Singapore: The World's Only Successful Dictatorship?
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Have you not heard of North Korea. Not a single citizen has ever complained about anything it is truly a paradise
I mean no one can complain.
@@krishnamaggarwal9167 r/woooosh
@@techhelpportal7778 ur irrelevant
Lol north Korea more like best Korea lol
The only people who do are criminals 😊
A smart dictatorship is one that makes you feel like you're not living in one.
USA is great at doing it
@@lsrrr3857 tbf the us doesn’t have the same ruler for like 5 decades so it can’t be a dictatorship in its literal meaning
CCP has been doing it ever since they took credit for all the work of the Kuomintang and ate up the power vacuum.
Murdock family is the true ruler of USA. Kinda funny that no one elected him tho
To be fair, if you don't feel it, then most likely the standard of living is quite up to satisfaction.
So does it really matter? Who are we to tell others what is the ideal way of governing a country.
This is an interesting analysis but as a Singaporean, I have to say that there is quite a lot of Singapore's history that was not properly analyzed especially when there was a lot of focus on the PAP remaining in power. The choice to take this "authoritarian shortcut" was something borne out of necessity and not just a high risk high reward decision. During the period of decolonization, Singapore as an independent state was at its weakest and most vulnerable. My parents tell me of stories when gangs roamed the streets, how there were always fights breaking out that our "ang chia" (anti-riot vehicles) had to come and stop, how several families were crowded under one roof and shared one toilet, and all the stuff that you could never imagine when you look at modern-day Singapore. Authoritarianism is a system with its flaws, but in a time of civil unrest with a divided population, ruling with an iron fist and setting the country onto one specific path was the most socio-politically viable way for Singapore to survive and move forward in a short period of time. We were just lucky that our ruling party was not so greedy and corrupt to begin with, so under their leadership, Singapore went from third to first world in a single generation. This is not to say our governance is perfect, in fact, it is far from it. A lot of the early policies heavily affected the people of the previous generations. My grandparents and parents were hit by these rapid changes and struggled to adapt. But the choices the government made in those early days were what made Singapore the country it is today. Singapore is certainly not a perfect utopia, there exists no such thing in the world. But as a Singaporean, I personally believe it is as close to a utopia as it gets. I would rather have peace and security over democracy and freedom. If anyone would like to understand more about Singapore's decision and position to rule as a "hybrid democracy", I implore you to watch Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam's speech at the 45th St Gallen Symposium. Democracy isn't the only way to run a country. Every country has their own specific circumstance and their own "best" way to rule.
You are brainwashed by the PAP brother....
@@kentang1528 Are you brainwashed by the oppositions then?
As someone who has escaped proverty, I really appreciate the government that provides a chance for people to move up the social ladder. Was living in a rented 1 room hdb flat together with other people family members till 4 years ago, now I owned a 5 room resale flat.
I couldn't have said it better myself. US-style democracy certainly isn't the only way to run a country. I'll take peace, safety and prosperity in a country run by a team of competent leaders over the "freedom" for hate crimes, gun violence, homelessness, drug epidemic, high taxes and crumbling infrastructure any day.
And really, that is why LKY is so beloved. Yes, he was capable, but one truly made him great is that he sincerely worked hard for the betterment of his country and her people. A person such as himself who amassed so much power could have easily went corrupt, but he didn't.
I'll paraphrase what I saw someone in the reply section said; Yeah I'd rather earn a higher than average salary and have great living conditions if it meant living in a dictatorship that doesn't feel like a dictatorship, but I'd also appreciate the option to hold a smiley face in protest.
This is the crux of it for me. If I want to hold an anti-war Ukraine solidarity walk, I shouldn't have to worry about some bitch arresting me. Protests and freedom of speech are important, one day when a corrupt leader gets his hands on the PAP, SG will realize that. I hope they don't realize it too late.
@@gladitsnotme my understanding (though I may be wrong) is that you can hold such a walk but you will need to follow the rules and get a permit / approval to do so, at designated spaces. Corruption is a risk that arises anywhere and everywhere and if there is anything the last two decades has shown it is that unfettered elections or "democracy" aren't a panacea to corruption either. Ultimately what matters is the luck, quality and heart of the persons in power, not how they get there.
I mean I don't think anyone would deny that the best (which is to say, most functional) form of government there is is a benevolent dictatorship. No other way can get more positive things done more quickly and effectively.
The problem is there's a huge roll of the dice every time the next person takes power. Higher highs and lower lows, and history has borne out a lot of serious lows.
We have designated location for protest, which needs pre booking and registration at a police station. Honestly, he could smiley face protest as long as he did all the proper steps at proper places, he intentionally broke the law and then want world wide sympathy, sheesh. Singapore doesn't fuck around with protests, as you know, they don't want any disruption to daily efficiency. Public transport must function, roads cannot be blocked. Protest is precisely one of those things where it could hinder efficiency of daily function.
You may say it's just one guy with a smiley face poster, but protests always starts with one before it blows up right?
@@JK-zu1np Do you think unjust laws exist?
Singaporeans:
It's not about electing a different party, it's about sending a message
Exactly. Not even the largest opposition, WP, believes it or a coalition of the opposing groups can run the country. It’a purpose is to represent a minor threat so that extreme policies which may harm the country get challenged.
If we don't like what PAP did, we just keep letting their vote rate drop every election to scare them.
@You Tube Well... so far it is still running. I would say Singaporeans are just more cautious.
@You Tube because they get stuff done and to even land a position in high ranking politics requires said person to have managed a multimillion or billion dollar company as a minimum
qualified? yeah more than qualified until the next competent person steps up
Yea, that pretty much sums it up. Though WP is somewhat promising, they only contest in a very limited number of constituencies
“Protests are illegal unless pre-approved by the government” that’s hilarious 😂
Yea it is lol but what can we do lol
Russia is the same
That is not very uncommon law actually. A bunch of other nations do it, and I guess it works? I mean sure it takes power out of worker hands, but when have governments ever wanted people actually to have power.
Not that a lot of Singaporeans are daring enough to protest to start with so it's ok
@@its1996Me lmao no people actually do protests in Russia they might get beaten yes, but the US police beat protestors too lmao
Travelled to over 20 countries and I think Singapores government is the most forward looking. Majority of things are planned 20years ahead and the government delivers its promises thats why they are constantly revoted in because they do their jobs.
Would you live there?
@@yossiallen3316 as a singaporean, free education = yes
@Hello wealth = quality of living no?
@@enslavedcontent education ain't free
@@ligmaballs2022it is for citizens
I took a class a number of years ago called "Electoral Authoritarianism" in University where we took a look at Singapore (among a number of countries) and had to judge whether or not it was a democracy or not. Took a look at a lot of the stuff you highlighted in the video and had a guy come speak to us who did contract law work for tech companies over there. Really interesting stuff, glad(?) to see it highlighted.
The police can catch you easily
What did the class say?
Lies again? Paramount Pictures USD SGD
As a singaporean, nobody here refers to the ruling party as “pap” we say it as P.A.P in individual letters. Just a heads up!
with that being said, sometimes supporters of PAP are called "pappies", in which the "pap" pronunciation is integrated
Random question: does the more authoritarian version of democracy in Singapore bother you or no?
@@sbm1994 I will not lie: it does bother and even worries me on certain occasions. But, as with most other Singaporeans, I admit that I don't think about it 99% of the time because the rest of my life here is honestly too comfortable for me to be focused on the whole authoritarianism thing.
And even to this matter, when I look at the work of our new(ish) Leader of the Opposition as well as their team of fresh MPs, and the work of young, non-partisan activists and social workers, I actually feel even less stressed about the "dictatorship" thing because I see it getting better every day
Thank for the general knowledge
add an a and it becomes "papa", naturally everyone supports PaPa
Polymatter: Singapore is ultimately a dictatiorship.
Singaporeans: Yes but that's not how you pronounce P-A-P tho-
Hahaha ya lor. The PAP. Pap smear??
PAP WAN SUI HUAT AHHH
@@cottoncandiez8872 P A P
Pls lar 61% say 61% lah. Why lump all sgrean tgt.
Dictate*
Recently I was thinking about the faillings we see in some countries and their democracies where sh*t doesnt get done because there's too much infighting. And I believed that the best governance is a benevolent dictatorship. The issue being it's near impossible to implement. And it comes with the risks of the leader becoming power hungry and wanting a legacy. So the cons make it too risky to try to implement
But Singapore does show that when you get the right people in. It flourishes amazingly.
I look at Singapore and think of it as everything right about this type of governance. Issue being. Power can corrupt. And all it takes is the next generation to destroy everything.
Power is like alcohol, it doesn’t create vices, it reveals them.
@@albertrenfred7673 Absolute power corrupts. Even if the opposition likes to make PAP MPs being overpaid as a talking point, even the opposition knows that it is a shallow sentiment. The parliament had a vote to decrease salaries, and Pritam Singh himself voted against it. Could it be possible that reduced minister pay would exacerbate corruption?
