Johor’s chief minister denied a car ride with Johor Sultan and PM Mahathir after he intruded into Singapore waters

Video screengrab
Video screengrab

While ministers from both sides have agreed to work together to resolve the tensions arising from maritime border disputes between Singapore and Malaysia, Johor’s Chief Minister Datuk Osman Sapian is definitely not helping things out. After all, the man might have exacerbated the conflict by making a visit on a Malaysian government vessel that refuses to move out from Singapore’s port limits.

Perhaps that’s why Osman was visibly ignored by both the Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ini Alhmarhum Sultan Iskandar and Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad last week. A clip shared by Facebook page Ops Johor showed how Osman was denied entry into the Proton Saga car that Sultan Iskandar was driving Dr Mahathir in back to the following their meeting at Istana Bukit Serene, the royal palace in Johor.

We’re not saying that the Datuk Osman was spurned from taking a ride with them on grounds of his territorial intrusion into Singapore waters, but the timeline of events seems to point towards it. Hear us out.


Jan 8, 2018

Singapore and Malaysia sought to ease airspace and maritime disputes in a meeting between the countries’ foreign ministers. They agreed to set up a working group headed by senior diplomats to look at the maritime dispute that started last year when Singapore accused Malaysia of repeated “provocative intrusions” by sending vessels into its waters off Tuas.

Jan 9, 2019

Datuk Osman shared pictures of himself visiting Malaysian government vessel MV Pedoman, which remains anchored in Singapore’s waters. According to him, he had been receiving a briefing from Malaysian Marine Department officers regarding the disputed borders.

An anonymous official source revealed to The Straits Times that Osman’s vessel visit was not sanctioned by Malaysia’s federal government. “He was told not to do it, yet he went ahead anyway,” ST quoted the source.

Jan 10, 2019

Dr Mahathir held an audience with Sultan Ibrahim in a meeting that lasted one and a half hours, according to The Star. Various matters were discussed, though it’s unclear if the question of the maritime dispute with Singapore was brought up.

Following the meeting, Sultan Ibrahim personally drove the prime minister to Senai International Airport in a first-generation Proton Saga that the latter had presented to the Sultan’s father back in 1985.

Osman can be seen opening the left passenger door and tried to enter before he was stopped by a military aide de camp of Sultan Ibrahim, The Star reported.

Of course, Johor’s Chief Minister simply could have been intending something else. It should be noted that the Ops Johor Facebook page does have a slant against Datuk Osman.

Jan 11, 2019

Datuk Osman denied he was ever in Singapore waters, stating that he was only visiting to observe the Malaysian team taking care of the water border who “are also still in (Malaysia)”. The “allegations” against him “are just an attempt to confuse” matters, he said in a Facebook post.

Singapore issued a diplomatic note to Malaysia about the intrusion.

Jan 12, 2019

An annual meeting held between Singapore and Malaysia to discuss a joint development project has been postponed, thanks to the Chief Minister’s actions. In a statement by Singapore’s foreign affairs ministry, the meeting — the 14th annual one to discuss the Iskandar Malaysia project to develop the southern tip of Malaysia into a regional economic hub — was deemed “untenable” by a ministry spokesperson due to the reported intrusion by Datuk Osman.

“Singapore therefore proposed to postpone the JMCIM (Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia) meeting, and Malaysia agreed,” added the spokesperson.

Jan 13, 2019

In a statement by Malaysia’s foreign ministry released on Twitter on Sunday, the ministry confirmed the postponement of the joint annual meeting over the Iskandar Malaysia joint development project, in which Singapore is a top investor in. The meeting was supposed to take place on Jan 14.

“The reason for the postponement, as conveyed by Singapore… was due to the visit by (Johor chief minister) Dato’ Osman Sapian to Johor Bahru port in Malaysian territorial waters,” said a spokesperson from Malaysia’s foreign ministry.

Datuk Osman, however, accused Singapore of simply giving an excuse to postpone the meeting.

Nonetheless, Malaysia’s economic affairs ministry Azman Ali still met up with Singapore’s national development minister Lawrence Wong and foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan to discuss bilateral issues that do not include the Iskandar Malaysia project.

Jan 14, 2019

Minister Balakrishnan repeated the incident in Singapore Parliament, stating that the Johor Chief Minister’s actions “went against the spirit of the agreement” he made with Malaysian foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

He mentioned that the JMCIM was supposed to have been involved ministers and officials from both countries, including Datuk Osman. “But most regrettably, the Menteri Besar staged a publicised visit to the Malaysian Marine Department vessel anchored in Singapore territorial waters off Tuas on Jan 9, 2019,” Dr Balakrishnan said.



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