More prosperity but a little less
democracy
Extracts from an article by DAVID LAMB.
Los Angeles Times
Related: Singapore:
an American perspective
FOR Singaporeans, there is a trade-off for staying at
the head of the pack: a little less democracy in return for a good deal
of prosperity and security. It is a notion inherent in the "Asian
values" centring on the belief that communal well-being is more important
than individual liberties.
Singapore's media exercise caution, and the People's Action Party has been in power since self-governance in 1959 and holds all but two of the 83 seats in the current Parliament. The Internal Security Act, permitting detention without judicial review, has been in effect for 33 years, though it is seldom used. The Government can be heavy-handed, if not authoritative.
"I know Westerners don't understand the curtailment of any individual liberties," said Mr Sim Kee Boon, chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. "But what we have to ask ourselves is, do we have a better life than friends in, say, India, who are supposed to have more democracy? And I think, for us, the answer is pretty obvious."