He said it would have been fine if Mr Lee chose this time to tell the world about Singapore's cooperation and good relations with countries in the region.

"But he actually chose this timing to spread friction with the intention of twisting the truth and hurting relations between Malaysia and Singapore. That's regrettable," Dr Ling said on Tuesday.

On the supply of water to Singapore, Dr Ling said: "I must categorically state that all Malaysians, being humanitarian as we are, agree that we supply enough life-giving water to Singapore forever.

"But to demand excessive water, which is then commercially sold to make excessive profit, is a completely different matter.

"To impute that we negotiated a new agreement on water supply, to replace the old one for a more equitable rate, as bullying is definitely a big blow."