Malaysia expelled Singapore from the federation in 1965 expecting it to starve with zero natural resources, zero military, and no fresh water. Lee Kuan Yew cried on national television, locked himself in a room for 48 hours, and built a global semiconductor and wealth hub with higher GDP per capita than Great Britain out of pure, unadulterated spite.
The Israeli military advisers brought in to build the Singapore Armed Forces in secret were called "Mexicans" because Singapore didn't want to trigger its Muslim neighbors in 1966. Operation Brown Bag.
Turning national vulnerability into a survival religion. Mandatory national service for every male, total anti-corruption, and execution for drug trafficking. Ruthless Machiavellian pragmatism.
And now Malaysians commute 3 hours across the Causeway to earn 3.5x currency exchange. The historical reversal is insane.
Spite is the most powerful macroeconomic growth driver.
Tunku Abdul Rahman thought Singapore without Malaysian hinterland rubber, tin, and fresh water from Johor would collapse into communist riots within 6 months. LKY built Jurong Island petrochemical refinery, created NEWater recycled wastewater, and invited Texas Instruments.