Singapore’s success should be a wake up call to Malaysia

By Daniel John Jambun
KOTA KINABALU : The latest report which says that Singapore is the wealthiest nation in the world by GDP per capita, beating out Norway, the U.S., Hong Kong and Switzerland, has further embarrassed our own country, Malaysia, which is Singapore’s closest neighbour and economic rival.

This report is especially painful for Malaysia because we know Singapore started off as an island of fishing villages with no natural resources.
It survived and prospered as an entrepot (a trading post where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties), and imported raw materials for its needs, industries and exported processed products to the world. It is still buying nearly everything from other countries, mainly Malaysia, including sand, water, oil, vegetable, fruits, to name just a few.

As of 8 August 2010, Singapore is the fastest growing economy in the world, with a growth rate of 17.9% for the first half of 2010. Malaysia on the other hand is struggling to achieve the official target of 4% to 5% growth for this year.

A Reuters quarterly poll in July estimated Malaysia’s GDP growth this year at 4.2 per cent. On the other hand, the Wall Street Journal report is replete with superlatives about Singapore economic performance, among which are as follows:

“Singapore’s GDP per capita – at US$56,532 in 2010, measured by purchasing power parity – is the highest in the world, topping Norway (US$51, 226), the US (US$45, 511) and Hong Kong (US$45, 301). The report also predicts that Singapore will hold its place as the world’s most affluent country in 2050…. Singapore will see a 67% increase in centimillionaires over the next four years – [centimillionaires are those] with over US$100 million in disposable wealth….

Singapore has the highest percentage of millionaire households in the world, a title the city-state has held on to for two years running….”

Some of the factors contributing to Singapore’s forecast performance are its ‘human capital’ – a skilled and educated labour force (which is likely to lead to better long-term prospects for a country’s economic growth), the dynamic business environment (with legislation to match), openness to trade, capital mobility and foreign direct investment..

Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea are employing the same Singaporean strategies on Human Capital where the brightest and the brilliant are attracted from all over the world, universities rankings are among the top World 20. Surely something must be really right, as these countries do not have Natural Resources.

In our beloved Malaysia, everything is the opposite, our government legalised 1.6 million foreign unskilled labourers who are non-taxpayer ‘Bumiputras’ consuming all the benefits funded by us taxpayers; our universities rankings have slided from the World Top 100 to unbelievably low levels so much that we have difficulty in competing internationally.

Our brightest and brilliant are forced to mass migrate to Singapore, Taiwan and overseas.

This is very ironic because we have immense natural resources which were extracted for half a century but our country seems to be always in debt and short of funds. The vast revenues obtained from tin, rubber, timber and petroleum had not done much to secure our economic standing.

It is unbelievable that even Petronas, the supposedly superrich Malaysian corporation, is in danger of going bust. Surely something must be really wrong.

A site, tranungkite.net writes that Petronas “has squandered its tremendous reserves for a number of projects it had no business to be involved in. It owns Putrajaya, the administrative capital that is a drain on the public purse.

It owns Proton, the F-1 motor racing circuit in Sepang, and a slew of companies and products that is far removed from its main product: petroleum. The US$1 billion sponsorship costs for the F-1 championship in Sepang and the Sauber Petronas F-1 racing team appears to matter more than the future of its 70 IT specialists.

It owns the Petronas twin towers, forced on it by the government so the Kuala Lumput City Centre (KLCC) would show the world how developed a country Malaysia is.

Its considerable funds are used to cover government shortfalls and other financial needs. I suspect the Petronas management sees red ink dominating its balance sheets after its unrestrained financial profligacy.”

The latest glowing report on Singapore should serve as a warning May Day signal to Malaysia to revamp its system so that its public service is more transparent, honest, bribe-free, absolutely professional, and pro-growth in its approaches when dealing with investors and technocrats.

In Singapore, the civil servants have very strict instructions to use all available government means to facilitate the license and permit applications by business people, and to assist them in all technical matters that arise.

The civil servants are totally forbidden from accepting any gift of any kind, nor to accept dinner invitations from businessmen. Singapore has the high international reputation of being bribe-free and has a highly conducive business environment.