As someone from singapore i can say this: the only reason why pap is always elected is bcos they always have been doing a great job at managing singapore for arnd 60 years. People just dont want it to be risked by electing other governments such as workers part for example
@@syafsmith5085 tbh pap has done a wonderful job right? why replace them...
Democracy can destroy countries when the people become too naïve (as a swede)
As a Singaporean, majority of young adults here are well-aware of how authoritarian Singapore is. We openly call PAP a dictatorship or openly-corrupt. Ministers gets payed millions, laws are solely made by one party, and anything we disagree with will still be implemented.
But the trade-off? High pay, amazing healthcare, world class public transportation, amazing amenities. Personally, I did average in school yet I have no worries for the future living in Sg even more so for those with higher education. Its practically a utopia for middle class families and heaven for the rich. It still has lower income families of course, but they are heavily supported to have the bare minimum which is housing. I love and hate PAP, but I can’t deny the convenience of living here. All that’s said, I will most likely NOT retire here, but I am sure to be able to move to any country with my decent education from this country and powerful passport at the end of the day.
What I think is important is really accountability, I don’t care if PAP ran the government but I want an opposition capable of at least keeping them in check and the public aware. Which has sadly yet to happen.
I'd say paying Ministers very generous salaries also helped. If a country is stingy with their decision maker's income, they would have to struggle every day fighting a personal war of light and darkness not to use their powers for corruption. Even if they're not Jeff Bezos, being rich enough to not worry about luxuries or losing face would leave them enough time and energy to focus on the country. If you don't like it, look at the alternative. Look at Malaysia.
Bad place to have kids as a foreigner. If they do drugs, they get caned to death .
The top ministers being paid highly seems very effective in my eyes. It aligns with the constant analogy of the video that Singapore is a corporation, where the "managers" are compensated highly enough that they're not tempted to abuse their power for monetary gain. It also makes the minister position attractive as a job, ensuring a stiff competition to weed out less effective candidates.
People really don't know what they want. Given that you are still not satisfied with the status quo, can you look around and see how your neighbors are doing, maybe you will appreciate your own.
Ya bro same here
PolyMatter: Uploads another Singapore video
China: I thought we had something special 😢
North Korea: :(
Well, China did get a 4 part series recently, so Singapore's turn now
Ikr
Mainland Taiwan*
Singapore :Again ?Do you love me or hate me ?
So, out of everyone, Singapore will become your standard cyberpunk state.
Not gritty nor dark enough. Perhaps post-cyberpunk?
China's already there
I mean, on some accounts, we're already a "cyberpunk" state
Already been there for a long time
Nah too much utopia considering they hand down the death penalty for a gram of grass. I kinda see it like Mirror's edge city
That was fantastic! I always sorta suspected that dictatorships could work if the party or person was benevolent enough, but that the risk was too high that one day it would inevitably dissolve. As you say, the cost is maintaining control, while the benefit is lack of constraint. For me, I started thinking about this when I heard (in passing) that Socrates was an open critic of democracy, but ultimately begrudged that it was the least worst option.
To a large extent, it is also because Singapore is so small and has no natural resources. So we don't really have a choice. If we want to attract capital, business and talent, there must be protection of property rights, fair and just judicial, no corruption... ... see where I am going here?
I mean Socrates democracy has little to do with our modern parliamentary democracy.
There is an entire science dedicated to different forms of democracies. Same goes for dictatorships. It isn't one mold if gov that every nation picks like a pokimon.
Governments and democratic structures differ in a wide array of criteria.
To speak about THE democracy us kind of missing the point as there is no one unified democratic concepts everyone shares. Q
@@wenhowleong corruption under dictatorships tends to he worst then in democracies.
@@wenhowleong There are many countries in the exact same situation (small area without any natural resources) where the authoritarian party takes control of whatever little wealth it is, distributes to its inner circle and military/police, and have them beat the crap out of dissenters until they can pretend they don't exist. Sharing and fostering these resources are an anomaly.
Dictatorship? Define it. Is your parents dictator?
Great content, very informative. However, I'd strongly disagree with one statement in the video "Delivering economic growth is a fairly weak source of legitimacy", which is a pretty Western-centric view about political legitimacy I.M.O. The ethnic Han Chinese people are perhaps the most secular and realistic bunch, and in their history for the past couple of centuries, they've struggled with poverty and underdevelopment, this created a very different value compass from the Western one which puts so much emphasis on individual freedom and civil liberties. It is hard for a Westerner to understand in these societies how strong the drive is towards a better life with better living conditions and social welfare, and how much legitimacy it has given those Asian governments that are on the Authoritarian side of the political spectrum, such as Singapore and China.
Don't forget that the current consensus in China had to be nudged there by a massacre. With such a show of force, everyone knows how to weigh up economic vs political freedom.
true i aint caring about democracy if i got no food on the table
The point would be that rising living standards deliver legitimacy.
Under a competent leadership, economic growth translates to a rise in living standards like China experienced in the last 50 years.
But you can very well make the case that that stopped in the last 10-15 years in China, and instead economic growth was invested in prestige projects and militarization for the vanity of the leadership.
Poverty stopped being combatted and was eliminated by definition instead of eliminating it in reality.
Even if China had twice the GDP, if the Chinese People don't profit from it, who cares? The leadership has demonstrated that it cares more about it's own prestige then the livelihood of the Chinese people.
One can only hope that the Chinese will one day again get a competent leadership that cares about it's people.
I guess the difference is caused by different history.
The Chinese suffered because of political chaos (rebellions, civil wars, etc), while the Westerners suffered because of totalitarianism (kings imposed huge taxes, clergymen abused their power, communist dictators brought calamities to the people).
@@thomasl.6960 The CCP managed to get 800m people out of poverty. Chinese people are free to travel out of the country and they are relatively happy. I don't see what's so bad about it
And here I thought Wadiya was the perfect dictatorship...
General alladin lol
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dictator_(2012_film)
@@DyslexicMitochondria Hey bro i watch ur videoss. Love ur channeI
Praise Admiral General Alladeen!
Wakanda is the best, is on first place any other has to be one that cooperate or obey western elite directives. Singapore now sided with China so videos will turn more and more negative about the country.
Friendship ended with China
Singapore is PolyMatter’s new best friend now
Which is basically China's sub account.
@@dduay And how did you come to that conclusion
@@dduay china wishes they have that much power over singapore
@@dduay Singapore is pretty neutral, and plays the superpowers off each other
@@vladiiidracula235 that is so true, you never hear about the repressions being criticised by the western leaders.
Hearing polymatter say PAP in one syllable instead of its individual letters was amazing
I once lived there and recognized the country as an western one. It felt like the capital of the world, tall skyscrapers, fancy cars and luxurious shopping malls. Never did I think of the actual government or anything else regarding the countries politics.
and that's probably the beauty of it. as a citizen you don't need to worry much. majority of people want that.
@@MondayMornings i wouldnt mind living under a dictatorship if it means safety and comfortable living
@@MegaTron7568 agree. On the premises that it’s safe and comfortable living for everybody.
As a Singaporean, our country isn't perfect but most of us can talk shit about the government (happens every day in every taxi) without much consequences and we also enjoy a strong efficient government. Hopefully we can open up more going forward.
Meanwhile in Greece we also talk shit about the government in every taxi but have had 4 elections in 10 years and are doing badly economically😂😂
You can't run a country as diverse as singapore without being hard handed or even more diverse in ideas & how to lead, that's how you get disorganization
Last time i heard singapore government news is like what? 2004? There is no news down there as far an indonesian would care
Meanwhile, whatever shitty government did in africa, china, america (both south & north) is broadcast & proven all the time
Singaporean govs probably corrupt, but its for a reason, we know we can't run a perfect world without compromise & sacrifice
Holy shit I’m a PR and that joke about taxi cracked me up😂😂
in singapore, we turn our government to memes
Talking shit in peers isn't exactly punishable in most part of the world, u can do it in China too just as so the participants of shit talk aren't public figures of any sort
It is possible to prosper while being authoritarian: that’s the very spirit of enlightened despotism. But it is a gamble: you’re placing a lot of power to very few hands, and you can only hope that those hands are indeed competent and prioritizes the greater good.
In Singapore case that what actually happens.. But being the city state of the world.. The narrowed path to prosperity very much a simple choice..
This objection could be done to any government system
ALL w e s t e r n c o u n t r i e s are s t e a l t h d 1 c t a t r s h p s now. The N w W r d O r d runs EVERYTHING. Open you e y e s people.
How n a i v e are people to think ALL post-modern c o u n t r i e s are not under cntrl of the glbal dctatrshp.
@@vondertann8471 Not true. The principle of democracy is systematic negative feedback through elections - poor leaders are kicked out and new ones are replaced, preventing tyranny. Without that feedback, the inevitable consequence of a dictatorship is the dictator taking over control of the system, breaking the negative feedback, potentially staying in power forever and replacing themselves with someone like them or even worse.
