M’sian minister reposts clip urging S’poreans to work in M’sia as ringgit strengthens, sparks debate

Malaysian minister resurfaces 2022 clip urging Singaporeans to work in Malaysia amid ringgit rally

Malaysia’s Minister of Housing and Local Government, Nga Kor Ming, recently reposted a 2022 video of himself calling for Singaporeans to cross the border to work in Malaysia, amid a recent strengthening of the Malaysian ringgit.

The repost, shared on his Facebook page on 28 Jan, coincided with renewed attention on the ringgit’s gains and sparked polarised reactions among netizens.

Old remarks resurface alongside ringgit’s recent gains

Mr Nga, a politician and lawyer, accompanied the reposted clip with graphs showing the ringgit’s performance against the Singapore dollar and the United States (US) dollar.

In the video, Mr Nga spoke passionately about the daily grind faced by Malaysians who commute across the Causeway for work.

“They spend their nights in Johor, wake up at 5am, and ride a motorcycle into Singapore, rinse and repeat,” he said, adding that such a lifestyle was unsuitable for people.

He went on to question whether Malaysians in Johor should continue living and working under such conditions.

“Tell Singaporeans to come to Malaysia and be foreign workers, instead of telling Malaysians to go to Singapore to work,” he said.

The resurfaced clip came a day after Mr Nga publicly praised Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration, following the ringgit’s rise to a new high against the US dollar on 27 Jan.

The ringgit has also strengthened against the Singapore dollar, with the exchange rate currently standing at about RM3.10 to S$1.

Netizens divided over focus on currency performance

Some netizens expressed support for Mr Nga’s remarks, pointing to the ringgit’s performance as a sign of progress.

Others criticised his tone, describing it as arrogant.

On the r/singaporehappenings subreddit, one Redditor questioned the logic behind encouraging Singaporeans to work in Malaysia, given Mr Nga’s own description of the hardships faced by cross-border workers.

Meanwhile, reactions on the r/Malaysia subreddit were largely negative.

One user criticised what they described as “clown politicians” for focusing on currency exchange rates rather than broader quality-of-life issues.

The user cited factors such as unreliable public transport, corruption, deteriorating infrastructure, racial policies, and low wages as reasons deterring people from choosing to live and work in Malaysia.

Also read: Stronger ringgit keeps S’poreans away from JB, businesses see worst year-end crowd since Covid-19

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Featured image adapted from Nga Kor Ming on Facebook and courtesy of MS News reader.