Malaysia PM Mahathir Mohamad says Singapore water deal ‘too costly’ after scrapping rail project
Leader said water is among issues with Singapore ‘that we need to settle’, while city state responded by insisting Kuala Lumpur must stick to 1962 agreement
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has revived the muscular foreign policy that characterised his first stint in power, seeking to renegotiate a long-standing water supply agreement with Singapore and taking shots at both the US and China.
Singapore’s Foreign Ministry said Malaysia must fully comply with all the provisions of the 1962 water agreement.
In an interview with Bloomberg, the 92-year-old Mahathir criticised the 1962 deal as “too costly”, adding to tensions after he announced plans to cancel a multibillion-dollar high-speed rail project that would’ve connected Kuala Lumpur to the city state.
Water is among issues with Singapore “that we need to settle,” Mahathir said at his office in Kuala Lumpur.
“We will sit down and talk with them, like civilised people.”
A spokesperson for Singapore’s foreign ministry responded in an emailed statement, saying:
“The 1962 Water Agreement is a fundamental agreement that was guaranteed by both governments in the 1965 Separation Agreement which was registered with the UN. Both sides must comply fully with all the provisions of these agreements.”