Shuvalov does not believe in the Singaporean economic miracle in Russia. Singapore economic miracle near Singapore economic miracle reasons and results

Singapore's incredible economic breakthrough in the second half of the twentieth century is often called the "Singapore miracle". September 16 would have turned 95 years old man, who can rightfully be called the author of the "Singapore miracle". Lee Kuan Yew headed the "Lion City" (and this is how the word "Singapore" is translated) for more than thirty years, but even after leaving the post of Prime Minister of the city-state, he retained the largest influence on the political and economic processes in the country.

The twentieth century knows many examples of the incredible success of states that, in just a few decades, from backward and impoverished countries turned into the richest, with a very high standard of living of the population. But the example of Singapore is unique in that, unlike Qatar or Kuwait, the UAE or Saudi Arabia, Singapore has no mineral reserves. The success of Singapore is largely the creation of Lee Kuan Yew personally, and it is this circumstance that places the politician, who died just three years ago, among the most outstanding and significant statesmen of the twentieth century.

In fact, the roots of the "Singapore miracle" go back to the colonial era. On January 28, 1819, on the small island of Singapore, which then belonged to the Malay sultanate of Johor, a British expedition landed, led by the famous diplomat and expert on the countries of the Malay archipelago, Sir Stamford Bingley Raffles. Being an experienced and knowledgeable person, Raffles quickly appreciated the advantages of the geographical location of Singapore and managed, for relatively little money, to obtain permission from the Sultan of Johor to build a British trading post on the island. By this time, only about a thousand local Malays lived on the island, but after the British built a base here, the Chinese began to gradually arrive in Singapore, who concentrated in trade and nascent industry.

From 1826 Singapore became the administrative center of the British colony of Straits Settlements on the Malacca Peninsula. By the beginning of the twentieth century, Chinese settlers already made up the majority of the population of the Lion City. Following the Chinese, Indians, first of all Tamils, came to Singapore from British India.

The future father of the "Singapore miracle" Lee Kuan Yew was born into a Chinese family in Singapore. The politician's father was Chinese - Hakka, and his mother came from the Peranakans - this is how the Malayed Chinese are called on the islands of the Malay archipelago, who have lived in the region for a very long time and who largely adopted the Malay language, culture and customs (with the exception of religion). Lee Kuan Yew's parents did not belong to the elite of the colonial Singaporean society, although they were not poor people. Both the father and mother of the future politician were Anglophiles and even spoke English at home, not speaking their native languages. Subsequently, this circumstance had a very significant impact not only on his career, but also on the worldview of Lee Kuan Yew - until the end of his days he remained a staunch supporter of the English language and believed that the most important thing for a Singaporean was to know English, and only then his native language.

After completing his primary education at Telok Kurau School, Lee Kuan Yew enrolled at Raffles College in Singapore, graduating in 1945, and left for the UK. In the metropolis, he received two degrees - economics at the London School of Economics and law at the University of Cambridge. The capable young man received two excellent diplomas, which guaranteed him a quick promotion in the colony. Returning to Singapore in 1949, he took up the practice of law, advising Singaporean trade unions.

By the time Lee Kuan Yew was a young lawyer, the Communists in Singapore had a very strong position. The success of the Chinese Communist Party and its victory in the civil war, and then the victory of the Communists in Vietnam, contributed to the growth of the popularity of the communist movement in the countries of Southeast Asia. Ethnic Chinese became the mainstay of the communist parties in the countries of Indochina and the Malay Archipelago, and since they made up the majority of the population in Singapore, communist ideas also spread here. But Lee Kuan Yew, unlike many of his fellow tribesmen, never sympathized with the Communists, although in 1954 he founded the Social Democratic People's Action Party (MHP). Among Singaporean Social Democrats, Lee Kuan Yew held a right-wing position and leaned towards the concept of a free market.

In the late 1950s, although a strategically important British port and transshipment base, Singapore was characterized by a very weak economic development. Most of the population lived in poverty, agriculture was in poor condition, there were very big problems with infrastructure, and even fresh water had to be brought to the island from neighboring regions. In addition, the Chinese mafia structures felt at ease on the island, and the local organs of the colonial administration were riddled with corruption. It was in this city that Lee Kuan Yew became prime minister in 1959.

A young and ambitious lawyer set himself, as it seemed then, an almost unattainable goal. He decided to turn Singapore into a real economic center of Southeast Asia, but this required attracting numerous investments, which was very difficult to do. Western businessmen did not want to work with a corrupt and underdeveloped Singapore, and Lee Kuan Yew had to work hard before impressive investments began to flow into the Singapore economy.

To ensure the flow of investments, Lee Kuan Yew worked out a rather simple in theory, but complex in practice strategy for the development of Singapore. Its first point was to fight corruption as tough as possible. Lee Kuan Yew appointed a new judicial corps from among the young and honest lawyers like himself, raised their salaries, and then carried out a total reform of the law enforcement agencies. The entire police force in Singapore was disbanded and recruited from young people. It must be said that the old policemen were very opposed to the "loss of the feeding trough" - some police stations had to literally storm, involving units of British troops stationed in Singapore. But in the end, Lee Kuan Yew fulfilled this task - he created a new police force that was no longer so corrupt. At the same time, the police personnel were replaced from the Malays, who served in law enforcement agencies since colonial times, to the Chinese, who were considered more loyal and law-abiding.

The Prime Minister has always believed that to ensure the effective functioning of the state and its economy, a tough system is needed that prevents any manifestations of corruption, crime, and immorality. Lee Kuan Yew was guided by the principle of inevitability of punishment and believed that a crime and even an offense should be punished as severely as possible in order to exclude other people from the desire to take the path of breaking the law.

Singapore has become one of the safest cities in the world, despite the fact that it is located in a very problematic region - in Southeast Asia, and in fact in the 1950s - 1980s. in Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries in the region, protracted guerrilla wars were waged, terrorist acts were committed, and organized crime of all stripes flourished - from racketeering to drug trafficking. It was the harsh methods that allowed Lee Kuan Yew to establish such order in Singapore that other Asian states could only dream of. Fighting corruption, the Prime Minister did not pay attention to the long-standing friendships and even family relations - many of Lee Kuan Yew's good friends and relatives were under investigation.

The second point of the Singapore Miracle strategy was to provide the most favorable conditions for foreign investors and business development in general. Lee Kuan Yew realized that investors can only be attracted by much freer and simpler business conditions compared to other countries. For this, the conditions for registering a business in Singapore were simplified as much as possible, which could even then be carried out in literally half an hour. Thus, on the initiative of Lee Kuan Yew, a maximum-favored nation regime was created in Singapore for foreign and Singaporean businesses, and soon a variety of enterprises began to open in the city. Investors were attracted by the ease of registration, low taxes and cheap labor at that time. The Singapore port received a new breath, and soon financial institutions began to develop rapidly in Singapore.

Following the rapid economic growth, the standard of living of the population began to grow rapidly. Singaporeans living by the early 1950s in total poverty, have become one of the richest nations in the world. Suffice it to say that the GNP of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. increased from $ 400 to $ 12.2 thousand per capita. Rising living standards and incomes have resulted in more Singaporeans pursuing higher professional education, turning into an expensive and skilled workforce. Singapore companies began to move their production to countries with cheaper labor, while in Singapore itself, financial institutions and high-tech industries began to concentrate, requiring the participation of highly qualified workers.

