Malaysia reputes Singapore insinuating their leaders as "incompetent"
Malaysi's Prime Minister Najib Razak insists Malaysia is run by ‘very competent’ leaders, and some drooling morrons
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak insisted today that Malaysia is run by “very competent” politicians, contrary to remarks allegedly made by Singaporean officials in a WikiLeaks expose.The prime minister was referring to the leaked US State Department cables which reported Singaporean senior government officials as saying in 2008 and 2009 that Malaysia’s “decline” was due to “incompetent politicians.”
Najib (picture) became prime minister in April 2009.
“I assure you that Malaysia is not run by incompetent politicians but by very competent politicians,” he said when officiating the opening of AUO Sunpower Corporation Sdn Bhd’s manufacturing plant in Alor Gajah today.
The WikiLeaks’ leaked information were published in two major Australian news publications on December 12 —The Sunday Age and The Sun- Herald. The expose in the Sunday Age disclosed discussions between senior US officials and their Singapore counterparts Peter Ho, Bilahari Kausikan and Tommy Koh.
All three Singaporeans gave damning assessments of Malaysia. The discussions between the Singaporean and US officials took place in 2008 and 2009. These officials were also less than complimentary about Malaysia’s prime ministers, past and present, with one of them calling Najib “an opportunist”.
The trio had reportedly said “Malaysia’s decline” was fuelled by incompetent politicians.
Najib’s remarks was seen as a move to reassure investors of the world’s largest solar panel manufacturing plant.
The plant, which covers 108,000sq m, is a joint venture between US-based Sunpower Corporation and Taiwanese company AOU, and is a US$600mil (RM1.88bil) vested investment.
Prior to that, the prime minister said yesterday in his first public statement about the WikiLeaks report of diplomatic chatter from Singapore, that Malaysia should ignore the snide remarks and focus on their economic strength instead.
“We can show to our neighbours, that although sometimes they make disparaging remarks about us, that Malaysians can actually achieve,” the Prime Minister said at the 1MCA Medical Foundation fund-raising dinner.
In September 2008, Kausikan, a senior foreign affairs official, told the US Deputy Secretary of Defense for East Asia David Sedney that the “situation in neighbouring Malaysia is confused and dangerous”, fuelled by “a distinct possibility of racial conflict” that could see ethnic Chinese “flee” Malaysia and “overwhelm” Singapore.
“A lack of competent leadership is a real problem for Malaysia,” said Kausikan, citing the need for Najib to prevail politically in order to avoid prosecution in connection with the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.
A few months earlier, Peter Ho told another US official: “The political knives will be out for Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi’s) son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, whom nobody likes because he got where he is through family ties...”
Khairy is now the Umno Youth chief but has not been given an administrative post in Najib’s government despite being seen as one of the shrewder politicians in the country.
“As for Najib Razak, he is an opportunist. Although he has not been critical of Singapore, he will not hesitate to go in that direction if it is expedient for him to do so. Najib’s political fortunes continue to be haunted by the murder scandal,” Ho had reportedly said.
The leaked cables will give ammunition to hawks in the Malaysian government and Umno who believe that it is unproductive to have good relations with Singapore, whom they describe as calculative and condescending, although the Najib administration has attempted to keep the relationship on an even keel.
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