This little red dot
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Isn't it amazing how politics are played out? If everyone from the political cast were to be nominated for oscars in the upcoming academy awards, they'd be handing out statues by the buckets.
Yes i'm refering to the frequent and sometimes beligerent attacks on S'pore by our neighbours. "Stay out of our affairs" and "mind ur own business s'pore" are just some of the phrases tat come to mind when i recall past incidents that have been well documented in the papers.
The truth is, recent remarks made by SM Lee about the presence of terrorist ringleaders(We all know who's he's refering to) in indonesia have hampened efforts to tighten security measures locally, resulted in a withering attack from indonesian lawmakers, citing the backlash his comments would have on the country's economy and wat right has he to finger indonesia etc etc. Yet some of their own local policy makers have agreed that their govt have not done enuff to combat the terrorist plague, the lack of an internal security act notwithstanding.
Strangely enough, it wasn't so long ago that BJ habibie wrongly condemed s'pore's SAF for alienating muslims and capping their promotion limits in the SAF and their restrictons from certain vocations.
Recently, Malaysia has raised concerns that our land reclaimation projects are encroaching onto their territory when it's plainly clear that we are well within our lands.
When their claims were refuted, they then came up with unusual claims that the land reclamation is killing the fish and causing reprecussions for their fishermen.
How odd this may seem, seeing that malaysia saw it in their infinite wisdom not to inform us of the drastic changes they intend to make to their half of the causeway. "It's our portion of the causeway, we can do wat we want with it." was the cryptic response from their officials. In short, they felt no explanation for their actions was necessary.
Then they started to rattle off on the "fact" that they were bearing most of the construction costs of the bridge and how we were overcharging them for treated water (however did that come into the picture?). As before, our govt calmly and patiently refuted every point the malaysian officials threw at us without so much as a fuss.
Time and again, we have been singled out and taken to task for so many issues. The tudung case while admittedly concerning muslims, does not expand to include UMNO's interest in revamping our school regulation system. This ruiling has been ard for years, why the sudden interest only now? UMNO could have disputed this ruiling when it was first established. After all it's pretty clear UMNO takes a detailed interest in all matters concerning the muslim community worldwide.
The underlying truth abt our land reclamation projects probably lie in the new port setup Klang Maritime Authorities have established. Indeed, two major clients of PSA, Maersk Sealand and a Taiwan shipping giant have already been lured over, citing high production and shipping costs cut-backs.
For the moment at least, this tiny red dot can manage the arrows shot at it from bigger players. -
Aiyah, we all know how Malaysia and Indonesia is lah... always say we interfere in their internal affairs (which we didn't), always finding fault with us, 1 way or another.... Now I also lazy to get angry, I guess the best way to treat them is to ignore them. They are just like a dog in a cage - all bark, no bite. Sometimes, the dog got internal problems, yet got no way to solve them, so it starts to bark to distract itself from its problems. They keep intervening in OUR internal affairs, and conveniently ignore that they are doing so.
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It bites me to hear our neighbours say such stuff about us. Countries so near to us, fingering us with this and that. IMO, issues that involves any two countries, be it territories or commerce, should be discussed, and not carried out with disregard for the other parties.
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after all that's been said, i find a disturbing similarity among all the cases.
When our neighbours do something controversial, they feel they do not need to explain themselves, especially to us.
But when we reclaim land within our boundaries, they insist (almost bordering on demanding) that we should share our survey findings, consider the "ecological dangers", respect their shipping lanes (what has that got to do with this?)etc etc
they go on to claim that reclaiming land will raise the sea level in the region and kill the sea life(huh? wat rubbish!)
wat a bunch of bullies...and they think we should agree to their request? in fact some ministers are rather arrogant to expect anything from us, especially when they claim that we have infringed on int'nal law by reclaiming land.
Where's the proof? there's no point blowing their top and pointing that same boring finger at us, demanding an explanation that will satisfy them. Since they dun believe it's in their best interest to share information wif us, there's really no point in us being cordial with them and extending that so-called courtesy... -
This is getting out of hand.
Just today, Rafidah Aziz asked all malaysians who have been summarily "affected" by our land reclamation to "sue" singapore. On what grounds has this outburst been thrown?
This sharp-smiling straight-face bellies a straight-talking sharp-tongue; known for her outspoken nature, she has at times had her tactfulness called into questions over sensitive remarks allegally made in the past.
Has Malaysian ministers finally gone over the edge? Or has their dis-satisfaction over our land reclamation projects(which is completely within our sovereign rights and perfectly legal in accordance with international laws), or rather our relative ignorance to their demands over their unhappiness, prompted sterner action?
