Three Singaporean diplomats were accused of taking part in the Bersih rally in Kuala Lumpur. — File picSINGAPORE, July 9 — Relations between Malaysia and Singapore will not be affected by recent allegations that Singapore diplomats had actively participated in Malaysia’s Bersih 3.0 rally in April, said the republic’s Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam.

In his reply to a question from Potong Pasir member of parliament Sitoh Yih Pin, he reaffirmed that ties between Singapore and Malaysia were “very strong”.

The minister was replying to a question on whether officers from the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur had participated in the recent Bersih 3.0 rally.

The MP also questioned whether the officers had worn yellow shirts to show support to the rally participants, and also whether the incident would affect the republic’s bilateral relations with Malaysia.

Shanmugam said both countries had every intention of preserving the positive bilateral relationship that countries had worked hard to build.

“Our ties with Malaysia are very strong... both governments want to preserve the strong relationship and continue to work together bilaterally and regionally,” he said.

Shanmugam also assured the Singaporean Parliament that negative sentiments that first surfaced through the blogs, which he said enjoyed limited readership, were not shared by the Malaysian government.

The minister said he had spoken twice, via two telephone calls, to his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, to stress that Singapore diplomats had not participated in the rally.

He said Singapore diplomats in Kuala Lumpur were present at a wide range of social, economic and political activities in Malaysia, which was part of their professional diplomatic duties, like any other embassy or high commission.

He said their actions were in accordance with the Vienna Convention. — Bernama