The Border as Mirror
The Johor–Singapore border is not just a physical crossing. It is a mirror. It reflects the kind of leadership we have, and it exposes the choices we make.
On 9 August 1965, Singapore’s reality shifted in an instant. In Kuala Lumpur, Tunku Abdul Rahman addressed Parliament and the nation: Singapore would leave the Malaysian federation. It was not the merger’s architects’ dream; it was its undoing.
Across the Causeway, Lee Kuan Yew stood before the cameras. The leader known for his iron discipline began with the joint statement, voice steady. But then he spoke from the heart. His composure cracked. His eyes welled. “For me, it is a moment of anguish,” he said, wiping his face. “All my life, I have believed in merger and unity of the two territories.”
It would have been easy to see only loss. The loss of a larger home market. The loss of political shelter. The loss of a vision he had spent his life building. Singapore had no natural resources, no hinterland, no oil, no water security without Malaysia. Even its people were divided by language, ethnicity, and heritage.
But leadership is ownership. Ownership does not ask whether the conditions are ideal. It asks: What will we do with what we have?
Owning the Unknown, Setting a Trajectory
Lee Kuan Yew wiped his tears, stepped into the unknown, and chose to own the situation. Singapore moved from lament to action. The leadership set its sights on discipline, innovation, and global competitiveness, not as slogans but as a survival plan.
Statistic #1: In 1965, Singapore’s GDP per capita was roughly USD 500, on par with many developing countries. By 2023, it had surpassed USD 80,000, one of the highest in the world.
This was not a single leap. It was a trajectory, a steady upward curve shaped by choices, each building on the last. Owning the reality in 1965 created the compounding momentum of the decades that followed. Scarcity bred focus. Lack of resources became a training ground for world-class problem-solving.
The question for Johor is not whether we have resources. It is whether we have ownership. Because ownership is what sets the trajectory.
Johor’s Ongoing Paradox
Johor’s story is different. We have land, resources, and proximity to one of the most dynamic economies in the world. And yet, for decades, the Causeway has been both our blessing and our curse, a bridge for trade and a drain for talent.
Today, the tension is accelerating. The RTS will soon cut cross-border travel times dramatically. The Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone promises deeper integration, potentially bringing investment, technology, and jobs.
Statistic #2: In 2023, more than 300,000 people crossed the Causeway daily. Many Johoreans worked in Singapore for salaries two to three times higher than local rates.
This is the paradox: the same connection that could raise Johor’s economic profile can also hollow out our talent base. And when I hear business owners lament brain drain or high turnover, my advice is always the same. If you want to complain about it, do not set up a business here.
If you are here, embrace the situation. Your number one purpose in Johor Bahru is not merely profit. It is talent retention through a purpose-driven organisation.
Leadership as Ownership
The difference between Singapore’s trajectory and Johor’s challenge is not luck or location. It is ownership.
Singapore could have blamed its size, its lack of natural resources, its vulnerability. Instead, it turned every constraint into a catalyst.
Johor, with far more in hand, has too often turned abundance into complacency. If we want a different trajectory, we must shift from reaction to responsibility.
Statistic #3: Gallup’s global workplace study shows that purpose-driven organisations see 40% lower turnover and 21% higher profitability than peers. This is not theory. It is proof that meaning keeps people more effectively than money alone.
If you choose Johor, you choose the reality of competing with Singapore for talent. The only way to win is to make staying the more meaningful choice by building cultures where people can grow, contribute, and belong.
The Border as Hormesis
In biology, there is a principle called hormesis: a small dose of stress strengthens an organism. Exercise tears muscle fibres so they rebuild stronger. Exposure to small challenges makes the immune system more resilient.
The border is our hormesis. The daily pull of Singapore forces us to raise our game. It is the resistance that can make our organisations stronger, more agile, more committed, but only if we embrace it. The same pressure that develops muscle will also break it if the foundation is weak.
Our Choice at Stellar
At Stellar, we have chosen ownership. Our PVMC, Purpose, Vision, Mission, Core Values, is not decoration. It is the filter for hiring, leadership expectations, and growth.
From our first preschool to our flagship international school in Iskandar Puteri, we have built with culture before strategy, identity before position. Our upcoming Purpose-Built Campus in 2027 is not just an infrastructure project. It is a statement that we can keep and grow our best people on the very edge of the most tempting border in Southeast Asia.
Johor’s trajectory is still being written. We are not yet locked into our path. The RTS and JSSEZ are accelerators, but whether they accelerate us toward strength or dependency will depend entirely on how we lead in the next decade.
The Reverse That Redefines It All
The real failure is not in lacking resources. It is in lacking the courage to own the reality you are in and build from it.
The greatest loss is not when our best people leave for higher pay. The greatest loss is when they stay but never bring their best.
Like Singapore in 1965, we are at a fork in the road. Our present moment will set our trajectory for decades. Ownership today will decide whether we build a legacy worth keeping or watch it cross the border.
The border is our mirror. Singapore’s rise began with ownership, not resources. Johor’s future will be shaped the same way. Our greatest risk is not losing people to higher pay, but keeping them without purpose. Ownership today will set our trajectory for decades.
