Democracy in Singapore
2. Is there democracy in Singapore?
What is Democracy?
Singapore has been recognized as a representative democratic state since August 1965. However, to examine if Singapore is in fact democratic, we need to first define the word “democracy” and its parameters. The word originated from M.Fr democratis in the 1570s, with ‘demo’ referring to common people and ‘cratie’ to rule of strength. Therefore, by definition, Singapore can be classified as a democratic country due to the fair elections which enable her people to choose their government.
“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time”, Churchill words immortalize democracy as the way to go, but there is not one universal, agreeable definition that encompasses the concept of democracy in its entirety. There are, however, two proven opposite types of democracy-liberal and illiberal- and it is the purpose of this paper to argue that Singapore, considering all factors, is a liberal democratic society.
Political landscape in Singapore
One perennial issue that will always emerge in any debate on Singapore politic is that of whether the country is actually a free and fair democracy. The fact that Singapore is a dominant one party state with hardly any feasible opposition has been attributed to the sound governance and policies of the ruling party, the ineptitude of the opposition candidates and the tendency of Singaporeans keen to maintain what has been “tried and tested” with the general unwillingness to rock the boat. However, there are always accusations that the PAP government has had a huge role to play in this due to the fact that they have not always played fair during the elections and have used a myriad of unsavory tactics to ensure they maintain power. Ultimately, one must ask how effective such strategies are- does employing such hard line scare tactics really cause the increasing politically mature, practical minded Singaporeans
What is Democracy?
Singapore has been recognized as a representative democratic state since August 1965. However, to examine if Singapore is in fact democratic, we need to first define the word “democracy” and its parameters. The word originated from M.Fr democratis in the 1570s, with ‘demo’ referring to common people and ‘cratie’ to rule of strength. Therefore, by definition, Singapore can be classified as a democratic country due to the fair elections which enable her people to choose their government.
“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time”, Churchill words immortalize democracy as the way to go, but there is not one universal, agreeable definition that encompasses the concept of democracy in its entirety. There are, however, two proven opposite types of democracy-liberal and illiberal- and it is the purpose of this paper to argue that Singapore, considering all factors, is a liberal democratic society.
Political landscape in Singapore
One perennial issue that will always emerge in any debate on Singapore politic is that of whether the country is actually a free and fair democracy. The fact that Singapore is a dominant one party state with hardly any feasible opposition has been attributed to the sound governance and policies of the ruling party, the ineptitude of the opposition candidates and the tendency of Singaporeans keen to maintain what has been “tried and tested” with the general unwillingness to rock the boat. However, there are always accusations that the PAP government has had a huge role to play in this due to the fact that they have not always played fair during the elections and have used a myriad of unsavory tactics to ensure they maintain power. Ultimately, one must ask how effective such strategies are- does employing such hard line scare tactics really cause the increasing politically mature, practical minded Singaporeans
Bibliography: Singh, Bilveer. 2007. Politics and Governance in Singapore: An Introduction. Singapore: McGraw-Hill Education (Asia) Mutalib, Hussin Caplan, B. (2008, November 28). Democracy in Singapore: How is One-Party Rule Possible? Retrieved March 29, 2011, from http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2008/11/democracy_in_si.html. Saad, I. (2010, April 26). Parliament amends Constitution to change NCMP & NMP scheme. Retrieved March 29, 2011, from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1052726/1/.html Boon, A Lloyd, P. (2005, November 1). Former Singapore PM defends lack of media freedom. Retrieved March 30, 2011, from ABC News: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2005/11/01/1495616.htm Kekic, L [ 2 ]. Gomex, J. (December, 2005). Freedom of Expression and The Media in Singapore. Article 19, London. P. 13 [ 3 ] [ 4 ]. Boon, A. (2009, May 11). GRC system detrimental to democratic development of Singapore. Retrieved March 29, 2011, from Civic Advocator: http://civicadvocator.net/grc-system-detrimental-to-democratic-development-of-singapore [ 5 ] [ 6 ]. Lloyd, P. (2005, November 1). Former Singapore PM defends lack of media freedom. Retrieved March 30, 2011, from ABC News: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2005/11/01/1495616.htm [ 7 ]