Comments, opinions and an occasional ramble
Malaysia and Singapore aren’t too different after all
I just reached Singapore not too long ago from a trip in Penang. I went to Universiti Sains Malaysia at the invite of a friend to attend their advertising competition event called ADWAVE. It was good to see all the creative entries, mostly made by Malaysian students. I must say that there are quite alot of creative people in Malaysia.
What was really interesting was to hear Yasmin Ahmad, an independent Malaysian film-maker, talk about her experience in Malaysia. She has won international awards for her films, but back home in Malaysia, her films are thoroughly screened by the authorities, with cuts imposed by the government. It simply reminds me of the Martyn See’s case back in Singapore. I see so many parallels in Yasmin’s description of how the Malaysian government censors the media in Malaysia and how censorship is being done in Singapore too.
In addition, I don’t see any much of a cultural difference between Malaysians and Singaporeans. I had a wonderful time in Penang. My Malaysian friends were such enthusiatic hosts (esp. Peiyee), bringing me and two other friends around Penang after ADWAVE was over. Although the Singapore and Malaysian mass media seem to have a penchant for portraying each other negatively from time to time, at the personal level, I think that Singaporeans and Malaysians are pretty similar.
There are many similarities in language (English, Malay, Chinese Tamil) and in food (char kway teow, roti prata/canai, ice-kachang, chendol etc). With such a shared heritage (including being colonies of the same colonial masters), Singapore and Malaysia should be the best of buddies. Instead we end up being less than cordial in our relationship with each other. Some Singaporean people I know think of Malaysia as being backward, and some Malaysians (as I was told) think of Singaporeans as being rich and arrogant.
Where the hell did all the silly ideas come from? My little experience interacting with Malaysians tells me that there’s not much of a difference. I really think that Singaporeans and Malaysians can potentially be best buddies. We are really quite similar. If only the politicians (well, only some) can stop their petty squabbles.
I hope those Malaysian friends do drop by Singapore sometime in the future. It would be nice to repay their hospitality.
| Print article | This entry was posted by Aaron Ng on 27/03/2007 at 11:22 am, and is filed under Ramblings. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
about 5 years ago
you only have quarrels with people you care and love, but not with strangers right?
about 5 years ago
There’s a famous roadside stall which sells chendol in Georgetown, and the Tom Yam somewhere else is really good.
Shopping at Pranglin Mall rocks, especially in the CD stores. *hint*
about 5 years ago
Heh. Well, that’s true… when I first came to Singapore, I also noticed the similarities. But I guess that, in terms of identity formation, there is a need for the politicians to define the citizens of their country against another. “We’re Malaysian because we’re NOT Singaporean (who are rich, arrogant, etc.)” and “We’re Singaporean because we’re NOT Malaysian (who are backwards, etc.)” If you want to draw the sibling analogy, it’s like twins trying to distinguish themselves from each other based on their personalities.
I agree with you that Malaysian censors are equally strict as Singaporean ones, but sometimes with less sense. I can’t remember the names off the top of my head, but I do recall that there were some other films which just made no sense for the Malaysian Censorship Board to ban… and yet they did it anyway.
Still, glad you enjoyed your visit to my homeland. What do you think of the relative size/price ratio of roti canai, though? ;-P
about 5 years ago
Michaelk,
Yes, the chendol was really good. I had the chendol in a little old coffeeshop near the Komtar. I was told by Peiyee (my Penang friend and guide) that it’s very famous, and all you need to tell anyone in Penang “the famous Chendol place near Komtar” and everyone will be able to tell you where it is.
I had assam laksa (aka Penang Laksa) at the same place where I had chendol. I swear never to eat Penang Laksa in Singapore again. Beyond comparison in terms of taste.
Besides, it’s really cheap in terms of Singapore dollars. RM2.50 for a small bowl. That’s about a SGD1.20, which will buy you a can of coke in an ordinary Singapore coffee shop. @@
Prangi Mall was not too bad. Quite big and the stuff there were rather cheap. I went to another new shopping centre called Queensbay (I initially heard Queensway when Peiyee mentioned it to me). It reminds me totally of Vivocity, although it’s not so “atas” (high class). You might want to give it a visit the next time you are there.
There are lots of cultural sights to see in Penang as well. This is one thing I like about Malaysia, and that is the preservation of cultural artefacts. Singapore is way too pristine. Old things are usually torn down to make way for new ones. I understand we’re small, but what’s left of our history if we keep doing that? Anyway, give a visit to the Cheong Fatt Sze Mansion (this guy was called the Rockefeller of the East in 1914 by New York bankers when Cheong went over there to negotiate for the opening of the Sino-American Banking corporation, and he secured 10 million dollars in the negotiation.) Try the Khoo Kongsi as well. Very nicely preservered Chinese architecture. Kek Lok Si might also be worth a visit if you’re a Buddhist/Taoist. And if you like the beach, Batu Ferringhi (I think I might have got the spelling wrong) is the place for you.
about 5 years ago
Joshua,
I’m glad you agree with me. I really feel the sense of closeness and affinity when talking to Malaysians, both culturally and politically. Darn politicians.
I love roti canai in Malaysia. I’ve ate it many times as a kid, and I always marvel at how big it is and how nice it is haha. This time round to Penang I gave it a miss though, because I want to try all the different kinds of famouns Penang food. I had curry mee, hokkien noodle (so very different from the Singapore version), assam laksa, chendol, ice-kachang (so many fruits!), Indian rojak (I never tasted better sauce), chee cheong fun (the sauce has a terrific peanut butter taste), belachan chicken and many others. Totally wonderful.
And, I love the roadside stalls and small, dark little coffeeshops. It gives the feeling of nostalgia that one is unable to find in the squeaky clean foodcourts of Singapore.
about 5 years ago
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about 5 years ago
I couldnt agree with you more with this post. If there are any difference between malaysia and singapore, it would be the political parties.
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