Quora Answer: Would Singapore be Backwards if It were Still Part of Malaysia?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Would Singapore be more backwards if it is part of Malaysia, rather than an independent country?”

The Malaysia government’s interpretation of Article 53 of the Constitution is an apartheid system they call “Ketuanan Melayu”, where one race, the Malays, are given preferential system based solely on ethnic considerations predicated on a limited, specific interpretation of Islam.  So, not only is the Malaysian system racist, but also discriminatory against non-Muslims.  That is a double whammy of backwardness.  Whilst this is not explicitly stated in the Constitution, it is a concept that evolved from an understanding of “Tanah Melayu” and interpretation of Article 160 of the Constitution, defining what a Malay is.

Like any system that has a foundation on some form of discrimination, it creates a patronage system, encouraging corruption.  Malaysia is corrupt, and because it is corrupt, its government is inefficient.  That is the primary reason why, after half a century, Singapore outstrips Malaysia in quality of life, in GDP, in education and by any measure of the HDI.  This is why Singapore is considered a developed nation, and Malaysia is still a pseudo-feudal state.

We must also consider that because of the primacy of the Malays, enshrined in the Constitution, they have created a majority race that is lazy, entitled and conservative.  Race-based parties ruled Malaysia from the beginning, meaning that there has never truly been national unity.  Singapore has benefited from this because the best and brightest Malaysians, who are not Malays, have come here and contributed to our growth.  Based solely on meritocracy, they have been the architects of our economy, political leaders, and even founded or contributed to the growth of our national icons such as Singapore Airlines.

As a Muslim myself, I view with extreme distaste the Malaysian version of politicised Islam.  It is a deviant affront to the values of the religion, a hypocritical call for Islamic values while promoting racism and oppression of minorities.  Until Malaysia implements meritocracy and secularism, it will always lag behind Singapore, and might eventually fracture into two or more nations due to religious and economic disparity, and endemic racial tension.