3 ms·

Singapore is surrounded by far more corrupt countries yet has one of the least corrupt governments in the world according to Transparency International. A head

Singapore is surrounded by far more corrupt countries yet has one of the least corrupt governments in the world according to Transparency International. A head of a ministry there can earn more than 3 million dollars. They also have one of the most efficient, as a percentage of GDP vs health outcomes, healthcare systems in the world. Think of all the subsidies that go to corporations from the government. If they just paid 1/10th of those subsidies to politicians that regulate them, they'd cut out the middleman and save taxpayers a lot of money due to greater competition and more efficiency among the businesses and industries they oversee. Political rivals would have a huge incentive to point out corruption so they could get their job. If they were expecting to benefit from the corruption, they would instead attack on unrelated issues in order to preserve the corruption cash cow.

amag 9y ago
> Singapore is surrounded by far more corrupt countries It's funny you say because I have my favorite counter-example from one of those surrounding countries. I was in Thailand when Thaksin Shinawatra with his ThaiRakThai party was first elected into power. Many people I spoke to had voted for him because "he's the richest man in Thailand, he doesn't need any more money so he cannot be corrupted!". Fast-Forward five years and he changed laws that allowed him to sell a larger share of his own company as well as evade paying taxes for the sale. He was ousted by the military for being too corrupt for Thailand!
- narrator 9y ago
  He wasn't being paid by the government though. His government salary was probably trivial compared to his other sources of income.
  - rtpg 9y ago
    So do we need to pay the US President billions? If there was a "pay $10 billion to get a law" corruption system in the US, all the big companies would spend that money. Nothing is more valuable We don't need to reward politicians for not being terrible. Having a strong independent judiciary is good enough. Sure, in the US there's super PACs and whatnot, but when the bribery is explicit enough, politicians go to jail.
    - chiefalchemist 9y ago
      "Sure, in the US there's super PACs and whatnot, but when the bribery is explicit enough, politicians go to jail." Most of them are not that stupid. Why risk jail when there are countless ways to be compensated and not get caught. Sure I agree with you. But that still leaves a pretty big hole in the system.
      - stevew20 9y ago
        Here's a thought: give people the right to vote for the public execution of their immediate representatives. If you represent people faithfully you prosper, if not you get a foot shorter.
- guptaneil 9y ago
  Interestingly, many people (including Trump) said the same thing about Trump in the States. He's so independently wealthy, he can finance his entire campaign himself and not be controlled by anyone because he doesn't owe them anything. Turns out that couldn't be further from the truth.
  - chiefalchemist 9y ago
    True or not. What we've learned is its not a positive either. Someone with no strings attached will act as such. That is, unteathered.

amag 9y ago

> Singapore is surrounded by far more corrupt countries It's funny you say because I have my favorite counter-example from one of those surrounding countries. I was in Thailand when Thaksin Shinawatra with his ThaiRakThai party was first elected into power. Many people I spoke to had voted for him because "he's the richest man in Thailand, he doesn't need any more money so he cannot be corrupted!". Fast-Forward five years and he changed laws that allowed him to sell a larger share of his own company as well as evade paying taxes for the sale. He was ousted by the military for being too corrupt for Thailand!

narrator 9y ago
He wasn't being paid by the government though. His government salary was probably trivial compared to his other sources of income.
- rtpg 9y ago
  So do we need to pay the US President billions? If there was a "pay $10 billion to get a law" corruption system in the US, all the big companies would spend that money. Nothing is more valuable We don't need to reward politicians for not being terrible. Having a strong independent judiciary is good enough. Sure, in the US there's super PACs and whatnot, but when the bribery is explicit enough, politicians go to jail.
  - chiefalchemist 9y ago
    "Sure, in the US there's super PACs and whatnot, but when the bribery is explicit enough, politicians go to jail." Most of them are not that stupid. Why risk jail when there are countless ways to be compensated and not get caught. Sure I agree with you. But that still leaves a pretty big hole in the system.
    - stevew20 9y ago
      Here's a thought: give people the right to vote for the public execution of their immediate representatives. If you represent people faithfully you prosper, if not you get a foot shorter.
guptaneil 9y ago
Interestingly, many people (including Trump) said the same thing about Trump in the States. He's so independently wealthy, he can finance his entire campaign himself and not be controlled by anyone because he doesn't owe them anything. Turns out that couldn't be further from the truth.
- chiefalchemist 9y ago
  True or not. What we've learned is its not a positive either. Someone with no strings attached will act as such. That is, unteathered.