MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE RELATIONS CAN BLOSSOM - NAJIB

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, May 23 (Bernama) -- Malaysia-Singapore bilateral relations can
blossom beautifully if cultivated and nurtured like growing an orchid plant,
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said here.

He said the relationship between both countries could be like the beauty of
the hybrid orchid plant that was named after him and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah
Mansor, the "Dendrobium Najib Rosmah", in conjunction with their visit to the
National Orchid Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens here on Thursday.

Najib made that analogy of the relations between the neighbouring countries
when speaking on the occasion of the official banquet at the Istana Thursday
night hosted by his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong in conjunction with
his two-day official visit to the city-state.

Najib said he thought that the beauty of the orchid was more than that, that
"its beauty symbolises a relationship (in that) if it is cultivated and if it is
nurtured, it can blossom into something beautiful like the orchid".

Describing himself "as a new kid around the block", the prime minister said
both countries should start their relationship on a positive note as their
relationship was an important one.

"A relationship that should not be subjected to a kind of a roller coaster
ride," Najib said, adding that both countries had gone through that phase "and I
don't think we want to travel down that path again".

The prime minister said Malaysia and Singapore wanted to look forward, to
look ahead and wanted to see what both countries could do if they put their
minds together.

Najib said both Lee and he who were relatively still young were from the new
generation and not part of the previous generation as they should not be
encumbered with the baggage of history.

"We should be bold enough, imaginative enough and courageous to represent a
new generation of Malaysians and Singaporeans who want this relationship to be a
strong, productive and enduring one," Najib said.

He said that for things to happen between the two countries, there must be a
sense of confidence, trust and comfort between their top leaders.

Najib said Lee's idea of both of them meeting on a regular basis, their
ministers visiting each other but not necessarily in an official capacity --
"such as over a game of golf, we sit down over a plate of nasi kandar and end up
with durian" -- could help towards that direction.

He said these were examples of the growing of more of a relax attitude that
both sides had between them and that was a good beginning for a new era in terms
of Malaysia-Singapore bilateral relations.

"I hope we can build on that just like the orchid plant, that it should be a
symbol of the growing trust and confidence between our two countries," Najib
added.
-- BERNAMA