Mahathir: Tebalkan muka meminta bantuan Singapura

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Sudah sah negara keadaan ekonomi negara kita sekarang amat tenat
sehingga Mahathir terpaksa menebalkan muka untuk meminta bantuan dari
negara jiran yg sebelum ini di anggap musuk ketat (I suppose, beggars
can be choosers, right?). Dr M terpaksa mengadap Goh selepas usaha
meminta sedekah dari Jepun dan Brunei gagal(?) Tetapi Singapore tidak
bodoh - the bargaining chips are now in their hands.....Kita tunggu dan
lihat:
 

Malaysia Seeks Singapore's Help to Fund Recovery (Update1)

     (Adds more details.)

     Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Malaysia is seeking
Singapore's help to raise money to finance the country's economic
recovery, said Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
     ``Malaysia will need to raise some funds. Singapore has
promised to see how best they can help,'' Mahathir told reporters
after a 90 minute meeting with Singapore's Prime Minister Goh
Chok Tong. Mahathir didn't say how much Malaysia needs from the
island state or how soon an arrangement will be worked out.
     His comments come as Malaysia struggles with its first
recession in 13 years, sparked by Asia's currency crisis. The
country needs as much as 60 billion ringgit ($15.7 billion) until
the year 2000 to fix its ailing banks and fuel economic growth.
     In July, Malaysia shelved a $2 billion international bond
sale to help clean up banks' bad loans after Moody's Investors
Service and Standard & Poor's Corp. slashed Malaysia's credit
ratings to just notches above junk status.
     Goh said Singapore ``should be able to meet with the
requirements.''
     ``First we have to ascertain what the requirements are, the
details will be left to the officials'' when they meet, said Goh.
He didn't elaborate.
     Separately, the two countries also discussed about
Malaysia's supplies of water to Singapore. They didn't give more
details.
     ``We discussed how Singapore can be of help to Malaysia
during this economic crisis and how Malaysia can accede to
Singapore's requirements for water,'' said Mahathir.

                    Strained Ties

     Malaysia's call for help comes as the two Southeast Asian
countries have been embroiled in a series of spats over water
supply agreements, railway immigration procedures, port usage and
Singapore's alleged violation of southern Malaysian airspace.
     ``The differences will always be there'' said Goh. ``The
important thing is to narrow the gap and maximize the common
areas. If we disagree on certain things, we will discuss them.''
     Malaysia, which supplies about half of Singapore's daily
water needs, has agreed to supply water to the island state
through 2061. Singapore, though, argues that supply of such an
essential element should be open-ended.
     Mahathir also said that the dispute over railway immigration
procedures still hasn't been resolved, though both countries
would continue talks to sort out the issue.
     On Aug. 1, Singapore moved a checkpoint for rail traffic to
and from Malaysia from its central business district to a site
near the Malaysian border, a move criticized by Malaysia, which
owns the land at the old checkpoint.

--Eugene Tang in Kuala Lumpur (603) 248-7000, through the
Singapore newsroom (65) 438-8579/msh