After Indonesia reduced its gas exports to Singapore on Saturday many people began quoting Lee Kuan Yew's famous quip: "You've got friendly neighbours? Grow up!".
However, while Singapore's neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia, have never really been friendly, Singaporeans have to acknowledge that their small country owes its success and prosperity to them.
While somewhat hostile, they are unlikely to be a direct military threat to Singapore. Not like, for example, Iran is to the Arab countries.
On the other hand, if they were reasonable and cordial, it would likely mean they were more competent too. If they weren't so consumed with envy towards a tiny island, they might be running their economies better.
But by doing so, they could become an existential threat to Singapore.
Just imagine if their capitals were modern, clean, efficient, globally trusted cities, free of bureaucracy and corruption.
Indonesia has nearly as many people as the USA. If Jakarta were similarly developed and civilised, it would be on a par with New York City. Who would need Singapore then? Why hire a middleman if you can trust the source?
In such a reality, Singapore could at most be like one of the Caribeean tax havens – a small jurisdiction offering a few perks, but little more than that, because its much bigger, powerful neighbours would naturally attract most of the money and people.
Singapore has established itself as a safe springboard into a region of otherwise underdeveloped, corrupt countries, ran by unpredictable, unreliable governments.
The price is occasional disruption, like the one triggered by Indonesia two days ago. But knowing its neighbours has allowed Singapore to prepare for such eventualities, so that their tantrums can't really affect the city too badly.
At the same time, this childish behaviour is actually beneficial, as it continues to show the world that other Southeast Asian nations are not trustworthy and if you want to do business in this part of the world, you have to come to the city-state.
Singapore has the best neighbours it could ever dream of.
Hostile – but not enough to pose a security risk – and reliably stupid – which reinforces Singapore's reputation as the only credible destination in SEA.
For that to change, Indonesia and Malaysia would have to evolve new, fundamentally different cultures of governance and business, free from cronyism and bribery.
And since that is impossible for the foreseeable future, Singaporeans can sleep soundly at night.
