Losers and victors in the Causeway saga

The Malaysian government’s announcement that it was scrapping the ‘scenic bridge’ plan to replace the Causeway was a shocker for me. After all, work has started on the much heralded national project despite not having any concessions from Singapore to build the other half.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi talks about legal complications attached to the cutting up of the Causeway as the main reason. Surely this can’t be the only reason.

So why the sudden change of mind by Abdullah’s government? His ministers were in talk with the Singaporeans so that a complete bridge could be build. In fact, the Singaporeans agreed to it, providing that Malaysia allows its air space for Singaporean Air Force to train and sell sand for the island’s reclamation works.

This is where the trouble started, I think. Local nationalists, mainly from Johor, were not keen to see foreign aircrafts flying above them. Likewise, local fishermen have been complaining that continued reclamation works in the island (in an attempt to enlarge its land) have resulted in pollution in the sea which meant little catch for them.

Even Abdullah alluded that this was the actual problem.

He said:

“If we proceed with the project, it will upset the people and turn the project into an endless issue. We can't ignore the feelings of the people because we are the government elected by the people, for the people.”

His Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was more straight forward:

"Since there has been so much feelings about giving airspace, about taking our sand ... we have been listening to the people, we think the best thing is for us to stop the project. We still have the Causeway, we still have the Second Link. The Second Link is still under-utilised, it can be put to full use.”

With the announcement, the Malaysian government had stopped all negotiations with Singapore pertaining to the bridge, thus the issue of the sale of sand and the use of Malaysian air space do not arise any more.

However the Financial Times thinks that this announcement is just a gimmick by the Malaysians to get the Singaporeans to drop some of their demands.

It reported:

There is speculation, however, that Malaysia may have made its decision as a bargaining tactic to persuade Singapore to drop some of its demands.

I don’t know of there is any truth in this but with the bridge, and along it the sand and airspace issue out of the way, the only remaining issues between these two countries are water and the newly built Malaysian Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex.

The ‘scenic bridge’ was meant to form part of the RM2.5 billion Integrated Southern Gateway project to turn Johor into a regional logistics centre connected by a network of ports, an airport and highways. It also incorporates the CIQ complex.

Now that the bridge is no longer in the pipeline, Abdullah said new roads would be built to divert traffic to the CIQ complex before heading to the causeway. The bridge contractors will also be fully compensated by the government for their losses.

All in all, despite scrapping the multi-million dollar project, the Malaysian government will continue to plough money to ensure that its badly planned project/vision is still viable.

The ‘scenic bridge’, or previously called the ‘crooked bridge’ was from the very beginning beset with problems. It was mooted by the former premier Dr Mahathir at the height of his cold war with the Singaporean government (2003).

Even then many had criticised his plans to have the half bridge built, not just because it made us look silly, it also cost a lot of money and would only further strain the relationship between the countries. Furthermore, the Causeway was still functioning well and the new second link was under-utilised.

Given all these, the Malays in Johor, who form a strong grouping that could influence the ruling party Umno’s leadership, expressed their objections. Now, they were surely not happy with Singaporean attitude in encroaching into Johor airspace and the pollution caused by land reclamation works, but they also did not want the bridge.

When Abdullah took over the government, he spelt a new relationship with Singapore and talks to settle outstanding issues were smooth again. Then suddenly in January his government announced the construction of the ‘scenic bridge’. Abdullah was confident that he could coax the Singaporeans to build the other half.

Apparently that was a false impression he had. Obviously the Singaporeans were unwilling to spend so much money in the project but took a smart way out by seeking space and land concessions. At one point, Abdullah seemed to have agreed to these.

To many Malaysians, especially Umno members, Abdullah’s leadership is still suspect. They think he is not strong in dealing with party/state divisions and power plays. And it is this apparent weakness the Johor Malays have jumped on. I think that by playing the nationalist card, they have forced Abdullah to rethink the whole bridge project.

Meanwhile Mahathir is surely upset that one of his last visions has come to be unfulfilled. He is unhappy and says he could have completed the bridge if he was still in power. He is reported to have said:

"We were about to start but I retired. If I didn't, it would have started two-and-a-half years ago."

And he surely is bitter about how Singapore had gone about in wrecking his plans. He adds this with his characteristic sarcasm:

"Our neighbor is good. We must be very nice to them. All this while, we have always had to take care of Singapore's feelings."

So there we have it then. The big hoo-ha about the scenic bridge has come to a whimper.

Who are the losers here? The contractors, Mahathir maybe, people who thought Johor economy will boom by it and perhaps more than all, Abdullah for his failure to implement a properly devised plan.

And the victors? The Singaporeans and the Johor nationalists.

further read:
Loser and victors in the bridge over Causeway saga (via Bernama)
Malaysia drops plan to build bridge to Singapore (via Financial Times)
Malaysia scraps plans for bridge to replace Causeway (via Channel News Asia)
Mahathir laments scrapping of Malaysia-Singapore bridge project (via Kyodo)