Given the current circumstances, allow me to be as frank and blantant as Rafidah Aziz.
When Malaysia was into land reclamation in the johor straits a few years back, why did they see no reason to "consult" us?
Why did Mahathir mention abt the changes (drastic changes i might add) planned to the Johor side of the causeway without informing us first? (He himself said that he saw no reason to "consult" us since the changes were to take place on the malaysian side of the border...sound familiar?)
And lastly, why is Defence Minister Najib Tun Razak stressing that recent acquisitions of new military weapons and equipment is in no way meant to intimidate or create friction for singapore?
All this time, we remained silent becoz of a few reasons:
1. We respect our neighbour's sovereign rights to do as they will within their national boundaries.
2. Not to appear petty and blicker over everything that may affect us. It's abt time everyone looked at the big picture and acted like adults.
Is it the malaysian govt's mentality to find fault with whatever we do or feel threatened by anything we purchase? When we buy a couple of submarines, they rattle our door. When we enforce the non-tudung dress-code in our schools, they cry foul and insist on changes to our sch's dress rules.
The irony is that they feel above the need to explain their controversial actions when the foot's in the other boot.
Isn't it abt time the Malaysian Govt wake up and smell the crisp morning air? They act like a bunch of bullies who've gotta win each time. I graciously implore the M'sian Govt:
Respect our sovereign rights for a change.
Be civilised and act like model political figures, not a bunch of screaming banshees. -
And if there are any malaysians in this forum, i would welcome ur views over this recent spat of incidents (see above thread) as it is always gd to know how ppl from the opposite border react to such feuds.
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What is going on now? First Rafidah, now, Domestic trade and consumer affairs minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin making wild claims that SM Lee threatened war against Johor over water? What halabaloo!
Such claims lead to more than talking points between the two countries. It also speaks volumes abt a person's credibility.
By making these statements, yassin has now been placed in the hot seat. He has to support his allegations with steel, firstly by answering the following question:
Why wait until now b4 revealing such "unscrupulous" dealings at the negotiation table almost 12 years after they shook hands? If such a statement was uttered by SM Lee, surely calling off the negotiations or leaking this fact to the media would have provided immense leverage for the M'sia party? (This despite being a so-called TOP SECRET meeting)
Or is the truth abt Yassin's claims closer to lies and twisted words, bent to gain political sympathy? Surely this time, our govt will have to challange these claims? Such a statement is clearly a withering assault on our nation's credibility as a whole?
In fact, this whole episode stinks of a poor loser who refuses to address the actual problem but instead misleads the public by throwing sand in their eyes to muddle the key issue - land reclamation. The fact is that it causes none of the problems claimed by M'sia and is completely within our rights and boundaries.
They have failed to come up with any reason whatsoever to legally oppose the reclamation works, instead they prefer to scream like a bunch of spoilt brats who desperately need a pacifier. -
Maybe, it would be just polite to inform them. Tell them we are reclaiming land, and we are not asking for their opinions. We share waterlanes after all, the least we should do is inform them officially.
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Yes, maybe we should have informed them. We do have our shortcomings in our dealings with Malaysia, but then, do these shortcomings warrant the hysterics we see in the reaction from across the Causeway? They are politicians, diplomats, but they behave like the ringleaders of some street mob. Instead of sitting down and putting their point of view across to us, they start screaming blue murder to their press. That is totally uncalled for.Originally posted by Shotgun:Maybe, it would be just polite to inform them. Tell them we are reclaiming land, and we are not asking for their opinions. We share waterlanes after all, the least we should do is inform them officially.
Hello??!! Malaysia, the Singapore High Commission in KL is there for a reason you know. -
they tell us dun kpo them
but they come and kaciao us over the most dimunutive things
use threats, then later turn table...
not tt i got discrimination against them, but they think they relli masak-masak like pri sch kids ah?
u touch my eraser i dun fren u!!!
and not to mention their official papers "censoring" our govt's explanations
even though im no expert in geography and marin bio, i find their reasons regarding our land reclamation kinda....childish....
they ownself reclaim can, no one say anything...we reclaim they mus poke those nose in and complain...
not oni tt...tudung they oso want to chup one leg...
i think now with indo ministers on the rage to sue SM, they[m'sian] feel they have more "backup" and allie... -
I just remain bemused how Rafidah Aziz has asked the orang laut living on the straits to sue Singapore.
They have no locus standi to sue us. No court in the World will recognise an individual's claim (even if it is valid one, which in this case is not) against a soverign state. The ICJ is for countries agst countries, and even then, only for willing countries. The UN charter as well as the Charter for the ICJ will not entertain claims if one of the parties to the action refuses to appear before it.
