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'Unlikely for S'pore and M'sia to merge'

It is unlikely that Singapore and Malaysia will merge in time to come, having gone through a failed merger in the 1960s, said former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on Thursday.

He was asked, during the Singapore Global Dialogue, by a Malaysian citizen if he foresees both countries coming to a political or economic union as Indonesia grows in strength.

Lee, however, noted a "positive development" between both countries, reported Channel NewsAsia.

With Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak bringing forth a "positive view of bilateral relations" by developing the Iskandar region in southern Johor and using Singapore as "a kind of Shenzhen", Lee said, "(This) means a complementary set of forces will be let loose, which will make it unprofitable for either side to be unfriendly."

He added, "You want our investments, we want to invest. Having invested, we don't want problems with Malaysia, and Malaysia which wants more investments will not give us problems. So that's a positive development."

During the 40-minute dialogue, Lee also said it is in Singapore's best interests to "maintain national solidarity" and ensure wealth is spread to the disadvantaged here.

Meritocracy, pragmatism and a clean government will keep Singapore going, he noted.

Responding to a question on the May General Election, which saw the ruling People's Action Party's vote share dip, Lee said it was "bound to happen" as the younger generation wanted to see competition.