I went there as a tourist for about a month. Being in a dictatorship, I expected the country to have rude authorities. But the police I approached are very nice. Well, probably because I'm tourist, but still not what I expected. Even the immigration guy when I landed was pretty much chill, he just asked me if I had a hotel and that's it. No extra questioning.
There's a high chance that the police office you've approached is a young men serving his conscription.
Yes, we conscription is not only the army force in Singapore. Men can be send to police force and SCDF(social civil defense force) as well. Scdf comprises of paramedic, firefighters and a lot of other units.
Immigration officers, unlike in other countries, are getting properly trained on how to serve the public. Same as police and any other public servant. If someone is unhappy they could receive a complain and that will be taken seriously. Is that the marks of an authoritarian state?
Also, everyone can voice their opinion, the government even proactively asking for public views on certain issues. Marks of a dictatorship? Think again.
please just because its a "dictatorship" doesn't mean that the people or the authorities are rude, i dont see the connection between the those 2. As long as you dont break the rules ( obv ), you're fine.
In Spanish, "dictatorship" is called "dictadura". So considering "dura" means "tough", In cases like Singapore we make a game of words, calling them "dictablanda". "Blanda" means "soft".
@@user-ik6wc1rn4j you can't really blame the OP for having a bias mind set. Most of the audiences on TH-cam are from the western world and most of the western media aren't even trying to hide their effort at dictating dictatorship as evil and bad.
Wow. Great video. It's been a debate in Thailand for years too. The military regime always say they "brought peace and stability". Because they use the law against any protestors. Many people are tired of protests which often lead to eventual violence so they just let the old incompetent military rule the country... for 8 years now. The expensive lifestyle of the royals anger many people. Only the middle classers and young people come out to voice their concerns while most old people keep their silence.
Even if democracy will bring us worse leader, at least we can say it's our own choice. And we can replace him/her later too.
Well, I guess you should learn from history of tyrannical regimes. Tyrant can come from democracy. General election will not automatically kick any tyrant out.
then u will ended up with having to choose between 2 very bad candidate like many modern election. Not to mention in many modern democracy, it is difficult to actually throw out leader with low support without them doing the full term despite there r system in place that allow u to overthrow that leader.
For Malaysian point of view: people would rather live in a skillful dictatorship than a dysfunctional democracy. But of course, both countrymen would rather live in a highly functional democracy.
3k likes and over 230 replies.Thank you!!
Makes a lot of sense.
just depends which side you are on
They just choose the money lmao
These days there rarely are any highly functional democracies left. During the Cold War many corporations managed get more influence over the democratic systems in Western democracies without much trouble by simply accusing anyone who oppose their changes as Communist. Now democracy is Corporatocracy.
"Highly functional Democracy" might well be a unicorn. I think the question should be, what is the purpose of democracy. If democracy is intended to bring about the best leadership, the best government, then the tools and methods of democracy does not lead to the selection of good leaders or good government. Democracy is a popularity contest. Nothing in the exercise of democracy explicitly selects for the best leaders or impeccable qualities of leadership. And because democracy is a popularity contest, within the exercise of democracy lies the seeds of popularism.
Put another way: if democracy is the BEST way to select leaders, we should use democracy to select our generals. Our military should be organised democratically. Generals should be elected.
But that's not how militaries are organised.
As the submarine commander (Gene Hackman) said in "Crimson Tide": We're here to preserve democracy, not practice it.
I learned one important lesson from this video:
Singapore's political parties have really cool logos.
literally tho the logos are fire
As a Brit I find The PAP logo unsettling but that’s simply because it resembles the BUF
Honestly just realised it looked similar to some british political party logo like the other person replied
@@christianwhittall5889 them being a dictatorship aswell lmao
Really Dritte Reich style😂
I was from a low income family in Singapore where my single mother earned less than $1200 a month. Together with me and my 3 siblings, we rented a 1 room hdb flat from the government. We would not be able to get by without the financial assistance provided by the government and CDAC. Not only did they help us financially, they also put in place a system where anyone can strive to be successful if they have the right mindset. We escaped provery after I have gotten a job after serving my national service, and upgraded our house to a 5 room resale flat. I think compared to others of my age, I am grateful for what the government has done to help us in our time of needs. With how the oppositions are now, I really hope that a freak election won't happen (with how people are voting) as that will really be the end of Singapore.
People are too sheltered and just complain while overlooking how the government has helped them.
This has been fascinating, thank you.
"A country run like a corporation" how true. Government agencies are expected to be profitable here in Singapore
To be fair, while I don't think being run like a corporation is a great ideal to follow, I do think expecting certain government agencies to be profitable is a fair expectation that I wish happened in other parts of the world
@@Unknownslenderman I mean look at the MTR system in Hong Kong, high quality public transport that actually makes a profit, is a wonder of a thing.
@@jghifiversveiws8729 Alternatively, most of Mexico's public institutions are pretty low quality, are underfunded, and don't make a profit. That's not to say that it's bad that they exist, I'm glad we have some sort of public healthcare and education, but not only could they do better, some other institutions which are almost entirely profit-oriented (such as PEMEX, public oil) don't make a profit and end up being very expensive, sadly.
@@jghifiversveiws8729 How do you even make a facking profit from government agentcy?
@@dean_l33 Well technically it isn't a full government agency, it's a public corporation that is majority owned (about 75%) by the Hong Kong government (hereafter referred too as the HK gubmint), and is also ran deliberately for profit, unlike most government corporations. The reason why it's so profitable is because technically it isn't just light rail system, it's also a real estate investor and manager.
Its business model is referred to as the Rail + Property model, wherein the MTR not only owns the light rail stations but also, the land surrounding these stations which is sold to the MTR by the HK gubmint at what's known as Greenfield (or pre-development) prices.
After construction of a new light rail station the value of this land goes up considerably. Owing to the fact that these rail systems are world class, and able to get you around the city in a matter of minutes, subsequently flattening commute times.
This means that the MTR can sell this land to real estate developers, (seeking to capitalize off this recent increase in value), or develop and manage their own properties, usually, shopping centres, malls, hotels, and apartments, around these stations. This, along with the revenue that they earn from traditional faires is why they're so profitable.
Correction: Only 1 school is named after LKY - the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. LKY was very particular about not being immortalised. He even wanted his home to be destroyed after his death to prevent it being enshrined as a place of veneration.
I loved that about him. He always was a serviceman doing service to his country. As an Indian, I have massive respect for his policies.
@@raghavgupta2399 errr no he sucks cos the country has no democracy
@@Kenny-md2zf he doesn't suck singapore wouldn't be as developed as it is today if he wasn't here
@@puffer-wq5wj Not without some of his controversial policies like discouraging uneducated women to give birth
@@mig7403 seriusly?
You can really see the strong influence of Chinese culture in Singapore. Historically, Chinese people often consent to top-down authoritarian governments for as long as they are able to keeps things stable and prosperous. But they also reserve themselves the right (or even the moral duty) of overthrowing it as soon as things start going south (condensed into the concept of the "Mandate of Heaven"). Makes sense, seeing as most of the population is ethnically Chinese.
Then you should check out Taiwan. It's the politics shaped the ppl, not the other way round.
Chinese culture is not a Confucian monolith. There are aspects which celebrate personal freedom above centralized power, and even bohemian living. Just look at the philosophical aspects of Taoism and the Zhuangzi.
what crack are you smoking?
This video speaks as if it's an uncontested fact that (a) democracy is the ideal form of government, (b) Western countries are democratic, and (c) changing Singapore's system into a typical Western democracy would do more good than harm.
I have strong doubts about all three of those assumptions.
@@JohnSmith-mc2zz I didn't say he _says_ those things, I said he _speaks a if_ those things are _uncontested facts._ And, yes, that Western countries are actually democratic, as opposed to being merely nominally so, _is_ a contested fact.
@@JohnSmith-mc2zz The Earth is an oblate sphere, true, but the deviation from sphericity is so slight, you wouldn't notice it using mere eyesight. The deviations from democracy of alleged democratic states are so glaring that serious minds have wondered whether real democracy ever exists at all.
@@73elephants funny
Btw, Polymatter, Us Singaporeans say P.A.P. By saying each letter individually hearing "pap" is weird lol
How do the ethnic Chinese in Singapore feel about China?
@@robertabella1806 It's a different country. Probably similar to how ethnic Germans in the US feel about Germany?
He said PAP like the "pap" in pap smear. Honestly the only issue with this video I have.
@@robertabella1806 I've got my mother's opinion and mine on the matter. I'm Chinese,born and raised in Singapore and my mother is a first generation immigrant. I personally feel that Singapore is my home and that I have no personal ties to China besides a few family members. My mother on the other hand believes that China is her true home and that Singapore is her home just because her family is here.
