When the success of one nation casts shadows on the failures of another

Julia Yeow
The Malaysian Insider
31 March 2015

Not many were shocked at the news that Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew died on March 23, weeks after being in intensive care. But I believe most were taken aback by the overwhelming outpouring of grief that followed. The unending crowds who queued for hours to pay their last respects and the thousands of honest, poignant outpourings of grief and tributes gave those of us who were mere observers a glimpse into the mark Kuan Yew made, not just on Singapore, but on the world.

Almost every accolade given to Kuan Yew has acknowledged his role in driving a tiny nation from obscurity into one of the world’s most successful economies. Article after article, and in every obituary and compliment, the success of Kuan Yew and that of Singapore – the absolute object of his passion – have been laid out for all the world to behold and, for some of us, to envy.

As Singapore’s closest neighbours, both geographically and sociopolitically, it’s hard not to notice the stark contrast between our two nations, especially in the glowing light of Kuan Yew’s tributes. Our two countries share a unique relationship in that we were once one nation that was ultimately separated by the politics of different ambitions. We had a common goal once, and our founding fathers shared the same vision for a unified, successful Malaysia.

But today, it seems that all we have in common with Singapore is a part of our history. Since its unceremonious ejection from Malaysia 50 years ago, Singapore’s dizzying rise to become one of Asia’s, and the world’s, powerhouses is impressive indeed. Wikipedia tells me that this tiny nation has the most open economy in the world, is the 7th least corrupt and has one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world. For a country of some 5 million, its top two universities have repeatedly ranked as some of the best universities in the world. Not too shabby, for what was once a backwater colonial outpost surrounded by pirate-infested waters, with no natural resources to speak of.

While Malaysia has also made strong developmental gains, it doesn’t take an economist to conclude that our country is staggering behind most of her Asian peers. Sections of Malaysia’s economy are still heavily controlled by the state, we ranked 50 out of 175 countries in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index and our real GDP per person is almost one-fifth that of Singapore’s last year. Our local universities, once the pride of the region and alma mater of some of the best talents, are now so poorly ranked, it’s almost painfully embarrassing for all of us who used to be proud to be local graduates.

That Malaysia, with her bounty of natural and human resources, has failed miserably to keep up with Singapore is a sad reflection of the policies we’ve undertaken in the last 50 years. Where one has chosen unwavering pragmatism and a merit-based administrative policy to push its nation forward, the other is still proclaiming the supposed inherent superiority of one race over others.

Singapore is able now to move beyond focusing entirely on economic policy, to addressing problems such as social mobility and a rapidly ageing society to further better the quality of life of its citizens. Malaysia seems to be obsessed with proposing-debating-and-proposing-again the implementation of hudud, instead of fighting the deeply-rooted disease of corruption and inefficiency which leads to the billions of ringgit that slip out of our country’s coffers every year.

After what has been an emotional roller-coaster for most of its citizens, Singaporeans will pick up the pieces of their grieving hearts and they will move on. As they mourn, they will do so by celebrating the legacy left by an incorruptible leader who was far from infallible, but fought for what he believed to be the best for his country.

For us in Malaysia, Kuan Yew’s death has unfortunately left many of us in a similar state of “mourning” for what-could-have-been of our nation. But similar to our southern neighbours, we, too, must pick up the pieces of our disappointed hearts and fight on. Malaysia is rich in culture and resources, and we are a uniquely passionate people. If I am to humbly disagree with one thing that Kuan Yew believed in, it would be that Malaysia would never, and can never, rise from the ashes. I know many dear, fellow Malaysians who share his sentiments. But if there’s one thing about Lee Kuan Yew I hope to learn from, it is his inexhaustible determination to make a dream come true.

So let’s play our part – never stop sounding out the wrongs regardless of political divide, and do our bit, no matter how small, to make this country as it should be. Let’s persevere in the hope of a united, prosperous Malaysia that we can all stand tall and be proud of. – March 31, 2015.