One of the great news stories in this part of
cyberspace is the story of an Israeli tourist telling an establishment “My
Money Built Your Country,” after the establishment refused to let her in when
she refused to take off her shoes.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5w5KrPCG0TM
The young lady in question has been hammered for having
a “imperialist” mindset and given that she’s Israeli, her case has not been
helped. Having said that, her actions are merely an expression that most of us in
well to do countries have when it comes to the “less developed” world.
I first noticed it in school in the UK. I’ve often
said that many of my friends from that area found me a bit of a disappointment in
the sense that I speak English comfortably and my dad didn’t own a take away or
a laundromat, the two businesses everyone associated the Chinese with. I was
unusual in that the source of my family’s ability to send me to school had no relation
to the UK and located in a part of the world the geography text books had labeled
“poor.”
I ended up with some great friends and great memories
from that period. However, it was a struggle for people to get used to the idea
that someone from a part of the world they had been conditioned to think of as “less
developed” could be in the UK and not be overwhelmed by gratitude of being in
the UK (if anything, coming back to the UK from holiday in Singapore felt like
stepping back in time – the UK and continental Europe was still happy with the
VHS when Singapore had already moved onto laser disc – this being the pre-Netflix
era).
The currency advantage helped this perception. The
British had a three to one currency advantage with Singapore and one can only
imagine the advantage they had in the region. It was assumed that I had to be
part of the very wealthy because my family which earned the bulk of the money
in this part of the world could afford to send me to the UK. Once upset a
British Airways hostess who got very upset when I took the view that much of the
UK was in the stone age. She kept screaming “we put allot of money in your
country,” and when her companion told me that our national football team couldn’t
beat a third division Venezuelan team, my only reply was that I was aware that
British history consisted of 1914 (World War I), 1945 (World War II) and 1966 (England
Won the World Cup).
Then, I moved back to Singapore to settle and found
that the attitude wasn’t limited to how Westerners view the rest of the world. Singaporeans
are conditioned in a very similar way when it comes to how we view the rest of
Asia, or more specifically our neighbors, of Malaysia and Indonesia. As far as
most of us in Singapore are concerned, Malaysia (specifically Johor) and
Indonesia (specifically Batam), exist to as “cheap” shopping destinations” (the
joke being Johor is filled with Singaporean birds going “cheap-cheap). As much
as Singapore is wonderfully clean, green and safe, going to visit our neighbours
is wonderful because not only is everything is much cheaper, we think of them
as places where money solves problems. Bribing cops and customs officials has
become something of thrill for people who have been bred to understand that the
mere thought of bribing people will get you a ticket to a sticky place.
The downside of these places is that there is a risk
of being robbed and even rapped but other than that we tend to see these places
as “s***holes” where we can have fun by throwing our money at the natives. As
much as I like to say I am an “enlightened” person, I also had a bit of a “coloured”
perspective. In my most recent trip to Batam, I was actually worried that I
didn’t have cash on me in case I got shaken down for a bribe. I’d been
conditioned by my dad who would tell me that every Singaporean and Malaysian
gets shaken down for a bribe on their first trip to Indonesia. Mum enforced
this by telling me that what she liked about Dad was that he was “innocent,” in
that when asked by an Indonesian customs official for a cigarette, his reply
was “sorry, I don’t smoke.”
Then, I ended up at the immigration at Batam. The
signs were clear “No tipping.” The official stance was clear. Anyone thinking
of paying off immigration officials was not going to get away free.
Several things became clear about being in a place
that is officially “less developed.” The first is obvious. Poverty is more obvious
than it is in the home country. The difference in infrastructure between
Singapore and Indonesia is obvious. It became clear when we went from the central
part of Batam to the outskirts for lunch and it rained. Heavy rain meant heavy
floods.
Yet, at the same time the nice parts are wonderfully
nice and luxuries are significantly more affordable. Went to a spa and got a
facial, bathtub time and a massage for a bit more than a single massage in
Singapore. Then, it was off for a drink at the Marriot.
Having said that, what becomes clear is that people in
the “less developed” world are aware of their situation and aware that things
need to change. On the government level, its clear that governments know that
they have to do certain things if they want the foreign investment. The most obvious
step has been to invest in decent infrastructure. I think of visiting my former
in-laws in Vietnam in 2012 and 2020 and the memory of a dirt road turning into
a super highway as an obvious example. Then, there are the “financial centres”
in places like Dubai and Astana, Kazakhstan, which operate under British Common
Law.
Whilst physical infrastructure is just a question of
investing money, there’s an even more crucial step in which governments compete
in – that is the area of cracking down on corruption. Hence, the “no tipping”
signs at Batam’s ferry terminal and new laws that limit presidential terms and
keep relatives of the president out of public services in places like
Kazakhstan. Many “less developed” nations will inevitably have issues with corruption
but the ones that move up in the world will inevitably the ones that do
something about it.
The other area to note is that whilst many developing
nations will benefit from the presence of people from developed nations
visiting and spending, the countries that “make it” will inevitably have to
build the local market. In the case of Batam, its clear that Singaporeans and
Malaysians are “big spenders” and there are “luxury” developments near the
ferry centre awaiting the arrivals from elsewhere. However, what was comforting
was seeing the fact that a lot of the local businesses like the hotel I stayed
in, the Ibis Styles and the beach clubs were filled with the locals. Ultimately,
it’s the locals who provide the bread and butter for the economy and one can
earn the “cream” from the foreigners.
Local people from less developed countries are working
to come up. In Batam, the service staff spoke in English, even if the standard
was not perfect. English lessons are the way to get ready for the international
market. People are also willing to go overseas to look for their own
opportunities.
Sure, when you’re visiting a country with a less
developed economy, your money will be welcome. Nobody is going to turn down a
big spender. However, never underestimate people from less developed countries.
They may give you good treatment for spending but always keep in mind that they’re
waiting for the day when they have the money and also except that whilst you
are a “nice to have,” they are capable of living without you.
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