This was just in our opinion, maybe you found this useful¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@robertabella1806 Just another country, that we happen to be descendants from. Sure we share a lot of our culture, but we don't feel patriotic to it or feel like it's our home. Singapore is home.
I would like to quote China’s Deng Xiaoping with his quote “It doesn’t matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.”.
yes
And Deng was attacked by the red guards for saying this statement his son was thrown down from 2nd storey of his house by the red guards and became crippled for life...such a high price to pay for an analogy on economy strategy.
@@fengjikangqiangMore like all of that happened in part due to Mao Zedong branding Deng Xiaoping as a capitalist traitor. Anyways, it is worth to note that Deng had a relationship with Mao’s enemies within the party too.
Ultimately, you have to ask the 1.4 Billion Chinese people if Deng Xiaoping’s policies have worked. Despite his loss in openly declaring his modernistic stance, China has great benefitted from adopting a practical economic policy.
@@marcustoh
Vy paradoxical , lky was fighting the communist right at the start n the best you can do is quote a communist...sibei funny.
@@marcustoh
Who care wat they china ppl think, this youtube video is abt SG...like dat u also can drift into china...you born there? Educated there? Gg to emigrate there?
Aint nobody gonna gonna talk about democracy if ur starving on the street and dying to cold cause u cant afford to go see the doctor lol
Singapore won the lottery, but it does not mean the lottery is a good long-term investment.
Singapore still makes a lot of income from their ports, from foreign investment and from whatever their mostly well educated citizens are doing.
@@fork9001 Issue is if you arent ruled with democracy, the next party to come to power may abuse their position for their own benefits, destroying everything gained up to that point.
@@akademikbirey6673 PAP just maintains power, the people (including myself) have gotten pretty used to it. And singapore is not really authoritarian, people can vote for more than one party.
@@akademikbirey6673 Stable Autocracies lasted way longer than democracies throughout human history bud. Apathy and corruption eventually destroyed Athens just like it is destroying the US currently. Don't delude yourself into thinking democracy is infallible. Plenty of democracies fell before and plenty more will.
When I first arrived in Singapore, from US, I was very surprised to see the level of trust people have on the government. They don't blindly believe in every word government says but at least they trust their government to get the job done. So at least for now, government is doing a good job and people are content. Who knows where it will go from here.
Oh nooo, currently with covid, people are not happy at all, extremely unhappy now
@@rileygshep7606 But are the
US citizen unhappy? I would say not yet
@@rileygshep7606 American citizens do not trust the US government
Unlike their neighbouring country who shares a border.
They hate their government.
They hate it very very much.
@@fattytan1377 im singaporean with a malaysian parent, yea very but after fighting so hard during the billion dollar scandal to see the guy back in some levels of power again many of em are demoralised to keep fighting
I've found that Singapore's racial policies, as well as the voting pattern is similar to South Africa's, but the opposite.
- In Singapore, you have an undemocratic, but highly efficient government, that people keep voting for non-stop.
- In South Africa, you have a democratic, but grossly incompetent government, that people keep voting for non-stop.
Well, the people in Singapore are much better educated, so...
@@shaftoe195
That could be the factor.
Many of government support comes from poor people who are easy to manipulate.
Singaporeans tolerance of corruption is extremely low. They have among the lowest levels in the world and their population thinks that it too high and are basically telling their politicians "You are on thin ice, any more corruption and you are out."
May be a dictatorship but if it works why fix it
@@wingedarr0w
Our level of corruption is low because the politicians legitimise all the money they are getting.
I mean do you have any idea how much they are paid? Not to mention the positions their immediate families are in? It's all legal btw.
While other countries focused on having rights and freedom or having good welfare systems balanced with high taxes or protecting their own countries by protecting their own, Singapore focused mainly on becoming prosperous, whatever it took.
As a Singaporean your video just presents things without the deeper context. We do not blindly believe everything the Government says . We are also not stupid enough to allow our country to burn.
"The PAP may not learn this lesson, but you can learn thousands of great lesson on Skillshare" AJFDADASGFL I'm deceased.
If the PAP loses the power, it's because they did not use Skillshare.
Ah yes Skillshare.
tiagong singaporeans is go skills future lei lmao
Because it's a great plug or because these bits whee they get paid for you k buy crap really is worse than ads? Get vanced youtube skips them
@@NCHProductions as a student in singapore. I have learnt absolutely nothing from skillsfuture
Singaporean here.
I think what you mentioned about the gerrymandering and legal campaign period are spot on. My home is categorised under a GRC that is literally kilometres away from me. The 'getting charged for ridiculous reasons' thing is also quite real, earlier this year there were people arrested for protesting against LGBT discrimination by the education ministry. One thing that smells a bit fishy to me, however, is the 'vote for PAP to receive special benefits' thing you talked about at 12:35. I have never heard of such a thing before, and our votes are supposed to be anonymous. I'd love to see your source on that.
EDIT: I stand corrected. Apparently that was the case in the past. Not sure if it's still the case but it used to be.
I think most of us, especially the older generation, aren't extremely bothered by the lack of opposition in politics because life in Singapore isn't THAT bad, it's actually pretty comfortable. I think most people are just alright with the status quo and fear that change may disrupt it. Personally, I'm not very bothered about politics as long as the government in power gets the job done, which they have been for quite a few decades now.
However, nowadays I think more people are better educated on our political scene and are more cognisant of the issues that have arisen as a result of the essentially one-party rule. That's probably why the PAP is starting to lose some of its voters.
Nevertheless, if it really comes to it, I think Singaporeans would gladly vote for the oppositions if it meant that we'd have a better standard of living. I don't know if I can speak for everyone but to me, as long as Singapore continues to progress, I don't care which party is in power. We still have a long way to go, but either way I'm proud to be Singaporean.
One thing I've always found funny when foreigners discuss Singapore online is that we are commonly downplayed and called names like 'Disneyland with a death penalty' or 'fine city'. I've even seen people on Reddit talk about us Singaporeans like we're some deeply oppressed slaves living in an Orwellian society. Maybe it's just me and my outlook on life but I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as that. Sure, we may have some serious issues regarding mental health and our happiness, or lack thereof it, but in general I think most of our issues stem from the cost of living and the constant rat race here. I really admire you for the amount of research you put into this video though, it's pretty solid. Good job man
Okay one last thing, for the love of god please stop calling the ruling party the PAP, it's super weird to hear it as a local. We call them the P A P. We pronounce each letter individually, hearing the acronym pronounced as it looks is disturbing
Eh? Not Pappy meh? Or pinky party
Having spoken to a few Singaporean high-school and university students on forums I attend, I got the impression that their main concerns in the country wasn't lack of freedom, but the large economic inequality. I was quite shocked that while GDP per capita is 65,000$ per year, similar to that of the USA and the Nordic countries, the median income is only about 5,000$, six times lower than the median income in the USA and Nordic countries where median income is 30,000$.
You seem knowledgeable on the subject, and I'd love your personal take on this?
PAP is an initialism, not an acronym.
" One thing that smells a bit fishy to me, however, is the 'vote for PAP to receive special benefits' thing you talked about at 12:35. I have never heard of such a thing before"
From Lee Kuan Yew's autobiography: "From Third World to First World: The Singapore Story 1965-2000", Chapter 9 - Straddling the Middle Ground, page 133:
"In the 1997 election (...). The PAP had countered the opposition's "by-election" strategy with the electoral carrot that priority for upgrading public housing in a constituency would be in accord with the strength of voter support for the PAP in that constituency. This was criticized by American liberals as unfair, as if pork barrel politics did not exist elsewhere."
@@Tartar I think your stats are wrong man. The median *household* income is about US$5k *per month*, yes (more actually). Considering an increasing number of households these days consist of working couples, then yes that's about $30k a year per head you cite for US and Scandinavia.
Interesting video, one learns something new every day. By the way, I have a question regarding South Korea and would appreciate any insight. I remember reading an article some time ago that was describing South Korean democracy as great in principle but not really relevant. It went on to claim that South Korea is predominantly run by private business and that this was due to companies choosing to settle in a certain area (City, province etc.) and basically expand to the point that they become the single largest employer and provider of services in that area thus basically dictating how things are run.
I am just curious to know if this claim has any truth to it.
go read up about South Korean Chaebols
So Basically Singapore is a Capitalist North Korea?
We ain't North Korea, no country is as strict as North Korea
@@jay0787 Right 👍🏻
I’m not Singaporean but in solidarity, I demand Polymatter start saying USA as “oosaa
subtle, yet hilarious
@Alfred Markovic bruh, "American" isn't a race, how tf is the comment racist? They make 'em really dumb in the oosaa huh?
@Alfred Markovic As an American I find this 0% racist, 100% hilarious. I mean what other country has an abbreviation like USA? The joke just works so well. BTW, PolyMatter almost definitely is from the US, so I guess that's pretty good justification for "targeting specifically the the U.S."
