Quora Answer: How is Singapore Seen by Its Neighbours?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “How is Singapore seen by its neighbours?”

Singapore actually shares borders with only two countries: Malaysia and Indonesia, making them our only immediate neighbours.

Malaysia has a love hate relationship with us. The Malaysian political leadership loves to hate Singapore. Singapore, as a multicultural, multiethnic, multireligious secular meritocracy is an affront to the lie of Malay-based apartheid that is their bumiputera policy.  In Malaysia, the Malays, and certain other races such as the Ibans, Dayaks, Eurasians and Kadazan are considered native races.  A Chinese or Indian, despite having been there for generations, is considered “pendatang”, an immigrant, and discriminated against.

Singapore was forced to leave Malaysia because its differences with this, because of socioeconomic considerations and because Lee Kuan Yew and Tunku Abdul Rahman could not come to a compromise.  After half a century, that sort of baggage is still there.  Malay nationalist hardliners expected Singapore to fail without a hinterland and come crawling back to Malaysia, and accede to their terms.  That did not go according to plan.

To date, Malaysian politicians like to remind Singapore that we are the little brother in this relationship, and should defer to them on bilateral issues.  Singapore, as a sovereign state, being wealthier and having a larger military, has not behaved as such.  We conduct diplomacy according to the letter of international law, and that means not giving in on issues ranging from the water deal to the border dispute to Pedra Branca.  It would be an understatement to say that Malaysia’s leadership likely hates us.  On the other hand, they still need us.  Corrupt UMNO politicians own property in Singapore, and launder their gains through Singapore’s financial system.

Indonesia has a complicated relationship with Singapore, which is a subtler form of that Singapore-Malaysia dynamic.  In Indonesia’s case, Singapore should defer to Indonesia in regional politics.  In the 1960s, Indonesia attempted to annex Singapore and Malaysia to form Nusantara.  The Konfrontasi did not end well for them.

A remnant of that relationship is the fact that successive Indonesian regimes have expected Singapore to bankroll them.  And when they did not get what they want, threw a tantrum.  An example would be Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie’s remark about Singapore being a “little red dot.”.

Despite this, Singapore did have an excellent relationship with the Suharto regime, and most of their wealth was parked here.  This relationship became baggage when it came to dealing with successor regimes after Suharto was overthrown. Singapore also clandestinely supported Timor Leste’s independence, and has that sword over other restive parts of Indonesia.

Despite the talk of a united ASEAN, these countries have a relationship based more on need, mutual threats than true friendship.  When it comes to the ordinary citizens, none of this matters.