The ringgit's SHOCKING FALL in value: The price to pay for MISMANAGEMENT

Because I had to send my kid to catch a flight from Changi, I had to drive to Singapore twice within a span of three days, once on the National Day and another time just two days ago.

Our National Day fell on a Saturday and I started my journey early in the morning. The traffic was surprisingly light although I saw a multitude of motorcyclists heading to the island republic for work.

Seeing the endless stream of motorcycles waiting to clear the Woodlands checkpoint, I was thinking these Malaysians could have been the lucky lot, given the high SGD exchange rate.

It was Monday two days ago, and this time we set off for home around eight in the evening after seeing off my son at Changi Airport. It started to rain heavily and the traffic was clogged up because of a road accident along our way. About five or six kilometres from Woodlands Checkpoint, we started to see a throng of motorcyclists braving the storm as they dashed ahead towards the checkpoint.

Seeing them soaked in the downpour, I didn't quite think they were the fortunate lot this time.

I was reminded of my own experience working in Singapore back in the 1970s, when I, too, had to brave the weather plying between the two ends of the Causeway. Indeed, there is a price to pay to make money outside our country.

With the Sing Dollar galloping to new highs in recent days, many people might look to their friends working across the Causeway with envy, being able to take home Sing Dollars at the end of each month and spend in ringgit. They nevertheless fail to see the fact that these workers have to rise before daybreak to risk the elements to make a living beyond JB, and life is never that easy after all.

No one has provided an accurate number of Malaysians riding their motorbikes to work in Singapore from JB each day; some said it has to be over 10,000. Whatever the figure may be, during the peak hours in the morning and evening, motorcycles will make a beeline in front of the checkpoints on both ends of the Johor Causeway, a sight that easily amazes a foreign friend seeing it for the first time.

The Johor Causeway witnessed the marriage and later divorce between Malaysia and Singapore, as well as the dramatic changes taking place on both ends. The exchange rate between the two countries' currencies alone has illustrated the vast differences and changes, politically and economically, in our two countries.

In 1963, Singapore, along with Sabah and Sarawak, joined Malaya to form the Federation of Malaysia. However, Singapore opted out two years later. The newly independent republic was still using the Malaysian Ringgit as it started to print its own bills only from June 12, 1967.

I could still remember the first set of Singapore notes sported the orchid design, and was lower in face value than the ringgit at S$1 to 90 Malaysian cents. Back in those years, things were cheaper in Singapore than here and Johoreans were seen flocking to Woodlands to shop after sundown or during weekends, bringing back garments, food and fruit they tried very hard to hide from the eyes of customs officials.

Things have since changed. Sing Dollar is now a strong currency in the region and its exchange rate vis-&agrave-vis the Ringgit has been climbing steadily. What happened next was: Singaporeans pumped up their fuel tanks, shopped, dined and even snapped up properties in Johor.

While the beneficiary businesses take delight in the influx of loaded Singaporeans, ordinary citizens grumble about skyrocketing goods and property prices. To make things worse, they start to realise how small our currency is as soon as they plant their feet in Singapore.

-Sin Chew Daily