LETTER | Comparing M'sia with S'pore a red herring

LETTER | For decades, Malaysian politicians do not want to compare with Singapore; in fact, they do not even want to acknowledge the country just across the Johor causeway exists. We are known for our “bodoh sombong”. 

All of a sudden, perhaps out of desperation, Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said that Singapore is more developed than Malaysia because it has never been ruled by Umno and its Barisan Nasional (BN) allies. What a bombshell indeed.

I do not want to credit the deputy menteri besar for his “startling” observation. Singapore being more developed and well-managed than Malaysia is known to everyone.

It is a fact that Malaysia has been in the rut now for decades despite our abundant resources and the enterprising nature of our people. Everybody knows we have squandered big time and misused our resources for unproductive use. 

Soon, more malaises will show – from unsustainable national finance, infrastructure meltdown, poor education standard to an uncompetitive economy.

Here is the irony, while the deputy menteri besar’s comparison with Singapore is true, I am not sure it was aimed at making Malaysia better.

Umno/BN’s misgovernance of the country is a well-known fact. If PAS had genuine concern for the country, the party would not have colluded with the rest to overthrow Pakatan Harapan that was trying to provide the new impetus for the country.

By the way, if Umno/BN had done poorly, perhaps PAS should also look at themselves at the states they had governed for decades. Are they any better?  Is Kelantan even better than Southern Thailand? 

Politicians from various coalitions and parties can say whatever they want in the Johor state election.  For me, I have my fears – that we are already a nation caught in entropy.  We are reaching new lows in depravity, institutional decadence, and poor governance every day. 

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.