> Singapore is classified as changing from civilian dictatorship to military dictatorship in 2004 in the source data for that article because the newly elected

> Singapore is classified as changing from civilian dictatorship to military dictatorship in 2004 in the source data for that article because the newly elected Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was a brigadier general until 1984. So it's for purely formal reasons, not because there was a military takeover. The Singapore government has been trying to move away from this — a significant part by requesting that the press address them as "Mr", instead of their military ranks. There was a time when Lee Hsien Loong was addressed as `BG (NS) Lee Hsien Loong` everywhere [1]. One of the potential heirs to the Prime Ministership is the ex-Chief of Army, Chan Chun Sing [2]. It's very rare to see either the media, or the government themselves, to address him as `MG (NS) Chan Chun Sing` in their publications. [1] Example from a government website: https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/speeches/record-details/77e6b874-115d-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/speeches/record-detail... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chan_Chun_Sing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chan_Chun_Sing