Arrogance

Oh my god! What I was thinking really came true!

During the past couple of months, when Indonesia was stopping the sale of sand to us, lots of people have speculated why. Their speculation seems rather logical but I had another idea and this letter to the Jakarta Post really proves it.

I thought that maybe, just maybe, Singapore has become too arrogant and Indonesia is tired of it and is basically reacting to it.

Our arrogance to think that we are better then any of our neighbours just because we are "richer" than them. We have this idea (even my parents do) that just because we have the money, we don't have rely on any 1 country for resources, i.e. we can find other sources because "we rich enough to buy it".

Being out of the country, I have seen this arrogance more and more, sometimes, even our gahmen shows it (like the comment MM Lee made about Malaysia and Indonesia).

The thing Singaporeans have to remember, that we rely on both Malaysia and Indonesia (and even Thailand for that matter) for a lot of things. And they too rely on us. It is a co-dependence that we have. Nobody is better than the other.

This letter to the Jakarta Post really smacks of arrogance, of "we are so much better than you" and that "Indonesia depends on Singapore", not the other way around.


Jakarta Post
04 March 2007

Singapore vs Indonesia

I'm a Singaporean trying to share with you a personal opinion on the recent issue about the sand export ban and Singapore looking down on Indonesia; the sort of things said by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Well, I'm not going to say much about the sand export ban, but have something to say on the issue of Singapore being too proud and belittling Indonesia.

Let's face it my friends, it is normally those who have an inferiority complex that would feel this way! On the other hand, I'm sure you don't need to be highly educated to be grateful for the fact that Singapore has helped Indonesia, so much so that I would have thought the resources rendered to you could have better used to serve our own people!

No doubt Singapore is tiny, but don't you feel ashamed that Indonesia, being so big, always needs our help?

Last but not least, I think you should appreciate that you are dealing with a government who does thing so gentlemanly; they are very much scholastic, unlike the governments of other nations.

Somehow, I think this whole incident is an insult to the spirit of ASEAN.

BERNARD LIM
Singapore