.jpg)
By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright September 2024
Ah, Khairy Jamaluddin—Malaysia's perennial man of the hour—has once again found himself in the spotlight, this time for tackling what he sees as Singaporean media's rather unflattering portrayal of Malaysia.
The former cabinet minister, affectionately known as KJ, has made it clear that he's not too pleased with how our southern neighbours seem to relish in reporting Malaysia’s, shall we say, less glamorous moments.
In his podcast *Keluar Sekejap*, KJ expressed his displeasure at Singaporean news outlets like *The Straits Times* and *Channel News Asia* for their swift and gleeful coverage of incidents like the recent sinkhole on Jalan Masjid India. Because, of course, nothing screams “newsworthy” more than a literal hole in the ground.
But here’s where KJ really takes the cake—or rather, the durian puff. He doesn’t just stop at the reporting itself. No, he’s troubled by what he calls the “critical, comparative tone” of these stories.
You know, the kind that seems to say, “Oh, poor Malaysia. Is KL even safe? Could this happen in Singapore? Of course not.”
And that’s when you can almost hear KJ throwing his hands up in exasperation. He mimicked their hypothetical headlines with the flair of someone who’s had one too many comparisons between nasi lemak and kaya toast. It’s not just the sinkholes, folks; it’s the *shade*.
Sure, Singapore and Malaysia have been in a friendly rivalry for decades—whether it’s over the best food, who has the superior airport, or who can lay claim to the *real* history of the Malayan peninsula.
But KJ seems to think there’s something more strategic at play here. He’s not ruling out the possibility of a grand Singaporean media conspiracy to undermine Malaysia’s growing appeal as a business destination.
“Malaysia might look good,” he said with the kind of knowing look that only a seasoned politician can pull off, “but they’ll make sure to remind everyone that we’re still a third-world country with sinkholes!”
And honestly, KJ might be onto something. After all, sinkholes are the ultimate metaphor, aren’t they? It’s like they’re saying, “Hey, Malaysia might have cheaper business costs, but don’t forget—you could be swallowed whole by the earth at any moment!”
Let’s not forget the subtle subtext here: Singaporeans have always had a knack for packaging their superiority complex in neatly pressed suits and well-articulated news reports. A sinkhole in Malaysia? That’s a front-page story. A minor blip in Singapore? Ah, just a glitch in the Matrix—nothing to see here.
But let’s cut KJ some slack. After all, he’s not wrong to question why Malaysia’s mishaps get so much airtime across the Causeway. Perhaps it’s because, deep down, Singaporeans know they’ll never have our beautiful chaos—the traffic jams, the endless construction projects, the durian markets—where’s the fun in sterile perfection?
So, KJ, keep calling them out. Someone’s got to remind Singapore that while their roads may be pristine and sinkhole-free, they’re also missing out on the very heart and soul of Malaysia: the glorious unpredictability of it all. After all, who wants a perfectly paved road when you can have a story to tell?
And if Singaporean media wants to keep pointing out our sinkholes, well, we’ll just keep filling them up—with laughter, resilience, and maybe a dash of good old Malaysian sarcasm.
Mihar Dias is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