On the contrary, bribes in the form of money and dinner invitation are expected by Malaysian civil servants, and there is a strong culture of ‘undertable’, and even ‘over the table’, dealings to lubricate business with the government.

No wonder Sabah, with all its wealth of natural resources, had become Malaysia’s poorest state. As if it is not enough that the state civil service is so corrupted, it also has to share its wealth with the BN-held states in the Peninsula.

32 comments:

  1. It is still a hypothesis question, whether Sabah will better off if it decided to go on its own.

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    1. baik dan buruknya tetap ada kalau Sabah keluar dari Malaysia.

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    2. Betul..Baik buruk itu tidak akan lari kemana juga. Semua itu bergantung dengan pentadbiran. Apa pun kita ucapkan tahniah kepada Singapura atas kejayaan Negera jiran itu.

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    3. Setuju anon, semua hal memang ada baik buruknya. Tapi mcm Saya orang Sabah bah!! komen semuanya bergantung kepada pentadbiran.

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    4. Dengan kejayaan Singapore ini, kita mungkin boleh jadikannya contoh utk pastikan negara kita pun maju juga dan bebas dari rasuah.

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    5. Sabah dah cukup aman brsama Malaysia.

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    6. kita perlu bersyukur dengan apa yang kita miliki dan harus terus berusaha untuk mencapai lebih kemajuan.

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  2. Singapore full with concrete building, and Sabah full with natural beauty. So we should stop conserving nature and be a cold concrete city praised by citizen.

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    1. saya rasa Singapore lebih banyak sumbangkan pemanasan global dengan bangunan2 konkritnya.

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    2. jika malaysia tak sediakan sumber air, pasti singapura takkan berkembang.

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  3. "In Singapore, the civil servants have very strict instructions to use all available government means to facilitate the license and permit applications by business people, and to assist them in all technical matters that arise.

    The civil servants are totally forbidden from accepting any gift of any kind, nor to accept dinner invitations from businessmen. Singapore has the high international reputation of being bribe-free and has a highly conducive business environment."

    Tapi kalau kita di sini macam.... ^&%&#%$#$%!!

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  4. Negara akan lebih cepat maju tanpa rasuah. Since kita ada SPRM, pastikan anda jalankan t/jawab sebaik mungkin.

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  5. Jauhilah rasuah demi masa depan yang lebih baik bukan saja untuk kita tetapi juga generasi akan datang.

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  6. The strong relationship Sabah shares with the Federal Government is one of the reasons why there is consistent and continued progress in the state, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said. Sabah, he added, is fully committed to ealizing Federal Government led plans and policies such as the Government Transformation Programme 2.0, Economic Transformation Programme and the National Key Result Areas are successfully carried out, for the benefit of the people.

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    1. banyak projek yang sedang dilaksanakan dan dirancang untuk bangunkan Sabah.

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  7. Musa in his Malaysia Day message pointed out that the Malaysian Government is one that truly cares for the people.The introduction of the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia, Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia, 1Malaysia Clinics, and a host of other people centric initiatives is testimony that the Government has the best interests of the people at heart.

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  8. Efforts, he said, are constantly made to ease the burden of those from the lower income group, and to reduce poverty.“Just this week, the National Education Blueprint that runs up to 2025 was unveiled, and will help reform and transform the education sector. These are all efforts that are initiated based on feedback and research, and intend to serve all Malaysians,” he added.

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  9. In the state, according to Musa, projects under the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) and initiatives under the State Development Agenda or Halatuju, are all on track in meeting their objectives.“Locally, we are pushing for more spin-offs from the palm oil, and oil and gas downstream sectors. These sectors are spurring new economic spin-offs, quality jobs and business opportunities. We must push for capacity building and local participation in these sectors.

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  10. “As such, I encourage school leavers and youths to take up knowledge and skills training courses at the various institutes of higher education in the State, which are now not only limited to Kota Kinabalu. The education hub in Sandakan and skills training facilities in places like Kimanis are efforts the Government has taken in making education more accessible,” he stressed.Musa also said that in achieving progress and development for Sabah, the government is always mindful of the need to sustainably develop the state.

