COMMENT | Just a few days ago, Malaysians (perhaps not all) were caught by surprise when participants of a Singapore comedy show ‘Ok Chope’ was said to make fun of Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Najip Ali, a Singaporean comedian quite popular in Malaysia, was one of those who mocked the prime minister in the show. Singapore’s Media Corp and Najip Ali have since made an open apology to the prime minister for being callous and insensitive.

This was not the first time that Singaporeans have been mocking Malaysian leaders. Last year, another Singaporean comedian by the name of Fakkah Fuzz did the same thing by calling Malaysia’s prime minister a thief.

Other than that, Singapore-based newspapers such as Channelnews Asia and The Independent.sg have also reported negatively against Malaysia and Indonesia as well as South Korea.

Is Malaysia really that bad?

Malaysia is not that bad after all

It is not entirely surprising now for Malaysians (not all though) to speak ill of Malaysia. Some are even proud to badmouth the country to foreigners. It is true that we have a lot to improve on.

Nevertheless, despite the adverse news coverage against Malaysia as of late, this nation is a success story. The Global Peace Index 2016 has placed Malaysia at the 30th position out of 163 countries - meaning that Malaysia is one of the most peaceful countries in the world.

Although the Malaysian ringgit has been losing out to the Singapore dollar in terms of value, Singapore is in fact an expensive city - the most expensive in the world to begin with. Kuala Lumpur, on the other hand, is a city with modern infrastructure but remains the cheapest in South-East Asia. This was reported by the 2017 Worldwide Cost of Living Survey issued by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Many within and outside Malaysia have contended that Malaysia is one of the most corrupted countries in the world. However, this fact turns out to be untrue.

The Global Transparency Index (GTI) 2016 placed Malaysia at the 55th position out of 176 countries, just behind South Korea, meaning that Malaysia could be considered one of the least corrupted countries in the Asian continent. Malaysia is not even listed as one of the most corrupted countries in the world.

Malaysians too enjoy one of the best passports in the world, ranked at number 5 in terms of strength by the Global Passport Power Rank - the best passport for a developing majority-Muslim country.

The World Economic Forum in 2015 has issued a report that Malaysia has one of the best networks of tarmac roads around the world - a recognition that our infrastructural quality is not that all bad after all.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, a developing city, was ranked by the Economist Magazine as one of the most livable cities in the developing world. In addition, the Conde Nast Traveler magazine in 2016 placed Kuala Lumpur as one of the most visited cities on Earth - ranked better than Sydney, Seoul or the Japanese capital of Tokyo. Tourists won’t be flocking into our capital city if it is not alluring and attractive.

Furthermore, the Business Insider in their recent report in 2017 contended that Malaysia is projected to become one of the most powerful economies in the world by the year 2050, overcoming Australia, the Netherlands and Spain - quite surprising as some commentators are confident that Malaysia is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Try mocking your own leaders instead

These facts show that Malaysia is not that bad after all. Nevertheless, it is heartbreaking that some Malaysians would badmouth their own motherland just because they dislike the current political leader. This was also the reason why Najip Ali and his friends would dare mock the Malaysian prime minister - because Malaysians (some) wouldn’t mind. Put it like this, even if you do not like your parents, should you speak ill of your own family?

I wonder if Najip Ali and his friends do have the courage to mock the late Lee Kuan Yew or any leaders of the PAP for that matter. It is to be remembered that Singapore had its own share of practice of corruption and nepotism, too.

Remember the Nassim Jade Scandalin 1996? Remember Tang Liang Hong, a Singaporean opposition candidate made bankrupt for questioning the Nassim Jade Scandal? Remember Amos Yee, a Singaporean youth forced to seek asylum in the United States of America for mocking his government?

Singapore is seen by the world as a respected first world country with first world minds. Nevertheless, what Najip Ali and his friends did do not really reflect this fact. What if Malaysian comedians make fun of Singaporean leaders instead, say, the late Lee Kuan Yew to be precise?

Nonetheless, Singaporeans do not have to worry about this. Malaysians are equipped with quality education nurtured with good manners. Most importantly, we do consider Singapore, one of our best friends.

Let us not stoop down to their level.

DR MOHD HAZMI MOHD RUSLI is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Syariah and Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia and a visiting professor at the School of Law, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.