Singapore not a police state, but rather an authoritarian, well rigged true or faux democracy that works

Submitted by Mike Conlon (United States), Jan 5, 2016 at 02:23

I've been to Singapore while in the Navy. It struck me as what I had read about due to my interest over many years. While heavily authoritarian in its laws, that same authoritarianism is used to manage a multiethnic small country very peacefully and productively.

The ruling family has turned over peacefully. Either an oligarchy is secretly running things from behind the scenes, or "dads" set up was great. "Dad" made the huge legislature quota system oriented to tie everyone in, and has informal quotas in some job areas. It tamps down the otherwise almost caste system that would build up with Chinese at the top. They already dominate all the highest paid professions and national leadership. No way to tell if voting is rigged, because "Dads" long lived rule could easily have been from admiration of how he guided a state that many though would fail after the UK set it free post WW II. Most credit him with leading it to its current great success.

But the format is overall a mix between ours and Britains, very open to visitors and travel. Not a police state.

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