@Alfred Markovic your name is literally Markovic, does that even make you an American?
He's really mad, chill🤣
As a Singaporean, sending PAP a message is why I plan to vote for opposition party. We have many opposition parties, but many are outright incompetent. But they don't get to become competent since they never get the chance to gain political experience. One can argue that the PAP is a benevolent dictatorship at the moment, but I doubt that will stay the same forever and I wish the opposition parties get the chance to grow by being elected. Also, it's pronounced P-A-P (3 letters), not pap. I found that funny. =P
Hard to live here if your income are not that good.
Maybe it was done on purpose haha. But the same can be said that while a certain opposition is capable now, it might change over time and then people don't realize it and just keep voting on it cos they are just voting to oppose for the sake of opposing, which can be really scary. What is important is everyone working together. I seriously don't wish things to end up like US. Our country is too small to have any instability.
is posting something like this online not dangerous?
@@nufh True it is not named one of the top expensive country to stay in for no reason...
@@Scroolewse Nah. I don't have enough clout to garner that kind of censorship from the government. And not voting for PAP isn't a crime, or 40% of Singaporeans will be in deep trouble.
Thanks for doing what you do!!
The problem is that “democratic” countries have separation of powers, but still fuse democracy and dictatorship in their governments. This is more important than the existence of a “President” office or multiple legislative chambers. For all the millennia democracy has been known in theory or practice, one would think separation of democracy and dictatorship ought to have been tried in a democratic government by now. However, no democratic government existing currently does this.
Fun fact: Singaporeans generally address the ruling party as "P - A - P" 3 syllabus as the 3 letters, and not "pap" 1 syllabus. Either that, or "gahmen" - singlish for "government".
*syllable
Well it is not singlish but its more of a singlish pronunciation but yes you are correct we call it P.A.P
Gahmen… I like it
What happens when a party member gets criticised in the news? Papsmear 😏
Indeed its not pap, it's P.A.P
I feel that we need to take Singapore with a grain of salt: its amazing but rare. most of the time dictatorships are not benevolent and are failing behind democracies, so we should not even consider dictatorship as an option for good governance simply because of statistics. lets be happy for singapore it worked for them but not try to look for something similar
it is a small nation in both sizes and population it easier to control that way
It's not democracies that are ahead of the curve. It's countries that value liberty that are ahead of the curb "not counting Singapore." Singapore is the exception to that rule. Democracies are no better at creating prosperity than non-democracies. As long as people are free "which democracy doesn't guarantee, liberty does", nations tend to be prosperous.
Progressives democrats are the ones who started the lie of democracy being great. Before them, we always knew Liberty was the hallmark of a prosperous nation which is why we had our constitution which was SUPPOSED to prevent democracy from taking away our freedoms. This has been failing more and more each decade as democracy erodes liberty in America.
Sorry for the rant, but I don't want people to falsely correlate prosperity gains with democracy when it's liberty that correlates heavily with prosperity. Democracy is a neutral. True democracies with no liberty are some of the poorest countries on the planet while true democracies with liberty are some of richest. The reverse is also true. Non-democracies with no liberty are some of the poorest countries on the planet while non-democracies with liberty are some of the richest.
@@jfast8256 sorry its my fault. when i speak about democracies i speak about liberal democracies (i only count them as actual democracies and not just countries with elections and free press)
imo an actual democracy has check and balances and equal rights and even minimal (as in, it forces at least basic) economic freedom especially private property, as part of its democratic concept (that is what i learned in school civic class lol) . but yes i agree with you, some people call iran a democracy because people can vote (which is just wrong)
most "illiberal democracies" are just democracies that have tons of corruption lol,
also you cant have a fully liberal country without some form of people representation (democracy mostly) so the progressive are right about the fact they cherish democracy so much imo
@@yousuckatlife7604 agreed
@@TomCruz54321 very true
Do not eyeball the city state in negative shades. We have universal health care, fast public transport, clean water & parks, safe public housing, good food, etc.. I backpacked across many countries.
Saying "the inly thing getting in the..." is a far fetched and arguably inappropriate reduction of national politics/economics. Singapore allowed itself to be a work center for the West and excluded the rest of Malaysia in doing so. There are plenty of international coties around the world that have had similar positions. Shanghai, Lagos, etc... Singapore is located in the center of the global export hub that is East Asia and thus is a prime location for businesses to set up headquarters/outposts. Singapore has benefitted from relative regional stability. It is small and thus has a lower GDP/cap:HDI ratio than most nations (it's far cheaper/more profitable to build public transit in a city-state than to do so through a rural country). Asian nations (the confucian point) are far less revolutionary in character than Western or African nations, with respect for authority deeply ingrained in their cultures, meaning a dictatorship doesn't have to spend as many resources oppressing their populace and putting down rebellions as they would have to in another country. Singapore was lucky that it's dictators wanted to build a powerful nation instead of being like Sri Lanka and intentionally destroying their country.
Politics isn't an obstacle to progress. It's a method of doing things, progressive and counter-productibe things. It certainly slows everything down if consensus isn't reached, but there are ways around this/ways of running a country so that people don't want to throw out the government everytime there's an issue. Some of those things are vaguely fascistic - silencing the media, charging those who levy false allegations or incendniary accusations against the regime, purging corrupt officials, but fundamentally, it involves three things.
1). As you mentioned, is ensuring that you deliver for the population.
2). Is preventing malignant forces from gaining a foothold in your country to begin with. (Mafias, disloyal businesses, etc...)
3). Is helping your populace to understand the government's role in crises resolutions before they happen. "Yes, there is a bad drought and food prices have increased. We are working on reallocating funds from research into etc... to help pay for hunger relief programs. We expect to lower food prices at the point of purchase by 7% by this November. We are in this together."
And you force any station that calls themselves news to air that statement whenever they address the issue of inflation in food prices. If a channel does not, or they make incendiary comments claiming that the government is ignoring the food crisis and not doing enough to relieve inflation but they do not back this up with hard evidence that there are solutions that government officials are choosing not to pursue, you fine them, you refuse them interviews, you force them to remove "News," from their name, because they are exploiting a crisis for personal gain. That's not politics. That's business.
A good example of the problem is the US, where school shootings are played all over television and Democrats take the opportunity to proclaim that they can solve that problem and then discuss gun control policies that would not do much to change the number of gun deaths in the country. Republicans and Democrats taking different positions on gun control isn't a problem. Republicans and Democrats discussing policies openly and backing them up with data isn't a problem. The problem is that Democrats have a large mafia backing and the illegal firearms market will benefit them and Republicans get funding from legal gun manufacturers, the NRA and the like, so preventing gun control benefits them, thus there is no intended solution being discussed, only corruption without accountability.
He’s pronouncing PAP like how you would in PAP smear
equally dirty. nothing wrong.
ALL w e s t e r n c o u n t r i e s are s t e a l t h d 1 c t a t r s h p s now. The N w W r d O r d runs EVERYTHING. Open you e y e s people.
@@briansimmons8643 thanks for the knowledge, my life is now changed.
@@henrietta9206 say what you like/hate about PAP but don't diss pap smear. Pap smear saves lives. If you think it's dirty, just remember, you once pass through that pap smeared tunnel 😅
@@briansimmons8643 are birds drones too?
"What is the result of your pap smear?"
"Three years and eight cannings."
This comment belongs in the Internet Hall Of Fame
Maybe bankrupcy as well
Underrated comment
PEOPLE ARE REALLY SO N A I V E THEY THINK ALL W E S T E R N C O U N T R I E S AREN'T D 1 C T A T O R S H I PS? THEY JUST DON'T ADMIT IT. W A K E UP PEOPLE.
ahahhahaha i was waiting for this comment....!!
Perhaps it's time to re-study the concepts - democracy, authoritarian, dictatorship, plutocracy, etc... If some countries made it to success with what works for them, we have to understand that each of us are different in culture, social structure, values and many more. Let's appreciate the successes, learn from them and be careful with other things we're not so familiar with. Nothing's wrong with learning and understanding.
Tnx, great stuff 🙏
The problem with Singapore is that not every generation might have a LKY. He was an era defining genius and damn lucky.
His son is smart as a cookie, but not nearly the same caliber of leader.
@bong breaker why do you say so
Truth be told, it was not only him but his dream team of excellent ministers. It's worrying that many today are getting smug and taking it way too easy.
@bong breaker I don't think it's fair to say that PAP politicians in LKY's era didn't suffer from similar shortcomings. It's just that with the age of social media these things get published alot more in modern times.
@bong breaker leave then, if you feel that way lol.
China: socialism with Chinese characteristics
Singapore: capitalism with Chinese characteristics
Taiwan: democracy with Chinese characteristics
Hong Kong: Chinese with British characteristics
Macau: a casino with city-state characteristics
😂👍
Nice 🤣🤣 you deserve more likes
Macanese: You have just insulted our entire city.
But yes.
