Originally posted by ShutterBug:
Has anyone read this?
[b]The giant and the tiny red dot
Chee Siok Chin
11 Jun 07
Singapore is a tiny country less than 700 square kilometres and
where just over four million people reside. Compare this with
China's 1.3 billion people and a land area of over nine million
square kilometers, and the question of what the island-nation can
teach the world's most populated country comes to mind.
Yet, there has been no shortage of such advocates. Listen to what
economist and strategist, Mr. Arjuna Mahendran, says about the
matter:
"Singapore is a small country of 4.3 million people, and is very
efficiently run by a government of competent technocrats. It is
considered a role model for other Asian countries in the field of
urban planning. Chinas leaders starting with the late Deng Xiao
Ping used Singapore as a model to fashion the development of
Shanghai and other urban centers."
India is also jumping in. Mahendran points out that "India is using
Singapores expertise to re-develop her major cities" as well as
those in Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand and even
the Middle East.
There is no doubt that Singapore is an extraordinarily influential
city-state. It is often seen as a model of economic success by not
only its neighbours, but also beyond.
Rich government, poor people
The economic success that Singapore often boasts of, however, is
overstated. The real wealth lies with the ministers who have
recently increased their salaries to between 1.5 million to 2
million US dollars year. Before this increase, ministers in
Singapore were already the highest paid public servants in the
world.
Whilst the island's leaders increased their already inflated
salaries, however, the General Household Survey showed that the
average household monthly income for the 30 percentile of lowest
wage earners dropped by an average of 12 per cent.
At the same time, the top 10 percentile of households saw an
increase of almost 15 per cent in their incomes.
The Gini Coefficient had increased from 0.49 to 0.522 from the year
200 to 2005, making income disparity in the country one of the
highest in the world.
The question of whom all this economic success benefits necessarily
arises. In truth its economic policies serve only to benefit the
rich whilst those living in need are told that welfare should be
treated like a dirty word.
The elderly are told to work beyond their retirement age and for
less pay if they do not have enough money to see them through their
remaining years.
The Peoples' Action Party (PAP) has been so successful in
propagating its non-welfarism policy that Singaporeans think it is
perfectly all right when see elderly women and men cleaning public
toilets, collecting empty cans and cardboard boxes to sell, and
going from table to table hawking packets of tissue at food
centres.
Dependent thinking
This lack of compassion and conscience arise due to the fact that
the local media have been hijacked by the ruling party. Newspapers,
magazines, television and radio networks are controlled by the
government.
This is the reality. The "success" the Singapore Government boasts
about is attained at the cost of the freedoms, rights and dignity
of its people.
The legal system is used to silence dissent; countless civil
lawsuits and criminal prosecution have been successfully brought
against opposition members.
Draconian laws have been enacted to ensure that power of the ruling
party is deeply entrenched and prevails. Laws that prohibit public
gatherings, protests, speaking to public audiences, producing
political films and the use of summary judgments in defamation
suits are just some of the regulations that serve to punish those
who are deemed as hazards to the PAP's hold on authority.
Even the police force have been brainwashed to believe that they
are personal protectors of members of the PAP.
Less authoritarian?
When compared to countries is Asia such as Burma, Cambodia, China,
Vietnam and Laos, Singapore appears to be less authoritarian and
less audacious in the way it deals with freedom fighters.
But the PAP's tactics are no less effective in curbing human rights
and quelling any perceived threats to its power.
The situation that we face in Singapore is no less difficult.
Politicians and democracy advocates have been sued, bankrupted, run
out of the country and jailed in our struggle for democracy, social
justice and human rights.
Teacher of the unfree world
But what has this Singapore-style government got to do with the
world's Goliath?
It has been reported that China's former leader, Deng Xiaoping had
openly expressed particular admiration for Singapores approach to
"social order" as the best blueprint for the rapid development of
Chinas own cities. By the 1980s the Chinese Communist leaders,
tired of the Western notion of urbanism, were also beginning to
embrace the Singapore model.
Former president, Jiang Zemin is also an admirer of Singapore's Lee
Kuan Yew. According to Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper, Jiang told
Lee during their meeting that he admired him for his role as
Singapore's elder statesman.
The economic blueprint for any country cannot be designed in
isolation of political and social development. The Singapore model
has shown that economic success cannot be achieved without the
suppression of rights and basic freedoms.
China's human rights record is drawing much criticism and attention
from democratic societies. Sanctions, resolutions and outcry by
governments and NGOs affects the Chinese Government more than it
cares to recognise or admit.
The Singapore model on the other hand draws little criticism much
less affirmative action from these similar bodies. One reason is
because it endears itself to Western multinational corporations by
creating an environment highly beneficial to such foreign
businesses but, as I have pointed out, with devastating results on
the locals.
It also placates the West by making soothing noises of being
committed to transparency and the rule of law, but in reality
practicing the opposite. This creates the illusion of legitimacy
for the government.
Unfortunately, this falsehood has either been overlooked or
accepted as fact by the international community.
Worryingly, countries like Taiwan and Russia are picking up a thing
or two about how to undermine democracy while appearing to
supporting it.
Taiwan's presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou from the Kuomintang
Party had cited Singapore as a model for Taiwan. He said "Singapore
is different from us (Taiwan) as its emphasis is not on
democratisation. Nevertheless, it is professional, corruption-free
and efficient, which is worth our learning."
A country cannot stifle democracy without seriously violating basic
human freedoms. Yet, Ma looks to this city-state as an example for
one of Asia's most established democracies.
Russia's current strongman Vladimir Putin is said to be looking at
Lee's model of promoting economic development in isolation of the
democratisation process.
Ousted former prime minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, ran
the country using the Singapore model. Analyst Shawn Crispin wrote
that in Thaksin's public speeches and weekly radio addresses, the
former Thai leader had frequently invoked Singapore's style of
governance. It proved unpopular with Thailand's democracy and
freedom activists, which eventually led to his downfall.
The dangerous truth
Since it opened its doors to foreign trade and investments, the
role that China plays in the world's economy has hugely increased.
If it does a Singapore-type expansion, there will be a heavy price
to pay for all involved, both politically as well as
economically.
There is no doubt that Singapore is often seen as a model of
economic success. The dangerous truth is that its governance
presents a threat to democracy all over the world.
If a few countries begin to import, even in part, Lee Kuan Yew's
style of governance, the struggle against tyranny is in for a rough
and prolonged ride.
Chee Siok Chin is a member of the SDP's Central Executive
Committee.[/b]
Hi, ShutterBug, thanks for posting such an interesting article.
I have not read this before. Where did you read this from?
Hope more of our fellow men and women will be wise to know what is
going on and not be fooled by them.
REally, in no time Singapore will take over Moscow as the no 1
rank!! Sigh! What can we do to make our lives here better? Help!!!
