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The Second Link: An Anthology of Malaysian and Singaporean Writing
2023 marks the 60th year since the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, comprising the Federation of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak – and Singapore. For Malaysians, 1963 is of profound national significance. For Singaporeans, the more memorable year might be 1965, the year of separation and subsequent independence. Yet for two fateful years, the destinies of the two countries were conjoined. The kinship, affinity – and tensions – are still keenly felt today. This collection brings together writers from both countries to reflect creatively and critically upon this sense of entwinement – to celebrate, to reflect, and to rue, in the tradition of volumes such as The Second Tongue (ed. Edwin Thumboo, 1976).
319 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2023
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About the author
Daryl Lim Wei Jie
12 books25 followers/ Daryl Lim Wei Jie is a poet, editor, translator and literary critic from Singapore. His first book of poetry is A Book of Changes (2016). He is the co-editor of Food Republic: A Singapore Literary Banquet (2020), the first definitive anthology of literary food writing from Singapore. His latest collection of poetry is Anything but Human (2021). His poems won him the Golden Point Award in English Poetry in 2015, awarded by the National Arts Council, Singapore.
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August 12, 2025
picked this up for NLB's Travelog: Malaysia reading session later this month, and boy i'm glad i did.
the foreword of this book was already so relatable for me, and i'm sure also for the many other Malaysians who similarly decided to work in Singapore, and thus will always possess a ping-pong feeling of allegiance(?) between both countries, accompanied by a perpetual sense of being in transit. at least for me, anyway. "Every Malaysian I know who migrated to Singapore eventually finds themselves in the quandary of choice. Do we build a "better" life in Singapore or do we return to "better" Malaysia? ... We exist in an endless state of transit. "We", in this context, applies to both Malaysians who move to the island with the hope of staying and starting new futures, and Singaporeans who are tethered to memories and hometowns in the Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak. We are continuously negotiating out ideas of a "better" home. ... Each time I make the journey across the Causeway, I think about the acts of "leaving" and "returning" we conduct and wonder which term we use for which leg of the journey..."
so it was really enjoyable to read of stories which perfectly encapsulate this feeling succinctly, written by fellow writers from similar backgrounds as well.
my favourites from this anthology are:
1. the reverse of a bridge lies between two borders, by ila
talks of a family spanning across the Causeway, and the author's experiences crossing it to participate in both worlds growing up
2. Kway Teow Coattails, by Ho Kin Yunn
quite some relatable quotes in this, like: "I learned later that once you moved out, anything could deter you from returning. Or, you could stay unmarried, and volunteer to stay behind while your siblings moved where opportunities seemed to be, and when your parents died you would be alone, heading out once or twice a week to meet friends. I wondered if Yi Ma chose this life, or only felt like she had to choose it. ... Every instance of Thean Chun's hor fun has thus served as a sort of time capsule for these different Ipoh visits in my life, each corresponding to a different state of mind, and each time bringing a rising feeling in my nose that tells me I'm about to cry, as I am once again reassured of soothing familiarity, the kind that can only happen irregularly throughout your life."
i, too, have always had thoughts of leaving behind home, and essentially, my parents, in order to set up a life on my own - wondering whether it is the right thing to do, worrying whether i might have any regrets in the future, yet also knowing, after living by myself for almost half of my life now, that there is no turning back from the freedom i have enjoyed since i left home at the tender age of 18. now, everytime i go home, they are mere visits, with memories like the meals i've had to remember them by.
3. agency, by Benedict Lim
need i say more about how relatable this is, especially having gone through the PR application myself recently (although fortunately, i did not have to endure as arduous a process as Tara did). again, in a similar vein, this story spoke of the conundrum of leaving home to a place i do not even know whether i can call home, giving rise to moments where i start to question and doubt my decision to come to Singapore, and to stay here until now. my absence from home is measured and emphasised by the various changes which beladen my hometown that i discover on each of my trip home.
4. Foot Massage, by Mohamed Shaker
very apt lament about Malaysians' attitudes and their apparent reluctance to improve themselves, hilariously set against Singaporeans' unilateral indignity towards such attitudes in comparison with Singaporean efficiency, and overall how "same same but different" Malaysia and Singapore ultimately are.
5. Referendum Rains, by Rachel Fung
a short one, but very charming in the way it eventually took an unexpected turn into offbeat fiction, reminding me strongly of Hiromi Kawakami's penmanship.
6. The Real Little India, by Sumitra Selvaraj
so hilariously witty and 100% believable as a real conversation that could have taken place in real life, with Singapore always being lauded as Malaysia's "better" counterpart.
