By TK Chua

I refer to the 1962 water agreement between Malaysia and Singapore which was recently highlighted by Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

I am not saying the 1962 agreement is fair. An agreement signed so long ago and with such a long “validity” period certainly can’t be fair in hindsight.

Maybe there were provisions in the agreement allowing for periodic reviews of the agreement which we did not exercise. As an ordinary citizen, I have no way of knowing the details.

That is why I have always advocated smarter and more responsible people to helm our public service, both as ministers as well as in the civil service.

I think if Malaysia ever wants to blame anyone for our predicament, it should start with our own people first. Do we have the right people doing the right job? What about other treatises, agreements and communiques that need monitoring and follow-up? Who is doing it?

Singapore depends on our raw water out of necessity and geography. Even then, I believe the republic has taken giant steps to become self-sufficient, at least way ahead of 2061, when the agreement expires. But why is it that Malaysia is still dependent on Singapore for treated water after more than six decades of self-rule?

We accused Singapore of exploiting us based on an old water agreement, but Singapore too could claim that the republic is selling us treated water at a subsidised price. Unless we are self-sufficient in treated water, we have no way of knowing how much Singapore is subsidising us.

It looks like we can’t even manage a water treatment plant properly, not to mention the numerous water catchment areas throughout the country. Do we wait until the problem becomes acute before taking action? So much for “Malaysia Boleh”.

It was good for Mahathir to bring up the water agreement which seems to short-change us. But I think it would be very difficult to renegotiate this issue on a “stand-alone” basis, more so as the opportunity to review the agreement from 1986 to 1987 has long passed.

We have so many bilateral dealings with Singapore. Sometimes it may be easier if we can scramble the water agreement with other issues at hand. Perhaps that would be more palatable to both countries.

I think Malaysia’s problem in dealing with strategic issues, both foreign and domestic, is twofold: corruption and incompetence.

Corruption sells out public and national interests. Incompetence compromises the same. Recent events show that corruption and incompetence are a toxic combination that will sink this country if we are not vigilant from now on.

Mahathir is one person. No matter how capable he is, he can’t do everything. It is time he assigns capable people to be in charge of strategic areas. If we appoint more incompetent people to the Cabinet and as heads of agencies, we do so at our own peril.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.