Let’s face it: Malaysia’s irrepressible two-time prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has never given the impression that he is a great fan of Singapore. But perhaps, having celebrated his 99th birthday this month, he probably knows a thing or two about the controversial history surrounding the island republic's painful separation from Malaysia back in 1965!
In fact, in a recent post on his popular Facebook page, he had literally asked in his trademark tongue-in-cheek style: are we going to sell our raw water to Singapore at a subsidised rate of 3 sen per thousand gallons… until kiamat (end times)?
The former UMNO president also went on to highlight that Singapore has been enjoying a RM39mil subsidy on water from Malaysia annually, adding that from 1962 to 2023 the subsidy has totalled up to a staggering RM2.379bil! But was the shrewd old “statesman” just providing one side of the story - to justify his frustration over the perceived injustice?
Actually, there is more to the whole episode involving the sensitive water issue between Malaysia and Singapore, and according to official documents Johor and the City Council of Singapore had earlier signed two long-term Water Agreements.
The first Water Agreement was signed in 1961 and expired in August 2011. Under this Agreement, Singapore was entitled to draw an unrestricted quantity of raw water from the Tebrau and Scudai Rivers; in return, Singapore shall provide Johor with treated water amounting to 12% of the water that it had imported.
When the agreement expired in 2011, Singapore handed back to Johor “free of charge" and "in good working order” the Gunung Pulai and Scudai waterworks as well as the pump houses at Pontian and Tebrau which it had been operating and maintaining “at its own cost.”
Meanwhile, the second Water Agreement, signed in 1962 and to expire in 2061, entitles Singapore to draw and use 250 million gallons of raw water per day from the Johor River; in return, it is to provide Johor with treated water up to 2% of the water it imports.
Undeniably, the key thing here is that the Water Agreements were guaranteed by the Government of Malaysia in the “Separation Agreement” signed in 1965 that established Singapore as an independent and sovereign state; furthermore, it was registered with the United Nations - thus making all the terms therein binding!
Admittedly, though, the said Water Agreements have been contentious, and since the early 2000s, Malaysia and Singapore have been at odds over the “fairness” of the agreement; in fact, Malaysia has been pushing to renegotiate for what it feels is a fairer value for the water it sells - but Singapore has stood firm by the terms of the existing agreement.
Then, in 2018, not surprisingly, during his second stint as prime minister, Dr Mahathir again raised the issue of the price of three sen per thousand gallons, calling it “ridiculous” while expressing his intention to renegotiate the terms of the water supply deal with the island republic.
However, in 2023 during high level meetings with Singaporean ministers, PM Anwar Ibrahim had reportedly stated that Malaysia's position is clear, whereby he affirmed the commitment to honouring the water supply from Johor to Singapore - as per the second Water Agreement which expires only in 2061.
Against that backdrop, it would appear that Dr Mahathir views the issue of renegotiating the pricing terms of the Water Agreement with Singapore as “unfinished business”; hence, his veiled jibe at the current government for not pursuing the matter. Incidentally, his latest outburst might also remind many of his other unfinished business, the “crooked bridge” over the Johor Straits - which he still gripes about until this day!
Information Source: Facebook of Dr Mahathir, MFA Singapore, The Star and The Edge
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