My Money Built Your Country

 

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.