A weak Malaysia is Singapore’s best neighbour

There should be little doubt that the views shared in Singapore ambassador-at-large Bilahari Kausikan’s opinion piece entitled “Singapore is not an island”, published in the Straits Times, represents the stance of the PAP, as very little gets aired or published in Singaporean media without the implicit approval of the government.

In his piece, Bilahari not only reduces the furore over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal to a battle of egos between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and former PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but also proceeds to simplistically conclude that Malaysia’s current political struggles stem from a battle between the races.

The article was clearly a nod for the current leadership, and at first glance, it is ironic that a country that prides itself on being unfalteringly straight-laced, clean and transparent would throw its support behind a leader so beleaguered by one of Malaysia’s largest financial scandals.

But it is here we are reminded that beneath the veneer of a confident, prosperous and self-made nation lies an extremely insecure government that will not hesitate to compromise on its moral compass if the situation calls for it, all in the name of rigid pragmatism.

Bilahari clearly alludes to the rosy relationship Singapore enjoys with Najib’s government by saying that it is to the island-state’s advantage that Najib remains in power.

But what he does not say in his 3,000-word long analysis is that it is also in Singapore’s best interest that their closest neighbour and single biggest contributing nation of migrant workers remains weak and under-developed.

Almost half a million Malaysians are working or living in Singapore today, according to the World Bank. From top corporate leaders and academicians to low-skilled workers, Singapore is largely built on the talent and hardwork of a migrant population, in which Malaysians have always made up a large part.

So the question all those reading Bilahari's article must ask is, what does Singapore stand to lose if their major source of highly-capable workforce gets its act together?

Should our current leader be replaced with one that can regain and rebuild the confidence of foreign investors, Malaysia has a strong chance of recovering from its pitiful economic woes of the past six months.

Should our legal institutions be strengthened and made clearly separate from the executive powers; should we have a government that will defend the secular nature of our Constitution; and should we finally have leaders who will place the good of the nation above their own, our country has a fighting chance of finally reaching our potential.

And when that day comes, Malaysians may not need to look across our Causeway for good governance, safe streets and a decent quality of life.

In his book “Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going”, Singapore’s founding father the late Lee Kuan Yew said that the only way the resource-starved nation could definitively continue to thrive economically was if it positioned itself as an exception in a region largely plagued by unstable and corrupt governments.

Singapore’s crowning glory must always be its competence and absolute intolerance for graft, said Lee.

With that in mind, having its closest neighbour potentially fight for that crown must surely be unsettling.

But if Singapore is able to look beyond their shortsighted and selfish pragmatism, they will see that working with a neighbour that stands for the very same things they so proudly expound – transparency, racially-blind policies and efficient governance – is actually to their benefit.

They may need to look further for their much-needed foreign talents, but the trade-off would be the shared benefits of a sub-region that is jointly prosperous and peaceful.

We have much to learn from Singapore's pragmatic policies which have built a country that has prospered with so little at their disposal, and that has succeeded in creating a culture of abhorance for corruption.

But if all this pragmatism comes at the cost of their soul and moral ground, then Malaysia must look to other role models.

In their callous approach to the growing anti-establishment sentiments sweeping this nation, Singapore has shown why, in contrast to the title of Bilahari’s article, they will always remain an island, with few friends or sympathisers. – October 11, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.