I WOULD really like to be a party to the assertions made by the Singapore High
                  Commissioner in his letter, "Sell-down did not originate from Singapore", (The
                  Star, Aug 16), in relation to trading on the Central Limit Order Book (CLOB).

                  If Mr (K) Kesavapany really meant it when he said Malaysia's well-being was of
                  vital interest to Singapore, then where was Singapore when Malaysia was
                  looking for friends in its hour of need?

                  Countries further afield, like Japan and China, have indeed proven to be genuine
                  partners.

                  Japan not only made available substantial amounts in soft loans but was also
                  prepared to guarantee a bond issue by the Malaysian Government.

                  China has not only maintained the value of its yuan but also continues to be
                  supportive of action taken by Malaysia to address the financial crisis.

                  It is so easy to hide behind the sophistry of data and so-called facts and
                  figures.

                  I am certain the relevant Malaysian authorities can also come up with other
                  statistics to prove the points made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir
                  Mohamad in his article in the Mainichi Shimbun.

                  As a layman, I would just like to go back to some basics.

                  I recall that at the height of the financial crisis in Malaysia, Singapore was
                  prepared to offer a few miserable billion ringgit in loans to Malaysia on the
                  conditionality that an increased supply of fresh water to Singapore was
                  guaranteed in perpetuity--in a water-tight agreement.

                  That this offer was also made at the height of the water crisis in Selangor and
                  Kuala Lumpur just reflects the total disregard Singapore has for the well-being
                  and interests of Malaysians.

                  As a Malaysian, I cannot forget this fact that Singapore saw fit to exploit
                  Malaysia at a very trying time in its national existence.

                  Quite plainly, Malaysia's well-being is of vital interest to Singapore only when it
                  serves the vital interests of Singapore.

                  Malaysia has always been a good friend of Singapore.

                Calvin Ong
                Kuala Lumpur