Abstract
Dispute over the supply and price of freshwater between Malaysia and Singapore has been ongoing for several decades and may be exacerbated by the effects of projected global climate change. Singapore, heavily dependent on Malaysian freshwater, has previously threatened military action against the Malay government to forcibly take the resources. The conflict derives from several issues including the longstanding cultural rivalries between the two, the changing political situation, and the pricing of freshwater resources. Despite Malaysia’s plentiful water supply, industrialization, mismanagement, and climate change threaten to enflame the conflict.Description
Singapore depends on Malaysia for nearly forty percent or more of its water supply. Therefore, the importance of securing a freshwater source is paramount to Singapore and the role of Malaysia as supplier frames relations between the two. The issue of supplying water to Singapore has, at times, been brought to the forefront of the Malaysian and Singapore political arena. This can be traced to as early as 1965, the year when Singapore was separated from Malaysia. Since then, Singapore has sometimes been the target of resentment from segments of the Malaysian society, especially when relations between these countries have become strained. For a variety of reasons within Malaysia including perception of Singapore’s inadequate consideration of religious sensitivities in Malaysia, the widening economic disparity between the two, and violations of territorial airspace, increased Malaysian incentives to threaten Singapore.Singapore’s present relationship with Malaysia for water has, however, led to a
host of vulnerabilities for Singapore. Water is used as a political bargaining
tool often with the threat of military repercussions suggested as a potential
result:
“If Singapore’s foreign policy was prejudicial to Malaysia’s interest, they [Malaysia] couldalways bring pressure to bear on them [Singapore] by threatening to turn off the water in Johore.”
-Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia
Prime Minister
“He [Mahathir] was direct and asked what we were building the SAF [Singapore ArmedForces] for. I replied equally directly that we feared that at some time or other there could bea random act of madness like cutting off our water supplied which they [the Malaysians] hadpublicly threatened whenever there were differences between us … In [the Separation]agreement, the Malaysian government had guaranteed our water supply. IF this was breached,we would go to the UN Security Council. If water shortage became urgent, in an emergency,we would have to go in, forcibly if need be, to repair damaged pipes and machinery to restorethe water flow. I was putting my cards on the table. He denied that such precipitate actionwould happen. I said I believe that he would not do this, but we had to be prepared for allcontingencies.”
-Lee Kuan Yew,
Singapore Prime Minister
Type of Environmental Problem
Access to water
This problem is an access to water dispute, which may be compounded by global warming. Malaysia has, in the past, used the threat of cutting off water supply to Singapore, which relies on Malaysia for 40% of its water. While agreements have been made regarding the supply of water to Singapore, these may be broken if freshwater supply in Malaysia is depleted due to global warming.Type of Conflict
IntrastateMilitary repercussions cannot be ruled out in the event of a sudden disruption of water supplies from Malaysia, but this threatening situation may be exaggerated. It is important to note that the Malaysian government has never actually cut off water supplies to Singapore, in spite of the political sparring which has occurred since separation. In addition, there have been repeated assurances from the Malaysian authorities that Malaysia intends to observe the 1961 and 1962 water agreements made with Singapore up to 2011 and 2061 respectively.Acknowledgment:http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/singapore.htm
