It has been 15 years since I last step foot in Singapore. The closest I’ve gotten to Singapore for the past decade was when I was in transit to Shanghai 4 years ago. I guess the crazy exchange rate got the most of me, refraining me from visiting the country. Nonetheless, due to an unexpected course of event, I was in Singapore last week, for 3 days.
It was fun. Touring the city of Singapore, spending half a day at the Universal Studio Singapore, eating some really good chicken rice and meeting some really great ppl was most fun. Although I was there for only a mere 3 days, at the back of my head, I cannot help but constantly made a comparison between Singapore and Malaysia. It is a lot similar to Malaysia but still, there is a huge difference between these 2 neighboring countries.
Singapore had been a part of Malaysia before it took its own course and became a country of their own. But it is simply amazing to see the things Singapore have achieved today versus where Malaysia stands today. I mean, they have surpassed us in the status of being a developed country for many years. Even till today, they are still developing in terms of the infrastructure and the economics for the country. Why do I have the impression that Malaysia is stagnant in terms of development?
I’ve come up with a table of comparison of the lots I have observed when I was in Singapore.
| Singapore | Malaysia |
|---|---|
| My first thought as soon as I got out of the Changi Airport was, 'Wow, Singapore sure is clean'. And by clean, I mean really really clean. It is hard to find a piece of litter on the streets of Singapore. That, to me is amazing. Even places near the construction area seems to be clean! | I wouldn't say that Malaysia is super dirty. China is super dirty. But I still see Malaysian citizens throwing rubbish out the car window, treating the streets of Malaysia as a garbage dump. It has become a convenient habit for some Malaysians to litter. Guess it's easier than finding a dumpster and throwing 'em rubbish. |
| The MRT has been really convenient. I've always have a thing for subways. It is like the best mean of transportation one can use to avoid traffic jams on the road. Of coz there can be human jams at the subway, but still. Better than driving. The lines are expanding and it has reached out to a lot of new places, making it almost like HK! | Public transportation in Malaysia as a whole, is horrible. Take Penang for instance; if you don't have your own transportation, say goodbye to your days of going out. Yes, we do have the LRT in KL. That makes it slightly better, but the stations are not within walking distance for a lot of ppl. A car is still an essential item. To add to that, the trains aren't that big either. Do I see new lines coming up to attempt to reach new areas? I don't think so. |
| Living cost in Singapore is high, especially when it comes to buying or renting houses, or buying cars and fuel. But when it comes to food, or shopping for clothes, shoes or other items, it is cheap. Cheap I say!! Take a Birkenstock sandals for instance. Without discount, it is selling for only SGD99. Blackberry and iPhone are seen to be carried by everyone. Why? Cheap. Phones are sold only in the hundreds and the telco companies give really cheap call/data package. Making a relative comparison to their salary, things are actually cheap! So is the living cost in Singapore really high as compared to the salary they earn? | Living cost in Malaysia is relatively lower as compared to Singapore. Problem is, things here aren't all that cheap. Our houses and cars to begin with, are not cheap. Food price have gone up quite a lot in the recent years. And Malaysia is not the best place to shop, to be honest. Let's go back to the Birkenstock comparison. Here in Malaysia, that same model that is selling for SGD99 is selling for RM198. Don't convert. The salary is a RM1 to a SGD1 rate. Hence, with the salary I'm earning in Malaysia, to buy a RM198 sandals is expensive! Take our blackberry and iPhone prices. They are in the thousands. So in my opinion, things in Malaysia are actually expensive. |
| Yes, Singaporeans can get a US visa waiver. Wouldn't this tell us something? | No, Malaysians can never get a US visa waiver. We have to go through that tedious interview to get that visa. |
If I were to stay longer in Singapore, I may have come up with more comparison. The thing is, I am not saying that Malaysia is a bad place to stay. Like I’ve mentioned before in some of my previous posts, as much as I hate some of the political decisions that were made in our country, I love being a Malaysian. It is just sad to see how other countries could achieve so much more and is still planning to make the country better, but Malaysia is just, stuck. Maybe it is the rulers of the country that shapes where the country should be today. Or maybe it is the citizens themselves that should play a role. Or maybe it is just both parties.
Oh well. Malaysia will be Malaysia. I wonder if we’ll ever improve and be developed. *shrug*. We’ll see.
Agree. To the last full stop. We are so stuck.
yea iffil. u think we’ll ever get unstuck? it is to some extend kinda disappointing to see where Malaysia is at today.
Tis true & i totally agree with your comparisons but …. I still prefer living in M’sia (wonder what that says about me).
that says nothing. just that you’re somewhat patriotic. hahaha. i mean, me too. i still prefer to be living in Malaysia.