Malaysia vs Singapore

I am pondering this as I sit here in the airport lounge en route to Singapore.

When I was studying in the University in the early 1980s all the Malaysian students I knew wanted to be in Singapore to live and work here. The smaller cities and towns then were backward. Even KL, they said, was too laid back, withno shops, restaurants or decent infrastructure. Anyone wanting to go shopping then would come to Singapore. Singapore was clearly seen as a more desirable place than Malaysia back then.

But now they have all the shops and brands Singapore has and many more. More shopping centers, most of which are bigger than ours and more diverse; a much greater variety of food outlets; good infrastructure; nice hotels; good foreign universities; good private housing; medical centers and a good road network. The buildings and towers in KL are impressive. Things in Malaysia are not just as good as in Singapore but cheaper. Further the service standards are as good as and in many cases even better than Singapore.

And because it’s a huge country, there are so many different options when one is bored with the city life. You can drive up to the highlands like Genting or Cameron to enjoy cooler weather, go jungle trekking or even take a trip to the East Coast to soak in a very different atmosphere.

So what will eventually hold them back?

Some are wary about the underlying racial and religious tensions in Malaysia and the uncertain political situation. People worry about what will happen after Anwar. That is an important consideration. If the PAS or any Muslim party were to form a government in Malaysia, the situation may  change and things may not be how things they are now.

But I do wonder if any new government can afford to shut off the revenue they collect from the present economic activities including tourism, which apart from providing tax revenues is also providing jobs for the people, and go back to the 1970s and 1980s? Would people support this? Where would the people, including Malays, find employment if the shops and restaurants started shutting down and the foreign companies move out?

Even conservative Middle East Muslim countries like Saudi and Qatar which were once a lot stricter in applying Islamic rules in their countries are now embracing greater openness and becoming welcoming of foreigners by hosting world class events. Tourism is encouraged. I was surprised to see alcohol consumed quite openly in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup. The foreigners didn’t need to follow Islamic dress codes and women were not wearing any head scarves. Saudi now has a large investment from China and other parts of the world. Many Chinese are living there undertaking business activities and as a result many Chinese restaurants have opened up.

These countries are realizing that growing the economic pie by promoting foreign investment and finding employment for their people is as important as applying religious codes strictly within their countries.

Can Malaysia conservatives think differently?