Malaysia
Negotiating with Singapore
A Malay-stream editor writes on a current topic in a Chinese vernacular newspaper. Sin Chew Daily
June 30, 2009

WHAT DO YOU want when you enter into a negotiation? Obviously to get the best possible deal for you and the people you're negotiating for. Right? In short when you "nego", you want to win. Win good.

Hence that desire to win also applies to Singapore in particular Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew whenever they negotiate with countries including Malaysia. Rather especially Malaysia. Perfectly normal.

We have read of the many "lopsided" agreements with Singapore. We been told often whenever Malaysia enters negotiation with Singapore, it is us Malaysia that ends up with the short end of the stick.

Take the water agreement for example. There are two, of course. One expires in 2011 which is only two years away. But if you're a Singaporean do not dismay. There's another one which runs until 2061 under a 100 year contract.

I think by now we all know that water is sold by Malaysia to Singapore at 3 sen per 1,000 gallons.

And our neighbours across the Causeway makes a profit of an estimated M$600m plus by treating the water and selling it to Singaporean consumers.

Thank God the treated water is not piped back to Malaysia and we have to pay for it. That would be ...I can't find the correct
word to describe such a situation. Best I leave it as it is.

Talking about the Causeway, we know Malaysia have always wanted it replaced with a bridge.

Crooked or straight. Both did not materlialise. Nothing came
out of the negotiations with Singapore.

Now Malaysia and Singapore are studying a third link. Also a bridge linking Changi with eastern part of Johor heading towards Desaru.

Lee Kuan Yew told the Singapore Straits Times this: "The third bridge from Changi. Its for technical discussions. It does not make sense to us if, at the same time, they punish us by making us barge sand from Vietnam".

In other words, if Malaysia wants the bridge, Singapore wants sand from Malaysia i.e. Johor. If Singapore is to get sand from Vietnam instead, forget it. No bridge. Sorry lah.

Lee was also quoted by the same newspaper as saying during his recent visit here, he had told our PM that "cooperation must be long term and across the board as massive investments are involved."

"I had to emphasise that it cannot be cooperation today, non cooperation next year and then back again, backwards and forwards.

“No private investor will go into huge projects which requires decades to recoup, unless there's long term stability in the policy," Lee was reported to have said.

In a nutshell whenever Singapore negotiates, they put conditions. They will tie it to other things. Singapore use maximum leverage. Simply put, you want this, give us this, that and that and that.

From the Malaysian stand point that's not "nice.' We lament, crying "foul" and "not fair." Some take a step bolder by accusing Singapore of "playing dirty."

But the fact is they are doing their best for their country. From the Singaporean stand point, their negotiators are "heroes" fighting for their interest.

And what if the Singapore team, Lee included, are negotiating for us
Malaysians? We too will hail them as "heroes." Surely.

So the bottom line is for our own nego team to be witty, shrewd and clever when facing the Singaporeans. We too must drive a hard bargain just like them. Like them we too must aim to win. How we do it is another matter. Winning is everything.

Blaming them is no use. They got their cause to fight for. We got ours. Kalau tidak pandai menari jangan salahkan pentas tinggi rendah. If you can't dance, do not blame the stage for not being even.
By Mohsin Abdullah
Editor-in-Chief
News and Current Affairs, ntv7 & 8TV

http://www.mysinchew.com/node/26357?tid=12