IT'S LATE afternoon and the century-old bridge joining Singapore and Malaysia should be starting to clog with the evening commute. Viewed from a boat in a narrow sea lane, only a few trucks and the odd car make their way across.
The paucity of traffic on one of two road crossings between the countries reflects the toll Covid-19 has taken on their vital economic ties. Singapore split from Malaysia in 1965 and built a city-state that became a hub for global business.
For all of Singapore's attributes, commercial links with its ex-spouse underpin important parts of its success. The southern Malaysian state of Johor is the linchpin of those ties. The border is much more than a small sea lane: water, power, labor and food flow between Singapore and Johor. The eggs I ate for breakfast were probably laid there.
People can earn more money in Singapore, while its rapidly aging society and dwindling fertility rate have created labor shortages.
It's far cheaper to make stuff in Malaysia, but a lot of factories rely on Singapore to reach global markets.
Buying property in Johor is more affordable, too. Many of the condominiums that line its shores are owned by Singaporeans.
The Covid-19 coronavirus exposed how vulnerable this mutual dependency can be. Before the pandemic, about half a million Malaysians traveled to Singapore for work, a big chunk of whom were stranded when border restrictions were imposed.
One father, who has been barred from returning to his family since March, recently made news when he waved to his wife and two toddlers across about half a mile of water, identifiable only by the color of his shirt.
The contours of this relationship force us to rethink what borders truly mean. Are they lines on a map drawn by diplomats, or is the more substantive demarcation found on the edges of interdependent regional economic zones?
I caught up recently by phone and email with Francis Hutchinson, who with Serina Rahman, edited "Johor: Abode of Development?”
The new collection of essays is second in a series charting economic links between Singapore and its nearest neighbors. Here is a lightly edited transcript of our exchanges:
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