Singapore, Is it really a Democratic country?

2005-11-25T05:39:00.000-08:00

Is Singapore really a democratic country? If not, what sort of governance does it possess?

It is in my opinion that Singapore is not a democratic country. Its form of government is sort of a mix between a democratic, communist and dictatorial system. My basis for saying so is as follows.

One, as far as the government is concerned, it does what it THINKS is best for Singaporeans. It’s not a bad thing, except that it does not concern itself overmuch with the inputs of its citizens. It is one thing to care for the well-being of one’s citizens, but to over-protect them is quite another. A child needs to put his hand in the fire to become aware of the danger. Similarly, Singaporeans (us), live in a pampered environment. This is one reason why Singaporean businessmen find themselves complaining when business deals in countries like China sour. Also, while the government appears to take its citizens feedback into considerations, it only does a superficial job of placating the masses.

This, I refer to the Casino incident. The government was very interested in constructing a casino to ‘attract tourists’, although I feel it is more to generate revenue. When Singaporeans vehemently opposed it, the government held a parliamentary session and, after much deliberation, changed it to an Integrated Resort (IR). It added that an IR was a resort that had a small portion dedicated for a casino, instead of the original plan for a stand-alone casino. Well, they also placed various restrictions which were supposed to keep the less well-off from venturing into this place. However, this does not restrict the wealthy, who in gambling excessively, may become bankrupt. The revenue is probably much needed, since Singapore recently gave a rather large long-term interest-free loan to Indonesia.

Another thing is that the government, a large majority being from the PAP, uses various means to stay in power. While doubtlessly, large majorities support the PAP for its stability, there is a minority who support the opposition. The various political boundaries were re-drawn recently, and it coincidentally split a GRC containing a large population of opposition supporters into half. This is a very effective measure to keep the opposition small and unrepresented. Unless I miss my guess, suppressing the opposition is a common trait between communism and dictatorship.

Also, rioting and protesting isn’t allowed. While there may be a rationale behind it, and it isn’t wrong, it also has a lot in common with communism and dictatorship. Also, while the government appears to try help its citizens, it privatizes public services, freeing up its resources while leaving its people to pay increasing prices. Public transport is public transport. It should not be privatized as doing so will cause price hikes that people less well-off may not be able to afford on a regular basis.

On lighter note, the government does allow voting, a high point of democracy. I feel this would be more effective if rules are eased to allow more factions to participate.

Ok, now, I must apologize for this supposed slamming of the Singapore government. But please take into account that this is seen through the eyes of a 17-year-old Singaporean and must be taken with a pinch of salt. I apologize if I have in any way offended any one inadvertently.

This is an opinion based on facts. Please do not take this entire passage as a fact. Discretion is advised.

Th3 Controversy

Singapore, Is it really a Democratic country?