Unless the act is of such a grevious nature to constitute a breach of World Peace - eg genocide etc. And even then, an ad hoc tribunal will have to be convened to hear the case, and the govt of the respondent country doesn't even have to appear in court.
Then these monkeys, even assuming they prove they have the standing to sue Singapore, the question is: sue who?
There's no such thing in international law as suing the entire govenment. Unless it's malaysian version of international law they are talking about...sheesh, i wonder what they teach those monkeys in school there.
Then they have to prove damage: that their livelihoods did indeed suffer, there was loss, etc.
Then there is the issue of causation: are our land reclamation works the direct cause of their damage? The burden of proof is on them to prove that it is.
In short, these are just empty threats without any legal basis. -
I was pretty amused when I read the Straits Times a few days back about the Lighthouse isse...it seems that the Malaysians are more willing to believe a 70 year old's words {assuming that he exists, that is and not some entity created out of nothingness by the amazing Malaysian Press}. Some points they made are even funnier than jokes I read in Talkingcock.comOriginally posted by No Frill:I just remain bemused how Rafidah Aziz has asked the orang laut living on the straits to sue Singapore.
1) That 70 year old Encik recognizes our SAF troops through hair cut. This amazes me. I am not aware that SAF adopted a SAF hair style for all NSF and NSMen
If he is talking about crewcut, 4 by 2 etc. then every Malaysian with a crew cut is automatically a SAF personal. Duh.
2) Our dear uncle claims that Malaysians are not allowed into the lighthouse, yet he swore that he saw Singaporeans keeping arms in it. I am amazed....he must have X-Ray vision {Superman's ^_^} to do that. This shows the stupidity of the Malaysian press made up stories, with plenty of loop holes to show to us their pretty illogical thinking {like this is the first time we heard about such stuff from them}
Dear Viper52, the High Commission there to them, perhaps, is just a pretty artifact, a gathering place for their misinformed citizens to protest, burn flags or what ever they deem to themself to hurt Singapore. Whatever truth or defense we try to send to their press will ultimatly end up in the recycle bin.
Sometimes I am amazed by our government tenacity in dealing with a group without the milk of rodent kindness. It seems to me that to label these irrational people as animals is akin to insulting the fine product of Nature.
After all, animals do know how to think and rationalize {at least better than the S.O.B in the north} -
Lol, wasin Johor the past few days, picked up a copy of New Straits Times myself.
Really interesting reading. Saw one about some Malaysian Lawyer, Karpal Singh, heroically taking up the tudung case against the Singapore government, FREE of charge for the families involved. Oh, apparently those families approached the Lawyer first. The paper also said something about the case makin the government change its "constitutional" stance on similar issues.
ANybody wanna guess the outcome of the hearing? -
This reminds me of the time in 1997 when they accused RSAF aircraft of continually violating their airspace despite a ban on the use of their airspace by the RSAF. Their evidence? Claims that several villagers saw planes flying over Johor of a type not used by the RMAF. Which leads one to ask:
1) Are all Malaysian villagers aircraft recognition experts?
2) As long as the RMAF doesn't operate a certain type of aircraft, does it mean it HAS to be RSAF?
The allegations were reported over and over again by their gutter press, plus the usual hysterics from their handbook on "101 ways to abuse Singapore", ie "insensitive, lack ASEAN spirit, probvoking Malaysia etc etc". Only after repeated requests from Singapore regardsing dates and times of the alleged intrusions did they give us the information, along with the usual vitriol. Result, aircraft concerned were USAF aircraft flying from Singapore on stopover on their way to their bases in NE Asia. And the aircraft already had prior permission to use Malaysian airspace.
No prizes for guessing who had egg on their faces.
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U're frightening me, u mean those villagers can Identify RSAF Aircrafts? Equip them with shoulder launched Sams and its goodbye RSAF.
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No shit....it was actually reported widely in their gutter press. Claims that their villagers saw aircraft over Malaysia, and that they "knew it was RSAF aircraft because it was not a type operated by the RMAF".Originally posted by Shotgun:U're frightening me, u mean those villagers can Identify RSAF Aircrafts? Equip them with shoulder launched Sams and its goodbye RSAF.
As for the SAMs, why not? Since the RMAF obviously has not radar coverage of Johor, thus requiring their well trained village-idiot-sitting-under-coconut-tree to spot, identify and report RSAF intrusions into Johor, thereby acting as the RMAF's eyes and ears in Johor, why not make them the RMAF's teeth as well?
