Quora Answer: Why Do Malaysians Consider Singapore Their Rival More Than Indonesia?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Why do Malaysians think of Singapore as their rival, and not Indonesia?” 

Malaysia and Singapore have a shared history, both under British rule, and were once one nation.  Indonesia was the Dutch East Indies, and have their own historical experience, distinct from British Malaya.  The rivalry between Singapore and Malaysia is due to the Separation, and is strictly political in nature.  This means it does not trickle down to the local populace, except in minor areas of contention, such as the ownership of cuisine and the origin of culinary favourites.  This, latter, series of contentions, has no real impact in the wider world.  If I like a dish, I do not really care where it came from.  I care about the price, convenience and taste. 

At a governmental level, Singapore and Malaysia chose very different paths.  Malaysia is a federal state with a rotating constitutional monarchy, predicated on the rights of certain groups superseding the rights of others, the so-called bumiputera policy.  Singapore is a socialist democratic parliamentary democracy that chose to be a meritocracy.  The rights of the Malays is a footnote in the Constitution, and specific to the areas of religion, Malay as the national language, and minor areas of preference in the community.  Due to the racialised nature of political parties in Malaysia, and the rise of Malay-supremacy as supported by UMNO, PAS and other groups, Singapore is a convenient bogeyman when addressing a domestic audience.  This does not make it a true rivalry since Singapore ignores or responds in a measured manner to this.  Singapore, being a trade and business hub, is focused on the macropolitical landscape.  The continued rule of the PAP since independence grants them the security of not needing to pander to a domestic audience to make difficult economic decisions. 

Malaysia has a much more diverse and contentious political landscape, which legislators having a history of hopping between parties.  This encourages a more incendiary form of hustings.  Malay supremacists within UMNO, and Islamofascists such as PAS regularly demonise the Chinese electorate and non-Muslims within their own country.  Singapore is a Chinese-majority state in a Malay sea.  It is a convenient bogeyman.  As a former Malaysian state that has achieved developed state by eschewing the apartheid policies of Malaysia, Singapore is a proof that the bumiputera policy does not work.