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  11. Sabah, he pointed out, can hold its head high in environmental and forest conservation, having taken strong measures to protect our natural resources, despite the push for development.“It is disheartening that there have been some false reports in blogs about large scale illegal logging in Sabah. Such baseless allegations are perhaps aimed at derailing our efforts in Sustainable Forest Management for which we have taken great effort and which have received kudos and certification from international bodies. We also continue to protect our coastlines, marine resources and other ecosystems,” he said.

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  12. “Today marks an important day in history, the creation of Malaysia 49 years ago. The formation of this nation brought together regions separated by sea, and almost five decades on, Malaysia continues to thrive and remains a resilient country.“Let us all take stock of our achievements and strive to do even better in bringing progress for Malaysia in the years to come. Collectively, and by working together, Malaysians are capable of great things, and I am sure we will see our citizens charting more success stories in future,” Musa said.

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  13. Malaysia, he said, has transformed greatly in many aspects ranging from economic diversity to improvements in healthcare and education and an overall enhanced standard of living.The Government, he added, is committed to making socioeconomic development accessible to the people throughout the country through carefully planned policies, projects and programmes.

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  14. “This is our commitment to every Malaysian regardless of race, religion and cultural background. I therefore urge all Malaysians in Sabah to contribute towards our nation building, the progress of Sabah and the overall success of Malaysia.“While we take pride in the beauty and diversity of Sabah, we must not forget that we are part of a nation. Every state should support one another in bringing collective progress to the country. Being ethnocentric or insular in our thinking will limit us greatly.

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  15. “As citizens of this beloved country, we must think and do as Malaysians while still upholding our respective beliefs, cultures and backgrounds. One need not compromise the other. We must accept that each individual is different, and that every ethnic group has its own traditions and customs, many of which are age old.“We must embrace the strength that our cultural diversity offers to the nation.” Musa said, adding that the State Government is committed to ensuring peace and racial harmony are safeguarded as the bigger task at hand is to see and create a successful nation, and one that all Malaysians can be proud of.

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  16. “I wish to urge everyone to be more accepting of one another, to respect each other and to make an effort to understand the different cultural practices each community brings. Indeed, there is no room here for those who want to stir racial sentiments. On that note, I am glad that the true essence of 1Malaysia is practised among Malaysians in Sabah,” he said.Musa also reminded leaders in Sabah to continue working hard for the people, and to refrain from politicking which takes away precious time from work.

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  17. “We remain strong under the Barisan Nasional banner, and we boast of a stable State Government that is attractive to investors. We must not allow the opposition and those with vested interests to threaten the political strength that we enjoy today.“As we celebrate 49 years of the formation of Malaysia, I wish to see Sabah becoming a developed and prosperous State. Above all, I would like to see the people living in peace, showing concern and respect for each other, regardless of their status or differences.“As Malaysians, we have a vital role to play in helping to achieve the nation’s aspirations and vision. On that note, I wish all Malaysians a very happy Malaysia Day 2012,” he said.

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  18. setiap kawasan atau wilyah itu ada cabaran tersendiri untuk dibangunkan.

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  19. jika Malaysia diurus tadbir oleh Anwar dan konco2nya, adakah malaysia akan mampu berdiri sama tinggi dengan singapura?

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  20. Malaysia juga tidak mustahil boleh maju setanding atau lebih baik dari singapura jika pembangkang di negara ini tidak membantah setiap projek2 kerajaan dan tidak melakukan tindakan2 yang boleh menjejaskan kehadiran pelabur dan pelancong..

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  21. sedangkan pembinaan kasino pun dibantah.. pembinaan hotel pun dibantah.. ada hati pula pemimpin2 pembangkang mempertikaikan tahap kemajuan malaysia dengan singapore..

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  22. jika singapura sebesar malaysia, mereka juga akan berhadapan dengan kesukaran2 pembangunan ekonomi dan infrastruktur.. lebih2 lagi jika mereka memiliki pembangkang seperti pembangkang di Malaysia..

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