Politics - Democracy.

Over the years, I have heard so many people lament over the ‘lack’ of a fully liberalized society in Singapore - most of which come from the younger generation. More than ever, youth today are demanding the right to free speech, protection of human rights of all citizens as well as a full Western style democracy. According to this post (What some Singaporeans think about Democracy), Singaporean youths largely disagreed with the statement that Singapore’s progress towards democracy is satisfactory. Few also believed that Singapore practices a ‘democratic system based on justice and equality’.

Despite the government’s efforts to loosen up and liberalize the society - licensing the Grand Prix to take place in Singapore, the construction of the 2 casinos, allowing for bar top dancing – which are likely to affect but a few Singaporeans, and many youths are dismissing these decisions as purely rhetoric or economic-orientated rather than genuine attempts at opening up the society. In doing so, many Singaporean youths see the government as ‘trying too hard’ to accommodate the views of youths nowadays while not being really committed to the actual act of liberalization itself.

While it is seemingly obvious that Singapore does not follow the textbook definition of a democracy, Singapore works primarily on an economic agenda that is then supported by our political one (see The economics of Singapore's future politics). A failure to recognize the merits of this novel system of governance and an insistence to impose the widely accepted form of democracy in the unique socio-economic environment of Singapore could possibly only lead to the unraveling of what our fathers have worked so hard to put together.

Singapore sex on the straight and narrow
Hit the streets: be careful of what you post online