Opinion: Singapore-Malaysia relations:
Ties that bind
(Assoc. Prof. Lee Lai To and Assoc. Prof. Bilveer Singh.)

Building Bridges Over Troubled Waters

If relations of the past two decades are any indications of future trends, especially in the light of leadership changes on both sides of the causeway in the near future, then the ebb and flow of the past can be expected to continue. In order to ensure that bilateral ties and the accompanying interests of both states and their people are maintained, then there is a need to undertake a conscious effort to ensure that issues are not allowed to spin out of control and every effort made to nip potentially contentious issues in the bud. Building bridges at all levels of society to absorb potential shocks must be given priority through a building block process. The cooperation and good will of the past must be deepened to enhance and cement ties at the elite to elite and people to people level to solidify the special relationship between the two important neighbours in ASEAN. This requires both confidence and trust building measures as well as mutually advantageous cooperation to ensure that a positively synergized relationship emerges in the sub-region of Southeast Asia. A number of measures can assist the development of a Singapore-Malaysia community both at the state-to-state and people- to-people levels, including the following:

- Greater understanding of each other’s society, political system, strengths, weaknesses as well as vulnerabilities
- Greater inter-elite interaction at all levels, including greater efforts being made for the middle and lower level leaders to interact and undertake exchanges
- Conscious efforts being made by the media to play down differences that may surface from time to time
- Greater mutually beneficial cooperation in the political, economic and military-security areas to demonstrate the advantages of such collaboration

Conclusion

What cannot be ignored is that destiny has ensured that Singapore and Malaysia, for their own benefit, will have to work closely to ensure that no tragedy of any kind befalls them and their people. While differences are unavoidable, largely driven by the different factor endowments, outlooks and goals, yet conscious efforts must be made to ensure that differences are downplayed while commonalities identified for peace and prosperity. This is the key challenge for the future of Singapore-Malaysia relations. Despite the post-separation turbulence, both states and societies have demonstrated the propensity to behave rationally for mutual benefit and this can be expected to continue, especially in the light of various challenges thrown up by globalization, radicalism and extremism.

Assoc. Prof. Lee Lai To and Assoc. Prof. Bilveer Singh, National and Deputy National Coordinator of SEASCN-Singapore.
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