Singapore: World City. Kim Inglis
in a Garden", 101 hectares of prime reclaimed land have been transformed into a futuristic public garden (see previous page), aptly showcasing Singapore’s ability to transform itself into Asia’s premier tropical Garden City.
Today, there’s no denying that both the public and private sectors have finally come of age—the city-state is the envy of the region and the world. And, as with all works in progress, while balancing the past with the present, Singapore continues to look towards the future.
Transport and trade: A 1980s photograph of the Singapore river showing hundreds of bumboats moored at Boat Quay on right.
SINGAPORE INC
THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT
A dignified sign outside Singapore’s new Parliament building. The red-and-white national flag features a white crescent moon facing a pentagon of five small white five-pointed stars. Gleaming office towers in the Financial District.
Despite its tiny size and limited resources, since Independence in 1965 Singapore has developed into a highly successful economy with one of the highest per-capita GDPs in the world. Undoubtedly this has been in large part because of extensive government planning and intervention, initially under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, then his deputy Goh Chok Tong and more recently under Lee’s eldest son Lee Hsien Loong. All three have been or are leaders of the People’s Action Party (PAP), Singapore’s premier political party.
Since the early days after independence from British rule, the Singapore government has combined Economic Development Board planning with free-market policies all the while attracting foreign investment. For example, the country’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings is a major investor in some of Singapore’s largest companies, such as Singapore Airlines, SingTel and MediaCorp, yet many other smaller companies have been encouraged to thrive in what is effectively a free-market economy. This middle way between government control and swashbuckling entrepreneurialism termed the "Singapore Model" has been much lauded by economists as a viable route towards stability and growth.
Singapore’s traditional portfolio of shipping, petro-chemical, electronic and chemical industries is supported by its strategic port which allows it to purchase raw materials such as oil, gas and water and refine them for re-export. Since 2010, its two casinos have substantially added to the country’s revenues, allowing Singapore to buy natural resources and goods that it does not have or does not manufacture. Furthermore, always looking to the future, the government has more recently embarked on investments in biotechnology, financial services, the opening and running of higher education institutions, and medical tourism.
The "Singapore Model" with its Confucian ideals that value traditional hierarchies and social order above individual hopes and desires has produced a diligent population that has, for the most part, benefitted from this social and economic stability. Most have high levels of savings in the government’s mandatory Central Provident Fund that is both a money maker and a source of funds for the population’s healthcare and retirement needs. Interestingly enough, the CPF was initiated in 1955 by the colonial government, but was continued after independence.
Skyscrapers in the Financial District: In 2008, the government announced plans to add 85 hectares of offices in the Marina Bay area; on completion it will be more than twice the size of London’s Canary Wharf.
Singapore’s President Yushof bin Ishak receives the salute during the ceremonial march along the padang on the occasion of Singapore’s first Independence day celebration on 9 August 1966.
LEE KUAN YEW:
SINGAPORE’S FOUNDING FATHER
No book on Singapore would be complete without more than one mention of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister and the man credited with directing the country from Independence to developed nation status. Born on 16 September 1923 as a third-generation Straits-born Chinese, Lee excelled early, winning a scholarship to Cambridge University and graduating with a first class honours degree in law in 1949. In 1954 Lee helped co-found the People’s Action Party (PAP), shrewdly representing its more moderate faction, all the while negotiating to extract Singapore from its colonial masters, then later vying for power within the Federation of Malaya. After Independence, he became the Republic of Singapore’s first prime minister, a post he retained for 31 years.
Whatever one may think of his autocratic style, Lee should be credited in large part for transforming Singapore from a tiny third-world island with a disparate and unruly population into a shining model of efficiency and prosperity. It was his personal vision that guided this extraordinary journey: early infrastructure projects, the attraction of foreign investment, rapid industrialization and the development of an English-language education system all garnered quick results. These were further consolidated with more infrastructure, defense, health, education, pension and housing schemes, as well as urban regeneration programmes and home-ownership plans.
After resigning in 1990, Lee has held two advisory roles, first as Senior Minister, then as Minister Mentor: Frequently sought after for opinions and guidance, despite frail health, he remains very much involved in government policy.
In recent years, as the population has grown and expanded, the PAP has faced some criticism for its rigid, paternalistic style despite the fact that Singapore is a stable, pro-business, relatively corruption-free city-state. Some argue that the government is too focused on economic growth and has hindered individuality, artistic prowess and personal freedoms. In response to this, there has been a gradual loosening of this control, with the PAP turning its attention to its education system and the arts, entertainment and tourism sectors, all the while still continuing to bolster the economy. As a result, Singapore seems more relaxed than it was a couple of decades ago: Art, architecture and design, for example, are thriving as never before.
This does not mean to say that the country has changed direction. There is still little political opposition, a type of self-censorship exists within the press, and the government has broad powers to limit citizens’ rights. For example, the Public Order Act of 2009 prohibits outdoor public processions or assemblies without police permits. Nevertheless, even as some parts of the population become ever more vocal as the nation matures, the majority continue to be incredibly hard-working, with many putting in long hours in the office all the while valuing family and tradition above all.
Certainly, when one compares standards of living in Singapore with those of its neighbours, the country scores highly. Crime is low, stability is high, and the population is friendly, well-educated and secure. This, no doubt, is due in large part to government policies, as well as to Singaporeans’ hard work and commitment to law and order.
SINGAPORE’S PARLIAMENT
As with many former British colonies, Singapore adopted Britain’s Westminster parliamentary model upon Independence. The country is a democratic republic with the President of Singapore being the head of state, the Prime Minister of Singapore being the head of government, and executive power exercised by the cabinet. The parliament consists of a single chamber, currently composed of 87 elected seats.
Even though Singapore is supposed to be a multi-party state, the People’s Action Party (PAP) has won every general election since independence. Its actions in suppressing opposition, especially in the first two decades after Independence, have led many (both within and without the country) to argue that Singapore is a de-facto one-party state. Be that as it may, the system operates with a governing party and an opposition (which usually wins two to four seats).
Firstly housed in a dignified Victorian building that was originally a merchant’s private home (now an arts centre known as Old Parliament