Quora Answer: Is Singapore Morally Wrong to Adhere to the Water Deal as Mahathir bin Mohamad Says?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Mahathir bin Mohamad says the water deal with Singapore is ‘morally wrong’, since as Singapore is a rich country, it should be more generous.  Is it reasonable for the Malaysian government to want to raise the price of raw water?  What will happen if Malaysia cut off the water supply?”

We have to consider that if the price of water is “morally wrong”, why did Malaysia decline to review the price of water in 1987, as per the agreement?  The Prime Minister then was Mahathir bin Mohamad himself.  Mahathir is a hypocrite, with an estranged relationship with facts.  He is the Donald John Trump of Southeast Asia, and has been doing the “Donald” long before the real thing became President of the United States.

Malaysia, despite its protestations, cannot unilaterally change an international agreement.  That is not how international diplomacy works.  It costs them credibility and political capital at a time when they can ill afford it.  Also, we have to consider that should Malaysia unilaterally raise the price of water, Singapore can simply refuse to pay it, and Malaysia has no legal recourse in any international court of arbitration.  Alternatively, Singapore can raise the price of treated water supplied to Johor, which is around 16 million gallons, well in excess of the 5 million gallons Singapore is obligated to supply.  In fact, it is a measure of goodwill that Singapore regularly provides above the obligations of the treaty, even from its own supplies, when Johor has a drought.

Mahathir is well aware that Malaysia cannot cut off the water because Singapore has stated that it will be construed as an act of war.  Since Separation, politicians in Malaysia have been very free with threats to our sovereignty.  Considering these regular provocations, I would think our leadership has been restrained and mature.  After all, it does not do to bark back when the dogs are barking.  Unlike how it was in 1965, Singapore in 2019 has a much larger military, and a significant technology advantage.  And we retain a doctrine of pre-emptive strike.  Mahathir is quite aware of this, and has stated that Malaysia cannot go to war with Singapore.

What Mahathir is doing is rattling the cage, and rabble-rousing to divert attention away from domestic issues.  His government is facing challenges on the domestic front.  How incompetent is his administration, when he has managed to make a kleptomaniac like Mohammad Najib bin Abdul Razak look popular with the rural Malays?  Mahathir has done much damage to his own coalition with the mass admission of former UMNO members.  He then goes to Johor, where Parti Keadilan is already displeased with him, and he tells them to look across the Causeway for the enemy.

The other ridiculous portion of his latest diatribe is the comment that Singapore became prosperous and advanced because we sold Johor some treated water.  Nothing in that statement stands up to scrutiny.  Considering the size of the Singapore government’s revenue stream and budget, the sale of treated water on the cheap is not a factor.  Our prosperity is based on sound economic policies, investment in nation building, meritocracy, and an intolerance of corruption.  Malaysia could learn from the Singapore experience and get rid of the bumiputera policy.