S’pore won’t do anything to harm relations with neighbours: Shanmugam

SINGAPORE — The Republic does not comment on intelligence matters, and “the Indonesians and the Malaysians know we won’t do anything to harm relations,” Foreign Minister K Shanmugam said this morning (29 Nov).

Giving the Government’s first response to allegations made in an Australian newspaper earlier this week that Singapore had spied on its neighbours, Mr Shanmugam said he does not expect Singapore’s relations to be affected by the allegations. “What we do, what Malaysia does, what Indonesia does, is known to all of us,” he said.

He also made reference to Malaysian opposition leader Anwar’s criticism of PM Najib’s “soft” response to the allegations, brushing it off as “normal politics”.

“In domestic politics you have people of various persuasions and parties,” he said. “And sometimes, looking at someone outside and attacking that party can be politically profitable; or to pressure the Government into saying you are not taking serious enough steps — these are all normal politics.”

Speaking at The Straits Times’ Global Forum, Mr Shanmugam added that Singapore would not address allegations on intelligence, even if they are untrue.

“Even when the allegations are untrue, we never come out and deny it. Because you cannot be — on intelligence matters — coming out and saying this is true, this is untrue, or this is five per cent true, that is 95 per cent false.

“(For example saying) yes, we work with the Americans and the Australians and the Indonesians, Malaysians on this aspect of counterterrorism and therefore this line in your article is true because it says we do — this sort of thing never ends.

“The point is, the Indonesians and the Malaysians know we won’t do anything to harm relations. And our position is, when you talk about intelligence, we don’t come out and confirm or deny,” he said.