Correspondence between Dr M and Singapore's ex-prime ministers
See also:
Letter 1
Letter 2
Letter 3
Letter 4
The government has made public the full contents of the correspondence between former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Singapore's former Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong on the aborted bridge project to replace the Johor Causeway.
Copies of the four letters, of which two were signed by Dr Mahathir and the other two by Goh in 2002, were released via Bernama's website under the heading "Correspondence between Tun Dr Mahathir and former Singapore Prime Ministers."
The copies of the letter were released after the government had on July 14 declassified confidential documents to rebut Dr Mahathir's allegations over its April 12 decision to scrap the project.
This is only the second time in recent history that information protected by the Official Secrets Act 1972 has been declassified and approved for public consumption.
The move is to show the government's seriousness in wanting the people who voted it into power to have the full facts so they could understand why the government decided to abort the bridge project. It also put the record straight on a string of allegations raised by Dr Mahathir on the matter.
According to the correspondence between Tun Dr Mahathir and the former Singapore Prime Ministers, it was clear that Dr Mahathir had included the bridge project as part of the package of bilateral issues to be resolved with Singapore.
Herewith are extracts of the correspondence:
In the first letter dated March 4, 2002, Dr Mahathir replied to Lee's letter dated Dec 10, 2001.
The first letter lists out the "Malaysia-Singapore package of five issues under Malaysia's proposals".
The first issue is the 1961 Water Agreement, a proposed new water agreement, the new price of raw water, treated water and new price of treated water.
The second issue is that of the proposed new bridge to be built to replace the Causeway and also Malaysia's proposal to build a new railway bridge across the Johore strait. The third issue is the Cusoms, immigration and quarantine facilities in Tanjung Pagar, while the fourth is on the Central Provident Fund and the fifth on airspace to Singapore's air force.
According to the letter by Dr Mahathir dated March 4, 2002, he said: "A new bridge will be built to replace the Causeway, Malaysia will build the bridge on the Malaysian side at its own cost while Singapore will build the bridge on the Singapore side at its own cost. The bridge will connect at the common boundary in the Straits of Johore. Once the bridge is completed the Causeway will be demolished.
"Should Singapore decide not to build the bridge on its side, Malaysia intends to build the bridge on the Malaysian side at its own cost. The new bridge will join the remaining Causeway on Singapore's side. Once the bridge is completed, the Causeway on the Malaysian side will be demolished."
On airspace, the March 4, 2002 letter of Dr Mahathir states that: "Malaysia may consider providing appropriate facilities for the use of its airspace by the Singapore Air Force."
Goh's letter to Dr Mahathir on April 11, 2002 focussed on issues relating to the bridge, railway and water. Goh said he preferred a new bridge to replace the entire Causeway, rather than just to replace the Malaysian side of the Causeway.
"Once the new bridge is completed, the Causeway can be knocked down, which I prefer to be done after 2007. But if you wish to proceed immediately to replace just your side of the Causeway with a bridge, I shall accept it, though I think this is not ideal," Goh stated in the letter.
On the issue of water, Goh said he did not want the bilateral relations to be always strained by the issue of water. For the sake of good long-term relations, Goh said Singapore would produce as much water by itself, to supplement the existing water agreements.
Dr Mahathir, in his letter to Goh dated Oct 7, 2002, said the approach that both sides had adopted so far then in dealing with the outstanding issues in a package had not yielded any meaningful results.
"In view of this, Malaysia has now decided to discontinue the package approach and to give the highest priority to first resolving the long-delayed water issue, particularly the price review of raw water," Dr Mahathir stated in the letter.
He also said once this issue was resolved, both countries would be able to move forward much faster in finding solutions to other outstanding issues.
Goh, in his reply to Dr Mahathir dated Oct 14, 2002, said the latter had informed him during a meeting on Oct 8 in Putrajaya that the most important issue for Malaysia was water and if this was resolved, then all the other issues could be resolved.
Goh stated that Dr Mahathir had mentioned that Malaysia wanted to decouple the water issue from the other issues in the package. However, Goh replied that the issues were all tied up.
Goh seemed surprised by Dr Mahathir's letter on Oct 7, 2002 wherein the latter stated "Malaysia has now decided to discontinue the package approach and to give the highest priority to first resolving the long-delayed water issue, particularly the price review of raw water."
Goh also said both he and Dr Mahathir had agreed in 1998 that all outstanding issues between the two countries be solved once and for all, in a package. Both countries had agreed to trade off, in a package, the benefits to each other from the various items, namely water, airspace, CPF, and the bridge to replace the Causeway.
However, Goh said since Dr Mahathir had wanted to deal with the water issue separately and discontinue the package approach, "these trade-offs are no longer possible".
Goh stated that he had instructed his officials to deal with water and the other issues individually and separately, on their stand-alone merits, and no longer as a package.
