COMMENT | US President Donald Trump’s performance at the recent Helsinki summit was mind-boggling. With over half of Americans in a poll describing his actions as ‘treasonous’, it’s almost as if there is a constant attempt to see if there is any limit to the ludicrousness of Trump’s presidency.

It appears that more and more people believe that Russia meddled in the 2016 elections in America, helping to ensure a Russia-friendly Trump would be installed in office.

Looking at the language and approach of a few reports from the Singapore Straits Times since GE 14, one cannot help but wonder if Singapore might be starting to get some similar ideas of their own.

Now, I enjoy the Singapore-Malaysia rivalry and teasing as much as the next guy, and I’m not a conspiracy theorist who ascribes next level evil or malice to the motives of other governments.

All that said, I think it’s fair to recognise the realpolitik at play here and acknowledge that Singapore has very real interests at stake regarding the political developments in Malaysia, and can be reasonably expected to take certain measures to protect those interests.

That doesn’t mean we have to stand by and quietly let them do so unchecked.

Part 1 of today’s article will look at how Singapore is trying to meddle, and tomorrow in Part 2, we will look at what Singapore should be doing instead, in response to GE 14.

Three reports, in particular, stand out regarding the rather questionable attitude the state-controlled Singaporean press has taken to Malaysia since GE 14, all from the Singapore Straits Times.

The first came out in June, quoting unnamed sources in reporting that Inspector General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun (below) was set to be dismissed from his post, along with several other top cops.

The second is more recent, where it was reported that MACC raids on China-linked projects were meant to compromise Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) chairperson Daim Zainuddin’s visit to China.

The third is hot off the press, with a report talking up a conflict between the CEP and the government.

From Batu Puteh to batu api

The first report turned out to be patently untrue. One can imagine however, the anxiety such a report may have created, as well as the potential rifts between different factions within the police force, and with the newly formed government.

The second and third reports imply a similar atmosphere, in which a picture is painted where different factions of our government are creating sabotage and working against one another.

Perhaps Singapore has a vested interest in muddying Malaysia-China relations, as Singapore has notably had some troubled relations with China as well in the past.

One major similarity is that all these reports rely on ‘unnamed sources’.

To be fair, not every report with anonymous sources is untrue or fabricated, and it is far from beyond the pale of imagination for different factions within the government to be working against one another.

Isn’t it odd, however, that all the unnamed sources in the Singapore Straits Times chose to go to that particular publication, instead of a single one here in Malaysia - none of which have been able to independently verify any of these rumours?

The Singapore Straits Times is not so different from our own New Straits Times, in that it is essentially a state (and thus ruling party PAP) controlled media, which you can rely on to never produce any serious or hard-hitting criticism about the government or the PAP.

All things considered, surely it’s not a bit unreasonable to detect a hint of hostility towards Malaysia’s new government.

Fears of a similar fate

The motivation would be all too easy to identify.

Firstly, it feels like Singapore enjoyed quite a number of one-sided deals with Malaysia during the premiership of Najib Abdul Razak, notably the Tanjong Pagar KTM station dispute, and the high-speed railway between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Some opine that Singapore possessed some sort of leverage of Najib that helped facilitate these deals, perhaps related to the 1MDB scandal. All that is gone now.

Secondly, the PAP shares a very important feature to pre-GE14 BN - they are/were both deeply entrenched incumbents, ruling in a democracy that has never once seen a transition to a different government.

Musings on a similar fate for the PAP began across the causeway the night of GE 14 itself, no doubt.

In these regards, it feels like Singapore has something to gain from painting a picture of instability on the part of the new government - basically creating the perception that change is bad.

Perhaps this is the latest in the tit for tat that has involved the cancellation of the high-speed railway, the negotiations about water prices and so on.

Not a pushover anymore

Noted journalist William Pesek wrote an interesting article about how Malaysia’s new government can act as a jolt that Singapore badly needs - a shot in the arm of some long lacking competition.

I think it’s fair to say that the comprehensive, widespread corruption in our previous government has made us an easy target for manipulation and for taking advantage of.

It appears that those dog days are over, however, and perhaps Singapore should heed the notice given that Malaysia’s days as a pushover are over.

This includes ceasing to think that Malaysians are blind to the latest trends in manipulation by foreign governments.

Hopefully, this is not a result of Singapore’s inability to find a better road to internal reform; too often we see those who are unable to improve themselves lash out and try to bring others down instead.

The powers that be in Singapore would be wise not to let their reaction to GE14 be informed primarily by fear and a reliance on old ways.

Instead, they should take it as an exhortation, and an invitation to take an honest look in the mirror, and honestly recognise all the ways in which it is out of sync with modern democracies. (Specific suggestions will follow in tomorrow’s article.)

The path forward lies in that direction, not in the direction of mimicking Russia’s insidious manipulation of foreign politics.

NATHANIEL TAN is curious about the kind of people work for Malaysia’s intelligence services. If they are looking for the next James Bond, please email nat@renyi.net.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.