When news flashed from across the straits, it landed as if a sledgehammer had smashed an egg: Singapore had announced an extremely rare corruption probe against a member of its cabinet, Transport Minister Subramaniam Iswaran.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in announcing the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau's (CPIB) probe, also ordered the minister to go on indefinite leave.
This was a generational seismic shift: when was the last time a Singapore minister was investigated for corruption? It was in 1986, when Teh Cheang Wan, minister in charge of the Housing Development Board under Lee Kuan Yew's cabinet, was accused of accepting bribes.
Teh maintained his innocence, but committed suicide soon after. He left a lasting legacy: the ban on chewing gum. His idea was rejected initially for being too drastic, but codified nine years after his death.
The fresh corruption investigation will undoubtedly be a blotch to Singapore's proud, pristine and incorruptible image, reported by Transparency International as the fifth most honest public sector in the world.
Why is Singapore seen as incorruptible? For one, strict anti-leakage laws enabled by tough penalties, zero tolerance and transparent governance stemming from tight state-controlled positions in many socio-political and economic policies.
So obsessed is Singapore with their zero-tolerance policy that professional footballers undergo polygraph tests as a legacy of the bad old days of match-fixing decades ago.
Then there's the fearsome CPIB, a highly independent enforcement unit which boldly tracks corrupt high-ranking officers.
So independent is the CPIB that in 2014, one of its assistant directors was charged with financial misappropriation. It's clear that despite the embarrassing revelation of a corruption probe, Singapore still ranks high.
What about Malaysia and our chronic corruption snake pit? We can brag that we jailed a former prime minister, indicted another former prime minister and are trying a current deputy prime minister to prove that we, too, are serious about combating corruption.
Investigation papers have also been opened to scrutinise the alleged transgressions of high-ranking ministers, government officials and tycoons.
For Malaysia, the Singapore method seems perfect: to purge graft, corrupt mandarins at the top must be hauled in first.
Then, launch a persistent campaign to transform corruption into something of an "evil blight" so vexing that people voluntarily stay clear out of moral conviction or religious righteousness.
Of course, in the long run, a very strong political will is highly desired. Without it, Malaysia's corruption mess will continue meandering behind Singapore in real terms and in reputation.