Over the last few days, the mainstream press of Malaysia and Singapore have been filled with pugnacious prose, each underpinning its respective government's stand on the current negotiation about the supply of water from Malaysia.

As an objective observer who also hopes that one day Singapore will be reunified with the rest of Malaysia, I say, tritely perhaps, give peace a chance.

Negotiation is a process of narrowing differences; not a discovery session to try out legalistic approaches, new or old and reiterating entrenched stances. In other words, compromises are to be expected; nay, a pre-requisite.

The press fails when it eggs on its government leaders to dig in deeper in their trenches; frying yesterday's fried rice.

Surely, the spirit of good neighbourliness and the whole concept of negotiation demand that both sides inch towards narrowing differences, not widening the chasm.

Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, whom I admired greatly from my youth, has already unilaterally offered (perhaps, in the mistaken belief that it was part of a larger package) a price of 45 sen per 1,000 gallon. Malaysian leaders have bandied about other figures  again, no go.

Are the contents so offensive that it is rejected or is the message such an anathema to the hysteria of the mainstream press?