Can you not call us Chinese? We are Hongkongers. :(
Macau makes Las Vegas weak in the casino business. Basically it’s run by the casinos.
People: I want to protest
Singapore: Sure, fill up this form, also, no. No you cannot protest
norway: 0.961 hdi. singapore: 0.939 hdi. norway: 8th happiest country. singapore: 25th happiest country. norway: 3rd highest gdp per capita. singapore: 4th highest gdp per capita. norway is completely free and very democratic. no dictators needed. a dictatorship will only get you so far.
It's so obvious why Deng Xiaoping was inspired by Singapore when making his reforms.
ALL w e s t e r n c o u n t r i e s are s t e a l t h d 1 c t a t r s h p s now. The N w W r d O r d runs EVERYTHING. Open you e y e s people.
Ikr man came to Singapore and became enlightened
@Goosa Poosa wrong, Deng was from Sichuan, you are literally 1000 miles off.
@@briansimmons8643 cope
Deng Xiaopeng xue hua piao piao bei feng xiao xiao
Asian standard, A+ is not enough and 60% vote to win the election is too little 😂
The first bit is such a stereotype lol
Lolol
Mom and dad will be greatly disappointed by 60
@@enoshima6699 - Son! Why did you get a B+?! Such a disappointment!
-Dad, those are my blood tests
-Son, Did I stutter?
49 vs 51 means tearing a country apart
I actually agree with that quote at 12:00 it's against laziness in regards to political action (or at least, voting)
It's not a dictatorship if the people actually favors the government
Dictatorship = High Risk High Reward depends on the quality of reining government
If there is a corrupt ruler dictatorship is bad
Democracy = Low Risk Low Reward depends on the quality of its people
If there are too many uneducated people, democracy will be close to a chaos.
What do you mean? Eg education in the US has expanded like crazy in the last few centuries, more people are getting educated for longer than ever before, but the country hasn't gotten more orderly, has it?
@@MatthiasGorgens I think that the situation in the USA is a culmination of many factors. For example, if you're presented with a idea that conflicts with your beliefs, Singaporeans are likely to encounter more civil and structured discourse ("Heres why i think you're wrong, my justification, to be fair here are some valid points you raised").
But in the states it is more common to simply demonize what you don't agree with. "You're a bigot if you xxx, you don't even know xxx, -insert name calling-"
A better society is built when people actively choose to be patient, understanding, and behaves with grace and open-mindedness. However, being understanding and mindful of the trade-offs we have to make due to global political and economical climate is far more tedious than chanting "Orange man bad".
The decades of sensationalism and trying to make an enemy out of everything has taken its toll I'd say.
@@MasaharaYo I don't think so. If you read about "pamphlet war" between the founding fathers who denigrate each other in public (e.g. Paine public criticism of Washington, the Jeffersonians vs. the Federalists, etc), you'll understand how it is always been this way *since the very beginning.*
IMO this "demonization" is lot better than "don't ask don't tell" attitude in many other society. Only in the US you could ever dream about saying totally absurd ideas out loud. In many other countries, even in Europe (e.g. Britain, Germany, etc), they don't have actual "free speech". For example in the US people could call each other "fascist", while in Germany if you dare to talk about "fascism" (or Nazism) in "non-conformist" way you might ended up in jail.
American "sensationalism" is IMO better than "closeted" culture.
saying that a corrupt dictator is "bad" is highly understating just how damaging a shit dictator is
In short, what we want is good governance, regardless of the governing ideology. No single ideology is absolute, they all have its pros and cons, which can produce good or bad governance. I would choose a functional democracy where people are educated voting for good leaders over dictatorship that treats the people bad, no brainer right? But i would also choose a benevolent dictatorship that sets the country on the right path improving the lives of its people over a democracy that is gamed by the establishment and corrupted politicians, fooling its people and keeping them poor. Isn't that the most sensible way to look at governance? Unfortunately many people today sees political ideologies as a dogma, like religion. There's no concern over the reality of people's livelihood and condition.
“Liberalism Disavowed” by Chua Beng Huat is a good objective analysis of the Singapore system of governance, and why it is so enduring. (Even if the PAP falls, a new government will not dismantle the key pillars of the system such as public housing, multiracialism, and state capitalism)
Kind of weird that it’s “liberalism disavowed” yet all the “core tenants” are basically liberal politically in origin. Social welfare/housing, racial tolerance, free markets with state regulation. Aren’t these all core foundations of most liberal democracies?
@@scarletcrusade77 Well you see Liberals still want to start wars and dont care what happens outside of their borders, not very Singepor-ian eh?
@@scarletcrusade77 maybe, but for Singapore those are national policy and literal life and blood. any deviation will just get slap on social media nowadays.
if you want liberal policies, LGBT+ rights and increased right to protest and free speech might be more of a liberal policy but none of the parties ever brings up. but as it is, the childish "you pull me down, i will too" will continue for now...
@@scarletcrusade77 It really depends on your perspective. A lot of the social welfare policies, for example, aren't really in the same vein as the typical western liberal democracy's. Take the healthcare system - Singapore doesn't actually have "free healthcare" in the same way European welfare states do, but instead mandate each citizen to pay a % of their income into a special savings account that can only be used for things like healthcare and the like.
Racial tolerance involves the state cracking down on any ethnocentrist political stances, and mandating that state-provided housing having racial quotas (so each housing complex reflects the actual demographics of the country). And most Singaporeans live in government-built HDBs, so this isn't something that only affects a small % of the populace.
@@aturchomicz821 that’s foreign policy, that’s not tied into liberal ideology. Total non sequitur.
I like to think that being a dictator, will never be a synonymous of being a tyrant, if the dictator takes all the decisions for the people's sake, then he can't be considered a bad person.
depend on what you mean by people. majorities can still be tyrannies. just look at ancient athens.
"Economic development is much more important than democracy." Yup.. true..
All i think about the election in singapore are the memes
"We have an East Coast plan....."
And a together singapore @ east coast
When everything else go wrong, the East Coast Plan will save us…
Yes, I enjoy the memes, that's why election in singapore is important
Lmaoooo!!
this warms the cockles of my heart
pleaseee its so funny to hear him call “P.A.P.”, “pap”
I was outside when watching this video and I screamed when I first heard it, luckily no one was near me 😂
especially when "pap" means "priest" in Hungarian
Its ground maize cooked to a paste in Zulu
But the meaning is MORE ACTION Than TALK TALK Bullshit😂
Obviously it's pap smear
Would you ride a ship whose captain changes the direction once every five years? Where the captain REVERSES his ship so that he can tell his passengers the previous captain was wrong, and he is the right one?
r*tarded analogy, why would i ride on a ship for five years straight? either way, youd like to go on a cruise where everyone that is a dissident "inexplicably" disappears
Just a quick question for anyone who can and would reply. So basically Singapore is kinda like a dictatorship because the same party has been elected ever since the 1960s, but technically isn't because there exist elections. The problem is the election always results in PAP winning because of censorship. Please correct me if I'm wrong I'm just having trouble understanding this. Any help would be appreciated.
Not really cause of censorship, they just do really well in keeping and attracting talent through scholarships etc. So the opposition ends up much less competent. And there really isn't anything to aggregious to complain about tbh so if it aint broke don't fix it
@@chrisho1435 So it's like how Windows is pretty much the best OS because the other options are meh or just aren't practical for everyday users(Linux)?
@@Powerlevelspy more or less yeps
It aint perfect but it does the job
5:59 just a heads up people in Singapore don't say 'pap' as one syllable but always as a 3-letter initialism/acronym 'p-a-p'
Go higher sotong, people need to know
What you are describing is an initialism, not an acronym. CIA is an initialism, NASA is an acronym.
@@8is ah got it, my bad! TIL
@@8is the more you know
@You Tube ??? what
Hence when the opposition wins a sector, otherwise known as a GRC, during elections, Singaporeans cheer, party and make memes about it the following day. Most of us are neutral to the PAP, and are alright with a parliament shared between the PAP & the opposition parties.
To truly understand Singapore, one has to come stay here for months, be it as an expat, a permanent resident or to actually become a new citizen.
ALL w e s t e r n c o u n t r i e s are s t e a l t h d 1 c t a t r s h p s now. The N w W r d O r d runs EVERYTHING. Open you e y e s people.
@@alandarrin I think he's joking
@@briansimmons8643 bars dude
Some of our ministers are more sensitive too I think e.g. Indranee Rajah previously accused opposition MP Sylvia Lim of attempting to take undue credit when she praised the government's review of public transport fares, that included lowering concession prices for polytechnic students. Josephine Teo also accused her of insinuation & demanded an apology in 2018 after she asked if the PAP was earlier trying to "float test balloons" i.e. gauge public sentiment to an announced future hike of GST (consumption tax)
Neutral? that's the thing your content by it and from it. They have successfully fulfilled their goal and opposing to the objectives that twines to their intentions you not only become complacent but amuse yourself from it, don't beckon yourself with such sight without knowing were your truly align of. Nothing, because everything complain of and praise is taken. This is not democracy, your living a burrow time of golden egg cracking.
