ASK any random Malaysian what he thinks of Singapore, and it’s likely you will hear words like “safe”, “clean” and “efficient”. Probe a little deeper, though, and you will just as likely hear less-glowing terms like “sanitised”, “controlling” and “superiority complex”.

The same can be said of Singaporean’s less-than-flattering view of Malaysia and her people. As a frequent traveler to Singapore for work and family, it has become commonplace for me to correct Singaporeans who seem to think that in Malaysia, every police officer will accept a bribe, and every non-Malay citizen is oppressed and just waiting for an opportunity to leave the country.

Our countries fight over everything from food to water; from cultural identity to international investments. And while it is usually nothing more than harmless jabs and skirmishes, the recent disputes over airspace and maritime boundaries have developed to be potentially much more sinister.

If online chatter is anything to go by, Singaporeans are taking the current disputes very seriously, and Malaysians should perhaps not be so quick to simply brush it off as a mere clash of egos.

Never since the difficult early years of Singapore’s independence have conflicts gotten to a point where either party has had to issue thinly-veiled threats of military force, and yet this is something Singapore has already done on several occasions over these past three months.

What has made Singapore appear to be on heightened defence mode could be the fact that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad – arguably the most-hated foreign leader amongst Singaporeans – appears to be earning his reputation as a hard-nosed statesman with a bone to pick with Singapore.

What followed his ascension to power – the cancellation of several joint initiatives, the deferment of a multi-billion dollar high speed rail line and the reopening of talks into the price of water – have been deemed as antagonistic.

When the maritime and airspace battles sparked off at the end of 2018, many Singaporeans were already tired of the perceived aggression and were crying out for their government to stand up to the big Malaysian bullies.

While an outbreak of war is highly unlikely, there are repercussions which could fare almost as badly for both countries as open combat.

The economic fallout of prolonged conflict between our countries must not be underestimated, as Firefly Airlines and the host of other cross-border businesses in both countries would readily testify.

Economic opportunity aside, hundreds and thousands of Malaysians commute daily across the Causeway for work and study, bringing back to Malaysia more than just Singapore dollars and qualifications, but a first-hand understanding of the way of life of our neighbours.

Our people have always, and will continue to, share a unique bond of both blood and land, and this is a relationship which we should encourage, and not threaten with serious and long-drawn hostility.

Just as the political change that came with the 14th general election was a long time coming in Malaysia, perhaps a reboot of the often contentious relationship between Malaysia and Singapore is long overdue.

For Singapore, Malaysia must no longer be seen as the crippled ne’er-do-gooder neighbour. Malaysia must stop being used as a convenient punching bag and model of what not to become whenever the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) government seeks to highlight its successes.

For Malaysia, Singapore must no longer be the “little red dot” seen to be at the mercy of their cheapest suppliers of water and fresh produce. They have to be seen as equals, and treated with the same amount of diplomacy and respect accorded to other foreign powers.

Singapore has indeed been the greatest beneficiary of the past misrule and pilferage of our previous government, in terms of human capital and foreign investments. But it has also been a country that has offered great opportunity to Malaysians who did not have those opportunities in their own homeland in the past.

If our new government is all it has promised to be, this equation will likely change in the coming years and with it, the nature of our relationship with our southern neighbours.

It would do both countries good to lay down their arms, and seek to develop a new understanding of each other, one built upon mutual respect and bereft of the baggage of hostilities from our tumultuous past. – January 16, 2019.

* Julia Yeow has been in journalism for two decades and counts it as her first love, despite enjoying brief stints as a lecturer, clown and salad maker. She is a strong believer in social justice, and holds that there is sometimes more truth in the greys, than the blacks and whites.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.