Singapore - 65.78
56
Benevolent dictatorship at its finest
Singapore is a country like no other. Under the innovative leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, the country rose from the ashes of poverty, colonialism, and ethnic discord to become one of the wealthiest, safest, and healthiest nations today. Under the iron fist of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore remains a top-down surveillance state with very little freedom of expression. In the freedom category, Singapore is tied for 148th place with Congo-Brazzaville, outscored by Sudan, Mali, and Pakistan. Singapore’s freedom of the press is consistently rated as some of the worst in the world. Singapore is, by all accounts, a dictatorship. Singapore’s government operates under a circular system where the prime minister, who is appointed by the ruling coalition, has significant power to keep the ruling coalition in power. This has resulted in one party, the People’s Action Party (PAP) staying in power since 1959. The Lee family has maintained a political dynasty in the country since 1959 as well, currently helmed by Lee Hsien Loong, current prime minister, and son of Lee Kuan Yew. Singapore has drawn repeated international ire for its continued use of corporal punishment, which is a legal punishment for thirty separate crimes. The government has near outright control over the internet and several government critics face jail time. However, the accomplishments of this system cannot be ignored. Singapore’s economy is one of the strongest and most stable in the world, and (at least according to official statistics) no Singaporeans live in poverty. Singapore is widely regarded as having one of the best healthcare systems in the world, and boasts a life expectancy to match. Singapore is world-renowned for its low levels of corruption. Singapore remains unique in its position in the world,
Human Rights - 58
Singapore retains the death penalty and carried out its last execution in December 2021. Singapore is one of the few countries to retain corporal punishment. Thirty separate crimes including rape, robbery, and drug trafficking are all punishable by mandatory caning. Caning is discretionary for any other violent crime. Females, men younger than sixteen or older than fifty, death row inmates, and persons determined medically unfit are all exempt from caning. A medical professional must be present during caning and can stop it at any time for any reason. The Singaporean government is granted effective free reign to monitor its citizens. The government can intercept, monitor, and halt any communications via telephone or the internet. The Singaporean government closely monitors social media and has made several arrests for social media posts. The Singaporean government is not known to bug private residences or businesses but has been accused of doing so on several occasions. Several prominent government critics have faced legal ramifications. Activist and independent parliament candidate Han Hui Hui was convicted of organizing a public protest without approval and was forced to pay a fine of $2200. Before being outed as such, known pedophile and disgraced Youtuber Amos Yee was arrested for Youtube videos celebrating the death of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Lee would be granted political asylum in the United States after significant public outcry in both countries but would later be arrested on charges including possession of child pornography. All domestic news broadcasts are owned by the government or government-friendly companies, and news broadcast content consistently favors the government. The government continues to place pressure on independent news outlets. New Natarif director Thum Ping Tjin has repeatedly been brought in for interrogation by authorities and the operation license of Online Citizen was suspended. Singapore also has strictly enforced libel and defamation laws. These laws have repeatedly been used to silence dissenters online. Singapore also has some of the strictest hate speech laws in the world. “Offending ethnic or religious feelings,” a crime that has been used to ensure racial and religious harmony in a diverse Singapore by force for decades, carries jail time and in a now-harmonious Singapore is primarily used to target government critics. Permits to protest are heavily restricted, and even legal protests can be shut down for any reason if they are deemed disruptive. Singapore rarely closes roads or allows demonstrations in crowded plazas or squares. Illegal assemblies of three or more count as such and carry hefty penalties. While male sodomy is punishable by caning under an unenforced statute, homosexuality in and of itself is not expressly illegal. Sex reassignment surgery is legal but trans Singaporeans cannot change their legal gender. LGBT Singaporeans can serve openly but with limited roles. Singapore does not have discrimination protections but hate speech and hate crimes apply to LGBT. Singapore does not recognize same-sex relationships and homosexuals cannot adopt.
Democracy - 34
The largely ceremonial president is directly elected and the prime minister is chosen by the ruling coalition. 93/103 MPs are directly elected, nine non-partisan MPs are appointed by the president, and less than twelve (currently two) are appointed from among opposition groups to meet a minimum quota of opposition politicians. Election management is free and fair, and votes are counted appropriately with well-managed voter rolls. However, the prime minister exerts significant control over election management. The prime minister has broad powers to redistrict and manage campaign finance laws, and the PAP has ruled since 1959. Singapore has bizarre laws regarding presidential eligibility. No one of Singapore’s major ethnic groups can be excluded from the presidency for more than five terms. Such laws mandated that only Malays could run in the 2017 election, and current president Hamilah Yacob was elected from a pool of exclusively Malays. Singapore has repeatedly used restrictive laws to impede the opposition. The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) was repeatedly used to force opposition candidates to make corrections regarding campaign promises and the government has repeatedly threatened opposition candidates with defamation suits. Despite these factors, political opposition in Singapore has gained significant traction since the end of Lee Kuan Yew’s reign. His son, Lee Hsein Loong, is generally more open to the opposition than his father, and opposition parties are free to exist but their publications are heavily vetted by the government. Opposition parties can theoretically take power, but in practice, it is very difficult.
