Compare Singapore to KL, not to Malaysia

By MT Webmaster Last updated Jun 29, 2015

And you call Singapore great because Singaporeans have more money than Malaysians? The Saudis have even more money than Singaporeans but let me assure you those Arabs are arrogant, rude and inconsiderate mother-fookers. I should know. I have been to Mekah ten times in my life.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

“Singaporean Malays do not have the same ‘special treatment’ as their Malaysian counterparts, so you could say that they are worse off than us,” said Zaid Ibrahim. “However, their leaders are clean and the transparent system of government there means it’s a lot more difficult to siphon off public money for private use.”

“Singapore also has a good and fair housing policy, for example, and I am sure Malays here would be better off if we had the same thing,” Zaid added. “The difference is this: Singaporean Malays reap the benefits of the modern advanced economy that is Singapore and are encouraged by political leaders to develop themselves.”

“I can’t wait for Malays here to be like Singaporean Malays.”

Well, that was what Zaid Ibrahim said in comparing Singapore, which has a population of 5.5 million, to Malaysia, which has a population of 30 million.

The thing to note, though, is that Singapore’s population of 5.5 million all live in the capital while for Malaysia only 1.7 million or 5% of the country’s population live in the capital. The other 95% live outside Kuala Lumpur, many in places that lack basic amenities and where diseases such as cholera is still very high due to unhygienic conditions — such as they still use rivers as the source of water supply, which doubles up as the drainage and sewerage system.

If we want to make a comparison to Singapore then we need to do so by comparing Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. But then the government could not just develop Kuala Lumpur like Singapore develops just Singapore. The government has to spread the development to places outside Kuala Lumpur so only part of the money goes to Kuala Lumpur while a bigger portion is distributed all over the country.

If the government had decided to develop just Kuala Lumpur, like Singapore develops just Singapore, then today, Kuala Lumpur, after almost 60 years, would probably be far better developed than Singapore.

The problem is the rich need to pay for the poor so money earned from taxing the city goes to those who do not pay much tax in the rural areas. If money taxed in Kuala Lumpur is spent just to develop Kuala Lumpur while money taxed in, say, Gua Musang, is spent to develop Gua Musang, then Kuala Lumpur can have roads paved with gold while Gua Musang would have to make do with mud tracks.

So we always say: where is Singapore today after more than 50 years compared to where is Malaysia today after that same period? That is like saying: where is London today after 1,000 years of the Norman Conquest compared to where is Campbeltown today after 1,000 years?

Have you been to Campbeltown? I have, three times so far. A lovely place if you like that feeling of being in the middle of nowhere.

Anyway, London’s population is 8.5 million against the UK population of 65 million. People in London are certainly wealthier (double in fact) compared to those of us in Manchester (that is why I chose Manchester and not London to live). And people in Kuala Lumpur are wealthier than those in Campbeltown. So, compared to the development in Campbeltown, I would say Malaysia is more successful.

This comparing of Singapore to Malaysia seems to be a favourite subject for those who want to prove that Singapore has succeeded whereas Malaysia has failed. And of course the comparison is based on brick and mortar and how much money you have in your pocket if you are Singaporean against if you are Malaysian.

The more sinister suggestion is that Singapore is successful because it has a Chinese government whereas Malaysia’s failure is due to its Malay government. Yes, many have said that. Many!

Hong Kong, with a population of 7.3 million (bigger than Singapore), is considered the wealthiest country in the world (they have the most number of Rolls-Royces per capita in Asia — and I was told even compared to the US). However, 20% of the people in Hong Kong live below the poverty level.

And Hong Kong has a Chinese government.

Hong Kong is now part of China, which also has a Chinese government. However, in China, 70% or almost 1 billion of its population live on less than USD5 a day and 30% or 400 million live on less than USD2 a day.

Yes, when we look at Shanghai and gauge China’s success by the progress in Shanghai we can say that the Chinese government has done very well — maybe even better than Singapore considering that Singapore took 100 years while Shanghai started late, only 20 plus years ago.

It is the same all over the world. The US may be great if you look at L.A. or San Francisco but try going to some of the backwater places in the US and I would rather live in Kuala Terengganu or Kota Bharu any time than in those places.

Anyway, when we talk about ‘developing ourselves’ like Zaid has done, we need to establish whether we just mean financial development or development in other areas as well such as spiritual, mental, attitude, moral, values, and so on.

I have come across Singaporeans who do not observe the speed limit when they drive in Malaysia (and quite a number of Singaporeans crash and die, too). They throw rubbish out of their car windows. They park their cars in parking bays meant for the handicapped. They never smile at waiters or waitresses and are rather rude to those who they consider lower in status (such as labourers, servants, etc.). They exploit foreign workers and pay them low wages and give them pathetic living quarters (sometimes squeezing dozens of people or even 20 or 30 people into one apartment). When workers get sick, instead of giving them medical treatment, they are sacked so that the employer can save money.

And the list can go on and on.

So, yes, Singapore has developed well. And it has developed well because the government need not worry about rural Singapore — because there is no rural Singapore — but just needs to focus on the capital. But the foreign workers are treated like slaves: so if you are not Singaporean you do not really enjoy that progress.

Most importantly, however, there has not been much progress in terms of people development. Singaporeans have lost their humanity. If you drive too slowly because you are not sure of the road, a Singaporean will wind down his window and shout, “Get out of Singapore, you bloody foreigner,” like what happened to me once (the chap probably saw my Terengganu number plate).

Raja Petra Kamarudin RPK