DICTAabroad
Sara Charteris-Black in Queenstown, Singapore
Living the Air-Conditioned Life
D
uring my first semester at the National University of Singapore, I attended
a talk given by Tony Blair. The ex-Prime Minister spoke of Singapore’s rapid progression
into the First World, praising the nation for its
democratisation and respect for civil liberties.
As his speech drew to a close, applause erupted
amongst the sea of smiling Singaporean faces.
On the face of it, Singapore’s progression is
indeed something to be applauded. This small,
brightly-lit, air-conditioned nation is clean and
remarkably efficient. It being the second richest
country in the world - with an unemployment
rate of less than 2% and casinos raking in more
than those in Vegas – I began to realise why the
nation had become such a magnet for the young,
wealthy businessman. Before long, however, the
cool air-conditioned buildings became reminiscent of a different type of coolness within the
country.
Is the nation’s so-called democracy deserving of praise? The fact that the People’s Action
Party has been Singapore’s ruling political party
for almost half a century now is hardly surprising considering the rules surrounding elections,
but it is worrying nonetheless. According to the
law, opposing parties are given a mere 9 days to
campaign prior to Election Day. Furthermore, it
is illegal, under section 33 of the Films Act, to
produce any party political film. And unlike the
UK, Singapore has no defence of qualified privilege, protecting a journalist’s right to scrutinise
the government.
And is the nation’s respect for civil liberties
likewise deserving of admiration? The Public
Order Act makes it an offence in Singapore to
“demonstrate support for or opposition to the
views or actions of any person, group of persons or any government”. As for the rights of
certain minorities, section 377A of the Penal
Code continues to criminalise sex between homosexual men. After reading a 2005 parliamentary debate on section 377A for class, I was astonished to discover that the winning party had
made claims as shocking as: “homosexuality is a
genetic identity disorder.”
It has become apparent to me that Singapore does not champion civil liberties in the
same way it champions economic efficiency.
The country’s cleanliness now seems sterile, and
the high standard of living a mere mask for the
country’s soft-authoritarian rule. Yet the Singaporeans cheering Tony Blair in that seminar
room were smiling. Whether this indicates a genuine satisfaction with their air-conditioned lives
is doubtful and, of course, worthy of an article
in itself.
Sara has passed her time abroad eating dim sum
and utilising the on-campus infinity pool. »