'It's their view & business': M'sian PM Anwar on S'pore not negotiating for passage through Strait of Hormuz

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar has weighed in on the issue of negotiating with Iran over access to the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Free Malaysia Today, when asked about Singapore's position to not negotiate for access to the Straits, Anwar said: "It is their view and their business. Ours is to maintain good relations."

Anwar then said Malaysia has their own stance on the matter, saying they cannot discuss Iran's response without discussing "Israel’s attack on Iran that was backed by the U.S.".

This follows Anwar's daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar, and Deputy President of one of Malaysia’s governing parties, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), who critiqued Singapore’s position regarding the ongoing Strait of Hormuz Crisis.

Negotiate

Here's a summary of what Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said.

Vivian began his answer by saying Singapore’s position on the straits used for international navigation is “long standing and consistent”.

He compared the Strait of Hormuz to other similar navigational straits used for international navigation, such as the Melaka Strait and the Singapore Strait.

Vivian said that the position in international law is quite clear:

There is a right of transit passage for ships, “not a privilege to be granted by the bordering state”, nor a licence that could be applied for, nor a “toll to be paid”.

“It is a right of a nation's ships to traverse.”

You can read the entire thing here.

Joseph Liow, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, told Mothership that it was unlikely that Vivian was referring to Malaysia directly, as many countries had spoken to Iran regarding transit for their ships.

Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, the Minister of State from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), also explained why recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz are "a very worrying development not only from the geopolitical and economic perspectives, but also from an international legal perspective".

Image from Anwar/FB and Reuters