Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is disputing Johor Chief Minister Osman Sapian's claims.

This was after Osman claimed he received an unofficial blessing from the foreign affairs ministry to visit the Malaysian vessel MV Pedoman anchored in Singapore waters on Jan. 9.

Osman's visit not approved by Malaysia's MFA

In a statement released on Friday, Jan. 18, Malaysia's MFA, also known as Wisma Putra, said:

"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 9 January 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.

Counterproductive

Wisma Putra said that they were "concerned that such a visit would be counter-productive after the positive and constructive outcome of the bilateral meetings" between Malaysia's Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah and Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Singapore and Malaysia had come to an agreement a day before on Jan. 8 to set up a working group relating to the maritime dispute so as to discuss and negotiate further.

In addition, Wisma Putra said that when they contacted Osman, he was "already onboard a vessel and heading towards the Johor Bahru port".

The statement ended by saying:

"Regardless of these recent developments, the Ministry wishes to concentrate its efforts on the working group and looks forward to hosting the first meeting at the end of this month, a testament of its commitment to strengthen bilateral relations with Singapore based on equality and mutual respect."

Osman defended his visit earlier

Osman had earlier defended his visit to the Malaysian government vessel MV Pedoman, saying that it is his right as the chairman of the Johor state's security council to do so, reported Malay Mail.

He also said that Foreign Affairs Minister Saifuddin Abdullah and his deputy "did not stop [him] at all from visiting the area".

The 67-year-old Osman said:

"In fact, I received a few messages and a video via WhatsApp from several Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) division leaders and ketua kampungs (village chiefs) that gave their support to me.

Maybe in the next few days, there will be more people that will give their support to me on the issue."

Osman's latest comments come after attending an event at the Double Tree by Hilton at Johor Bahru.

Osman also said he remained unperturbed by the criticisms from Singaporean leaders and some Malaysians on the issue, calling his critics "sour grapes" instead.

A Jan. 12 post on Osman's Facebook page said Singapore was simply using the visit as an excuse to postpone the meeting.

It was accompanied by a video that showed him talking to staff aboard the Pedoman.

Osman's visit is "unauthorised" and "provocative"

Vivian Balakrishnan said in Parliament that Osman's visit to Pedoman "went against the spirit of the agreement" between Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah and himself just a day before on Jan. 8.

He said:

"It undermined the goodwill and trust necessary for further cooperation between the two countries, especially cooperation involving Johor.

It made it untenable to proceed with the JMC meeting."

Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in Parliament on Tuesday, Jan. 15, that Singapore's security agencies have been ordered to exercise restraint so as not to "jeopardise the conditions necessary for constructive discussions and peaceful resolution of the dispute".

What happened

In October last year, Malaysia unilaterally extended its port limits beyond its territorial waters, into Singapore's territorial waters off Tuas.

Malaysian government vessels subsequently made multiple intrusions into the area.

Singapore protested the intrusions, and in response, extended its port limits beyond the area that Malaysia claims as its new port limit boundaries.

Singapore has another ongoing dispute with Malaysia regarding airspace management over southern Johor.

Top image adapted via Osman Sapian/FB & Saifuddin Abdullah/FB