Singapore has not received any official proposal or communications from Malaysia related to the construction of a crooked bridge or any other new link between Singapore and Malaysia, said the republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) today.

The ministry’s spokesperson said this in response to media queries on comments made by Johor Menteri Besar Osman Sapian on Oct 16 about his upcoming discussions in Singapore.

It was reported that the Malaysian government has plans to revive the ‘crooked bridge’ project, an idea mooted by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad prior to his retirement in 2003.

Osman was reported as saying that the prime minister had agreed to the idea if the Johor government was keen on reviving the project.

The project was scrapped in 2006 when Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became prime minister.

The menteri besar also said he would be visiting Singapore with Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali soon to discuss issues related to water, bilateral relations, as well as investment.

In the same statement, the Singapore MFA’s spokesperson said the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) for Iskandar Malaysia which would meet later this year, did not have the mandate to discuss issues related to the 1962 Water Agreement.

-- Bernama