Friday September 29, 2006
PM sends letter to Lee
MALAYSIA and Indonesia have sent Singapore protest notes and have summoned the island state's envoys to explain Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's comments that the Chinese in the two countries were being systematically marginalised.
In a front-page report, Berita Harian quoted Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar as saying that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had issued a letter to Lee asking him to explain the motives behind his statement.
The letter also expressed Abdullah's dissatisfaction and the views of the Malaysian Government and its people over Lee's statement, which was considered serious and had the potential for negative implications.
“This issue cannot be taken lightly because Senior Minister Lee had tried to interfere in the country's internal affairs by portraying Malaysia in a negative light.
“Furthermore, his statement is contrary to the Asean spirit. Malaysia has issued a protest letter to Singapore and the country's high commissioner will be called to explain the matter as soon as possible,” Syed Hamid said when contacted by the newspaper.
On Sept 15, Reuters quoted Lee as saying that it was vital for the predominantly ethnic Chinese state to stand up to its two bigger Muslim-majority neighbours.
In Utusan Malaysia, a writer in the newspaper's “Forum” column said that Singapore was facing a huge problem with a declining population and widening generation gap.
Saad Hashim asked why Lee had not invited Malaysian Chinese to migrate to the island republic to help stabilise and improve its population.
Meanwhile, Harian Metro reported that a man was purportedly leading a religious group in Malacca where new members had to pay RM1,000 in “membership fees” and, later, would receive a photocopied document containing short Quranic verses.
The newspaper said the man, who led the group called Daulah Islamiyah Nusantara, was described as being rather stern.
The Malacca religious department urged the public to give them information about the group, it added.
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