Freedom - 21
The Singaporean government is granted basically free reign to surveil its citizens. The government can intercept, halt, or monitor any communications over telephone or internet. Additionally, the government closely monitors social media and frequently makes arrests based on social media posts. Despite the ability to do so and several accusations of such, the Singaporean government is not known to bug private residences or businesses and there is no credible evidence to suggest that they do. Several prominent government critics have been arrested for criticizing the government, including activist and opposition political candidate Han Hui Hui, who was arrested on charges of organizing a public protest without approval and was forced to pay a fine of $2200. A fine of this size also precluded her from running for political office again in the next five years. Before being outed as such, known pedophile and disgraced Youtuber Amos Yee was arrested for Youtube videos celebrating the death of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. After significant public outcry in both countries, Yee would be granted political asylum in the United States where he would later be arrested on charges including possession of child pornography. All domestic news outlets in Singapore are owned by the government or government-friendly companies and news broadcast content consistently favors the government. Additionally, the government places pressure on independent online news outlets. New Natarif director Thum Ping Tjin has repeatedly been brought in for interrogation by the government and the License of Operation for Online Citizen was suspended. Singapore has strictly enforced libel and defamation laws, as well as some of the strictest hate speech laws in the world. Singapore’s defamation laws have a broad scope that allows them to apply to government critics and these laws have repeatedly been used to silence online critics. “Offending ethnic or religious feelings” is an offense that carries jail time and is frequently used to silence government critics. Permits to protest are heavily restricted and even legal protests can be shut down at any time if the government deems them “disruptive.” Singapore rarely closes roads or allows demonstrations in crowded plazas or squares. Illegal assemblies of three or more count as such and carry steep penalties. Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Korean Unification Church are outright banned in Singapore. Religious groups must register with the government and are subject to some regulations. Sermons critical of other religions are often subject to fines, and Muslim religious teachers must be certified by the Azatizah Religious Board. Various non-violent drug offenses are punishable by death. Access to firearms is heavily restricted in Singapore. Singapore received a five-point penalty maintaining a discretionary death penalty for drug trafficking.
Economy - 97
Health - 100
Singapore has a life expectancy of 84 years and an infant mortality rate of 0.16%. 6.1% of Singaporeans are obese and 2.2% are malnourished. Singapore is widely regarded as having one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Healthcare is provided for free to all citizens and is of excellent quality throughout the country. All Singaporeans have access to clean, running water.
Corruption - 100
Singapore is generally regarded as one of the least corrupt countries on Earth. Singapore has very low impunity for graft or bribery and has built a culture that is not tolerant of corruption.
Competency - 100
Singapore maintains a very tight grip over the people.
Future - 90
The administration of Lee Hsien Loong has liberalized somewhat and has allowed the political opposition to operate with significantly more autonomy than that of his predecessor. The Singaporean economy is stable, built on the relatively sturdy industries of finance, shipping, and tourism, and while it may take several years to recover it is steadfast.
Actions Abroad - 70
Singapore has more visa-free travel agreements than any other country on Earth. By extension, the Singaporean passport is regarded as the most powerful on Earth. Singapore is part of the Belt and Road Initiative and maintains good relations with China, but as its position as a global financial hub mandates, Singapore maintains good relations with most countries. Outside of financial ties, Singapore is generally isolationist on the world stage.
No Singaporeans live under the international poverty line and the country does not have a national poverty line. 2.4% of Singaporeans are unemployed. Singapore has an extremely high economic disparity, though this is driven not due to a large contingent of the population that lives in poverty but rather by a large uber-wealthy class of expats and businesspeople. Singapore has a minimum wage of $2566 per month. Singapore is widely regarded as having one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Healthcare is provided free to all citizens and is of consistently excellent quality throughout the country. Singapore is one of the most sought-after destinations for medical tourism in the world. The Singaporean economy shrunk 5.4% in 2020 and grew 1.3% in 2019.