Which leads one to the next question: Wouldn't radar tracks showing the alleged intrusions be a whole lot better than some villager? Unless, of course, either the RMAF has no radar coverage over there, or the press were just trying to stir things up by making baseless accusations...nahhhh...the sensitive, peace-loving, friendly, respectful-of-other-nations Malaysian press wouldn't do that would it?(as opposed to Singapore's insensitive, warmongering, unfriendly, arrogant behaviour) -
Ahh....they must have terrific "Eye Power". ^_^ those villagers of theirs. Hey...don't forget, their Encik have "X-Ray" vision even...I love the Malaysian Press....Originally posted by Viper52:No shit....it was actually reported widely in their gutter press. Claims that their villagers saw aircraft over Malaysia, and that they "knew it was RSAF aircraft because it was not a type operated by the RMAF".
As for the SAMs, why not? Since the RMAF obviously has not radar coverage of Johor, thus requiring their well trained village-idiot-sitting-under-coconut-tree to spot, identify and report RSAF intrusions into Johor, thereby acting as the RMAF's eyes and ears in Johor, why not make them the RMAF's teeth as well?
Which leads one to the next question: Wouldn't radar tracks showing the alleged intrusions be a whole lot better than some villager? Unless, of course, either the RMAF has no radar coverage over there, or the press were just trying to stir things up by making baseless accusations...nahhhh...the sensitive, peace-loving, friendly, respectful-of-other-nations Malaysian press wouldn't do that would it?(as opposed to Singapore's insensitive, warmongering, unfriendly, arrogant behaviour) -
Aww man. This can't be happening! The RSAF is gonna pit against highly trained covert operations villagers.
Come to think of it, the indonesian report is equally entertaining. Some indonesian local authorities filed an official complaint against the US Navy of dumping toxic waste into coastal water from P3 orion, and snapped some photos of it. The objects they identified as "barrels of toxic waste" was dumped off the aircraft. If you thought that was bad, wait til you hear what the Indo General said, after a US Navy spokes person confirmed that the P3 had no cargo ability. He said "The americans were not dumping barrels of toxic waste. Those barrels are actually devices used to detect submarines, known as "solobouys"."
One and a half thumbs up for the Indo General who corrected what would have rather humiliating. -
Huah! so cool! our northern monkeys have the newest in air defence technology: presenting the ah-bung and gang radar network.
dey dey! i see flying thing siah...
must be those flying infidels again!
eh call KL to report siah...
alamak ahdooi, where the telephon?
never mind, throw coconut at them can...
and i'm sure monkey land has been training all its coastal villgers in advanced aircraft identification.
here you go village chief, along with your bumiputra handout, here's copy of Janes' aircraft recognition guide. remember to pitch a coconut high if you see one of those infidels, enemies of god, zionist chinese pigs flying this way ok? -
Wasn't it Ahmad and gang? Or did I rem wrongly again?Originally posted by No Frill:Huah! so cool! our northern monkeys have the newest in air defence technology: presenting the ah-bung and gang radar network.
dey dey! i see flying thing siah...
must be those flying infidels again!
eh call KL to report siah...
alamak ahdooi, where the telephon?
never mind, throw coconut at them can...
and i'm sure monkey land has been training all its coastal villgers in advanced aircraft identification.
here you go village chief, along with your bumiputra handout, here's copy of Janes' aircraft recognition guide. remember to pitch a coconut high if you see one of those infidels, enemies of god, zionist chinese pigs flying this way ok?
And I bet the village chief was also told not to worry if coconut misses and lands in the Johor Strait, after all they can always use the splash to accuse Singapore of having its mortar rounds land in Malaysian waters again.
This actually happened long ago(in the 80s). A whole series of rubbish from the Malaysian press about Singapore firing mortar rounds into the Johor Straits near Johor, reported by villagers. Cue usual hysterics from handbook "101 ways to abuse Singapore, 1985 edition". An invesitgation into the matter found that their fishermen were using dynamite to catch fish. Egg on whose faces again? -
They hear balloon pop, they claim that SAF snipers were trying to shoot down coconuts to knock them out. So that our planes can move in undetected.
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As usual, all Indo and Malaysia are no-brainers lah, let them tok until jaws drop loh.
Tiny red dot no good meh? Terrorist planes wanna aim Changi can easily overshot and end up in KLIA, bombers aim slightly not correct then all bombs end up into the sea ... ...
By the way, the more weapons the two buy the better...best if they buy the most complex weapon systems in the whole world. Gulf war show that that are more ppl killed in friendly fire than any other things else! As for Singapore, no need to buy any weapons ... just send some sample of our locally-made Singapore Chicken Flu to the Abangs and next day they will drop like dead birds.
Spend more money to beef up TCS is the more important thing...
[This message has been edited by HammerHead (edited 25 April 2002).]