Realizing perfectly well that in a state like Singapore, where there are no significant natural resources, people are the main national wealth, Lee Kuan Yew initiated the development of the Singaporean system of higher and secondary education, which quickly enough turned into one of the strongest in Asia. First of all, this was facilitated by the fact that all Singaporeans from school have studied English and speak it almost fluently. Secondly, the Singaporean government invested heavily in tuition fees for students from Singapore in the best universities in the United States and Europe, which also contributed to the emergence of a large number of its own highly qualified specialists. On the other hand, Singaporeans themselves, knowing full well that only high-quality education can help in life, invest very large sums in the education of their children. According to an Australian study, 60% of high school students and 80% of junior high school students in Singapore use tutoring.

Singapore's foreign policy deserves special attention. Throughout its independent history, Singapore has remained in the orbit of Western influence and most of all cooperates with Great Britain and the United States, although in economic terms, relations with its neighbors - Indonesia and Malaysia are very important for the country. Realizing that Singapore is located in a very turbulent region, Lee Kuan Yew, and then his successors, invested heavily in strengthening the national security of the state. If at the time of the proclamation of independence, the country's armed forces consisted of two infantry regiments under the command of British officers, now the Singaporean armed forces are very combat-ready by regional standards. So, about 72 thousand people serve in the country's ground forces. Interestingly, Singapore is one of the few countries in which the famous Nepalese Gurkhas continue to serve. Now in Singapore is deployed a unit of Gurkha, numbering 2 thousand troops. A number of American military bases are also located on the territory of Singapore.

By maneuvering between large countries - neighbors, the Western world, China, Singapore emphasizes its neutrality. For example, China is now Singapore's third-largest economic partner, but the city-state maintains close ties with Taiwan as well. Realizing that in the event of a conflict, a tiny state would not withstand a clash with its neighbors, the Singaporean leaders always counted on the support and intercession of the Western powers - the United States and Great Britain, which ensured the need to maintain special relations with the Anglo-Saxon world.

Interestingly, Lee Kuan Yew had a pretty good attitude towards Russia. Of course, in Soviet times, relations between the USSR and Singapore were not friendly, but Lee Kuan Yew always emphasized the importance of Russians as a great nation capable of making a huge contribution to the development of mankind. In the 1990s, when Russia switched to the capitalist path of development, attention to the "Singapore miracle" in our country increased greatly - many economists were seriously talking about the fact that the Singapore model could become a model for Russian modernization. Lee Kuan Yew himself became an honorary doctor of MGIMO and the Diplomatic Academy of Russia, was awarded the Order of Honor, and was a member of the International Board of Trustees of the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo.

Lee Kuan Yew passed away on March 23, 2015 at the age of 92. Having adopted Singapore as a backward British colony, he left it one of the ten richest countries in the world. One may disagree with the ideas and methods of the politician, but it is difficult not to recognize their effectiveness in relation to the Singaporean realities.

The island state of Singapore, located in Southeast Asia, for many of our fellow citizens is something distant and unreal, like a ghostly phantom. Meanwhile, according to authoritative politicians and economists, Singapore is an exemplary state already living in the XXII century. And almost all of his achievements are associated with the name of one person - the father of reforms, the former Prime Minister of the country Lee Kuan Yew.

Since the 19th century, Singapore has been a British colony, so the influence of Britain, its language and traditions is still felt here. Located on 63 islands, this state has almost no natural resources of its own - even drinking water and building sand have to be bought from Malaysia and Indonesia.

But there are banks, skyscrapers, beautiful roads and the world's best taxation, education, and health care systems. The father of all of this is Lee Kuan Yew.

It is said that in his youth, Lee Kuan Yew's father loved to visit gambling dens. At the beginning of the 20th century, in the port city of Singapore, they were located on every corner, so that the gambling Chinese lost everything he could, and once even lost the family rubber plantation (rubber for these places was the same as rye for Russia). Having lost to smithereens, he came home and took out all his failures on his wife, beating the unfortunate woman.

Lee Kuan Yew, born in 1923, promised himself that he would never be like his father. The diligent boy kept his word - he graduated with honors from high school and Raffles College (today it is the National University of Singapore), after which he went to study in Cambridge.

After graduating from university, Lee Kuan Yew returned to his homeland and began to work in a law office, comprehending legal wisdom. The diligent, kind-hearted and stubborn young man did not resemble his father in any way: rather, he was the embodiment of strong will, pragmatism and adherence to national traditions. Upon his return, Lee Kuan Yew joined the People's Action Party, five years later became its general secretary, and five years later - the country's prime minister.

It seemed to many that the young lawyer would build a welfare state, which is quite natural for Asian countries. And at first, apparently, he himself did not know which way to move. But history made the choice for him - in 1965, Singapore, then part of the Federation of Malaysia, gained independence. The head of government had to solve many issues at the same time - from water supply to the choice of a political system.

And Lee Kuan Yew coped with the difficulties: it was not for nothing that he served as the country's prime minister for thirty years, and then for another seven years - as a minister-mentor (something like a consultant). Even now, the country is run by his son Li Hsien Long, and his ninety-year-old father is a government consultant.

How, then, did this native of the lower strata of society manage to lead the country from the “third world to the first” (this is the title of the book of memoirs of a famous politician)?

We can say that Lee Kuan Yew has learned his parenting lessons well. Having come to power and mindful of his father's problems, he banned gambling in his country (although, after his departure, this business appeared in Singapore) and greatly raised the price of alcohol. In Singapore, alcohol is sold only at unrealistically high prices in specialty stores.

But Lee Kuan Yew began his reforms by inviting foreign companies to his country. Singapore needed investments, and for this the prime minister did everything possible and impossible.

There is a legend about how the Singaporean authorities were inviting financial tycoons. They allegedly explained to English financiers, pointing to the globe: “The beginning of the financial world falls on Zurich, where banks open at 9:00 am. Later, banks in Frankfurt were opened, and even later, banks were opened in London. After lunch, banks in Zurich are already closing, after which banks in Frankfurt and London stop working. At this time, banks in New York are still working. Under this scheme, London redirects financial flows to New York. New York banks will close in the afternoon, but by then they will have transferred financial flows to San Francisco. And then the banks in San Francisco will stop working. Thus, until 9:00 am Swiss time, when local banks open, nothing happens at all in the financial world!

If we place Singapore in the center, then it will be able to take over from the banks in San Francisco. With the closure of banks in Singapore, financial flows will go to Zurich. This scheme will create a global round-the-clock banking service. "

It is difficult to say whether this is true, but the most powerful financial corporations opened their offices in Singapore back in the sixties of the last century.

After receiving an influx of money, Lee Kuan Yew took up the fight against corruption and crime. He explained this by the fact that Singapore does not have any natural resources, so their wealth will be income transparency and a high level of life security. It was a life-and-death war: Lee Kuan Yew did everything to make the rule of law prevail. For this, he put even his closest friend behind bars when he was convicted of corruption. Once, when the prime minister was asked where to start the reforms, he replied: “Start by putting your three friends in prison. You know exactly why, and they know why. "

These unique measures led to the rapid decline of corruption in Singapore. Those who did not want to live honestly were treated the same way as with the Minister of Social Development, caught on a bribe in the amount of 315 thousand dollars. Before handing it over to the prosecutor's office, the prime minister spoke with him face to face. After that, the stealing minister came home and killed himself.

In fairness, it must be said that not everyone welcomes the methods by which Lee Kuan Yew drove his country into a kingdom of abundance and order. What was he not accused of! The Singaporean politician was accused of neglecting democratic values. Indeed, in Singapore there is no trace of freedom of speech - any journalist, writer or publication who dares to criticize the government or its policy is subject to arrest or closure. Foreign journalists are no exception: for example, when one of the British living in Singapore wrote a book with accusations against Lee Kuan Yew, he was immediately awaited by a trial and imprisonment.

