Feb 26, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR - THE Malays are not a stupid race and should stop fearing Singapore, says former deputy premier Tun Musa Hitam.
Urging Johoreans to make a success of the state's new economic
zone, he said they should stop feeling inferior, paranoid and phobic
about Singapore.
'I cannot understand what the fear is. In reality, they
(Singapore) are also scared of us. But the problem is that the Malays
are too humble,' he said in an interview with Mingguan Malaysia,
published yesterday.
'We are not a stupid race. Singapore is only an island and a
small country. But we cannot say that they need us more. We need them
just as they need us,' he said.
Tun Musa, who is on the panel advising on the development of
the ambitious project to turn southern Johor into an economic
powerhouse, said the success of this effort depends on Malaysia being
open to contributions from foreigners.
The Iskandar Development Region (IDR), a 2,217-sq-km zone north of the Singapore-Malaysia border, was launched last November.
Johor politicians have expressed mixed feelings about the participation of Singapore in the development region.
But Tun Musa said that whether people liked it or not, nationalist sentiments will have to take a backseat.
'To me, there is no place for nationalism in a globalised world.
To succeed, we need to accept the idea of a regional nation,' he said.
He added that when Johor developed its port and airport in the
1960s, then Singapore deputy prime minister Goh Keng Swee had told him
not to worry about rivalry between the transport facilities and those
of Singapore.
Mr Goh had pointed out that Europe had many ports, such as
Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Liverpool in the United Kingdom, but
all had thrived.
'It had brought development to the region. I acknowledged the truth of his words,' said Tun Musa.
Asked about the government's plans for a passport-free zone in
parts of southern Johor for foreigners, he said the authorities had not
made a decision because there could be negative implications.
The Straits Times understands the government is re-examining
the necessity of this free access zone after negative reactions from
Johor residents.
CAROLYN HONG
Malays told to stop 'fearing Singapore'
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