KUALA LUMPUR ― Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs — also known as Wisma Putra — said on Friday (Jan 18) that it did not back Johor Chief Minister Osman Sapian’s visit to the Johor Baru port that sparked a diplomatic incident with Singapore.

The ministry denied Mr Osman’s claim of getting “unofficial blessing” from Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, as well as the deputy foreign minister, before visiting the disputed area — which Wisma Putra described as Malaysian waters — on Jan 9.

“The ministry wishes to set the record straight and state that upon learning of the planned visit from a Malaysian enforcement agency on the morning of January 9 itself, ministry officials, under the advice of the foreign minister, immediately and repeatedly contacted the chief minister’s office and conveyed a message not to proceed with the visit,” Wisma Putra said in a statement.

“The ministry was concerned that such a visit would be counter-productive after the positive and constructive outcome of the bilateral meetings between (Malaysia's) foreign minister and the Foreign Minister of Singapore just the day before. On January 8, both ministers agreed to establish a working group that will study and discuss the legal and operational matters in order to de-escalate the situation on the ground, and to provide a basis for further discussions and negotiations.

“When contacted, the chief minister at the time was already onboard a vessel and heading towards the Johor Baru port.”

On Monday, Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in Parliament that Mr Osman’s publicised visit to the vessel, which was illegally anchored in Singapore’s waters, was an intrusion that “undermined the goodwill and trust necessary for further co-operation between the two countries”, especially in terms of working with Johor.

Dr Balakrishnan added that the Mr Osman’s actions “went against the spirit of the agreement” between him and his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah the day before (Jan 8), when both leaders said they would resolve bilateral issues in a calm and constructive manner.

Echoing Dr Balakrishnan’s comments in Parliament, Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Tuesday that Mr Osman’s visit was “provocative and escalatory”, and raised tensions and real risks on the ground.

Dr Ng said that Singapore’s security agencies had detected early the movement of the chief minister’s entourage and had to respond promptly, but added that security personnel have been ordered to use restraint so far, so as not to escalate tensions and jeopardise the peaceful resolution of the dispute.

In response, Singapore postponed the 14th Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia originally scheduled for last Monday, after accusing Mr Osman of intruding into Singaporean waters. AGENCIES