3 ms·

Freedom of speech is obviously an issue in Singapore, and I think the government using legislation to “fact-check” the media is quite troubling, but… I really

Freedom of speech is obviously an issue in Singapore, and I think the government using legislation to “fact-check” the media is quite troubling, but… I really don’t think Singapore is very corrupt. I’ve lived and worked there, and every interaction I’ve ever had with the government reinforced my perception that they would always deal with me fairly. I trust them more in that sense than I have trusted the governments in western countries that I’ve lived in (many of which have recently started to abandon the free-speech advantage they’ve previously held over places like Singapore).

JimDabell 3y ago
Singapore is one of the few places I’ve been where the government is both highly competent and is predominantly focused on the best interests of its people rather than itself. POFMA is an issue. It’s a socially conservative country, but the government is a little more liberal than its people; I get the impression the government leans more conservative than it would like to, just to keep the pioneer generation happy.
- noobermin 3y ago
  This is basically true. Liberal cosmopolitan types are the government, may be not the MPs although they are being pulled anyway from their younger technocratic underlings. The older folks, religious folks, etc are the reason for the social conservatism, it's essentially done to appease them. I don't think government cares, just like most global businesses, they've found doing the corporate-rainbow capitalism stuff is good for business, which is a mixed bag for progressives in general but is what it is. I think in with a different public the same technocrats in the PAP would end up being as rainbow capitalist as the rest of the world, with it's benefits and issues.