7. Annals, by Joshua Ip
another one that i absolutely love because of how much it made me laugh. first of all, "Malayan Sultanate" really cuts close to the present state of Malaysia now lol and "Singapore Socialist Republic" yeah you wish!! the last thing Singapore will ever be is socialist, which was why i guffawed out loud at "SING Pte Ltd". "the eighteenth Nusataran Republic-Greater Singaporean Co-Prosperity Sphere War was fought because Mahathir" is crazy because this presupposes that Mahathir is still alive in this very far hypothetical future dystopian era, and also no explanation was needed beyond "because Mahathir".
the foreword of this book was already so relatable for me, and i'm sure also for the many other Malaysians who similarly decided to work in Singapore, and thus will always possess a ping-pong feeling of allegiance(?) between both countries, accompanied by a perpetual sense of being in transit. at least for me, anyway. "Every Malaysian I know who migrated to Singapore eventually finds themselves in the quandary of choice. Do we build a "better" life in Singapore or do we return to "better" Malaysia? ... We exist in an endless state of transit. "We", in this context, applies to both Malaysians who move to the island with the hope of staying and starting new futures, and Singaporeans who are tethered to memories and hometowns in the Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak. We are continuously negotiating out ideas of a "better" home. ... Each time I make the journey across the Causeway, I think about the acts of "leaving" and "returning" we conduct and wonder which term we use for which leg of the journey..."
so it was really enjoyable to read of stories which perfectly encapsulate this feeling succinctly, written by fellow writers from similar backgrounds as well.
my favourites from this anthology are:
1. the reverse of a bridge lies between two borders, by ila
talks of a family spanning across the Causeway, and the author's experiences crossing it to participate in both worlds growing up
2. Kway Teow Coattails, by Ho Kin Yunn
quite some relatable quotes in this, like: "I learned later that once you moved out, anything could deter you from returning. Or, you could stay unmarried, and volunteer to stay behind while your siblings moved where opportunities seemed to be, and when your parents died you would be alone, heading out once or twice a week to meet friends. I wondered if Yi Ma chose this life, or only felt like she had to choose it. ... Every instance of Thean Chun's hor fun has thus served as a sort of time capsule for these different Ipoh visits in my life, each corresponding to a different state of mind, and each time bringing a rising feeling in my nose that tells me I'm about to cry, as I am once again reassured of soothing familiarity, the kind that can only happen irregularly throughout your life."
i, too, have always had thoughts of leaving behind home, and essentially, my parents, in order to set up a life on my own - wondering whether it is the right thing to do, worrying whether i might have any regrets in the future, yet also knowing, after living by myself for almost half of my life now, that there is no turning back from the freedom i have enjoyed since i left home at the tender age of 18. now, everytime i go home, they are mere visits, with memories like the meals i've had to remember them by.
3. agency, by Benedict Lim
need i say more about how relatable this is, especially having gone through the PR application myself recently (although fortunately, i did not have to endure as arduous a process as Tara did). again, in a similar vein, this story spoke of the conundrum of leaving home to a place i do not even know whether i can call home, giving rise to moments where i start to question and doubt my decision to come to Singapore, and to stay here until now. my absence from home is measured and emphasised by the various changes which beladen my hometown that i discover on each of my trip home.
4. Foot Massage, by Mohamed Shaker
very apt lament about Malaysians' attitudes and their apparent reluctance to improve themselves, hilariously set against Singaporeans' unilateral indignity towards such attitudes in comparison with Singaporean efficiency, and overall how "same same but different" Malaysia and Singapore ultimately are.
5. Referendum Rains, by Rachel Fung
a short one, but very charming in the way it eventually took an unexpected turn into offbeat fiction, reminding me strongly of Hiromi Kawakami's penmanship.
6. The Real Little India, by Sumitra Selvaraj
so hilariously witty and 100% believable as a real conversation that could have taken place in real life, with Singapore always being lauded as Malaysia's "better" counterpart.
7. Annals, by Joshua Ip
another one that i absolutely love because of how much it made me laugh. first of all, "Malayan Sultanate" really cuts close to the present state of Malaysia now lol and "Singapore Socialist Republic" yeah you wish!! the last thing Singapore will ever be is socialist, which was why i guffawed out loud at "SING Pte Ltd". "the eighteenth Nusataran Republic-Greater Singaporean Co-Prosperity Sphere War was fought because Mahathir" is crazy because this presupposes that Mahathir is still alive in this very far hypothetical future dystopian era, and also no explanation was needed beyond "because Mahathir".
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