LET us say the tussle for the ownership of Pedra Branca was like that of a marathon. How then would one describe the end of the race?
At first flush, it was a straightforward victory for Singapore, especially after the country was awarded the main trophy: Pedra Branca, the biggest of four pieces of disputed land in the Straits of Singapore.
As the verdict sinks in and as one notes the reactions from both sides of the Causeway, it can be seen as a photo-finish victory. A split decision, as Ambassador Tommy Koh described it in an interview with the Singapore media two days before Friday’s verdict by the International Court of Justice at The Hague. It was one of the four possible outcomes Mr Koh was preparing Singaporeans for.
Photo-finish endings in athletics are always subject to intense scrutiny because the victory is not neat, clear and absolute, especially to the naked eye. What does a similar ending for a dispute that goes back 28 years — and was fraught with diplomatic, political and sovereignty issues which threatened at one time to doom relations between two neighbours — mean?
If common sense and friendly neighbourly relations prevail, as official reactions from both sides indicate they will be, well and good. The Malaysian media, especially the hardline Malay language media, took a subdued approach to reporting the findings.
Saturday’s Page 1 of the New Straits Times (picture) had this even-handed headline: Singapore Gets: Pulau Batu Puteh. Malaysia Gets: Middle Rocks. Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian had somewhat similar headlines. Both said: Singapore gets Batu Puteh.
NST’s Page 1 also had a large map showing readers the distance from Pulau Batu Puteh (that’s what Malaysians call Pedra Branca) to Singapore, Johor and Bintan. Singapore is the furthest away (65km); Indonesia the nearest (9.9km) and Malaysia in between (10km).
Distance is not the issue, Singapore has insisted and the Court concurred on Friday. Singapore has all along argued that the issues revolve around strategic, economic and sovereignty interests. The Court didn’t really need these arguments to be convinced. It based its decision on Pedra Branca on a key legal plank: That an official letter from Johor in 1953 handed over the island to Singapore.
With Middle Rocks given to the Malaysians and South Ledge left in noman’s land, the Court has left what former Ambassador to Kuala Lumpur K Kesavapany astutely called “sensitive management” of issues such as the navigation of commercial and naval vessels, to the sensibility of both countries.
That sensibility will be put to a test as officials from both countries sit down for their post-verdict sessions. Although official goodwill on both sides exists to make the verdict work, photo finishes like this one will surely put the bilateral commitment and goodwill expressed so far under some pressure.
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