Some Singaporeans like to think that they are superior to their Malaysian cousins. Perhaps they’re right. Look at their education, per capita income, racial harmony, SIA, handling of corruption and the currency.

In truth, Malaysia and Singapore are comparable, and in a few cases, Malaysia is ahead of Singapore.

We may be of different nationalities, but when it comes to certain aspects of politics and dissent, we have many things in common.

Here is the view from across the Causeway, of some points in Singapore’s history, like Operation Coldstore (1963), the purges of 1974 and 1977 and Operation Spectrum (1987).

First. The bogeyman. Both governments use communism as a bogeyman to justify detention without trial. Ironically, today, both Malaysia and Singapore, court communist regimes for business and trade. In Singapore, citizens from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are used to boost the population of Singapore. Those escaping arrest, sought exile.

Second. Threat to national security. Many of the exiles were deemed a national threat in the security clampdowns. They fled because they valued their freedom.

In 2014, they were denied free speech, when the film, ‘To Singapore With Love’, (TSWL) was banned by the Singaporean Media Development Authority (MDA). All the exiles wanted to tell their story.

Ironically, today, Singapore’s PM, Lee Hsien Loong and his sister are embroiled in a bitter public spat . Will she be harassed like the exiles? She values free speech but would have been more credible had she spoken out when TSWL was banned in 2014.

Third. Malaysian factor. The exiles did one of three things. (i) The Malaysians were deported. (ii) Some exiles disappeared into the jungles of Malaysia, and (iii) The rest used Malaysia as a transit point from which to flee to the west.

Ironically, when the Peace Treaty was signed by the three governments in 1987, Malaysia refused to accept the Chinese guerilla leaders, but Singapore allowed their return, on condition that they confessed to their crimes on television.

Fourth. Media control. Both nations control their media tightly. The events in TSWL happened before the Internet age. Malaysians are clueless about Operations Coldstore, Spectrum and the other purges. It was as if they didn’t happened.

Five months after Operation Spectrum (May 1987), Malaysians had its own sweep of activists, journalists, academics, scientists, NGOS and opposition politicians, in Operation Lalang (October 1987).

Uncompromising autocrats

Fifth. The old-guard. The men responsible are those of the old-guard; Lee Kuan Yew and former PM Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir is now 90. LKY died, aged 91. They are like twins separated at birth. Both were visionaries. Both are uncompromising autocrats. Both developed their respective countries. Both are revered, by many, but not all.

The current PMs are great buddies. Using 1MDB as a backdrop, Singapore was very slow to start investigations into their financial institutions. Singapore was forced into action, only when the Swiss started probing into 1MDB. Was this a case of ‘You help me, I help you’ between the current PMs - Lee Hsien Loong and Najib Abdul Razak?

Sixth. The Internal Security Act (ISA). The draconian ISA was retained from British colonial rule to silence critics of the government.

Malaysians have repealed their ISA, but Singapore has not. Do Singaporeans really believe that dissenters are a real threat to their nation?

Seventh. Altering history. The autocrats - Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir, changed the course of history. They did this by denying their respective citizens their rights, denying them a voice and presenting only one side of an argument. Theirs!

Eighth. Shared past. Malaysians and Singaporeans have a shared history. Many of us have extended families, on both sides of the Causeway. We are more similar than we think.

Ninth. Threshold of fear. Both nations are gripped by a culture of fear, and loathing.

The main difference is that Malaysians, especially the youth, have crossed-over this line of fear. They protest. They draw caricatures of clowns. They lower flags. They become whistleblowers. They do many things, that would not have been thought possible 50, 20 even five years ago.

In Singapore, you can only protest on a tiny strip of land, the Hong Lim Park. If you step out of line, you will be arrested. An assembly of one is illegal.

Tenth. Dealing with critics. Anyone criticising the Malaysian government will be charged with sedition. The Singaporean authorities will sue him for defamation.

The saving grace is that Malaysians don’t care any more. They've had enough. They are emboldened and empowered for change.

So, to recap, both Malaysia and Singapore are intertwined. Their story is like an unfinished symphony.

With South-East Asia stirring from its slumber and Malaysians restless for reform, Singaporeans are looking to their Malaysian cousins for direction in the art of questioning the voices of authority.

Malaysians may be fools because the rakyat does not force its leaders to be accountable, despite knowing about the RM4 billion donation and other scandals.

At least our scandals are out in the open. Do Singaporeans know what skeletons lurk in their leaders’ cupboards?

(NB: Part of talk delivered at the 5th South-East Asian Conference at The University of Oxford.)

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog , Twitter .