Malaysia will not use water as weapon against Singapore
Malaysia has no plans to use "water as weapon" against Singapore despite several misunderstandings between the two countries, as such an act would not do any good to either side.
Deputy Foreign Minister Dr Leo Michael Toyad said that Malaysia is a peace-loving country which has no intention to go to 'war' with its neighbour because both countries can benefit a lot from each other.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Opposition Leader Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS-Marang)
during question and answer time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Abdul Hadi had asked if there was any possibility that Malaysia would use "water as weapon" against Singapore as the latter's relationship with Malaysia, citing as example the water supply tiff which culminated with Singapore's expose of confidential letters between the two premiers.
Malaysia has no plans to use "water as weapon" against Singapore despite several misunderstandings between the two countries, as such an act would not do any good to either side.
Deputy Foreign Minister Dr Leo Michael Toyad said that Malaysia is a peace-loving country which has no intention to go to 'war' with its neighbour because both countries can benefit a lot from each other.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Opposition Leader Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS-Marang)
during question and answer time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Abdul Hadi had asked if there was any possibility that Malaysia would use "water as weapon" against Singapore as the latter's relationship with Malaysia, citing as example the water supply tiff which culminated with Singapore's expose of confidential letters between the two premiers.
"In fact, in the US-led war on Iraq, Singapore and the Philippines have taken a different stand from other Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) members and Asean, both of which oppose the war," said Abdul Hadi.
Review agreements
The Terengganu menteri besar and acting PAS chief said a lot of agreements signed between Malaysia and Singapore, including the use of air-space, are no longer relevant and need to be reviewed.
He said Singapore has shown its true colours by exposing "secret documents" to convince the public that they are right, such as on the water issue.
"Why can't we use water as weapon since our prime minister (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) has once suggested that Islamic countries use oil as weapon against the superpowers which are pressuring the Gulf states?" Abdul Hadi asked.
However, Toyad said Malaysia has assured its southern neighbour that its water supply will be continued until 2061, as agreed before.
"We are (only) going to discuss with Singapore about adjusting to a more reasonable rate," he added.
Defining terrorism
On Abdul Hadi's original question on the definition of terrorism, the deputy minister said that Malaysia has always believed that a common definition at the international level is necessary to deal with the issue effectively.
"Malaysia has always stressed that the world must study the terrorism issue and come up with a definition on it, so that it can be dealt with properly," said Toyad.
"So far, the United Nations has yet come up with a universal definition on terrorism," he added.
The deputy minister stressed that a clear definition is necessary so as to differentiate between an act of terrorism and an act of defending the country from invasion.
"Without proper definition, some superpowers can simply act unilaterally against another country in the name
of fighting against terrorism," said Toyad.
On Saturday, the United States described an Iraqi's action of blowing himself up at an American army checkpoint as akin to that of terrorists. At least four soldiers were killed in the suicide attack.
