This story was printed from TODAYonline 
Future Singapore-Malaysia ties must not be held hostage by the past: SM Goh
Tuesday • December 14, 2004
Sharon Vasoo in Kuala Lumpur
sharon@newstoday.com.sg
Bilateral talks between Singapore and Malaysia were rekindled yesterday after a long stalemate, with a move forward possible on several outstanding issues.
The meeting between Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Kuala Lumpur concluded with Malaysia asking for the price of water to be reviewed under the existing agreement. Singapore agreed to discuss the request.
Malaysia also tabled an offer for Singapore's military aircraft to fly into its airspace for training purposes.
In exchange, Singapore will look into releasing the Central Provident Fund savings of Malaysians who used to work here and the possible joint development of railway land in Singapore under the Point of Agreement signed in 1990.
At a media conference, the two leaders described their discussions, which went on for an hour longer than the scheduled hour, as "frank and candid" and "successful". They said there had been a move forward on issues that had been left "cold".
Describing the spirit of discussions as forward-looking, Mr Goh said: "We must not allow the future of the relationship between Malaysia and Singapore to be held hostage by past issues.
"Whatever proposal or solution we have on outstanding issues must bring about mutually beneficial benefits. No proposals to an issue should disadvantage the other party. I am happy to say that we were able to move the process forward on all issues."
Mr Goh was on a one-day visit to Malaysia to meet Mr Abdullah at Putrajaya, the heart of the country's administration. He was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar and officials from the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr Goh also met other ministers including Minister of Defence Najib Tun Razak.
In October, Mr Goh was appointed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to handle bilateral issues with Malaysia and ensure continuity in discussions.
In their talks yesterday, the two leaders did not go into detail on how the problems should be ironed out, but agreed that the solutions should be mutually beneficial and that other areas of bilateral cooperation should not be held back while these solutions are being worked out.
Mr Goh and Mr Abdullah agreed to be the final arbiters on all bilateral issues and that these will be discussed when they meet again in two months. No date has been fixed for the meeting.
Mr Abdullah said: "We are aware that there had been issues where there were no discussions for a long time, and it is about time that we move forward and identify issues where we can start talking again. We value the relationship and we want it to be strong … and benefit the people of Singapore and Malaysia."
On the airspace, CPF and railway land issues, Mr Abdullah said: "They are not very difficult and can be resolved as quickly as possible."
Malaysia yesterday also formally presented its proposal for a new bridge across the Johor Straits.
"It's a straight bridge that we are presenting to Singapore," said Mr Abdullah. There had been speculation about a proposal for a crooked bridge.
Mr Goh said that while a bridge offered no real benefits to Singapore, he would look at the proposal. "I made no promises but I will have a look and at the same time I suggest that Singapore should look at options to the bridge," he said.
The leaders agreed that while bilateral negotiations get underway, opportunities should be created for the younger leaders and parliamentarians and students on both sides to network and forge stronger ties.
Said Mr Abdullah: "By doing so, we can help create an early network and hopefully at the same time they can become friends and understand each other better. It would be good for our bilateral relations."