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Kuala Lumpur — The Malaysian government on Friday declassified documents on negotiations with Singapore over the aborted "crooked" bridge, in a bid to counter criticism from ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The documents include correspondence between Dr Mahathir and former Singapore prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong over the RM620-million ($268 million) bridge. Malaysia decided in April to cancel the construction of the bridge. They also include extracts of a meeting between Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Mr Goh in March last year, the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. "This is only the second time in recent history that information protected by the Official Secrets Act 1972 has been declassified and approved for public consumption," said the statement. Malaysia cancelled the plans for the bridge after nearly a decade of negotiations, citing public opposition to Singaporean requests for the use of Malaysian airspace and for sand for reclamation projects. The government also said it would face legal difficulties building the bridge to join the countries without Singapore’s approval. But Dr Mahathir, who has long supported a new bridge, criticised Mr Abdullah for the decision and accused the government of compromising Malaysia’s sovereignty by broaching the sand and airspace issues. Dr Mahathir has dismissed attempts by the government to explain the decision and, on July 1, challenged Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar to declassify details of the administration’s dealings with Singapore. Declassifying the extracts had put "the record straight on a string of allegations raised by the former Prime Minister", the statement said. The extracts show that the use of Malaysian airspace and sale of sand were first raised under Dr Mahathir’s tenure, and that Singapore’s approval was needed if the bridge was to go ahead, it said. It also refuted accusations from Dr Mahathir over the bridge negotiations. Dr Mahathir had alleged that Singapore had given a binding commitment to build the bridge. The statement contains brief excerpts of correspondence Dr Mahathir had with Mr Lee and Mr Goh, and accounts of talks that appear to show the agreement was conditional on negotiations. The statement also refutes Dr Mahathir’s stinging accusation that Malaysia was a "half-past-six country with no guts" for calling off the bridge proposal. "Simply put, the government had to make the right decision, taking into account the interest of Malaysians," it said. — AFP