Singaporean paper lambasts Indonesian leader over comments

Indonesian President Wahid

November 30, 2000
Web posted at: 10:16 AM HKT (0216 GMT)

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -- Singapore's leading newspaper said on Thursday Singaporeans were incensed by an attack from Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, who declared that the island state cared only about money and ignored its neighbor.

The Singaporean government has chosen to play down the outburst, confining itself to factual clarifications of Wahid's remarks and comments reported in the Indonesia press by his foreign minister, Alwi Shihab.

But the pro-government Straits Times, in its first comment on the controversy, took the gloves off in an editorial, saying the island state had some deep thinking to do.

"This was unjustified and underhand, not what would be expected of the leader of a country whose fate can influence all of Southeast Asia.

"President Abdurrahman must know that Singaporeans are incensed and mystified. They had never thought him capable of such distemper. What could have made him do it?" the editorial asked.

Wahid told a gathering of Indonesians in Singapore on Saturday that the largely Chinese island state was anti-Malay and ignored its bigger, poorer neighbour except when there is money to be made.

"Basically, Singaporeans despise Malays, we are considered non-existent," Wahid said. "They just look after themselves, all they just look for are profits."

The Straits Times said this particular comment had crossed the line of propriety because the record of Singapore's economic and diplomatic exchanges with Indonesia and Malaysia conclusively disproved Wahid's assertion.

It said the reference to Malays was particularly misjudged because the Singaporean government recently launched a dialogue with the Malay minority in the city state on the role it can play in local politics.

"Had Mr Abdurrahman been made aware of this? Most egregious, the president came uncomfortably close to being provocative when he suggested that water supply from Malaysia and Indonesia could be cut, just to make a point.

"This is the ultimate indiscretion, whatever the nuance. Singaporeans are not amused when jokes or threats are made about water," the Straits Times said.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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