Originally posted by: alphatarget1
Originally posted by: Scrooge2
To debunk the western ideas obout nazi states and poverty with prostitutes. Singapore is one of those highly westernized asian countries (as funny as thatmay sound). The country/city relies the bulk of its economy on foreign trade/agreements and sale/production of technology. Its one of those city/country deals, not sure if its a legitamate nation. People there speak Chinese and English. It's VERY safe to walk around at night and finding prostitutes are HIGHLY unlikely and the place is supposed to be beautiful, at least places of it are.
uh, all i know about singapore is that it's *not* really a democracy, they have nazi laws (how pathetic/barbaric is it to whip someone in modern society? You'd think such a modernized country would know better), and the government has a very tight control of what people say about it.
Of course it's a legitimate country--
!
It's very dangerous to throw the "N" word. Nazism has very specific connotations that do not apply to Singapore. I think Singapore's unique situation led to a very interesting social experiment that appears to have greatly succeeded. Think of all the "Third World" nations that gained independence after WW2. There are very few, if any (!), that have reached the same heights as Singapore.
When full independence was achieved in 1965, there were many serious obstacles:
1) Tiny, Chinese-majority nation surrounded by Muslim nations (Indonesia, flirting with Soviet Union at the time, is too close for comfort)
2) Communist activity (Inside the country, as well as outside, e.g. Vietnam was destabilizing the region)
3) No natural resources--The country even needs to buy water from Malaysia!
4) Racial tensions--Race riots galore!
5) Strategic maritime location that the superpowers coveted. (This was a good thing that I'm sure was one reason why the USA and Singapore are strong allies)
I don't think that a true democracy would have worked in this setting. Chaos would have ensued, with probable takeover by a neighboring country. The leadership chose to go with a quasi-democracy with a benign dictator. Citizens were free to go about their business as long as they don't break certain common-sense rules that result in harsh punishments. The Chinese leadership also made it a point to have minorities in prominent roles--at one time, the country's (mostly ceremonial) president was Malay!
I'm not saying that I approve of Singapore's style of gov't, just that it was needed to get the country established. Think of it as a very mild form of martial law.
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