A WikiLeaks cable reveals a Singapore official's concern that a racial unrest in Malaysia will send the Chinese fleeing across the causeway.
PETALING JAYA: A Singapore official was concerned that a racial conflict in Malaysia could send the Chinese here fleeing over the causeway and overwhelming the island republic.
According to Internet whistleblower WikiLeaks, this was the crux of an exchange between Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Bilahari Kausikan and former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for East Asia, David Sedney, in a 2008 meeting.
The meeting took place on Sept 15, a day before Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s deadline to take over the government with the purported crossover of 30 Barisan Nasional MPs to Pakatan Rakyat.
Bilahari had described Malaysia’s political situation then as both “confused and dangerous”.
“Singapore perceives a distinct possibility of racial conflict. (…) Bilahari said the Singaporean government is watching the situation carefully as it fears any significant racial conflict in Malaysia could lead to an influx of ethnic Chinese to ‘overwhelm’ Singapore,” read the leaked diplomatic cable.
“Bilahari warned that Malaysia’s political instability could lead to unconstitutional action or a ‘constitutional emergency’,” it continued.
The WikiLeaks cable was revealed on the Hong Kong-based news portal Asia Sentinel but the organisation did not reveal how it came by the cable.
Bilahari also told Sedney that he did not think that Anwar had the 30 MPs required to give Pakatan control of the federal government.
However, he said: “One side or the other might try the ‘time-tested strategy’ of inciting communal conflict or some other incident to provoke a reaction.”
“The possibility of conflict is high because the three competing factions backing Anwar, prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and deputy prime minister Najib Tun Razak have much at stake.
“Should Anwar fail in his bid to become PM, he would likely end up back in jail,” read the cable.
Najib’s ‘neck on the line’
The cable also said that Najib’s “neck was on the line” in connection with the murder case of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu.
“Having been in power for so long, ruling Umno party leaders will also likely face repercussions if they lost power,” the cable said.
Bilahari also said that Malaysia was lacking competent leadership. He said that Anwar was the best choice while Najib came with a lot of political baggage.
“While Anwar made concessions to non-Muslims in order to build his coalition, he is unlikely to live up to his commitments to his non-Muslim partners should he gain power,” the cable said.
It was also revealed that in the event of a racial conflict, China might be compelled to take an interest on behalf of the Malaysian Chinese. However, Bilahari thought it unlikely that Malaysia would listen to the Asian superpower on this matter.
The cable added that Malaysia’s “pro-Malay” domestic policies would eventually lead to problems with China as it expanded into the region. Patrick Lee
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