If we are boasting about sailing through
the recession without major damage, Singapore has already sprung back with an
18% growth in the first half of 2010! That is the kind of performance that can
be expected from one of the most open, competitive, innovative market-based
economies in the world. Singapore (meaning Lion City in Malay) has one of the
world’s largest foreign reserves, with strong manufacturing and knowledge-based
sectors like electronics, petroleum, chemicals, mechanical engineering and
biomedical sciences. It is also the world’s fourth largest financial center, a
hub for tourism, medical travel and higher education. Over 40% of its working population are
foreigners.
Should Singapore be a model for us to compare
to and emulate? Mauritius has done remarkably well as an African nation, but
Singapore provides a good reality check. The comparison with Singapore is
probably unfair at many levels, but it is not like comparing apples and oranges
– or lions and tigers. We are not exactly twin city-states, but the
parallel is significant. Both are island countries, with independence achieved just
three years apart. There is a common history of immigration and hence an
ethnically very diverse population. Roughly one third the size of Mauritius, Singapore
has four times as many people. Both countries were recognized as strategically
located early on, although Mauritius lost a bit of its “key of the Indian Ocean” luster given the Suez Canal. It is no match to Singapore’s growth as a trading
post in the heart of the Asian market since Thomas Raffles landed there in
early 19th century. The port in Singapore is today among the top
five busiest in the world. But it is not
just location; a strong government-led initiative to industrialize and attract
foreign direct investment in early 1960s has sown the seeds of a strong and modern
economy.
So, there is a lot that can be learnt from
Singapore. For instance, how it effectively manages transportation, despite
being the second most densely populated country in the world (after Monaco).
The majority of Singaporeans use the public transport for commuting. The bus transport system is complemented by a
heavy rail metro and a light rail system. Contactless smartcards make public
transport system convenient and efficient.
And that’s what we should do. Learn,
understand and adapt, not necessarily copy. Mauritian realities are different.
In transportation for instance, it may more effective to adopt more flexi-time
and work-from-home culture than just massive investment in infrastructure. We
need creative solutions.
Besides, it is not all perfect in Lion
City. Singapore is hardly a model based on some (albeit rare) criteria. One of
them is democracy. Only one party
(People’s Action Party) has ruled Singapore since independence. The Economist
classifies Singapore as a “hybrid regime”, lagging behind “full democracies”
and “flawed democracies”. It is ranked 82nd in the world in terms of
the Democracy Index. Also, Singapore faces its own social and education woes.
The Singaporean education system is generally viewed as elitist and coercive,
and does not foster creativity. “We are producing consumers and workers, not
thinkers and problem solvers”, laments a courageous Singaporean blogger. Also,
the rule of law is perceived as backward, with pervasive capital and corporal
punishment (like caning). Although Singapore is a rare example where “benevolent
dictatorship” is not a myth, it is hardly a political model worth experimenting
with.
Many would rather work and live in
tropical, green and democratic Mauritius, despite 5-6 times less GDP per
capita. If a genie gave one and only one wish of what could be taken from
Singapore, it would not be its financial, education or transportation system. It would probably be how it deals with
corruption (Singapore is the third least corrupt country in the world;
Mauritius ranks 42nd). A better culture of fairness, transparency
and meritocracy in Mauritius would automatically create the economic and social
dynamism that would make comparison to Singapore futile.
Rank of Mauritius
|
Rank of Singapore
|
|
GDP per capita 2009
(World Bank)
|
57
(USD 6,700)
|
17
(USD 36,500)
|
Globalization Index 2010
(A.T. Kearney/Foreign Policy)
|
44
|
17
|
Global Competitiveness 2010 (World Economic Forum)
|
55
|
3
|
Travel & Tourism Competitiveness 2009 (World
Economic Forum)
|
40
|
10
|
Enabling Trade Index 2010
(World Economic Forum)
|
33
|
1
|
Economic Freedom Index 2010
(Wall Street Journal/Heritage Foundation)
|
12
|
2
|
Human Development
Index 2009 (UN)
|
81
|
23
|
Democracy Index 2008
(Economist)
|
26
|
82
|
Corruption Perceptions Index 2009
(Transparency International)
|
42
|
3
|
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