KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — Putrajaya's threat to pull the permanent residence of the Singaporean resort operator in the ongoing surau controversy here would only incur the wrath of his fellow countrymen in the island state, PKR's N. Surendran warned today.

The Padang Serai MP said Singaporeans would likely feel upset that one of their own was being punished in such a manner even though he had admitted to his mistakes and cooperated with the authorities.

"No country would want to see its citizens abused and treated badly. Singapore should feel upset at this.

"Despite everything, we have a home minister who cares very little about our relationship with neighbouring countries," Surendran told The Malay Mail Online.

The PKR vice-president was asked to weigh in on Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's statement yesterday that once investigations into the Johor surau incident is done, the resort manager under probe would have his permanent residence revoked.

The man, who was picked up by the authorities earlier this week, is being investigated for allegedling defiling a place of worship when he allowed Buddhist tourists to pray in the surau of the Tanjung Sutera Resort, which he manages.

"Zahid is just laying the groundwork for bad relations," Surendran said.

He pointed out that the minister appeared to be pre-judging the man by suggesting punishment even before he was convicted of any crime.

"It doesn't calm the situation or help resolve the matter in any way," he said.

Asked if the incident would only prove true Singapore's former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew opinions on race relations in Malaysia, Surendran agreed.

While insisting that Lee himself had been an autocratic leader during his reign, the PKR lawmaker said the man's observations of alleged racism in Malaysia appeared to be true.

"There is some uncomfortable truth in what he said... which should lead to serious soul-searching by BN leaders, rather than condemning Lee Kuan Yew," he said.

Lee, Singapore’s founding father, had doused the administrative policies of his neighbour nation in cold water in his latest book One Man’s View of the World, suggesting that Malaysia had become a “much more orthodox” Muslim Malay country since the time of Tunku Abdul Rahman.

In a Q&A section in the book, the former Singapore prime minister was asked if Malaysia could become more like Turkey than Saudi Arabia, in the sense of becoming “relatively open, imbibing some of the more international values”.

But Lee appeared to scoff at the suggestion, and said that the Malaysia of today was unlike before when its leaders were more “relaxed”.

“Now, under the influence of the Middle Eastern states, they are much more orthodox. They used to serve liquor at dinners and drink with you. When I was there, the Tunku would invite his friends over and drink whisky and brandy with them.

“Now, they toast each other in syrups,” he added.

Lee, who turns 90 next month, was also asked if Malaysia could become a “progressive Muslim country”, to which he replied: “You believe that? What do you mean by a progressive Muslim country?

“That they will not wear their headdress, that they will shake hands, men and women, and sit down, that a non-Muslim can be drinking beer and have a Muslim sit down and drink coffee with him?”

Lee also suggested that it was Malaysia’s adoption of orthodox Muslim ways and its alleged insistence on promoting that one dominant race above others that had led to the country’s major talent leak.