The timing is especially acute now as the 19,000 Umno grassroots branches have started their annual meetings...The issue resonates with the ground, especially in Johor, and local politicians are mindful of the need to demonstrate an affinity with the grassroots sentiments.

Yesterday's newspapers went big on the story, criticising Singapore Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Balaji Sadasivan who made a statement to Parliament on its right to claim the territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around Pedra Branca.

The local media quoted Maritime Institute of Malaysia director-general Cheah Kong Wai as saying this was a breach of international law, and undermined the Malaysia-Singapore technical committee set up to negotiate the impact of the judgment from the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

He was quoted in the New Straits Times (NST) as saying that the law did not allow the claim of the EEZ or continental shelf from 'rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life on their own'.

He categorised Pedra Branca as a rocky outcrop. The NST also said that Singapore's claim would 'overlap into Malaysian and Indonesian waters'.

This is a marked departure from the response in May when the ICJ awarded the island to Singapore and the Middle Rocks outcrop to Malaysia.

Then, the response was muted after the government instructed MPs and the media to take a tempered stance in line with Malaysia's commitment to accepting the judgment.

But the political dissatisfaction soon became louder as the ground reaction bubbled to the surface, brushing aside the government's attempt to paint the judgment as a win-win outcome.

Several MPs raised the issue in Parliament. One MP from Johor organised a visit to Pulau Pisang, a Malaysian island on which Singapore manages a lighthouse, to urge the government to take back administration of the structure for fear that the Republic may someday claim the island.

The official line remains measured, with Malaysia's Foreign Minister Rais Yatim saying on Wednesday that Malaysia would await a report from the joint technical committee.

But it appears that all political restraint has been cast aside.

Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein on Wednesday issued a statement calling on the Foreign Ministry to stand firm.

'The statement clearly shows that Singapore doesn't respect the call by the ICJ that efforts to develop this region should come through cooperation,' he said.

Johor assemblyman Halim Suleiman said Malaysia should not be trapped by the provocative strategy of Singapore.

The opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia youth chief Salahuddin Ayub said the statement showed disrespect for Malaysia.

'So please, Singapore, don't jump the gun,' he said.

Johor Umno youth chief Razali Ibrahim said Malaysia should not be soft on Singapore, adding that the statement did not reflect neighbourly sentiments.

'We want the government to be firm in all its dealings with regard to Batu Puteh,' he said.

Malaysia refers to Pedra Branca as Pulau Batu Puteh.

Observers are not surprised by these resurgent voices. Singapore has always been an emotional trigger point for Malaysians, in particular the Malay community in Johor.

The NST, in its editorial yesterday, noted that the reply in Parliament by Dr Balaji was a 'stock response' but it did not help that Singapore's unwavering position was reasserted in such an open and public manner.

'Be that as it may, the fact that what appears to be a routine regurgitation of standard policy can ruffle diplomatic feathers serves to show that it does not take much to make waves between two countries with a lot of contentious issues to settle,' it said.

Politicians can ignore the ground sentiment only for so long. The timing is especially acute now as the 19,000 Umno grassroots branches have started their annual meetings, a process that will culminate in the election of top party leaders in December.

Ms Rita Sim, a political analyst and the executive director of Chinese newspaper publisher Sin Chew, said it was possible that the issue had resurfaced with a vengeance because of the Umno internal meetings.

The issue resonates with the ground, especially in Johor, and local politicians are mindful of the need to demonstrate an affinity with the grassroots sentiments.

A political observer noted that it could also be used to stir up the ground, which is still unsettled over Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's plan to hand over power to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak only in 2010.

Some in Umno want an earlier deadline.

'For all his (Mr Abdullah's) efforts with Singapore, what did Malaysia get?' said an Umno insider.

But Ms Sim noted that it was likely that the parliamentary statement had sparked a realisation of the significance of the loss of Pedra Branca.

'Definitely, a lot more feedback has been coming in since the judgment in May, especially from the fishermen in the area,' she told The Straits Times.

The NST reported yesterday that 1,000 coastal fishermen in the area could lose their livelihood.

'Singaporean authorities would chase us out of Pedra Branca waters even before they won the rights over it,' fisherman Ismail Hashim, 43, was quoted as saying in the NST.

Others who were quoted in the local media on the issue included Johor Historical Association committee member Zaaba Abdul Samad. He described Dr Balaji's statement as 'wild'.

Several academics from local universities were reported in the Malay press as saying that Singapore was not right in making public its claim.

Professor Aziz Bari, a law professor from the International Islamic University, said it was akin to rubbing salt into the wound, while his colleague, Prof Ghafur Hamid, said Pedra Branca was a rock that did not generate an EEZ.

The Straits Times understands that there are efforts to cool the temperature, with academics having been asked by the authorities not to make further statements. Whether such advice will be heeded remains to be seen.

carolynh@sph.com.sg