The country would be much more prosperous if they pivoted into socialism, a lot of the infrastructure is already there, but it's used to suppress people... instead of uplifting them. Maybe the more stronger China gets eventually it'll happen trans-sad

[–] micnd90@hexbear.net 33 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (2 children)

Singapore looks great from the outside, high GDP, high GDP per capita, great healthcare, education, their high schoolers consistently ranked top in math and science, etc. but demographically the country is screwed. Something like 40% of people living in Singapore are noncitizens, they are padding both the bottom and top society with noncitizens. These include almost slave labor underclass who work in manual labor jobs, construction, and service industry (including medical service) as well as really rich expats and white collars criminals from all over the world who use Singapore as tax haven. 0 capital gain tax, low corporate tax, and zero organized labor union.

Singapore basically sold their nation to capitalism for 50 years of line continuously go up. The middle class in Singapore is currently facing wage stagnation, aging population burden, cost of living affordability issues, as well as severe burnt out from the rat-race (which started in elementary school in Singapore). They are consistently the most depressed country, the country with lowest reported work-related happiness and satisfaction in SEA. Mom and pops storefronts are all closing due to aging population and being outcompeted by international brands, this includes mom and pops traditional ethnic Chinese (Hainese, Hokkien, Teochew), Malay, and South Indian food stalls (including multi-way fusion between all these cuisines from 200 years of being a port city), which is the only semblance of "cultural heritage" they have left as a nation.

One could argue that Singapore is the first fully neoliberal state, and it would require hell to freeze over multiple times before they allow any kind of socialism or communism

[–] Collatz_problem@hexbear.net 21 points 18 hours ago

Something like 40% of people living in Singapore are noncitizens, they are padding both the bottom and top society with noncitizens. These include almost slave labor underclass who work in manual labor jobs, construction, and service industry (including medical service) as well as really rich expats and white collars criminals from all over the world

Feels like reading about ancient Mediterranian city-states.

[–] Renin@hexbear.net 20 points 19 hours ago

I'm glad you point this out and I should have been more critical in what I was trying to convey, because I just have a bad habit of assuming people already know. These capitalists exploiting the workers will not have a change of heart and there is almost 0 chance they will suddenly decide to treat workers with dignity. I also can't advise on how I would envision a revolution, but neither can I see it sustaining itself, because all they're doing is accelerating contradictions. Only slowing down for the sake of self-preservation, if at all.

Living in a micro fascist state myself I can only imagine how much worse workers have it in Singapore, because at least here we have the lingering post-soviet culture. Neoliberalism really is such a trash heap of a model for exitance.