Singapore – frenemy of the State

COMMENT | Many of us Malaysians derive a sort of guilty pleasure in hating Singapore. We may be from Johor, Kedah, Sabah or the cosmopolitan enclave of KL, but we are quickly united in our vexation at the sometimes preposterous claims of our smug neighbours. Particularly when the subject of food crops up.

And that just about sums it up. We are not bitter enemies with a history of hostility dating back many centuries. We are actually half-siblings, occasionally close, but usually unable to look beyond the rivalry that exists between us. Basically, Singapore is a pesky, precocious kid brother who annoys us, but whom we don’t really want any serious harm to come to.

Just watch their news and you’ll notice that we weigh far more heavily in their consciousness than they do in ours. I swear you can barely go a half-hour before encountering a news item with the hidden subtext: See, we made the correct choice in breaking away from this chaotic nation above us.

A few headlines this week about Malaysia on the Straits Times page bear this out: ‘Singapore will not allow any foreign government to assert authority in its waters, says Vivian Balakrishnan’, ‘Haze, burning smell in Singapore expected if Johor fires continue; second hot spot detected: NEA’ and ‘Malaysia's flying car plan jets into controversy’. Believe me, there’s plenty more where that came from.

There’s little doubt the nanny state has been employing the strategy of using us an example (and even a common enemy) for its people to unite again. And there have been some serious disputes. The agreement over raw water supply, high-speed rail and naval borders all come to mind. But if you want real emotion, there’s nothing like claims and counterclaims over something truly vital like hawker food.

Last August when Singapore nominated its hawker culture to the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, we were outraged because we are pretty damn sure our food is tastier and far more varied. The scenario just repeated itself recently with some claims and counter-claims to yee sang. Now I don’t normally give a toss about yee sang (yes, I went there), but the temptation to wade in was just too strong.

But let’s be honest with ourselves, our Singaporean brethren have always been savvier when it comes to self-promotion. What should we do about it - remain infuriated as Chef Wan was, or learn to beat them at their own game...