I worked in Singapore for a while - Yes, it is pretty much a one party government. Yes, its really not a democracy. Yes, it is a technically a dictatorship state. But it is the most efficient, productive, and incredibly resilient nation. It's not perfect, but it fits the country's need, and people's need perfectly.
It's not a dictatorship. It's clearly a democracy, or it wouldn't hold elections. The fact that the majority of Singaporeans don't vote for the alternative Workers Party is down to them (and their concerns, presumably, about what would happen to their lifestyles if the PAP were voted out of power.) Very misleading headline by the author of this channel. Dude who created the video doesn't know what 'dictatorship' means. Try Romania under the old Ceausescu regime, as an example.
and what happens to those who dissent?
dictatorships very often work well when they manage small states. the larger the size, the more difficult it becomes to manage for a small group. democracy and free market are both ways that make population management easier. people often confuse them as inherently good, but they are just useful tools, a means, and not an end of itself.
Yep
China is a large communist state which may be an exception to that notion.
@@9wiseart117 China learned from Singapore. The only difference is CCP didn't have the guts to have free election.
@@9wiseart117they wont last long so eventually they will fall
@@captainheat2314apparently not for thousands of years
In Johannesburg, South Africa, our provincial intercity commuter rail (Gautrain) also bans chewing gum and any open drinks or food. The service has compliance officers walking around on the train to check. The trains still looks brand new inside after 11 years of operation; I’d much rather have that than graffitied, dirty trains…
Exactly ! Studied in US years ago and one day the school decide to have the students coming back to do some public cleaning. And imagine how many bags of dry out gums we were able scrap up and a world of difference before and after the scrapping ....
Clean trains and democracy are not mutually exclusive. Case in point, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea all have great metros.
@@eugene9661 but they all have strict rules about littering
@@eugene9661 I dont know about Japan and Korea, but Taiwan use a rat system to encourage citizens to rat on each other against littering. Giving the rat a potion of the fine.
You Dutch or English?
Think its also worth mentioning that while the PAP "only" got 61.5% of the vote that still resulted in them getting 90% of the seats in parlement. With how they gerrymander they could probably still maintain a majority with 30% of the vote, so having any other party rule is a very, very long way away.
The biggest worry Singapore has is the day PAP no longer rules would come too soon
Dude, I suggest you stop dreaming that 30% of the vote can keep PAP in power. Maths fail. You probably don’t think voters have brains, so you don’t give enough credit to them voting in the party that they believe is best qualified.
@@jeremyjackson7429 don’t understand.
@@sg_hokkien_opera theoretically perfect gerrymandering in a 2 party system can result in the winner getting just over 25%. With more parties, this goes down exponentially.
If you win half+1 of the votes in half+1 of the seats, and zero votes everywhere else, you have won the election. with just over 25% of the vote. This sort of extreme situation would be almost impossible to manufacture, but it is _theoretically_ possible.
Cause oppies don’t think. They’re just unhappy with their life.
Salaries and good employment prospects were it's best appeal. To even have a visa less entry into nations like USA showed that there was no "hanky panky" and or "patronage" in how the government is run. The citizens belived in it's fair and just "management" of the nation. The rules are obeyed and no special treatment for any group or "family" .. That's how I saw 🇸🇬 Singapore.
Great. Insightful
For most of the population, so long as it continues to prosper, few are going to rock the boat. From young, we are taught that our rice bowl is made from porcelain, no one will care of our well being other than ourselves. It's one of the reasons why people here are pragmatic. Freedom of speech means nothing if we cannot put food on the table
This. Most westerners keep crying about "liberal democracy" yet they don't know poverty. I'd rather have the PAP running my country and securing us good living standards than the "democratic" government destroying my country and stealing everything from us.
@@Monkechnology westerners prefer freedom over security and asians prefer the opposite. difference of culture
@@theendurance Westerners don't like freedom, otherwise people wouldn't go to jail over a joke and they wouldn't lose their jobs because government say so. They like to virtue signal.
@@Monkechnology Which western country does this happen in, or which government does this? I haven't thought of any that fit your specifics yet.
@@benjamingoh8204 Argentina
We SE/E. Asians, have a very different concept of "dictator" from Westerners. For them, a democracy without effective opposition is a dictatorship. To us here, as long as a ruler doesn't murder people in broad daylight, he isn't a dictator. To me, as long as the Singaporean people still continue to not throw out PAP, the Singaporeans gave their consent to this social contract. Hey, even Japan has essentially same one-party rule but no one's saying it's a dictatorship.
That’s because Japan has the same western standards of civil liberties and separation of powers that SG does not. Democracy is NOT JUST about election. The latter forms only one component of the democracy umbrella.
Doesn't matter, a government that governs well is the best government
Democracy is trash without an educated and equally capable population
but is it really a choice if the government literally gives stuff to PAP voters? That's not consent, that's survival.
@@GodActio "Democracy is trash without an educated and equally capable population"
Ukraine
@xraf32 what's amazing is that men let them do it. Wasn't this way 2 centuries ago
wow.. i just realized, the 2 major politcal party in Singapore, one is The Flash, the other is Starfleet..
What made Singapore work, imo, is the Housing and Development Board. Lee Kuan Yew promised good housing for all and he delivered some of the best housing in the world. Unfortunately, that is an easy way to get people under your thumb. You take care of them. You house them, deliver on decent jobs. And people look the other way as their other rights are taken away.
Yes and? I would trade my rigths for economic prosperity
@@WHYIMHERE350 but you dont have to. So you'd give up all your rights for material comfort?
We didn't give up all our rights tho.
@@tristanband4003 yes i would
@@WHYIMHERE350 I find that to be madness.
Polymatter: Singapore a dictatorship?
Singapore Govt: I take umbrage. Sends takedown notice and sues for slander
Singaporeans: why do foreigners abuse words like dictatorship and pretend we are uneducated North Korean slaves.
Ignorant but arrogant TH-cam commenters: I take offense. Doubles down and reveal more ignorance and bigotry.
Maybe u should ask Singapore neighbours if they have a chance to change their government would they prefer to have a PAP govt?
@Alfred Markovic Not wrong, but at the same time if you ask Singapore's neighbours if they would have a PAP government, most of them would say yes.
@@balloooom Singapore is just a city. It would be easier to run city.
You forgot POFMA
I like your confidence to just plain announce the results of Swedish elections over a year early
LOL
You cite sources but we all would greatly appreciate links in the description, otherwise it feels slightly less legitimate. Huge fan, love all your work and greatly appreciate non biased position.
Singapore be like: We're a dictatory by popular demand.
As a Singaporean, I was initially peeved by the video title, saying Singapore is a ‘dictatorship’. Singapore isn’t a dictatorship the same way Belarus or North Korea is. Singapore is more of an authoritarian democracy. We do have a form of democracy that requires ALL adult citizens to vote. You are absolutely right about the use of gerrymandering and crippling and disadvantaging opposition party candidates trying to run for office. Singaporeans can criticise the government (the ruling PAP party) and its policies openly. But it gets risky when criticism is directed at individual politicians. Suing and bankrupting critics, both individuals and organisations, seems to be the go to MO for PAP politicians who feel their reputation has been unfairly mischaracterised. Most Singaporeans like me do want the PAP to continue governing Singapore. We believe they have been doing a good job so far. But we also want more TRANSPARENCY, accountability and stopping ALL UNFAIR practices that disadvantage the opposition party candidates/ politicians. That includes redrawing of electoral boundary lines. The content of your video is mostly spot on.
@@annoyedcat9291 There are no repercussions for voting for opposition parties. The first and 2nd generation of political leaders of the ruling party were very authoritarian-like. Most Singaporeans back in the 60s had very low levels of education and illiteracy was high. It was easier to install fear and rule with an iron fist. Even though Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kwan Yew, was very authoritarian like, he was also a great visionary and today he is acknowledged and respected for his political wisdom, even by his good friend, US foreign minister, Henry Kissinger. Today’s ruling party, the PAP, cannot rule Singapore the same way the early leaders did. They realised this a couple of decades ago. The opposition parties leaders have grown from strength to strength and had their best results in the last elections. Singaporeans in general are not really interested in domestic politics as long as their needs are taken care of - housing, children’s education, economic stability, good jobs, affordable food prices, clean water, good and efficient public transport, healthcare needs, etc.
Singaporeans are very comfortable living in a ‘nanny state’ as long as it works efficiently for them. We Singaporeans, as Asians/ East Asians, DON’T want and don’t aspire to American-style democracy. We really don’t want that version of ‘democracy’. It’s probably hard for an American to fathom this. But the American version simply doesn’t ‘suit’ our needs. We looked at the 2018 rioting and protest in Hong Kong that paralysed the city and caused an economic downturn and we are thankful Singapore’s laws does not allow for such public disruptions. Singaporeans enjoy some of the highest standards of living in the world, and they don’t believe in rocking the boat. As the old adage goes - If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.
