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In this context, "dictatorship" is akin to an epithet, and using it risks short-circuiting rational discourse. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with personal

by mhartl 15y ago

In this context, "dictatorship" is akin to an epithet, and using it risks short-circuiting rational discourse. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with personal rule: Napoleon wasn't Hitler, Queen Elizabeth I wasn't Stalin, and Marcus Aurelius wasn't Chairman Mao. Singapore is a de facto single-party state with a strong prime minister. Is that good or bad? That depends on whether we're talking Aurelius or Mao. Having spent the better part of a week in Singapore this past summer, I can tell you that it was the only place on my itinerary where I thought, "I'd love to have a place here." (The other destinations were Thailand, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Ireland.) If I were to have a residence or business in Singapore, probably my biggest fear would be not government oppression, but rather the People's Action Party losing control, probably to the quasi-communist Workers' Party—i.e., a triumph of "democracy" over the highly effective government Singapore has today.

dantheman 15y ago
Just to be clear, I was in no way trying to tie them to a brutal dictatorship. But I think it's important to understand the political structure of the country, not just the current economic/civil environment. For the political structure may help you determine what the civil/economic condition will be as things change, i.e. a change of leadership in an authoritarian regime will have more of an impact on economic and civil life than a change of leadership in a democracy (I don't know if this is true btw).
- latch 15y ago
  You are probably better off visiting the place and getting a feel for it rather than relying on "facts". For example, some people might see Hong Kong as part of China and thus conclude it's oppressive. However, it only takes a day or two here to realize that people enjoy a ton of freedom (I see protests all the time, and haven't seen anyone pepper sprayed or arrested yet).
  - paulhauggis 15y ago
    "However, it only takes a day or two here to realize that people enjoy a ton of freedom (I see protests all the time, and haven't seen anyone pepper sprayed or arrested yet)." It won't be like this forever. I think the autonomous government deadline is 50 years. When this happens, it won't be as "free" as it is now. This is also only if the Chinese government doesn't go back on their word. If you truly want a free country, go to Taiwan. Taipei is just as vibrant as HK.
    - camz 15y ago
      If it helps, I'm go-authoring a book with Derek Sivers on Taiwan. Leaving next week for Taiwan to write the book over the next month. It's an awesome place to do business because of their low cost of living but their taxes are similar to the US>
      - mhartl 15y ago
        Coincidentally, the main reason I visited Singapore was to hang out with Derek. I'll be interested to see the result of your collaboration. P.S. I'm sure it's a typo, but I love the idea of "go-authoring" a book—it has a great ambitious ring to it.
DevX101 15y ago
Excellent comment. I'd also point that there are democracies in the world that are orders of magnitude worse places to start a business than Singapore. Singapore is consistently rated by the World Bank/International Finance Corporation as the number 1 country in the world to do business[1]. That covers the ease of starting a business, contract enforceability, getting credit, and other metrics that are necessary precursors to getting started. Although China's rise has been the largest in absolute economic terms, Singapore has probably been the fastest. 1. http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/singapore/ http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/singapore...

by mhartl 15y ago

dantheman 15y ago

Just to be clear, I was in no way trying to tie them to a brutal dictatorship. But I think it's important to understand the political structure of the country, not just the current economic/civil environment. For the political structure may help you determine what the civil/economic condition will be as things change, i.e. a change of leadership in an authoritarian regime will have more of an impact on economic and civil life than a change of leadership in a democracy (I don't know if this is true btw).

latch 15y ago
You are probably better off visiting the place and getting a feel for it rather than relying on "facts". For example, some people might see Hong Kong as part of China and thus conclude it's oppressive. However, it only takes a day or two here to realize that people enjoy a ton of freedom (I see protests all the time, and haven't seen anyone pepper sprayed or arrested yet).
- paulhauggis 15y ago
  "However, it only takes a day or two here to realize that people enjoy a ton of freedom (I see protests all the time, and haven't seen anyone pepper sprayed or arrested yet)." It won't be like this forever. I think the autonomous government deadline is 50 years. When this happens, it won't be as "free" as it is now. This is also only if the Chinese government doesn't go back on their word. If you truly want a free country, go to Taiwan. Taipei is just as vibrant as HK.
  - camz 15y ago
    If it helps, I'm go-authoring a book with Derek Sivers on Taiwan. Leaving next week for Taiwan to write the book over the next month. It's an awesome place to do business because of their low cost of living but their taxes are similar to the US>
    - mhartl 15y ago
      Coincidentally, the main reason I visited Singapore was to hang out with Derek. I'll be interested to see the result of your collaboration. P.S. I'm sure it's a typo, but I love the idea of "go-authoring" a book—it has a great ambitious ring to it.

DevX101 15y ago

Excellent comment. I'd also point that there are democracies in the world that are orders of magnitude worse places to start a business than Singapore. Singapore is consistently rated by the World Bank/International Finance Corporation as the number 1 country in the world to do business[1]. That covers the ease of starting a business, contract enforceability, getting credit, and other metrics that are necessary precursors to getting started. Although China's rise has been the largest in absolute economic terms, Singapore has probably been the fastest. 1. http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/singapore/ http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/singapore...