Why is this PAP Government now digging into the past and jeopardizing the good relationship between Singapore and Indonesia had painstakingly built over the decades, and over a matter that even LKY said we should no longer have issues with?
Why is the PAP Government making this issue of the Indonesian Navy naming its naval vessel after the two Indonesian Marines sentenced to death for a criminal act of planting a bomb at MacDonald House in 1965, to be equal in status to the China and South Korea views towards the controversial visits by successive Japanese Cabinet Ministers to the War Shrine that included convicted War Criminal Prime Minister General Tojo and his Cabinet Ministers ?
If the continued glorifying of convicted war criminals is to be a standard for the Singapore Government, why did this PAP-led Government not join the protests lodged by the Governments of China and South Korea in this annual event in Japan? While the Japanese Prime Minister General Tojo and his Cabinet Ministers and some Military Generals were convicted of War Crime by an International War Crime Military Tribunal, the two Indonesian soldiers were convicted as common criminal in a Singapore Civilian Court. The Two Indonesian Marines were then participating in Konfrontasi, which was an outright declaration of war by then Indonesian President Sukarno.
From the Indonesian perspective, the two Indonesian Marines were considered National Heroes, and their families were stung by their hanging as ordinary criminals when the Indonesians considered them to be Prisoners of War and should not be treated as ordinary criminals.
If the bombing of civilian properties and the deliberate killing of civilians is a crime, why is the Singapore Government not supporting the Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to protest against the indiscriminate bombings of targets that killed entire families and hundreds of innocent civilians on erroneous targeting decisions made?
During the Vietnam War, the US Air Force conducted multiple raids into Hanoi and Haiphong, with many misguided bombs missing their targets and hitting civilian properties. During World War 2, there were multiple air raids that were deliberately planned and executed by the US and British Air Forces that led to multiple fire storm engulfing entire cities in Berlin and Tokyo that killed hundreds of thousands of civilians as the firestorm suck out the oxygen that raged for hours.
What is the PAP position to the two infamous dropping of atomic and hydrogen bombs that killed hundreds of thousands in two blinding flashes in the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima ? Were all of these outright targeting of civilians not criminal in nature?
If this PAP Government will take issue against the glorifying of the two Indonesian Marines, then it should also join China and South Korea to protest against the successive Japanese Government annual pilgrimage to the War Shrine to worship the war dead that included the convicted War Criminals. After all, in World War 2, the Japanese Military deliberately killed more Singapore civilians than the two Indonesian Marines, whose bomb planted at MacDonald House had killed two women and injured a few dozen more workers, who were leaving the building during the evening rush hour.
Hasn’t this issue already been settled when LKY laid flowers at the grave of the two Indonesian Marines.
The PAP Government seems to be cherry picking when flexing its muscles, and may have miscalculated this time if they think that Indonesia is still dependent on Singapore. Indonesia’s economy over the last decade has progressively improved which has allowed its Government to invest in the rebuilding of its defense assets, with emphasis on the navy and the air force. Like Singapore, the Indonesian Navy was able to commission six new modern frigates built in Germany and in Indonesian shipyards, and all in a span of two to three years.
In escalating this issue, Singapore may lose the RSAF training facilities in Sumatra when the agreement is up for renewal, even though it was built at our cost and managed by the Indonesian Air Force. There will be other economic consequences, with the Indonesian redirecting its source for military hardware produced by Singapore Technologies.
This spat between Singapore and Indonesia could easily have been resolved quietly through diplomacy, goodwill and sensitivity to the historical and emotional positions of both sides. Clearly, no one at the lower level of the negotiating team was prepared to take a step back, and pride seems to be the issue here. This failure in quiet diplomacy reveals the weak relationship between the Government Leaders on both sides. Even more troubling for Singapore is that this reveals the loss of personal and trusted relations between the Singapore Prime Minister and the Indonesian President.
The relationship between Indonesia and Singapore had its many ups and downs, but a minor incident related to a historical event should never have deteriorated to this pathetic level. Even the tussle and hung agreements to return economic criminals to Indonesia, in exchange for access to training space for the Singapore Air Force, did not lead to such a crisis of suspension in visits and meetings. Will Singapore pay the price for someone’s stupidity in miscalculating the consequences?
What will be the cost for this deterioration in relationship despite the seeming aura of ASEAN spirit that exist during the annual get together?
Perhaps the reason given by this PAP Government to protest so vehemently to the naming of the two Indonesian naval vessels is merely a cover up for some bigger failing in diplomacy.
Can any Singaporean believe that the PAP will be sensitive to the bad memories of the families of the dead and the dozens who were injured?
Since when did this PAP Government ever considered the feelings of any Singaporean in their deliberation and implementation of policies in Singapore?
It is ironic that we now have a PAP Government representing Singaporean feelings to force the Indonesian Government to change their decision in the naming of their Navy frigate. If the PAP Government had thought of Singaporeans’ feelings, they would have withdrawn the Population White Paper that will bring more hardship on Singaporeans who are now already suffering due to the indiscriminate PAP policies in the importing of foreign workers into Singapore – whether talented or not – even before the numbers hit 6.9 Million.
VTO by 2016.
Emeritus Singaporean
TRS Contributor