In Singapore, respect for the law is a real mania. A lot is prohibited in the country, which in other countries does not even pay attention to. This applies to gum (it, they say, pollutes the city) and even to such a harmless thing as graffiti. Once an American teenager who came to the country, thoughtlessly painted something. He was immediately arrested, punished with ten blows on the heels with a stick, and immediately deported. On a stretcher, because the poor man could not walk because of the pain. When international organizations became indignant, the Singaporean authorities replied: "The law is the same for everyone, including visitors."

Once Lee Kuan Yew in a newspaper interview, when asked about his attitude to democracy, said: “You need stability, certainty and security above all else. Democracy is ineffective in chaos. Have you heard the English expression - "law and order"? The law will not work if there is no order. "

Of course, this can be reproached for politics. But remembering that Singapore today ranks the lowest in terms of unemployment and the highest in terms of income, education and medical standards, I don't want to reproach.

The country chose its own path, found a national leader who brought it out of the impasse. So why blame her?

Image copyright AFP Image caption Lee made Singapore prosperous and virtually corruption-free

"Father of the Singaporean nation" Lee Kuan Yew passed away on Sunday evening at the age of 92. Lee ruled the island as prime minister for 31 years, since Singapore gained independence in 1959.

A calculating strategist and ruthless pragmatist, Lee Kuan Yew has transformed Singapore from a tiny island with no natural resources to a thriving economy.

He successfully rallied Singaporeans to achieve what is often called an economic miracle, a combination of private and public capitalism.

Lee made Singapore prosperous, modern, efficient and virtually free of corruption - and foreign investors flocked there.

But while admiring his economic success, many are skeptical about what became of Lee Kwang Yew's human rights record.

Studying at Cambridge

Lee Kuan Yew was born on September 16, 1923 in Singapore to the third generation of Chinese immigrants.

His upbringing took place under strong British influence, and his grandfather called him Harry Lee - by this name he was known in his youth.

Lee was sent to an English school in Singapore, but his further education was interrupted by the Japanese occupation, which began in 1942.

For the next three years he traded on the black market, and thanks to his good English, he got a job in the Japanese occupation propaganda department.

After the war he ended up briefly at the London School of Economics before transferring to Cambridge where he earned a double degree in jurisprudence.

During his time in England, Lee became a devoted listener to BBC radio and even took part in the campaign of his fellow university student, who was competing for a seat in the Devonshire parliament.

Since his student days, Lee considered himself a consistent socialist, therefore, upon returning to Singapore, he did not hesitate to join the trade union movement and eventually became one of the main trade union lawyers.

With and without Malaysia

In 1954, Lee Kwang Yew founded the People's Action Party (MHP) and became its General Secretary. He will hold this position for the next forty years.

The MHP won the majority of seats in parliament in the 1959 elections - Singapore had already gained de facto independence by that time, becoming a self-governing state within the British Empire.

And Lee Kuan Yew himself is the prime minister.

In 1963, Lee entered into an agreement to merge Singapore with Malaysia, but this union did not last long. Ideological contradictions and a series of violent clashes between ethnic groups led to the expulsion of Singapore from the federation and its acquisition of full-fledged independence.

For Lee, this was not an easy decision, as he believed that an alliance with Malaysia would help Singapore overcome the legacy of its colonial past. He called this decision a "harrowing choice."

However, commercial and military ties remained between Singapore and Malaysia, and Britain agreed to maintain its military base here as a guarantee of the security of the two states.

Lee embarked on an ambitious reform program that would transform Singapore from a "dump of squalor and degradation," as it was described in the local press at the time, into a modern industrialized state.

The cost of reform

For the sake of economic reform, Lee Kuan Yew introduced under strict control all other spheres of life of the city-state, and above all politics. Singapore is still one of the most regulated societies in the world.

Li's opponents ended up in prison without trial or investigation, the press was gagged and access to information from abroad was restricted, and many journalists were arrested.

"Freedom of the press, freedom of the media, must be subordinated to the overriding needs of Singapore's integrity," Lee said.

He justified his actions by the fact that the newspapers were financed by foreign ill-wishers in Singapore.

Lee believed that in a developing country, some freedoms should be sacrificed. The alternative to anti-communism was communism, and there was simply no room left for the Western concept of liberal democracy, in Lee's view.

However, some of his critics argue that a majority in parliament would have provided him with sufficient security anyway, without the need for reprisals.

A staunch anti-communist, Lee was accused of using the methods inherent in communist regimes, however, unlike them, the people of Singapore at least benefited financially from his rule.

From 1960 to 1980, Singapore's gross national product per capita increased 15 times.

According to the Israeli model

An example was Israel, surrounded at the time by hostile Arab states. "Like Israel, we had to jump over the rest of the region and attract international companies," Lee said.

He understood the importance of establishing good neighborly relations with China, and in this he was helped by his personal friendship with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping.

Deng Xiaoping, who visited Singapore in 1978, expressed admiration for Li's economic policies; in turn, Li was impressed by Deng Xiaoping's reforms in China.

Lee instituted the toughest anti-corruption measures that had been an integral part of the past colonial economic model, and embarked on a program of low-cost housing, job creation, and industrialization.

At the same time, he pursued a policy of bringing the various ethnic groups of the island closer together in order to create a new and unique identity for the people of Singapore based on multiculturalism.

"Three unforgettable blows"

He also believed in the effectiveness of corporal punishment, having experienced it on himself during his school years.

"I leaned over the chair and, just as I was, in my pants, I got three unforgettable blows in the very place," Lee later recalled.

"I never understood why Western methodological teachers oppose corporal punishment. Nothing terrible happened to me or to my classmates," the Prime Minister of Singapore was surprised.

By the time Lee left office, corporal punishment had become an integral part of the Singapore judiciary, and was sentenced under more than 40 articles of the local criminal code.

Lee also introduced measures on birth control and family planning, imposing a surcharge on those with more than two children.

Nation of nannies

He later tried to increase the attractiveness of family formation among educated girls by exempting them from the child tax that their less educated sisters had to pay.

The entire population of Singapore seemed to be at school again.

Singaporeans were taught how to be polite, how to be less noisy, how to flush the toilet and how bad it is to chew gum. There was not a single graffiti in the city because the government had decreed that there should be no graffiti.

"We were called a nation of nannies," Lee once said in an interview with the BBC. "But as a result, we are better able to behave today and live in a more pleasant place than 30 years ago."

However, despite higher living standards and rising wealth, young voters opposed Lee Kuan Yew and sided with the main opposition party.

In January 1985, he brought young technocrats into the cabinet, and this allowed Lee to win another convincing victory in the elections, although the economy was going through a difficult time.

Seven electoral victories

In total, Lee won seven consecutive electoral victories with his party, and only resigned in 1990, thus setting the world record for the longest tenure as prime minister.

However, even after that, he continued to actively participate in politics, leading a campaign to promote the study of Chinese by Singaporeans - along with English.

During his reign, Singapore has grown from a developing country to one of the leading industrial powers in Asia.

There are those who believe that the success of the reforms was bought at the cost of personal freedoms and the persecution of critical media outlets.

He himself formulated his philosophy for the future of Singapore in an interview he gave to Chinese television in 2005.

Lee said: "In the new world, we must find a niche for ourselves, small corners where, despite our small size, we can play a role that will benefit the whole world."

If you ask enlightened citizens who, in their opinion, is the best politician in Asia, nine out of ten will say: - Of course, Lee Kuan Yew! Lee Kuan Yew is becoming more and more popular in Russia. He is praised by politicians and journalists. He is admired by politicians and journalists. Politicians and journalists set him up as an example for Russia. Politicians and journalists attribute to him all the economic successes of Singapore.