It is a dictatorship in our minds and hearts ✊😔
@@CalvinNoire 😂…we are all entitled to our OPINIONS.
@@truthseeker000000 "I'm offended that you would call us a dictatorship!"
>Goes on to describe a dictatorship
Did you guys not notice the flash and bolt on the pap's flag?
You know what countries used that logo right?
@@ZacharyBittner Who gives a f how you or anyone chooses to define Singapore. I live in one of the wealthiest, and most peaceful nations on the planet. I have everything I need or want. Go ahead and define Singapore as you please. At the end of each day, I sleep like a baby. 😂😂☀️😎
This all started when lee kuan yew was heartbroken from forcibly being independent
"Fuck it, I'll make my own country!"
@@erikho6936 Sg was actually booted out of the Malaysian federation lol
@@thefortemfortispandorian8333 Didn't that partly stem from Malaysia wanting special treatment for Malays in Singapore while Lee wanted none of it... among the other political and economic issues Malaysia and Singapore can't agree with it?
@@erikho6936 NOOOOAHAHAHAA
@@0daadaadaa0 it was a lot of things together
from Singapore we learn that people care more about their prosperity and security than their freedom.
the need of "freedom" arises whenever people's conditions are not met and they yearn to have the means to express their grievances.
however, if a country is well-managed, efficient and relatively corruption-free, people generally want the incumbent system to go on, and won't be bothered by the system's lack of democracy.
You call it dictatorship but every tactics you mentioned are being employed in US too. Really makes you think.
You need to research about Switzerlands system of government. It's a polar opposite compared to Singapore, yet their standard of living are similar. Switzerland is a direct democracy, the people decide what happens. It has 4 official languages, 25% of people are immigrants, and hasn't been in a war in 2 centuries
The only thing that is the same is that we still love our foreign cash flow.
Basically small population countries are good as it means you don't have to share the pie with so many others. Globalists have done a wonder in convincing citizens that they need more immigrants.
@@TheBooban Have you not read OP's comment? Switzerland is 25% immigrants (without a citizenship btw, with an immigration background it's actually 75%)
Idk it's just a funny response considering that this is literally the highest immigration country in Europe lol
@@phillip7731 Oh, I missed that last part. Didn't know it was so high. I have to revise my thesis. On the other hand, you could say 70% of Singaporians are immigrants. Not really the kind I mean.
@@TheBooban Most are from the surrounding countries in EU if I am not mistaken.
If you do a good job, you retain power. That’s the thing they figured out years ago that no other party seems to be able to comprehend in any other country.
For some countries, the corruption is so deep that any party can't/doesn't do a good job. No matter what party the populace choose :'(
If you do a good job repressing opposition you mean?
Yet this is a country that used authoritarian actions to SERVE their people. The West has made a silly religion out of Democracy and fails to see that systems short comings. My preferred government style is a republic personally. Singapore proves, however, that authoritarian rule can be done well and for the most peoples best interest. They will only fall once they fail in this rioe
@@austingonzalez1148 I honestly don't think that does much difference. If anything, I agree with PolyMatter, I think they'd be more secure in their position if they allowed the opposition to fight them. They are a South Asian small country surrounded by bigger but much poorer neighbors. They have as much GDP per capita as the US but one of the best universal healthcare in the world, the best education in the world (China's numbers are bullshit) and amazing public housing. I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that no country in the world has citizens as comfortable and safe as Singapore. The PAP really has done absolutely amazing things for its citizens and people there know that. They would win anyway, hell I'm certain a lot of those votes against them are protest votes about their authoritarianism.
@@austingonzalez1148 No they don't. The opposition is a joke, and anyone with half a brain can see that
Great video, but I have a question: you claim that Vietnam and Laos have voter intimidation, and checking through your sources I can't find an article to back this up. I always thought Laos and Vietnam had democratic centralism, and considered their electoral systems highly, can anyone direct me to any sources you used to find this information?
Lol, Vietnam and Laos have absolutely NOTHING to do with democracy 🤦 They are Communist single-party states, just like China.
1) Laos:
Political Rights 2/40
Civil Liberties 11/60
Status: NOT FREE (13/100)
2) Vietnam:
Political Rights 4/40
Civil Liberties 15/60
Status: NOT FREE (19/100)
3) Singapore:
Political Rights 19/40
Civil Liberties 28/60
Status: PARTLY FREE (47/100)
Source: Freedom House (Global Freedom Index)
Another great video. Please clarify one thing. At around 2:52 you state "As colonies around the world gained their independence in the mid "19th" century...." But, the cc captions state "the mid 20th century..." Which is correct?
Thanks! Always enjoy your well researched and unbiased vids.
little late, but i believe that the mid 20th century is more accurate. In that period, the decolonization of africa was happening, and africa went from all colonial to how it kind of is today.
I am a singapore resident staying at kaki bukit and i can say the reason its districts kept changing was because its the only few places where most people support the opposition party in singapore
Interesting. Why is that? Is it because they want more democracy and choose opposition or is there a hidden rebellion against the dominant party
@@dr.science_0177 The opposition party campaigning in the Kaki Bukit area is largely seen as a credible alternative voice in parliament (no stonewalling, providing constructive feedback, that sorta thing). The shuffling of Kaki Bukit between constituencies (AKA electoral divisions) is just one such instance of gerrymandering at work.
If you would like to see an even more egregious example, google "Cheng San Group Representation Constituency" and read up on how it was dissolved following a near-win for the Workers Party (the same opposition party campaigning in Kaki Bukit) in the '97 general elections (margin: 9.6%), and also the dirty tactics employed by the PAP to sway voters into voting for them (promises of housing upgrades, subtle and unfounded allegations of racism on the side of the opposition, etc).
While you're at it, there's also the single-seat constituency of Joo Chiat which was likewise dissolved following the '11 general elections with an even closer margin (2.1%) between the PAP and WP candidates. The official reasoning behind the dissolution of Joo Chiat was that the voter population shrunk between '11 and '15, but anyone with half a brain during polling day could see where Joo Chiat was headed once the results came out.
@@dr.science_0177 Google it. It's very complicated.
All i know it started in 1997 election when Cheng San GRC was dissolved after the opposition nearly won. This pisses the community for years to come and it did when the oppo wins Aljunied GRC in 2011 election. I believe it was one of the few section that was under Cheng San correct me if i'm wrong.
Long story short, some estates in north east like Aljunied, Hougang and Sengkang treated like shit.
@@LightBluly well damn
Stayed in SG for 24 days. It was amazing. So clean and safe. You see kids age 10 going to school by themselves. I barely saw any police but Cc TV everywhere. I was walking late at night at 2am by myself with no fear or harassment. No homeless people. Really interesting place to live and work in.
Wait till you walk at lower income neighborhood where you can see homeless people.
@@mrreedawn4573 talk shit. which neighbourhood is "low income"?
@@jot2386 if you are a Singaporean, you been living in ivory tower hah? Stoo living in your already tiny little bubble
just go Yishun u will be suprised
@@mrreedawn4573 Ah fascinating. Anyone that doesn’t adhere to your pessimistic narrative is “privileged.” Or that he lives in an “ivory tower.” You gonna spew more SJW canard over where that came from?
It's interesting how many people are experts on democracy when there are exactly two countries in the world with true (=direct) democracies: Switzerland and Liechtenstein (although in Liechtenstein, a ruler is also involved).
I am Swiss and live in Switzerland.
The direct democracy ensures that the tax burden never gets too high and that important issues can be voted upon by the parliament or even initiated by ordinary people to be voted on by the entire country.
It also ensures that important issues are not resolved fairly since a majority is interested in keeping it the way it is and incentivized to prioritize their needs above other peoples or future generations. This can be seen in our retirement system which no politican has the balls to tackle since they know that mostly old people vote and mostly old people benefit from the artificially high rents (which are paid for by younger people).
Also, as a friend used to say: The average person is quite dumb and 50% are even dumber. Not politically correct but true.
A uninformed persons vote for any topic you can vote on (not just electing politicians) carries the same weight as an informed persons vote. Or even the same weight as the vote of a person who is a globally renowned expert on said topic/issue. So a party/politician who knows how to persuade the masses - with or without merit to their position - can garner a low of votes. This can be very dangerous.
To think that democracy = good and dictatorship = bad is a ideology that is plaguing a lot of people.
People who don't even live in genuine democracies.
A benevolent dicatorship who focuses on the prosperity of their country and citizens by running things smoothly, efficiently and effectively can be better for a country than democracy (in terms of education, healthcare, prosperity, retirement systems, taxes, etc.). Unfortunately, most people directly assume dicatorship = bad.
An low corruption + efficient government make wonders i believe, i have not much complains growing up here, problems i encounter so far are usually social not political