Malaysia-Singapore dispute: Tactical diversion or a political tool? [CGTN article]

“I think what Singapore is doing is trying to draw a line in the sand in order to head off what it sees as Malaysia’s more assertive stance on various bilateral matters,” said Dr Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.

Dr Oh, who was the political secretary to Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak from 2009 to 2011, added that the two countries have over the years developed an “unofficial pattern of resolving such disputes.”

“[It begins with] initial loud verbal exchanges followed by bilateral negotiations, failing which would be submitted to international adjudication or arbitration,” Dr Oh told CGTN, in what appears to be a reference to Pedra Branca an embattled island near the eastern entrance of the Singapore Strait.

Excerpted from the full article: Malaysia-Singapore dispute: Tactical diversion or a political tool? [CGTN article]

Photo credit: “Singapore Marina Bay Dusk” by Benh Lieu Song is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.