Published June 19, 2009

Sultan of Johor opposes third bridge to Singapore

By S JAYASANKARAN
IN KUALA LUMPUR

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MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Najib Razak's plan to construct a third bridge to Singapore has been rejected by the Sultan of Johor.

The opinion of Sultan Iskandar Ismail, the state's monarch, was conveyed by the state's crown prince Tunku Ibrahim Ismail at the opening of the legislature yesterday morning.

'I was told by the Sultan that he does not agree with the proposal to build a third bridge,' said the prince.

That the prince said it at the opening of the state legislative assembly is significant. According to analysts, it would have been recorded on the Hansard and thus would have assumed the proportions of titah (royal command) - something that would be difficult for any Malay-dominated government to ignore.

This represents a setback for Mr Najib, who had mooted the idea of a third bridge during his official visit to Singapore last month. It also mirrors an escalating trend by the Malaysian monarchy to flex their muscles before the federal leadership.

During the tenure of former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Kuala Lumpur was forced to bow to the wishes of two royals - the Sultans of Perlis and Terengganu, respectively - after both refused to accept Mr Abdullah's choice of chief ministers for their states. Whether Mr Najib will do the same with the Johor Sultan remains to be seen.

Some leaders from Mr Najib's ruling United Malays National Organisation (Umno) including Johor Baru lawmaker Shahrir Samad and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin have opposed the idea of a third bridge. Even opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has come out against the proposal.

Malaysian critics have cited two main grounds to oppose the bridge.

The first is that Malaysia might have to lift its 1997 ban on the sale of sand to Singapore as a quid pro quo for the bridge.

The other concern is that a third bridge might allow more tourists from Singapore to bypass Johor Baru businesses when they enter Malaysia. This is not going down well with Johor's business community.