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From TodaySINGAPORE, July 3 - The publication of the Malaysian High Commissioner’s letter in some Malaysian and Singapore newspapers yesterday morning came as a surprise. The headline, “A Personal Plea From A Soon Outgoing High Commissioner”, the tone, and the handwritten last sentence (inviting a Today writer and a colleague to meet up before he left his post), all gave the impression that it was a personal letter.
Now that some of the contents of his letter have found their way into the media here and across the Causeway, Today has decided to publish it in full and respond, something we normally don’t do.
The Today report, the subject of the envoy’s letter, was a follow-up to allegations that Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor had gone on luxury shopping sprees and was at the scene where a Mongolian woman was blown to bits. It contained comments from two Malaysians about Rosmah. The High Commissioner says he has had interactions with her, both officially and privately, and had never found her “arrogant” or “not as humble” as other VVIP wives. Datuk N. Parameswaran says that was a naughty line for Today to take. We will leave it to our readers to judge us on that.
He also had what he called a personal plea to Today and other newspapers in Singapore to “treat with much more circumspection allegations or innuendos that clearly seek to damage the character and reputation of a particular Malaysian VIP”. But then many of these allegations arose in Malaysia and were reported widely there.
We agree wholeheartedly with him that relations between the two countries have improved since Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became PM. We also agree that personalities do make a difference in bilateral relations.
It will be unfortunate and even sad if, as the High Commissioner says, Datuk Seri Najib Razak “finds himself not in a position to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue” or “the Najib family has decided to spend their holidays elsewhere.”
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