Singapore opposition party The Workers’ Party has come out in full support of the actions taken by the Singapore government to preserve its sovereignty over disputed waters with Malaysia.
In a statement published Saturday (Dec 8), the party noted “with grave concern” the deployment of Malaysian government vessels into the disputed waters off Tuas.
The statement said such “escalatory actions” involving deployment of vessels to uncover new on-the-ground facts are “unnecessary and provocative”.
“They do not set the right tone for Singapore-Malaysia relations for our people and in particular, the younger generation of Singaporeans and Malaysians,” said the party’s statement.
The statement also noted the many fronts that Singapore and Malaysia are cooperating on, including the military and economic fronts, and noted that both countries share ties of “family and friendship”.
“Any disagreements on any matter between both countries can be resolved either through bilateral negotiation or through a third-party adjudication process,” the statement said.
However, the party said it is in support of all enforcement agencies that have been activated to deal with the maritime dispute.
“They have our full support,” said the party’s statement.
The statement comes as Singapore diplomats rejected Malaysia’s request Friday for a cease-and-desist in which the country asked both parties to leave the disputed waters ahead of peace talks between both countries.
Malaysia has been accused by Singapore Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan of intruding into the waters 14 times since it launched a new map expanding Johor Baru’s port limits allegedly without consulting Singapore.
Commenters on the statement have been praising the party for putting aside political differences in view of standing united as a country on the issue.
