New direction for Singapore

[Sammyboy RSS Feed]

An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

Current Singapore was shaped largely by Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, not just physically, but mentally too. Although there are voices of dissent, I'd say a large number support his policies, and his party. Now that this era is over, is there going to be a change in sentiment? Below article from Japanese newspaper seems to suggest so. The youth do not share the same experiences as their predecessors and the ruling party cannot depend on their "loyalty" to win the next election. I think change is in the air.

Cheers!

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Econ...c-growth-model

Singapore pursues a more democratic growth model

WATARU YOSHIDA, Nikkei staff writer


SINGAPORE -- Singapore saw the end of an era with the death of its founding father, Lee Kuan Yew. The city-state now seeks a new balance between prosperity and change in order to usher in the next wave of economic growth.
A former teacher recalled how his country had changed since its 1965 independence, when he was a teen. The 67-year-old lost his father while he was an infant, and his mother worked at a chicken farm to raise him and his two siblings. He took night classes and earned a college degree. He now lives in a large house and travels abroad.
"Without Mr. Lee, I never would have had this life," he said.
But not everybody is pleased with the government's heavy-handed policies. About 2,000 youths flocked to a park in the city center last June to protest how the public pension fund was being run. Some even demanded that Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew's son and the current prime minister, step down. Such rallies are rare in Singapore, which strongly restricts criticism of the government.
The gratitude and resentment both are products of Lee Kuan Yew's so-called developmental dictatorship, and they reflect the complex reality Singaporeans face today.
Lee believed order, not democracy, was the key to economic development. Singapore is referred to ironically as the "Fine City." Drinking in public places will be banned effective April 1, and offenders can be fined up to 2,000 Singapore dollars ($1,462). There are fines for selling gum and eating on the subway as well.
Lee's brand of government, where one party dominated for half a century, worked only because it made Singaporeans richer. But the city-state has become wealthy and no longer can expect the exponential growth it enjoyed in the past. The public is shifting focus to political change.
A government survey from 2013 found that 44% of respondents ages 15-19 valued freedom of expression more than preventing social tensions, while only 37% chose the reverse.
Lee once complained that the younger generations were growing overconfident. A deep divide exists among older citizens who remember Singapore's successful growth under Lee and the youth for whom economic prosperity was a given.
Singapore must harness its people's initiative to enter the next stage of growth. The authoritarian government produced an army of consistent, productive workers, which supported the manufacturing sector. But it is Singapore's expertise in finance, services and other specialized sectors that Southeast Asia needs today, especially with plans to launch a regional economic community by the end of the year. These sectors need creative people in order to expand.
Lee Hsien Loong already is making some changes. Welfare spending, such as medical assistance for the elderly, made up a heavy chunk of Singapore's fiscal 2015 budget proposal. High-income households will face higher taxes. Rather than focusing completely on national growth and leaving individuals to fend for themselves, Singapore has begun shifting toward redistribution of wealth.
The idea is to scrap the system where elites hold all decision-making power and instead have a much wider range of people contribute to Singapore's success.
Singapore could hold general elections before the end of the year. The People's Action Party won just 60% of the vote in 2011, a record low for the ruling party. It has not fared much better since. The next elections could reveal what Singaporeans see in their future.


Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com.