Wahid attacks Singapore

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, NOV. 26. Behind the facade of ASEAN unity, it appears, lie deep divisions, if a speech made by the Indonesian President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid, at Jakarta's embassy complex in Singapore yesterday, is anything to go by.

The Jakarta Post reported today that Mr. Wahid launched a ``scathing verbal attack'' on Singapore alleging that Indonesia had been ``manipulated'' by the island nation.

Mr. Wahid's remarks came on the same day as the Singapore Prime Minister, Mr. Goh Chok Tong, as Chairman of the Fourth Informal ASEAN Summit, announced the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI).

The remarks are of considerable significance as Indonesia, by far the largest country in ASEAN, is considered the problem child of the region - riddled with political and economic difficulties - and under the constant gaze of its worried neighbours.

Mr. Wahid went as far as to say that water supply to Singapore could be controlled to ``teach a lesson'' to the economic powerhouse of the region. He claimed he had proposed to the Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, that they jointly control water supply to Singapore.

According to Mr. Wahid, the host country seemed to be ``keen only on developing relations with China and other East Asian countries'' during the informal summit, to which China, Japan and South Korea were also invited.

``If (Singapore Prime Minister) Goh Chok Tong really wants to go his own way... go ahead, it would not be a problem for us because we can also go our own way,'' Mr. Wahid was quoted as saying by the paper. Referring to a meeting he had with Singapore's Senior Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan View, Mr. Wahid said the former Prime Minister had rejected the idea of East Timor and Papua New Guinea joining ASEAN.

Mr. Lee, according to the published account, stated that ``the cost of letting these countries in would be too much to bear''. According to Mr. Wahid, it became clear to him from his meeting with Mr. Lee that Singapore was only interested in profit.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Fujimori vows to make a comeback
Next     : U.S. backs European force