The Extradition Treaty and Defence Cooperation Agreement signed between Indonesia and Singapore last month has come under pressure again. Certain people in Singapore are saying that these pacts are unfair as they are signed due to the pressure of the sand ban and the sale of granite between the two countries.
So much so that ministers in Singapore have to come out and say that the issues were not linked. Of course the issues are linked. So what? Singapore sign an extradition treaty with Indonesia to send Indonesian criminals back to Indonesia. As I've asked earlier in this blog, "What is wrong with that?"
Sending criminals out of Singapore is a good thing. When has it been otherwise? The Extradition Treaty will strengthen our cooperation with Indonesia in tackling crime, terrorism etc, again what's wrong with that? Indonesia might also be more willing to settle differences in other bilateral issues due to this agreement.
I'm not in a habit of saying good things about the Singapore government, but the ET is a good deal. We get the sand ban lifted in exchange for...sending Indonesian criminals back to Indonesia. Does this sound like a bad deal to anyone? Crazy!
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