See also:
Letter 1
Letter 2
Letter 3
Letter 4
Letter 1
Letter 2
Letter 3
Letter 4
The government has made public the full contents of the correspondence between former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Singapore's former Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong on the aborted bridge project to replace the Johor Causeway.
Copies of the four letters, of which two were signed by Dr Mahathir and the other two by Goh in 2002, were released via Bernama's website under the heading "Correspondence between Tun Dr Mahathir and former Singapore Prime Ministers."
The copies of the letter were released after the government had on July 14 declassified confidential documents to rebut Dr Mahathir's allegations over its April 12 decision to scrap the project.
This is only the second time in recent history that information protected by the Official Secrets Act 1972 has been declassified and approved for public consumption.
The move is to show the government's seriousness in wanting the people who voted it into power to have the full facts so they could understand why the government decided to abort the bridge project. It also put the record straight on a string of allegations raised by Dr Mahathir on the matter.
According to the correspondence between Tun Dr Mahathir and the former Singapore Prime Ministers, it was clear that Dr Mahathir had included the bridge project as part of the package of bilateral issues to be resolved with Singapore.
Herewith are extracts of the correspondence:
In the first letter dated March 4, 2002, Dr Mahathir replied to Lee's letter dated Dec 10, 2001.
The first letter lists out the "Malaysia-Singapore package of five issues under Malaysia's proposals".
The first issue is the 1961 Water Agreement, a proposed new water agreement, the new price of raw water, treated water and new price of treated water.
The second issue is that of the proposed new bridge to be built to replace the Causeway and also Malaysia's proposal to build a new railway bridge across the Johore strait. The third issue is the Cusoms, immigration and quarantine facilities in Tanjung Pagar, while the fourth is on the Central Provident Fund and the fifth on airspace to Singapore's air force.
According to the letter by Dr Mahathir dated March 4, 2002, he said: "A new bridge will be built to replace the Causeway, Malaysia will build the bridge on the Malaysian side at its own cost while Singapore will build the bridge on the Singapore side at its own cost. The bridge will connect at the common boundary in the Straits of Johore. Once the bridge is completed the Causeway will be demolished.
"Should Singapore decide not to build the bridge on its side, Malaysia intends to build the bridge on the Malaysian side at its own cost. The new bridge will join the remaining Causeway on Singapore's side. Once the bridge is completed, the Causeway on the Malaysian side will be demolished."
On airspace, the March 4, 2002 letter of Dr Mahathir states that: "Malaysia may consider providing appropriate facilities for the use of its airspace by the Singapore Air Force."
Goh's letter to Dr Mahathir on April 11, 2002 focussed on issues relating to the bridge, railway and water. Goh said he preferred a new bridge to replace the entire Causeway, rather than just to replace the Malaysian side of the Causeway.
"Once the new bridge is completed, the Causeway can be knocked down, which I prefer to be done after 2007. But if you wish to proceed immediately to replace just your side of the Causeway with a bridge, I shall accept it, though I think this is not ideal," Goh stated in the letter.
On the issue of water, Goh said he did not want the bilateral relations to be always strained by the issue of water. For the sake of good long-term relations, Goh said Singapore would produce as much water by itself, to supplement the existing water agreements.
Dr Mahathir, in his letter to Goh dated Oct 7, 2002, said the approach that both sides had adopted so far then in dealing with the outstanding issues in a package had not yielded any meaningful results.
"In view of this, Malaysia has now decided to discontinue the package approach and to give the highest priority to first resolving the long-delayed water issue, particularly the price review of raw water," Dr Mahathir stated in the letter.
He also said once this issue was resolved, both countries would be able to move forward much faster in finding solutions to other outstanding issues.
Goh, in his reply to Dr Mahathir dated Oct 14, 2002, said the latter had informed him during a meeting on Oct 8 in Putrajaya that the most important issue for Malaysia was water and if this was resolved, then all the other issues could be resolved.
Goh stated that Dr Mahathir had mentioned that Malaysia wanted to decouple the water issue from the other issues in the package. However, Goh replied that the issues were all tied up.
Goh seemed surprised by Dr Mahathir's letter on Oct 7, 2002 wherein the latter stated "Malaysia has now decided to discontinue the package approach and to give the highest priority to first resolving the long-delayed water issue, particularly the price review of raw water."
Goh also said both he and Dr Mahathir had agreed in 1998 that all outstanding issues between the two countries be solved once and for all, in a package. Both countries had agreed to trade off, in a package, the benefits to each other from the various items, namely water, airspace, CPF, and the bridge to replace the Causeway.
However, Goh said since Dr Mahathir had wanted to deal with the water issue separately and discontinue the package approach, "these trade-offs are no longer possible".
Goh stated that he had instructed his officials to deal with water and the other issues individually and separately, on their stand-alone merits, and no longer as a package.
See also:
Letter 1
Letter 2
Letter 3
Letter 4
posted by SEE FU at 9:52 AM
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