Meanwhile, there is a different opinion on all this. Here's what they write about Singapore:

“In terms of the composition of the population, indeed, even now the Chinese make up a significant percentage of the population - in the region of 77% - and indeed modern Singapore was built on their workaholism and zeal. But the main thing is with what methods and restrictions it was achieved, how the whole was deprived of its usual life generation of residents of the port city. This can be called a successful experiment, now Singapore occupies a leading place in the world economy - but it was staged on living people, which seems terrifying. It is enough to talk to any of the taxi drivers over 60 to understand how they do not encourage the policy of the ruling party and the LCJ itself in the past ...

In general, you can think a lot about the structure of Singapore, in our time it is, indeed, an advanced civilization. Perhaps a certain prototype of the civilization of the future. An ingenious invention of LKYU and his associates. Their model looks very viable and promising, but unfortunately it does not allow a person to feel like one of them, to be confident in the future. This model can only use a person, squeeze all the juices out of him and send him back home. "

Let's get acquainted with this point of view:

Legends about the glorious hero of the land of Singapore.

The official mythology of this island city-state says: Singapore, after gaining independence from the British colonialists in 1965, was in a terrible situation: Singaporeans lived very poorly, suffered from lawlessness, suffered from rampant corruption and the mafia. But the Singaporean people are very lucky. His government was headed by the most effective statesman of all times and peoples, a magnificent manager, an excellent manager of what the human race has never known, the one and only Lee Kuan Yew. Together with like-minded people, he managed to create a real miracle: in just 20 years to turn the poor and the backward a hole in a prosperous first world state with an efficient economy and almost complete absence of corruption, a legal system that provides for equality of all before the law and court, and equal rights for all inhabitants of the island. And looking at such amazing successes, the rest of humanity simply gasped with overwhelmed delight; which is not surprising.

As the unforgettable Goebbels said, "the more monstrous the lie, the more willingly they believe in it." And the shining "Singaporean economic miracle" just brilliantly confirms the words of the Minister of Propaganda of the Third Reich. For individuals who are accustomed to perceiving reality exclusively through external forms, Singapore really makes a deposed impression: glass skyscrapers "piercing" the sky, gilded fountains, practically sterile sidewalks, homeless people do not wander the streets ... But there are no oil wells or gas wells on the island. deposits, no deposits of precious metals, not diamond copies. But, nevertheless, even being completely devoid of minerals, the metropolis provided an unprecedented "breakthrough".

And isn't Lee Kuan Yew a real genius after that, since he managed to build such a "candy" from scratch? Lee Kuan Yew recalls in detail in his book "Singapore Story: From the Third World to the First" how the first prime minister of independent Singapore and his team were able to carry out such a rapid economic "take-off". “I wrote this book for young Singaporeans who take social stability, economic growth and prosperity for granted. I wanted them to know how difficult it was for a small country of 640 square kilometers to survive. or natural resources, surrounded by large, newly independent states with nationalist policies: Those who were scorched by the war in 1942, who survived the Japanese occupation of Singapore, who took part in the creation of Singapore's new economy, look at things much more realistic.

We cannot afford to forget that public order, personal safety, economic and social progress and prosperity do not arise of their own accord, but are the result of continuous efforts and constant attention from an honest and effective government elected by the people "- complains in the foreword" unfortunate " ex-prime minister to his "difficult" prime minister's youth. Many people still believe in these nonsense. For Lee Kuan Yew and his henchmen are excellent psychologists, perfectly able to manipulate others. But fortunately, in recent years, more and more sane people appear ( including in Singapore itself), on whom the massive fooling no longer works ...

The natural basis of the "Singapore miracle".

The reality is somewhat more prosaic than is commonly believed. Contrary to myths, the efficiency of the Singaporean economy is still provided by mother nature, and by no means by the economic genius of the dear Lee Kuan Yew. With the difference that this economic "titanium" exploits not hydrocarbons like Norway, the Russian Federation and the Gulf countries, but a good location : The island is located at the intersection of the most important economic routes between Asia and Australia. Simply put, through Singapore and several other neighboring countries, there is a continuous trade and financial "flow", which makes this region extremely profitable for doing business: especially transport and banking, as well as the creation of the necessary infrastructure; which was the reason for attracting foreign investments here.

The authorities of a country with such a convenient geography and a population of only five million people, for the greatest effect, could only reduce taxes as much as possible and simplify the registration of commercial organizations as much as possible; which, in fact, they did. And how the strategic location of Singapore was the reason for its "rise" is perfectly shown in the book "The Miracle of Singapore. Myth and Reality". Its author - the famous Australian researcher Rodney King (not to be confused with the American horror author Stephen King) knows what he is writing about; he lived in Singapore and, being an excellent economic analyst, easily figured out what was what. The work of Mr. King, despite its solid volume, is built on the simplest logical analysis that allows even a non-specialist to see that the merits of the first Singaporean prime minister to the island republic are somewhat exaggerated: the city would have become a thriving business center without Lee Kuan Yew. Any educated statesman on his place, would also be able to use a favorable geographic factor to attract foreign investment "covering" the tropical territory with high-rise buildings of business centers. Moreover, such a resource is even more convenient and profitable than diamonds and gas with oil: before selling the latter, you must first be able to get it from the bowels, and before you can get it, you need to purchase the necessary equipment and transport.

And with an attractive geography, even investing your own money is not necessary - uncles and aunts from outside the cordial will come and build everything. They will pay taxes to the budget and create more jobs for the local population. And this, in turn, will also mean new receipts to the treasury and an increase in the consumption of goods and, ultimately, a rapid "surge" in economic life ... But even despite such a head start, contrary to popular myths, Singapore is by no means the most powerful "Asian tiger". In particular, Rodney reports that labor productivity in Singapore is lower than that of Hong Kong. In his opinion, "In fact, Singapore is a dependent and underdeveloped economy." Yes Yes. The vaunted, over-praised Singapore is significantly inferior to both Japan and Hong Kong and South Korea! Besides, after gaining independence the city was not so impoverished. It was the largest port in Asia, with the most advanced infrastructure at the time; built by the British colonialists for their economic needs. And for the sake of historical justice, let us open the 1955 encyclopedic dictionary of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which says about Singapore. "The largest trade center and port in Southeast Asia. Export of rubber, tin, rice, copra, spices.

Large tin smelters, machine building and ship repair enterprises. British naval and air bases. "Therefore, when Lee Kuan Yew complains about what a hopeless hole he got and how the poor man had to suffer in the prime minister's post" lifting "it, he is mistaken. Well, not out of malice, of course, but simply forgot. I forgot that Singapore was a developed state under the British colonialists, and at that time lived better than most Asian states!

Corruption of "non-corrupt" Singapore.

Despite his venerable age, the first Singaporean prime minister has been cheerfully ringing about the premature "death" of corruption on the island since the time of his premiership. "Corruption was one of the features of our Asian image," writes Lee Kuan Yew in The Singapore Story. “We decided to focus the attention of DBK (Bureau of Investigation of Corruption; author's note) on large bribes in the highest echelons of power. spheres of public life ... In 1960, we amended the outdated Anticorruption Law, passed in 1937, and expanded the definition of bribery to include any good of any value. The laws have given broad powers to investigators, including the search, arrest and investigation of bank accounts and bank documents of suspects and their wives, children and agents.

