Kuan Yew's Visit is an endorsement for Najib ?

"My neighbours both have problems with their Chinese. They are successful, they're hardworking and therefore they are systematically marginalised, even in education"

"And they want Singapore, to put it simply, to be like their Chinese, compliant"

MM Lee said Singapore must have a government which must be "firm but polite", able to deal with difficult neighbours "who want to pressure us to build pretty bridges without giving us commensurate benefits".

"You need a government that will be able to not only have the gumption but the skill to say no in a very quiet, polite way that doesn't provoke them into doing something silly," he said.

- MM LKY


“Singapore is just a little red dot,” Dr Mahathir once said.

Why is Dr Mahathir so upset with Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi? Because Pak Lah tunduk (kow tow) to Singapore.

Why is Dr Mahathir so upset that his Crooked Bridge has been aborted, and at a price that is more costly than if they went ahead and built it on top of that? Because Singapore does not want it -- so, by aborting it, Malaysia is bowing to Singapore’s demands.

Why is Dr Mahathir so angry with Kalimullah (whom he calls Hindu God and Muslim Priest)? Because Kalimullah is a Singapore agent.

Why is Dr Mahathir so angry with Khairy Jamaluddin? Because Khairy works for Singapore and is being funded by that ‘little red dot’.

Anything and everything even remotely associated with Singapore is a no-no in Dr Mahathir’s books.

“Of course I can’t get along with Singapore,” laments Dr Mahathir. “I can’t go to Singapore and play golf with Singapore’s leaders and pat each other on the back like those in Pak Lah’s government.”

“Who cares if Singapore wants a new straight bridge to replace the Causeway or not. They can keep their half of the Causeway. We will demolish our half and build half a bridge. And if half a bridge is too short then we shall make it longer by building a crooked bridge.”

“Lee Kuan Yew told me that Goh Chok Tong is too sentimental. That’s why he does not want to see the Causeway demolished. So we will have to wait until Chok Tong retires and then, after he retires, we shall demolish the whole Causeway.”

“Malaysia fought hard to gain independence from Britain. We opposed the British and the British plan for a Malayan Union. However, after 50 years of Merdeka, we are still not independent. We still can’t decide what to do in our own country. Singapore tells us what we can do in our own country. So we are not really that independent after all.”

And it goes on and on -- Singapore this and Singapore that. It is all about Singapore. And all of Dr Mahathir’s unhappiness is because Singapore is the cause of everything that is wrong with this country and all his plans are being torpedoed because of Singapore.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, the first prime minister of "a little red dot", is to visit Malaysia next week to tour several states and meet with a number of Malaysian leaders, businessmen, opinion leaders and senior journalists.

His eight-day visit, from June 8 to 15, starts with a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak as well as with several high-level officials, top editors and politicians.

Political analysts believe the elder Lee's visit to Malaysia will be more than just "a trip down memory lane" as he is known to be a person who always keeps abreast of developments, particularly in gauging the scenario of the place which shares its history with Singapore.

As Prof Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin points out, Lee is a person who understands very well the relationship between the two countries, as he had a part in the history of the formation of Malaysia and the separation of Singapore from Malaysia.

"The visit can be viewed as an endorsement for (Prime Minister) Najib as Lee is known as a person who deeply believes that if Malaysia is not stable, it will affect Singapore," he says.

"Najib is the son of (Malaysia's second prime minister) Tun Abdul Razak while Lee and Tun Abdul Razak were peers, having done law together in London ... another layer of relationship.

"I know Lee is very concerned with what is happening in Malaysia as anything that happens here will affect Singapore. Things that shape Malaysia will shape Singapore," says Prof Shamsul Amri, who will be among those Lee is expected to meet during his visit.

He says Lee has likened situations in Malaysia and Singapore to the "umbilical cord" which connects the two countries.

Prof Shamsul Amri says that before Lee makes any statement, he will have given it deep thought as he is not the kind of leader who likes to make popular statements.

"If you look at his speeches, you know that he has a lot of information at his disposal," he adds.

Another political analyst, Dr Oh Ei Sun, believes that Lee will be taking stock of the latest developments in Malaysia during the visit besides looking at ways to improve bilateral relations, something which he often does when he travels abroad.

"He will be meeting different strata of society. He is more or less advisor to the government. He not only advises the Singapore government. Sometimes he also offers his advice to the country he visits," he says.

Malaysia and Singapore had a difficult relationship when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the Malaysian prime minister while during the era of his successor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the relationship grew a bit warmer, he says.

"Now Najib has taken over. Kuan Yew is an old acquaintance of Najib's father (Tun Abdul Razak). Perhaps he will take this opportunity to look into ways to improve the relationship. I think this trip will bring the relationship closer," he adds.