Day: May 4, 2006

I wish that I can turn back the clock…

So much has been said by many parties about the Causeway/Bridge fiasco. The latest salvo was unleashed by Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, Minister in the PM’s Department against former PM, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. My father’s written about it several weeks ago in one of Sunday Star’s editions. Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Khoo Kay Kim has also spoken about it. Some people asked me what I thought of the whole issue.

To me, the question of building half a bridge on our side and then connecting it to the present causeway on Singapore’s half should not be a problem to us Malaysians. I don’t see any legal issues there as far as International Relations goes. As long as the Malaysian side can guarantee that Singapore’s water supply from Johor is not affected. We are not asking the Singaporeans to play along and build their half to match ours, for God’s sake! I’m sure had the bridge been built, it would have helped alleviate some of the traffic flow problems the causeway is notoriously known for. When the Singaporeans reclaimed part of the straits that would have put the Royal Malaysian Navy’s recruit training center at Tanjung Pengelih, and the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in jeopardy, did Singapore bat an eyelid when we protested? No. I don’t think so. Why? It was perfectly within their jurisdiction to do whatever they please within the confines of their national boundary. So why should it have affected us had we continue to build the half-bridge?

To me, the only sound the Singaporeans would make would be due to economic and military interest. First, coastal traders from the west coast no longer have to sail through Singapore’s southern waters to get to the east coast. That may also help boost coastal trading between the east and west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Secondly, a causeway is a more solid channel for Singaporean tanks to get to Segamat in the case of hostilities with Malaysia. A bridge would have been easier to be blown up in the event of hostilities.

Maybe we are all still half-past-six…