There is no longer the need to prove that the person who received the bribe really had the opportunity to provide the required service. Tax inspectors were required to release any information concerning the person under investigation. The existing law, which stated that the testimony of an accomplice was invalid if not confirmed by someone else, was changed to allow the judge to add the testimony of the accomplices to the case, "the ex-prime minister explains all the subtleties of the anti-corruption struggle. The population of the island republic and most of the inhabitants planets Earth the claims of the cunning Lee are readily believed: in terms of low corruption, reputable rating agencies put the city-state in third place in the world after the Scandinavian countries.But the people who lead these structures, it seems, like the author of this article, have serious vision problems and are unable to how to discern the current Prime Minister of Singapore - Lee Hsien Loong, who is not just anyone, but the son of Lee Kuan Yew! The island "miracle worker" simply "put" his own son in the prime minister's chair, which he once occupied himself; although Scandinavia is simply impossible, even theoretically: more than one Norwegian, Danish or Finnish prime minister once could not "attach" his beloved offspring to the state "trough". And in "not corrupt" Singapore - no problem. In terms of nepotism, family-clan Singapore is not close to Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, but exactly to Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Russia. Although, perhaps, even in our ultra-corrupt state, the Prime Minister would never have dared so brazenly “secure” the Prime Minister's post to his child.

Try to imagine that the respected Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin will put his eldest daughter in charge of the government. Despite his high popularity among Russians, he will still be accused of abuse of office. And in the West, a politician who has allowed himself such "pranks" will also be quickly taken to places not so distant. The vaunted Singapore is more reminiscent of North Korea, where the highest government posts are similarly transferred dynastically. But there, this happens only after the death of the leader: the "great helmsman" of the socialist construction project, comrade Kim Chin Il, has gathered - his place was quickly taken by his son Kim Chin-un. And Lee Kuan Yew did everything while still alive ... "We were revolted by the greed, bribery and moral decay of many Asian leaders. The freedom fighters of oppressed peoples became robbers of their wealth, their states fell into decay.

We rose on the crest of the revolutionary wave in Asia and were determined to get rid of colonial rule; but we also resented those nationalist Asian leaders whose failure to live up to their proclaimed ideals frustrated us ... Our struggle for a clean, non-corrupt government had deep meaning. Taking the oath of office in the City Hall in June 1959, we all donned white shirts and trousers to symbolize the honesty and purity of our conduct in personal and public life. "- Lee Kuan Yew writes of the extraordinary honesty of himself and his associates. indignant about the "heavy" share of those Asian peoples who were unlucky with such "honest" leaders as he was with his sidekicks. Having "issued" the state for his son, the first Singaporean prime minister has fully proved his exceptional honesty. With a white shirt and pants ...

Don't be a ruminant!

The island is famous for its strict prohibitions. The local leadership even contrived to ban chewing gum: in the name of the people's good, of course. "The ban on the use of chewing gum has caused a lot of ridicule in America" \u200b\u200b- Lee Kuan Yew admits in "Singapore Story". Here he was clearly modest: they laughed at him heartily not only in the United States, but also in other western regions. Because not in one civilized community, whose head was not visited by the "wisest" idea to criminalize foodstuffs: only this "outstanding reformer" could have thought of this. Singaporean leaders have an explanation for this stupidity. Excuse me to think, chewing gum is extremely convenient to use for committing hooligan actions: hooliganism now and then inserted chewing gum into keyholes, mailboxes, elevator buttons, threw it on the floor, then stuck to the shoe. And, once, vandals stuck an elastic band on the sensors of the doors of subway cars, causing a disruption in the movement of trains. There is no lawlessness - the island "benefactors" decided by banning chewing gum back in 1992. True, such an iron logic completely excludes the fact that plasticine can be "shoved" into wells, boxes and elevators. And it is possible to make the floor sticky and disrupt the work of the subway with the help of good glue. Following the position of Lee Kuan Yew, then it would be necessary to ban plasticine for the company with adhesives.

To the question "How did you manage to fight corruption?" He replied, "Start by putting three of your friends in prison. You know exactly why, and they know why."

"Big Brother" in the media is following you.

The "father of the Singaporean people" is especially zealous in controlling information life. Local mass media show, tell and write only what the management wants. Particularly aging is the leading Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times, regularly "singing psalms" to father and son. The organization "Reporters Without Borders" classifies the city as one of the countries with an extremely low degree of freedom of speech and media. And for good reason. For what happens to those who allow themselves to write indecent is clearly demonstrated by the case of the British publicist Alan Shedrake. He is the author of a sensational book about the sickly abuses of island justice with an ironic title "Once a merry executioner, Singaporean justice in the dock." The competent authorities did not like Shedrake's work very much, and as a result, he turned from a free person into a prisoner. The Western liberal establishment and human rights organizations - most notably Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch - instantly reared up with a well-founded position to leave the Englishman alone. However, the authorities of the island decided differently ... Lee Kuan Yew believes that the independent press and television are not correct, since they allow their owners to defend their narrowly vested interests.

The former prime minister gives examples of British and Chinese newspapers defending British colonialists and Chinese speculators. Therefore, the state needs to keep journalism strict. No doubt, sometimes the "fourth estate" is really used for the above-mentioned task. A similar policy, for example, was carried out by the media controlled by Boris Abramovich Berezovsky. But this does not mean that all media outlets, without exception, are not honest. There are costs in any activity. But for this, publicity exists, even if it sometimes leads to abuse, to limit the arbitrariness of the authorities. Lee Kuan Yew doesn't want to be limited. Therefore, he smears the entire media community with one color. If only there was a reason to keep the media on a "short leash" ...

Stick discipline for males or someone on the island is not good.

The island's constitution guarantees equal rights for men and women and equality of all before the law and the courts. Lee Kuan Yew - both in words and in his memoirs - swears and swears that everyone in his city is equal before the law and the court. And everyone has equal rights. Really? Alas. Despite the constitutional provisions and assurances of Mr. Lee, Singapore criminal law provides for sanctions based on your gender. For men, in addition to prison, there is also a "hard" flogging, which consists in striking a wooden stick on the bare buttocks: a woman cannot be "spanked" for any crime (sections 225-231 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Singapore). Simply put, Singapore is not shy about sanctioning discrimination against men. A Singapore spanking usually results in bleeding wounds and subsequent scarring. A former Singaporean and now a US citizen, Gopalan Nair posts a video of one such verdict by a convicted man on his Singapore Dissident blog (I recommend not watching for the faint of heart).

Such punishment awaits male citizens and tourists for harassment of women (women are allowed to harass men), robbery, drugs, weapons, illegal entry into the country, major theft, expired visa and even graffiti ... (about 30 crimes in total). The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch, in its reports on human rights violations in Singapore, sometimes recalls men and boys who regularly become victims of the island's "gender equality". Especially if the man then turns out to be innocent. Moreover, the native judicial system does not favor the presumption of innocence: "... Singaporean justice is notorious for moving from accusation to punishment, without going into the intricacies of legal evidence of guilt" - writes in the book "My Life After Death" - says an American publicist Robert Wilson. Lee Kuan Yew and other "big" bosses justify corporal punishment by the need to "contain crime" and "maintain order." Following their logic, it turns out that it is permissible for women to commit crimes and violate order in the same way.

Some are allowed to do whatever they want, while others cannot. Mr. Li does not seem to understand that a female criminal is no better than a male criminal. And a person who does not realize such simple things is, in your opinion, a great reformer? Some conclusions should be drawn. Despite the abundance of tall skyscrapers, Singapore is an ugly, gender-racist entity that completely denies normal human institutions. The aforementioned Gopalan Nair described his former homeland as follows: "... a stupid cruel place run by bloodthirsty hooligans." It couldn't be better ...

