Should have the half bridge issue gone to the international court, the government is confident that it would have won the case, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar insisted today.

Yesterday, the cabinet decided to scrap the construction of the bridge - known officially as the scenic bridge - after months of haggling with Singapore.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby, Syed Hamid said the government was given sound legal advice on the matter from the onset.

"We have never been given any wrong sort of (legal) advice, we knew from the start that there can be (a bridge). We are also confident that if we had gone to the (international court) or if we faced legal action, we would have succeeded," he added.

He was responding to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's explanation that the government's U-turn on the bridge was due to legal implications and complications.

Yesterday, the premier reportedly said that problems would arise 'if the causeway, water pipes and railway tracks are cut and connected to the new bridge'.

Abdullah stressed that the government's decision to cancel the project was a political decision for the sake of the people and not due to pressure from Singapore.

'Bridge of understanding'

Commenting on this, Syed Hamid expressed hope that "things will cool down and the people will see the wisdom behind the government's decision".

"I hope there is no misunderstanding that we have been careless, or we have ignored (any advice) and suddenly we come out of the blue (with this decision).

"We have addressed all the (related) issues and we know we are going to succeed," stressed the minister.

He also reiterated the prime minister's stand that the Malaysian government was not pressured into backing off.

"We are looking towards doing things that can be done within the schedule, do not create controversies, create understanding.

"If we were to build a bridge, it must be a bridge of understanding. It was not a decision (to scrap the construction) that was made without careful thought," he said.