Chapter 6: OVERVIEW OF MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE & THAILAND

Singapore – Neighbor to the north

Malaysia

Singapore – Major rivers or mountains

None significant

Singapore – Number of islets

Over 60 smaller islets plus one main island

Singapore – Straits bordering it

Strait of Johor (north); Singapore Strait (south)

Malaysia – Peninsular neighbor countries

Thailand (north)

Malaysia – East Malaysia borders

Indonesia and Brunei (on Borneo)

Malaysia – Major river example

Rajang River in Sarawak

Malaysia – Principal mountain range

Titiwangsa Mountains (Peninsular Malaysia)

Malaysia – Surrounding seas

Strait of Malacca (west); South China Sea (east)

Thailand – Northern neighbors

Myanmar and Laos

Thailand – Eastern neighbors

Cambodia and Laos

Thailand – Southern neighbor

Malaysia

Thailand – Western coast

Andaman Sea

Thailand – Southeastern coast

Gulf of Thailand

Thailand – Major river delta

Chao Phraya River delta

Thailand – Northern terrain

Mountainous region, less accessible

Singapore – Geographic benefit

Strategic maritime location on Malacca‐Singapore corridor for shipping

Singapore – Geographic drawback

Very limited land area; no natural resources for agriculture

Malaysia – Geographic benefit

Abundant natural resources (timber, palm oil, petroleum, rubber, bauxite, natural gas)

Malaysia – Geographic drawback

Monsoon‐driven flooding on coastal plains; development split between Peninsular & Borneo

Thailand – Geographic benefit

Fertile central plains for rice agriculture; long coastlines for tourism & fisheries

Thailand – Geographic drawback

Isolated mountainous north complicates infrastructure

Singapore – Government system

Republic & parliamentary democracy

Singapore – Head of state

Directly elected President (6-year term)

Singapore – Legislature

Unicameral Parliament; Prime Minister leads the Cabinet

Singapore – Voting requirement

Compulsory for citizens over age 21

Malaysia – Government system

Federal constitutional monarchy

Malaysia – Head of state

King (Yang di-Pertuan Agong) elected 5-year term from nine hereditary rulers

Malaysia – Legislature

Bicameral Parliament: House of Representatives & Senate

Malaysia – Head of government

Prime Minister

Thailand – Government system

Constitutional monarchy

Thailand – Head of state

Hereditary King

Thailand – Legislature

Bicameral National Assembly: House & Senate

Thailand – Judiciary

Status

Singapore – GDP per capita ranking

Comparable to largest Western European countries (2010 data)

Singapore – Economic freedom score

86.2 on Index of Economic Freedom (2010)

Singapore – Political drivers of economy

Meritocratic civil service; anti-corruption; government-linked companies (GIC, Temasek)

Malaysia – GDP total

US $358 billion (2007); US $381 billion (2009)

Malaysia – Income classification

Middle-income, newly industrialized

Malaysia – Historical economic factors

British colonial infrastructure; 1971 New Economic Policy; free-trade agreements

Thailand – GDP total

16,879 billion baht in 2019 (~US $530 billion)

Thailand – GDP per capita

≈ US $8,146 (2016)

Thailand – Economic transformation

From rice agriculture to automotive, electronics, tourism, services under Sufficiency Economy philosophy

Singapore – Major economic strength

World-class port & logistics hub

Singapore – Financial sector strength

Leading global financial services center

Singapore – Manufacturing strength

Electronics & precision manufacturing via GLC investment

Malaysia – Natural-resource strength

Oil & gas; palm oil; rubber; tin; timber

Malaysia – Manufacturing strength

Electronics; automotive; petrochemicals

Malaysia – Services strength

Finance & tourism sectors

Thailand – Agricultural strength

Rice & rubber exports leader

Thailand – Industrial strength

Automotive & agro-industries; electronics; textiles

Thailand – Services strength

Tourism & fisheries exports

Singapore – Ethnic composition

~76 % Chinese; Malay; Indian; others

Singapore – Official languages

English; Malay; Mandarin; Tamil

Singapore – Common lingua franca

Singlish (colloquial)

Singapore – Religious diversity

Buddhism; Taoism; Islam; Christianity; Hinduism

Malaysia – Ethnic groups

Bumiputera Malays (~50 %); Chinese (~24.6 %); Indians (~7.3 %); indigenous groups

Malaysia – Official language

Malay; English widely used; Chinese dialects; Tamil

Malaysia – State religion

Islam (~61.3 %); other: Buddhism (~19.8 %); Christianity (~9.2 %); Hinduism (~6.3 %)

Thailand – Majority ethnicity

Thai (~75 %)

Thailand – Minority groups

Thai Chinese (~14 %); Malay Muslims (~3.5 %); hill-tribes (~5 %)

Thailand – Official language

Thai; minority languages: Lao, Malay, Mon-Khmer

Thailand – Predominant religion

Theravada Buddhism (> 95 %)

Common – Political features

Founding ASEAN members; generally stable governments

Common – Economic features

Open markets; export-oriented; middle- to high-income economies

Common – Social practices

Strong family values; respect for elders; multicultural harmony

Common – Cultural beliefs

Buddhist influence on compassion & tolerance; respect for monarchy/national leadership

ASEAN challenge – Economic disparity

Differences in per-capita income & development levels

ASEAN challenge – Infrastructure gaps

Inconsistent transport & digital connectivity

ASEAN challenge – Political risks

Thailand’s coup history; differing governance systems

ASEAN challenge – Cultural tensions

Balancing ethnic/religious policies with integration goals

ASEAN opportunity – Trade expansion

Intra-ASEAN trade & investment growth potential

ASEAN opportunity – Shared infrastructure

Joint projects in transport, energy, digital networks

ASEAN opportunity – Tourism synergies

Combined marketing of multi-country travel circuits

ASEAN opportunity – Collective bargaining

Greater influence in WTO/Global fora

ASEAN opportunity – Knowledge transfer

Technology & best-practice sharing among member states