To all those who sympathize with Lee Kuan Yew and consider him a “great reformer” from whom Russia must learn to live, you should note that gentlemen have chosen the wrong idol. A person who:
1) Blatantly lies at every step, attributing to himself and his henchmen all the economic achievements, while they are caused only by a successful geography.
2) Persecutes those who disagree with him, sending authors of books he does not like to prison.
3) "Chokes" all mass media, thereby depriving citizens of access to objective information.
4) Authorize discriminatory legislation that whips you because you are a man. To all admirers of this man, I will note - you chose the wrong idols for yourself.

Special for Dmitry Anatolyevich, admired by the external magnificent facade of Singapore, I will also note - you need to learn to live from civilized Asian countries: Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong ... And not from tyrants with discriminatory laws and prisons to unwanted writers and politicians. (Like Chi Sung Yuan, who received a prison sentence in Singapore for his opposition views.)

Mikhail Chernykh, specially for Zastupnik.org

Clicked on the picture? Have you flown over Singapore?

Here are some comments on common myths about Singapore:

1. Singapore has a population of 3 million. Mostly Chinese, famous for their obedience. Lee Kuan Yew, the ruler of Singapore from 1959 to 1990, wielded almost unlimited power there, which allowed him to create a "computer state": a totalitarian state in the Orwellian style. The island position of Singapore also contributed a lot to this.

The truth is, Li Kuan Yew managed to create a state with a robot-like population that will live ideal lives and bring maximum returns to their state. In terms of population composition, indeed, even now the Chinese make up a significant percentage of the population - in the region of 77% - and indeed modern Singapore was built on their workaholism and zeal. But the main thing is by what methods and restrictions it was achieved, how a whole generation of residents of the port city was deprived of its usual life. This can be called a successful experiment, now Singapore occupies a leading place in the world economy - but it was staged on living people, which seems terrifying. It is enough to talk to any of the taxi drivers over 60 to understand how much they do not encourage the policy of the ruling party and the LCY itself in the past.
At the expense of the state, the computer is also true - the whole city is covered by video surveillance, the police are almost invisible on the street - only in especially dangerous places, for example, in the subway. Everything that happens inside the country is under control, the border of the island is small - every centimeter can be controlled, every person is controlled in one way or another, squealing is in the country. Let's say, having littered on the street, a random passer-by can film you and send a photo to the police. I myself did not get into such situations, but I heard. They say a lot of plainclothes employees walk the streets, if you raise suspicions, they may come up to check the documents. But on the whole, the police inspire confidence, communicate politely, do not provoke rudeness, and in the case of a regular check, they will "serve" a tourist or a foreigner as a manager in a bank.

2. Singapore consists of three zones - tourist, economic and sleeping. Each zone is separated from the other by a border - a perfect lawn five kilometers wide.

At the expense of the lawn, of course, now this is no longer so noticeable, because the territory is being built up more and more with new buildings, but as for the three zones, they really exist. There is an economic business zone - called CBD, where all the large offices of banks and companies are concentrated, and indeed, there are no residential or tourist areas nearby. There is a tourist area - Sentosa Island or, for example, a zoo. In general, there is not one or two such zones, but as a rule there are no sleeping quarters nearby, everything is done especially for tourists. And there are sleeping quarters, of which there are a lot and they are really fenced with lawns from each other - not 5 kilometers away, but beautiful and large.

3. Violations of public order are severely punished. The fine for spitting on the ground is $ 500. The fine for smoking in public places is $ 500. Throwing away rubbish, such as a piece of paper - $ 500 fine. The fine for leaving water in saucers under pots while watering flowers is $ 500 (water attracts mosquitoes).

Everything is correct here, Singapore is a city of fines, or as they say in English - fine city - which can be translated as a beautiful city or a city of fines. Regarding the water in the saucers under the pots, once there was even a commission that selectively went from door to door and checked that there was no water in the saucers (maybe it still exists). This important rule helped the country to get rid of epidemics of fever and malaria, as they practically got rid of mosquitoes. Indeed, in 1.5 years in Singapore, I have never been bitten by mosquitoes - their drainage systems and fines do an excellent job with the task.

4. The number of cars in Singapore is artificially limited. To start a car, you must first buy a car permit at a special auction (the permit is given for a period of 10 years). This permit will cost several tens of thousands of dollars. Then you need to buy the car itself, which is subject to an import duty of 41% of the cost. And finally, you need to pay a registration fee - 140% of the cost of the car. Thus, the purchase of, for example, a modest Toyota Corolla will result in no less than $ 100,000.

Absolutely true, except for percentages. Time is advancing and the numbers have, of course, changed. But the essence remained the same - due to the size of the state, they were forced to introduce an artificial limitation of cars on the island, and in order to create a competent and convenient infrastructure, they also had to establish significant taxes on import and maintenance. Therefore, a car in Singapore is the lot of wealthy people.
But in fact, a car is not needed there, city transport works very well, a very affordable taxi. Therefore, you do not feel any discomfort from the lack of a car there.

5. If the dog barks at night, his vocal cords are cut off. Men should always wear trousers, in any heat. Women should also wear stockings at all times, even when outside plus thirty-five.

For a year and a half I did not hear any dogs barking, neither day nor night - like the dogs themselves - very, very rare and very good breeds. Probably everyone has already been reloaded. But it is very likely that once there was a similar rule, it is very much in the LCJ style. At the expense of clothes for men and women - now it is not so strict, especially if you are a newcomer - you can wear anything, no one will comment on you. But, again, when the island was turning from a port city into a financial center, people had to forcibly dress people from whatever they got into trousers and stockings - even if it was +35 on the street, so that Western people could see something similar to a civilized society. And now, of course, the people are used to it, they understand everything themselves - especially with the arrival of large corporations. There is no such law anymore.

6. Each car is supplied with a built-in siren that stuns the driver if he exceeds the speed of 80 km / h.

It seems to me that such a system should be in every car designed for use in urban environments. But in Singapore I have not seen this, it happened by taxi and went under 100 km / h - there was no siren. Perhaps it used to stand to teach people to drive carefully.

7. After 18-00 it is forbidden to drive alone in a car. You have to pick up your work colleagues or fellow travelers. Are you going alone? The fine is $ 500.

They say that there used to be such a rule when you are in the area of \u200b\u200bthe business district. Now you can drive alone, the road system is established and works very well without this rule. There is a toll road system, plus taxi drivers charge an additional fee to enter the business district. In general, they beat this rule with money.

8. Every Singaporean driver is obliged to place a special sensor under the bottom of the car so that the police are always aware of all his movements. The police monitors traffic on special monitors. Pedestrians, entering the house, are obliged to report their name to the guard who is constantly on duty at the door. In addition, the entire city is flooded with video cameras.

It's all true. Only at the expense of the dachtik under the bottom of the car - the concept has been slightly changed, the main purpose of this dachtik is to pay for travel on toll roads. There are a lot of places in the city where travel is paid at certain hours. Such a sensor allows you to make payments in automatic mode, and of course control the movement of the car. And yes, the sensor these days is located on the front of the car, not under the bottom.
It is, indeed, mandatory to give the last name to the guard. Especially in condominiums this rule is still in effect, although it is not always observed.
At the expense of video cameras, there are a lot of them in the city, especially near metro stations, road junctions and crowded places. And how much is still not visible is difficult to imagine.

9. Singapore is a democratic state. But so that citizens do not vote at random, the passport details of the voters are indicated on the ballots.

10. Theft, violence, drugs, bribes are punishable by death by hanging. For lighter crimes, whip punishment is provided. The laws also apply to tourists - in Singapore poor fellows are regularly executed, who have the imprudence to carry some drugs with them for personal use.

