Daily Lessons from Life 13 June 2009

"Guarded optimism for S'pore-KL cooperation
MM Lee emphasises importance of long-term commitment. - Sat, Jun 13, 2009 The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR: Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has guarded optimism for future cooperation between Singapore and Malaysia, after four days of meetings with top leaders here.

He found the Malaysian Cabinet solidly behind Prime Minister Najib Razak's new policy of cooperation with Singapore, he told reporters.

He said he emphasised to Datuk Seri Najib that such cooperation must be long term and across the board as massive investments are involved."

Cooperation must be two-way and with the parties involved seriously having the sincerity and courage to make difficult choices and changes. Personally for me the relationship of Singapore and Malaysia is not good enough for two countries so close to each other. It seems like one side or both sides had stopped trying for whatever reasons.

Lessons for me are:

1. neighbourliness does not just happened. Both sides must make great efforts to reach out to each other. With the old folks there were a lot of baggage. Some not so easily dismissed. While the current leadership of both sides have seniors in the families who were main actors or players in the unending saga of 'I-love you-I-love-you-not', it is up to the new generation of leaders to decide what sort of relationship do they really want. After all, these leaders are all grown up and supposedly have developed the ability to make independent and wise decisions!;

2. while it is reasonable and sensible to review the history to know what works and what don't, we must not dwelt too much on 'what did not work' unless it is to 'ensure how we must avoid these mistakes'. Once it is established 'what we must work on to avoid past mistakes', the past mistakes should not be mentioned anymore. As when we say: 'Don't do this or that!', our brains work by 1st thinking about 'what it is that we are NOT supposed to do' then 'to erase or delete it!'. Why allowed 'the don't do this or that' a chance to go through our mind!;

3. for two countries so close, we really don't have enough contacts or if we don we need to publicise it a bit more. Perception is reality. In-your-face promotion helps people to remember just how close and how hard our leaders work with each other to maintain a positive friendship and mutually beneficial working relationship. Perhaps we can start with a quantitative target of meeting between the leaders of the two countries on a monthly basis. We can then decide to reduce it or to increase as the leaders involved think fit.

Singapore is a small nation. We want good neighbourliness with our neighbours. We will work hard on it for the stability and prosperity of the region!