A light-hearted Facebook post by Derrick Sim, a politician from Singapore’s People’s Power Party (PPP), has sparked lively discussion online after he jokingly told Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to “relax” and praised him as one of Malaysia’s best prime ministers.
In his post, Derrick opened with praise before slipping in humour, writing, “IMO (in my opinion), you’re genuinely one of the BEST Prime Ministers Malaysia has seen in a long, long time.”
He then added what he called a “very small request”, saying, “Maybe you lepak a bit. No need to work so hard lah.”
Referring to recent currency movements, Derrick noted that the Singapore dollar to ringgit exchange rate had strengthened from 3.18 to 3.15 in just two weeks.
Joking about the impact, he wrote, “If too strong, later Singaporeans come in — only order roti canai kosong and go back liao. Many of us are still very budget-conscious.”
He ended the playful note by telling Anwar, “Take it easy, PM. Slow and steady win the race.”
A serious point behind the jokes
Switching to a more serious tone, Derrick said the mainstream media had not sufficiently highlighted a key development.
On a more serious note, our mainstream media will not highlight this, but just this year alone, Malaysia’s foreign direct investment has jumped a whopping 47%. We are talking about billions pouring into the country.”
According to Derrick, the coming years could be pivotal. “This decade is very much Malaysia’s to lose,” he said, pointing out that global corporations are quietly but decisively shifting their supply chains out of China.
He explained why Malaysia stands out, saying it is “not as costly as Singapore, yet more stable and institutionally reliable than Vietnam.”
With a well-established semiconductor ecosystem already in place, he argued that “Malaysia becomes a highly compelling destination.”
“This is not to say Malaysia will definitely flourish — but the probability is high, and so far, the policy direction suggests they are making the right moves,” he wrote.
Ringgit outlook and historical context
On the currency front, Derrick suggested that Malaysians should not be surprised if the ringgit continues to strengthen against the Singapore dollar.
He said it could “move into the 3.0X range, or even cross the psychological threshold below 3 within the next 18 months.”
He added that Singapore’s monetary authority easing policy could place further downward pressure on the Singapore dollar, saying, “With both forces at play, the Ringgit is likely to strengthen further against SGD.”
To put things into perspective, Derrick reminded readers that “as recently as September last year, the exchange rate was still hovering around 3.3 to 1.” For those who believe such shifts are impossible, he pointed to history, noting that “in the 1990s, Sterling traded at 3X of SGD, similar to SGD to Ringgit.”
He concluded by emphasising that currencies change with fundamentals. “Exchange rates are not static. When fundamentals shift, so do currencies.”
Netizens weigh in
The post quickly drew a flood of reactions from both Malaysians and Singaporeans. Some leaned into the humour, with one commenter joking, ‘Ya, please pump RON97 and not subsidised petrol when you cross into Malaysia.’
Another laughed, “Awaiting 1 SGD vs 1.50.”
Others were more sceptical, pointing out that the rate is “still times three” and urging calm, saying “this is not crypto.” A few netizens also questioned the focus of the post, commenting that attention should remain on domestic issues and helping ordinary people.
