Singapore is called the garden city, lush tropical plants and trees line the streets and sidewalks. Still the soothing feeling of being surrounded by nature is missing. Instead there is an eerie atmosphere enveloping the city. At a closer look one realizes why: all vegetation is perfectly trimmed, no leafs are sticking out inappropriately and no tree branches scratching the bus roofs. This immaculate orderliness resembles much of what Singapore stands for.
In Singapore, everything seems to be simply perfect. It is one of the most affluent countries on earth and probably the shiniest, cleanest city as well. And of course people are proud of it, manifested in monuments like the great "Fountain of Wealth"--the biggest Fountain on the planet.
Because of its success, Singapore is seen as an Utopian Vision by many leaders of developing countries. Especially China holds the 'Tiger City's' achievements in the highest regard. A Chinese official
asked by the New York Times what he values most about Singapore summed it up as follows: "It's run by Chinese, it's efficient, it's rich, and no one jabbers about human rights." For the many people who expect China to 'open up' and liberalize in course of its economic rise, a closer look at Singapore might instead provide a future vision of China.
The achievements of former prime minister's People's Action Party (PAP) are indeed impressive, it transformed Singapore from a swampy island to one of the world's most developed countries (25th in the 2007 Human Development Index). How was that achieved? The answer is Social Engineering. Like the botany on famous Orchard Road, Singaporean society was meticulously tailored towards the Party's vision. Every thinkable aspect of social life is controlled and regulated. The most evident signs are the ubiquitous prohibition signs threatening exorbitant fines for minor offenses, i.e. consumption of food items in the subway without holding valid permit. More subtly, immigration quotas maintain ethnic balance in society according to what the government deems appropriate. Individualism has, of course, little place in a country whose leader once referred to his subjects as "digits" (according to
this article in The Times).
Life as a digit can be very comfortable, riding to business meetings in a comfortable car, enjoying the rich cuisine and shopping in one of the ubiquitous malls to relax. Singaporeans interviewed by Oliver James for his book "Affluenza" placed shopping on the highest ranks of their favourite leisure activities. Indeed, the soothing effect of affluence seems to be the answer to most problems arising in this society. The government officials in Singapore receive some of the highest salary's in the world, with the current prime minister's annual earnings roughly equal S$2m (according to information by the opposition).
"Satisfactory remuneration is a prerequisite to combat corruption. If you can't make ends meet then the temptation to receive bribes is high," comments Joseph Cheng, political analyst at Hong Kong University, in an 2002 article on singapore-window.com. George W. Bush, in comparison, is in the same article said to earn around US$400.000. This is certainly one way to fight corruption.
The benefits of the Singaporean model are clear--but what are the costs?
To find out, on National Day 2008 I went to meet members of the Singapore Democratic Party, to see it click here...
Make sure your sound is switched on!Their lack of freedom has been paid for with a shower of wealth. What will happen if, however, one day this runs dry remains to be seen...
