Relations between Singapore and Malaysia are set for greater uncertainty if the first three months of the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) government are anything to go by, regional watchers at a forum said yesterday.

“The first 100 days have set the stage perhaps for even more uncertainty in terms of what buttons the Mahathir-led government is going to press in its bilateral relationship with Singapore,” said Professor Joseph Liow, dean of Nanyang Technological University’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

Singapore’s Government already had its concerns, given the “less than pleasant” experiences with Dr Mahathir during his previous stint as prime minister from 1981 to 2003.

“It is understandable that there is some measure of concern, which is not helped by the way Dr Mahathir conducted relations with Singapore,” Prof Liow said at The Straits Times Global Briefing sponsored by OCBC Premier Banking.