Absolutely, for drugs and weapons in Singapore, the death penalty is by hanging. It is enough just to exceed the maximum permissible zone and that's it, life is over. There were indeed cases when people from the Western world were executed, but they are rare. Basically, Asians are being executed trying to smuggle drugs across the border with Malaysia. Several dozen cases every year.
For minor offenses, they can be punished with a whip or blows with rods. Moreover, this is indeed a painful sensation. They are doing this under 2 meters pumped up comrades who put all their power into each blow. They say that this skill is passed down from generation to generation, there are even whole dynasties.

11. The press is censored. Writing about sex and politics is prohibited.

It's true, I would even say that you can only write about what is said or allowed. You will not see anything about any opposition or intrigue scandals of investigation in Singapore newspapers. But in some places, it happens that absolutely sophisticated jokes about sex or politics slip through. All in all, these are very boring destinations in Singaporean life.

12. To make Singaporeans smarter, Lee Kuan Yew has taken steps to encourage the right choice of mates. Men who marry women with higher education get paid. Women without a higher, who have a second child, pay a fine. The illiterate is strongly advised to sterilize, in exchange for a significant amount of money.

Yes, it was. The LCJ even arranged a public speech on this matter - which was met ambiguously, but this experience was put above the peoples. As a result, this policy has led to a critical decline in the birth rate in Singapore and the state plans to compensate for the loss of population at the expense of immigrants. There were few women with higher education roofing felts, they did not plan to marry after receiving education.
In general, marriage in Singapore is now associated as a joint purchase of housing, and not as a love union in order to have a family. People get married because they simply have nowhere to live.

13. The best is two children per family. Therefore, in the evenings, the police call families where they already have two children, and remind them to take the contraceptive pill and use a condom.

I have not encountered this, but it is quite possible, based on the LCY policy to encourage the correct choice of partners and fine for the second child.

In general, you can think a lot about the structure of Singapore, in our time it is, indeed, an advanced civilization. Perhaps a certain prototype of the civilization of the future. An ingenious invention of LKYU and his associates. Their model looks very viable and promising, but unfortunately it does not allow a person to feel like one of them, to be confident in the future. This model is only able to use a person, squeeze all the juices out of him and send him back home.

Who is interested in information in English:

"If IBM had ever bothered to actually possess a physical country, that country might have had a lot in common with Singapore. There" s a certain white-shirted constraint, an absolute humorlessness in the way Singapore Ltd. operates; conformity here is the prime directive, and the fuzzier brands of creativity are in extremely short supply ... "

Meet one of the strangest geopolitical entities on the planet - the city-state of Singapore!

Alexey Dmitriev

It is so small geographically and so great economically that we had to examine its cruel laws under a magnifying glass and its hanging gardens through a telescope.

Singapore celebrated its 50th anniversary on 9 August 2015. Lee Kuan Yew, the first prime minister of the republic, who in 1965 received a colonial port on a small island, which played the role of a transshipment base on the way from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, did not live to see this anniversary for six months. The swampy islands lacked not only natural resources; they pumped drinking water there from neighboring Malaysia. The population - mainly those who came to work, spoke different languages \u200b\u200band worshiped various shantrap gods from the countries of Southeast Asia and India, British officials and Chinese merchants, through whose hands everything went, including opium.

It was the elastic economic muscle of the Chinese community that served as the unspoken reason for Singapore's withdrawal from the Federation of Malay in August 1965. Lee Kuan Yew predicted that in a state of relaxed Malays, enterprising Chinese would be vigorously milked on the good reason that they had money.

Announcing his withdrawal from the federation to Singaporeans, Mr. Yu shed a tear. After that, no one else ever saw him weak. And ten years later, American diplomat Vernon Walters remarked: “Thank God that Lee Kuan Yew is running a small state! Otherwise, Brezhnev and Nixon would have to seek sympathy in each other's arms. "

Unconventional approach

The tiny city-state's visionary prime minister has come up with a clever way to survive. First, this leader of independent Singapore, instead of driving the troops of its former mistress, Great Britain, out of the country, asked the damned imperialist invaders to stay here longer. Independence is independence, but sitting between Malaysia and Indonesia without the protection of a British bayonet is still extremely uncomfortable.

Moreover, the British military bases not only provided guarantees against external threats, but also were a reliable help in the event of mutinies. And as a fat and old bonus, one could consider that these bases also provided jobs for more than 20% of Singaporeans.

Secondly, in addition to the imperialists, Lee Kuan Yew had great respect for the capitalists. He opened the doors of Singapore to big international business - European and American. Opened wide: duty-free import of goods, transparent minimum taxes and dozens of other economic benefits have made Singapore one of the five most investment-attractive countries in the world for a long time.

Did Lee Kuan Yew turn Singapore into an economic freeman because he was a liberal by conviction? Correct answer: no, it was not. And not the fact that he liked it all. But he liked being the master of Singapore, and he correctly calculated that the Western world would fight for the interests of its companies with anyone who encroached on the existing order of affairs here. In fact, Singapore became the heart of Asian trade, a small heir to the Great Silk Road. It was the main free economic zone of the region, and a golden rain fell on the country (in a good sense of the word).

A country the size of a cat, ruled by the word of one man, could afford such flexibility, such initiative, such cost savings that its sedentary but crowded neighbors could not. There was no place for volume production in Singapore, so hi-tech (electronics, biopharm) and financial services rushed there.

By the end of the 80s of the last century, over $ 500 billion of investments had flowed into Singapore, new industries were introduced there: oil refining (in compliance with the highest environmental standards) and mass tourism. Today, 73% of the country's GDP comes from the service sector, and 27% from industry. Thus, the Singaporean society has safely stepped "from the third world to the first" - by the way, this is the name of the second volume of Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs "Singapore Story".

Mafia is mortal

One of the first feats of Lee Kuan Yew was the total and instant defeat of corruption. The ruler knew perfectly well that corrupt officials usually steal thousands and spoil them for millions, that serious Western corporations will not fully integrate into a market dominated by bribery, nepotism and lawlessness. And he, having enlisted the support of the British army, began to do a great job - to chop off the heads of a thousand-year-old hydra of Asian traditions.

The police were shaken up, almost all the judges were dismissed (they were replaced mainly by well-known lawyers, that is, that part of the lawyers who are always the least entangled in corruption ties and schemes). The laws were formulated clearly and simply, and punishment for breaking them became swift and inevitable.

Even the closest friends and relatives of Lee Kuan Yew went to prisons, who did not immediately orient themselves in the new order. In a matter of weeks, the Singapore branches of the triads - Chinese criminal gangs - were liquidated. Ministers, judges, police chiefs and other high-ranking officials were officially given such high salaries that the best brains flowed from the private sector to the government, who did not waste time building bribery schemes.

And today, according to Transparency International, the country is among the ten states with the lowest level of corruption. Transparent and effective legislation helped foreign companies not to be afraid of “spin-offs” and expropriations.

Education of the people

What else did Western companies that came to Singapore need? Good specialists within walking distance, order and cleanliness in the streets, total stability. The last two points were easy to handle. Draconian rules were introduced on the cleanliness of public places, hundreds of thousands of bushes and trees were purchased and planted. Then the visionary prime minister began to tighten the reins of government regulation.

Political stability and public order have become important ingredients in the Singapore recipe. In the 1960s, there were serious tensions between the Chinese majority and the Malay and Indian minorities. Since then, interethnic harmony has been supported by harsh penalties for inciting hatred. Ignoring accusations of “enlightened authoritarianism,” the tough prime minister periodically tightened the screws, as a result of which protests and strikes became extremely rare, and same-sex love and communism were completely banned.

Residents of Singapore are very, very careful in their statements on the Internet, dozens of different topics are dangerous for them, ranging from criticism of the government to too expressive vocabulary on any subject in general.

