The Hard Rock Cafe in Bangkok has one of Thailand's ubiquitous tuk-tuks (a type of motorised tricycle-taxi) hanging over its door. Its sister restaurant in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, boasts a Formula One racing car. Something symbolic here? Malaysia, and especially the tiny island-nation of Singapore off its southern tip, are South-East Asia's economic superstars and enjoy the highest living standards in the region. After gaining independence, both pulled ahead of their neighbours with strong men at the wheel: Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's prime minister since 1981, and Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founding father. Yet these veteran leaders are not the best of friends.
展开▼
机译：曼谷的Hard Rock Cafe的门上悬挂着泰国无处不在的嘟嘟车（一种机动三轮车出租车）。它在马来西亚首都吉隆坡的姐妹餐厅拥有一级方程式赛车。这里有象征意义吗？马来西亚，尤其是南端新加坡的一个小岛国，是东南亚的经济超级巨星，享有该地区最高的生活水平。获得独立后，两人都以坚强的人领先于邻居：自1981年以来担任马来西亚总理的马哈蒂尔·穆罕默德（Mahathir Mohamad）和新加坡的开国元勋李光耀。然而，这些资深领导人并不是最好的朋友。
展开▼
