R&D is simply a very risky venture. Sky high returns or
liitle/none at all, for projects with great complexity and
astronomical outlays. There is no such thing as creating a research
industry if you are not at the forefront and reaping the massive
payoffs but is making minor improvements on current processes. Not
only that, if the product in question has compartively little
commerical value ie. improving vit A (!)content at a greater
expense (which consumer would buy such a brand of rice? Would
you?), it must be assumed that you are at least a decade ahead in
technology in front of your competitors to ensure economic
dominance in that particular field. by means of patents of the
technology itself in question, as eventually other scientists would
have come to the same discoveries. The question that comes to mind
is what are Singapore's chances of becoming a leader? If taking in
mind, your competitors are USA, Australia, Britain, China, then
realistically the best one can hope for is second best, unless by
some cosmic accident or fate, a potential Nobel prize winner is
born in Singapore.
As a 14 year old, you still have secondary school, junior college,
army, and college even before working life. Guns are not toys nor
casualities a number in computer games. Not a single soldier in SAF
(UN peacekeeper doesnt count, or medical support) has tasted war so
don't BS about bravery and patriotism.
As for the PAP and politics, nowadays even PAP admits it is not
simply the material aspect (even that is not a surety) of life that
people desire, but other factors as well. Btw, the very nature of
democracy; not a one-party country; dictates self-interest of
political groups and individuals being paramount to the State
appartus itself. Are the people content and happy with PAP as a
whole or is the the lack of a viable altenative and the threat of
instablity and its possible effect of capsizing a small boat a
compelling reason?
