Syed Hamid Accused of Giving Wrong Advice on Bridge to Singapore
Bernama – 18/4/2006
KUALA LUMPUR - A former aide of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has accused Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar of giving "wrong advice" to the government over the building of a new bridge to replace the Causeway to Singapore resulting in the project being scrapped.

Matthias Chang, Dr Mahathir's political secretary at the time he stepped down after 22 years as prime minister in October 2003, said he did a thorough research on outstanding issues between Malaysia and Singapore and compiled a 14-volume report of more than 1,400 pages for his boss.

The report was also presented to Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, who was then the Minister in charge of law, the Attorney-General Chambers and all other relevant parties.

"I am surprised with the government's decision to scrap the construction of the bridge because in 2002, Goh Chok Tong, who was then Singapore Prime Minister, had agreed to the construction of the bridge... there are no legal implications involved in the construction of the bridge at all," he told a press conference here.

He quoted Goh as saying in a letter to Dr Mahathir in April 2002: "Between a new bridge to replace the entire Causeway and one to replace just the Malaysian side of the Causeway, I like the former better".

The letter also states that "once the new bridge is completed, the Causeway can be knocked down, which I prefer to be done after 2007. But if you (Dr Mahathir) wish to proceed immediately to replace just your side of the Causeway with a bridge, I shall accept it, though I think this is not ideal."

The letter was one of many between the two leaders made public by the Singapore government during the height of negotiations over the agreement on water between the two countries two years ago.

Chang said since there was an explicit agreement by the then Singapore Prime Minister on the construction of the bridge, Malaysia should have held on to this when it went to the negotiating table to discuss outstanding issues between the two countries.

"There was no sand or usage of airspace in exchange for the construction of the bridge," he said in rebutting the reason given by the government for its decision last week to axe the project.

Singapore was reported to have asked for one billion cubic metres of sand over 20 years and the use of Johor airspace for its military aircraft as a condition for building the bridge.

Chang also refuted Syed Hamid's claim that there would be legal implications if Malaysia had "bulldozed" the construction of the bridge.

"Singapore had in principle agreed to it. Singapore had in 2002 said we can either build the whole bridge or half of it and demolish the Causeway in 2007. So where is the legal impediment," he said.

"This man does not know his job... I challenge him to sue me for saying this... there is no question of bulldozing anything as this was not a unilateral decision, it was agreed upon by both parties," he added.

He said previous correspondence between Dr Mahathir and Goh did not at all mention the demand for sand or air space to allow the construction of the bridge but only wanted all outstanding issues between the two nations to be settled amicably.

"So how did the sand and air space issue come in... the bridge is not Dr Mahathir's project but a government project endorsed by the government and the state of Johor and more importantly by the Singapore government itself," said Chang.
Source: Bernama | www.bernama.com