The problem of traffic jams, traditional for Asian cities, was solved just as harshly. It has an extremely efficient public transport system (Mass Rapid Transit). But to have a private car, you need to buy a special license for it. They sell licenses at auctions for amounts exceeding the cost of the car itself. As a result, on a modest 700 sq. km (19% of them, by the way, Singapore washed up from the ocean over the past 49 years) of this island state there is practically no congestion.

The number of certificates is directly proportional to the mileage of roads built over the past year. The savvy reader will have guessed, of course, that the money raised from these auctions goes to support Singapore's public transport.

And many Singaporeans also like to ride "Dracula" - as in Singapore they call cars, the right to own which allows you to use them only from dusk to dawn and on weekends and costs a third less.

While Singapore may seem boringly stable and secure from the outside, the People's Action Party government, which has a stranglehold on power for 50 years, behaves as if enemies are rattling weapons outside the country and a fifth column is raising its head inside.

Population participation in elections is mandatory and often curious. Those living in the Tanjong Pagar constituency, from which Mr. Yu himself was nominated, were automatically counted as having voted for him; at the same time, the media are toothless, and reliable English libel laws are used against the opposition, with the threat of bankruptcy if the case goes to court.

And although the former tension in relations with Malaysia and Indonesia has long disappeared, the service of young people in the army, created according to the Israeli model, is mandatory, and a fifth of the budget is spent on defense. One of Lee Kuan Yew's catchphrases: “We decide what is right and what is wrong. We don't care what the people think ”.

When the law is fierce

As a result, today for 5 million of the population of all crime - a couple of hundred thefts a year. On the streets - not a candy wrapper. Everyone has heard about the monstrous fines for spitting out chewing gum, spitting and smoking in public places. Unlike the rest of Southeast Asia, you can safely drink tap water here.

Prostitution, even that, is compactly limited to a couple of blocks in the Geylang area, and its female practitioners are registered and regularly undergo medical examinations.

The elevators are equipped with urine odor detectors, which, in the event of someone's momentary weakness, will block the doors, detaining the culprit, and send a signal to the police.

In the editorials, important news: law enforcement officers finally managed to figure out from which apartment in a huge high-rise building for several months, cigarette butts flew down. The perpetrator was fined S $ 19,800 and forced labor to clean the trash to stigmatize the violator. $ 500 is fined for not flushing a public toilet, $ 5,000 if a private Wi-Fi hacked.

According to the World Bank, the republic ranks eighth in terms of GDP per capita, but it is flogged with bamboo rods for graffiti, vandalism and racial abuse. As well as criticism of the government, which amounts to a violation of public order.

On the warning that someone who is found to have more than 15 grams of heroin or 200 grams of cannabis will die, you come across as you get off the plane - Singapore leads in the number of executed death sentences per capita. Another winged quote from Lee Kuan Yew: "If I am not afraid, I am meaningless."

Creation of man

But I had to tinker with the first point of the program mentioned above, and here great success has not yet been achieved. Lee Kuan Yew believed that the most important part of the population was the well-educated middle class.

When people have something to lose and have a head on their shoulders, they will be safer than any other social group. There was practically no middle class in Singapore in the 60s, and it took about half a century to grow it carefully.

In 1965, out of 1.9 million of the population, 300 thousand people were squatters and another 250 thousand huddled in the central regions of 18 people each under one roof. Then the government came up with a large-scale construction and ownership of inexpensive state apartments, based on the fact that, becoming owners of real estate, Singaporeans, especially former immigrants, will take more care of the order and cleanliness of the place in which they live.

And besides, they will receive a humbling agility in the form of real estate and deep gratitude to their native government. And it worked! Today 85% of residents live in state-owned apartments and are happy that their real estate has risen tenfold in the secondary market.

Infused with square meters of patriotic and nationalistic feelings today fly over Singapore above the Air Force fighters sweeping over the heads of Singaporeans on Independence Day.

Singapore is not a nanny state. There is zero tolerance for non-working elements looking for an opportunity to sit on the neck of the state. The familiar principle "He who does not work, he does not eat" has been elevated into a state philosophy.

Therefore, there is practically no unemployment in the country; it is socially unacceptable for a Singaporean to be unemployed. And if you consider that Singapore has one of the best educational systems in Asia, then it's a shame. To make university education widely available, every Singaporean between 6 and 16 years old has a so-called "educational savings account", which is filled by both parents and the state. At the same time, the country sends especially promising minds to the most prestigious world scientific and educational centers.

This often awakens creative freedom in them, because the Singaporean educational model, which has adopted many Confucian precepts, from school to universities, is purely pragmatic and focuses on "physics", and leaves little room for "lyricists". Strict adherence to a set of rules is paramount, and independent individuals get it from both teachers and parents.

Nevertheless, the average level of intellectual and creative abilities among Singaporeans, alas, lags far behind the world's best indicators. It is not we who are engaged in racism, this is how Lee Kuan Yew spoke. In the late 1980s, he decided to correct another ancient Eastern tradition - the conviction that a wife should be more stupid than her husband. Lee Kuan Yew made heated speeches about the need to marry women with higher education, and you, dear bastards-fellow citizens, turn up your noses from smart ladies, you prefer to woo chubby unreasonable youngsters, that's the gene pool that suffers.

These speeches, by the way, offended even all willing Singaporeans, and the Popular Action Party paid with votes in the next elections. However, this did not stop the father of the nation. Something like the state marriage agency of Singapore was created - the Social Development Division, which, however, was engaged not so much in marriages as in monitoring the demography as a whole. For example, it ordered the Department for Resettlement and Development until 1991 not to sell state-owned apartments to the lonely, because the government advocated an increase in the number of marriages and an increase in the birth rate.

By the way, when the USSR was respected, father Yu forced his son to learn Russian and later worried that premature publicity had undermined the country, while it was necessary to start with the economy. Unlike North Korea, and indeed many democracies that stumble enough in their path, the Singaporean phenomenon seems to successfully challenge liberal notions that unlimited freedom is a precondition for prosperity.

The overwhelming majority of the population supports the new leader and agrees to endure restrictions on personal freedoms for the sake of stability and welfare of the state. Big business still prefers not to interfere in politics in a country where financial success is considered one of the main manifestations of patriotism.

But when assessing the success of Singapore, it is important to understand that most of the companies successfully operating in the country came here from completely different living conditions.

Actually, there is practically no innovation on the spot; everything, from technology to work methods, is not born here, but in those parts of the planet where freedom of thought and action is still a top priority. And trying to look back at Singapore as a perfect example of the use of a whip is as meaningful as gluing a Mercedes badge to a homemade scooter - in the sincere belief that these details - badges, fines and public flogging - are the main driving force of the design.

However, the Singaporeans have gone far from their postcolonial ancestors. They are 12 times richer, much more educated and highly aware of what is happening in the world. They are already beginning to snap (so far in social networks) at the restrictive measures that their grandfathers and grandmothers dutifully endured for the good of the idea. And the further, the louder the voices of critics: in the last elections of 2011, the share of votes of the permanently ruling Popular Action Party dropped by 6.5%.

Those elections showed that it is important to listen to the opinion of the people and that the paternalistic management style no longer works. The Singapore government is trying to move from lectures to dialogue with citizens through the new Our Singapore Conversation program, giving them the opportunity to speak out on sensitive issues and develop civic and democratic views that were previously discouraged.

The Popular Action Party fought back the rejection of social programs in support of the poor and the elderly and began to respond to anti-immigration sentiments among Singaporeans not with a fist, but with explanations. Of course, Lee Kuan Yew would have solved the issue differently. But the architect of the Singaporean "economic miracle" is gone, and times are changing.