore
to be 'sensitive' and comply with their requests.'

MM Lee added that he had not said anything more than what he had said
many times before. 'In fact, I have said less than what I had written
in my memoirs published in 1998.

'I had no intention to meddle in your politics. Indeed, I do not have
the power to influence Malaysia's politics or to incite the feelings
of the Chinese in Malaysia.'

The former prime minister and senior minister also included an annex
listing the numerous occasions where top leaders in Malaysia had
alleged that Malays in Singapore are being marginalised and
discriminated against.

Mr Lee said: 'Singapore understands the reality of Malaysian politics.
We have never protested at these attacks on our multi-racial system or
our policies, except to clarify our own position when necessary. But
we have to explain to our people the root cause of these difficulties
in our bilateral relations. Otherwise Singaporeans will believe that
their own government is doing wrong, either to our own people or to
Malaysia.'

In his concluding paragraphs, MM Lee said he believes both
Singaporeans and Malaysians appreciate the much improved bilateral
ties since Mr Abdullah took over the reins in November 2003 from
ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad.

'I am sorry that what I said has caused you a great deal of
discomfort,' he said. 'After a decade of troubled relations with your
predecessor, it is the last thing I wanted.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Straits Times (Singapore)
Tuesday, October 3, 2006

MM says sorry to Abdullah for discomfort caused

It is the last thing he wanted after years of troubled ties with
Mahathir, he says

Li Xueying

MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has apologised to Malaysian Prime
Minister Abdullah Badawi for causing him considerable discomfort over
his remarks about Malaysia's race relations.

In a letter to Datuk Seri Abdullah, made public here last night, Mr
Lee wrote: 'I am sorry that what I said has caused you a great deal of
discomfort. After a decade of troubled relations with your
predecessor, it is the last thing I wanted.'

He noted that since Mr Abdullah took over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad as
Malaysian prime minister in November 2003, 'relations between our two
countries have much improved'.

'Singaporeans and, I believe, Malaysians too, appreciate this.'

These sentiments were in the concluding paragraphs of his letter, in
which he set out the context of the remarks, which provoked uproar in
Malaysia.

The letter, dated Sept29, was delivered to Datuk Seri Abdullah's
office yesterday. It was in response to the Malaysian PM's request for
an explanation from Mr Lee of his comments that Chinese Malaysians
were being 'systematically marginalised'.

In his letter, Mr Lee noted that the remarks were made at a
free-flowing dialogue, and he quoted verbatim what he had said.

At the session, he spoke of the challenges that Singapore faced as a
'little red dot surrounded by green'. Then, in a reference to Malaysia
and Indonesia, he said that Singapore's neighbours had problems with
their Chinese who were successful and therefore were being
systematically marginalised.

These same neigbours wanted Singapore 'to be like their Chinese - compliant'.

He cited as an example Malaysia's repeated insistence, under Dr
Mahathir, to replace the Causeway with a bridge. The project was
scrapped earlier this year.

Hence, the need for Singapore to have a government that was 'really
firm, stout-hearted, subtle and resolute'.

After his comments, Singapore's envoys in Malaysia and Indonesia were
called up by the respective governments.

In his letter, Mr Lee noted the shift in Malaysia's stance on the
bridge since the Mahathir days. The position of Datuk Seri Abdullah's
government was based on international law and this was the basis for
sound long-term bilateral ties, said Mr Lee.

Going on to explain his remarks at the dialogue, he said that he was
speaking to a liberal Western audience who wanted to see a stronger
opposition here. But his view was that Singapore needed a strong
majority government, not a weak coalition that could not properly
defend its national interests.

Singapore, he said, needed a strong government to maintain good
relations with Indonesia and Malaysia, and to interact with their
politicians who 'consider Singapore to be Chinese and expect Singapore
to be 'sensitive' and comply with their requests'.

He also noted that Umno leaders, including Dr Mahathir, had publicly
warned Malaysian Malays that if they ever lost power, they would be
like Singapore's Malays, whom they alleged were marginalised and
discriminated against. And Malaysian politicians would also attack
Singapore from time to time, but some privately tell Singapore to just
accept it as part of Malaysian politics.

Singapore understood this reality of Malaysian politics and never
protested, except when it was necessary to clarify its own position
for its own citizens to understand, said Mr Lee.

As for the international audience, he said, the many foreign
diplomats, correspondents and businessmen in the two countries would
make their own judgments, regardless of what he said.

He added: 'I have not said anything more than what I have said many
times before. In fact, I have said less than what I had written in my
memoirs published in 1998. I had no intention to meddle in your
politics. Indeed, I do not have the power to influence Malaysia's
politics or to incite the feelings of the Chinese in Malaysia.'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Straits Times (Singapore)
Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Syed Hamid reserves comment

Foreign Minister will wait for PM Abdullah to react first to MM's letter

Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Correspondent

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIAN Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said last
night he would reserve comment on the contents of the letter from
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew until Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi had
given his views.

'Our Prime Minister has read the letter and may offer his comments. It
is best to give him a chance to react first,' he told The Straits
Times yesterday.

MM Lee's letter was conveyed to the Malaysian Foreign Ministry by
Singapore High Commissioner T. Jasudasen yesterday afternoon in
accordance with diplomatic procedures.

It was sent immediately to the Prime Minister's Office, and released
by Singapore late yesterday evening.

The letter was in response to one by Prime Minister Abdullah seeking
an explanation from MM Lee about comments he made at a dialogue for
good governance in Singapore on Sept 15.

MM Lee, while answering a question, said that it was important for
Singapore to have a government that was 'really firm, stout-hearted,
subtle and resolute'.

He noted that the attitude of Malaysia and Indonesia towards the
Republic was shaped by the way they treated their ethnic Chinese
minorities.

Mr Lee said: 'My neighbours both have problems with their Chinese.
They are successful, they are hardworking and therefore they are
systematically marginalised, even in education.

'And they want Singapore, to put it simply, to be like their Chinese,
compliant.'

This provoked a heated debate in Malaysia.

Datuk Seri Syed Hamid said he was informed when the letter was
delivered that it would be made public, and published in the media.

Earlier in the day, after receiving the letter, he expressed hope that
the episode would not affect bilateral ties, noting that it was good
that Singapore had replied.

'We hope that this (matter) won't jeopardise bilateral relations,' he said.

Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has become the latest politician
to comment on MM Lee's remarks.

Bernama news agency quoted a statement issued by Datuk Seri Anwar, now
adviser to the opposition Parti Keadilan Nasional (Keadilan), which
said the party considered MM Lee a person still caught up in
'primitive thinking on racism'.

The former deputy prime minister said MM Lee's allegation that Chinese
Malaysians were marginalised reflected the fact that he was a racist -
to the extent that he intervened in the affairs of the Chinese in
other countries, while Malay Singaporeans were being neglected,
according to Bernama.

'What is more regrettable is the insensitivity of Lee Kuan Yew towards
the plight of other races, be they bumiputera or Indians,' the
statement said.

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