KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — A Singaporean columnist has criticised Malaysia for cancelling a high-speed rail link between the two countries, accusing Malaysia of lacking the “ancient Chinese’s” appreciation of honour.
In an opinion piece published by the South China Morning Post, the writer, Wee Kek Koon, said the Han Dynasty was built on its eventual emperor’s observation of his pledges and agreements.
The writer also said that the Han emperor’s unwavering commitment to his verbal promises also led to the phrase “yuefa sanzhang (pact of three clauses)” that now means a gentlemen’s agreement.
“The ancient Chinese understood the importance of agreements, which they entered into through formal and informal means, such as written contracts, blood oaths, verbal promises and physical gestures such as clapping the other person’s palm with one’s own,” the writer wrote.
The writer added that he was disappointed that he would now not be able to travel from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in just 90 minutes as opposed to five hours by road.
He also expressed concern over Malaysia’s decision to cancel the project unilaterally.
He then suggested that the cancellation of the HSR was a throwback to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s previous term as prime minister, during which he said “relations between the two countries were fraught with difficulties”.
Dr Mahathir announced the cancellation of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail after determining that his administration inherited over RM1 trillion in liabilities from the defeated Barisan Nasional.
