I haven’t written about Singapore for a while. Which is a shame, because I live here for the moment. So here’s a Singapore post! The CIA’s World Factbook says, in part, that (cue harp music and release the doves):

Singapore has a highly developed and successful free-market economy. It enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP equal to that of the four largest West European countries.

Okay, let’s take the first bit, the “successful free-market economy”. Free-market means no government interference, right? “In a market economy, businesses and consumers decide of their own volition what they will purchase and produce, and in which decisions about the allocation of those resources are without government intervention [my emphasis]“, to quote Wikipedia. (As long as we’re not discussing the sexual peccadilloes of various First, Second, and Third World dictators, I think it’s okay to use the W. Yes, yes, I admit being lazy. Let’s just go with this one, okay?)

But if Singapore is so remarkably free-market, then why does the University of Liverpool, to use one of many examples, have this to say in the unrestricted portion of an article on Singapore entitled Singapore Inc. versus the private sector: are government-linked companies different?:

As part of its postindependence industrialization plan, the Singapore government assumed a proactive entrepreneurial role by establishing state enterprises (called government-linked companies, or GLCs) in key sectors such as manufacturing, finance, trading, transportation, shipbuilding, and services.

[ed: Interestingly enough, according to the CIA Factbook, Singapore's economy depends on -- can you guess? -- electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, life sciences, entrepot trade. Hmmm, is that a GLC bulge in your government portfolio, or are you just trying to impress me?]

Oops. Sorry to interrupt, UoL. Please continue:

In this respect, Singapore was different from Hong Kong SAR, whose economic growth was driven by private enterprises [ed: that's big, bad China we're talking about, btw], and other East Asian economies like Japan, Taiwan Province of China, and the Republic of Korea, where active industrial policy did not involve widespread government … [ed: um, intervention? interference? injections of humongous amounts of cash? Something like that, I'm sure. What a terrible place to cut the freebie abstract!]

So, okay, I get “highly developed”, and I’ll give a big tick for “successful”. But “free-market”? Now, I’m sure that the CIA never ever intends to ever deceive a soul about anything, but, nah, free-market it ain’t.

Let’s move on to the “remarkably open and corruption-free environment”. And juxtapose it with a short article from a local newspaper, imaginatively called “The New Paper” from 02-April-2008. Namely,

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong [ed: the son of Singapore's first PM, Lee Kwan Yuew (LKY)], 56, says he is seeking a successor to take over his position [ed: that is, Prime Minister, just in case you missed it] before he reaches age 70. The political talent will [now be] aged 30 or early 40s.

Yep, nothing closed and corrupted about having a Prime Minister (who was himself chosen by this father) choosing his own successor 14 or so years into the future! Sounds remarkably like a solid foundation for democracy, doesn’t it? Just like creating a brand-new position called “Minister Mentor” for LKY after he retired, so that he can still wield incredible influence over government machinations.

Can’t say I blame the guy, in a way … we all know about our children running off the rails, don’t we? How can you trust them? All we can do is ground the little sweethearts, whereas LKY can get an entire country’s government to create a sinecure for himself so he can make and break entire lives and keep his PM son in line. Man, wish I had something like that for the next time The Wast argues with me over something! What power! And, knowing me as well as you do, you just know that I wouldn’t do anything to misuse it, don’t you?

Also along the “open and corruption-free” line, there is nothing undemocratic or closed from the, admittedly anecdotal, grumbles of non-Chinese executives who agree that there really is no glass ceiling in the country … as long as you can converse in fluent Mandarin, with the appropriate family name, at the final interview. ::rimshot::

And you lot think economics and politics are boring? Pshaw!

POSTSCRIPT: Just to show that two people can read the same article and take entirely different points away from it, here’s Mr Wang’s perspective on the Prime Ministership succession issue.