The Management of Globalization in Singapore: Twentieth Century ...

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Marystella Amaldas., Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (Japan)Sensitive to criticisms and constantly alert to threatsto social order, the government has, in its usual efficientmanner, announced several safety net features. Firstly, todampen the gambling appetite of locals, Singaporeans will becharged an entrance fee of S$100 per day, or S$2,000 peryear. Foreigners and tourists will enter free of charge. Thegovernment’s initial suggestion to allow only Singaporeans ofa requisite income was quietly dropped after charges ofelitism were leveled. Secondly, gambling on credit will beprohibited. Thirdly, Singaporeans will be able to excludethemselves or their family members from entry. Those onfinancial assistance programmes will be automaticallybarred. Fourthly, the Casino Control Bill was to be preparedas early as 2006 to spell out the operational and regulatoryground rules, while in 2007 or the year after, a regulatorybody for the casinos will be born. The decision to cap casinorevenue at 50 per cent of total IR earnings was rescindedafter protests from potential IR operators. Fifthly, thegovernment has promised assistance to counseling andrehabilitation centers in the combat against gamblingaddiction.The lesson of the casino issue is that the PAPgovernment is willing, and capable, of forsaking long-heldcompetition principles for economic gains. Unprecedentedlevels of regional competition and a worrisome economy havepaved the way for this ideological U-turn.If the casinos demonstrated the government’s ability tomake U-turns, other events highlighted its ability to refuse toaccede to certain global trends and politics. On 13 May 2005,38-year-old Singaporean Shanmugam Murugesu was hangedfor trafficking 1 kilogram of cannabis from neighboringMalaysia into Singapore. The run-up to 13 May saw acampaign conducted by various groups and individuals fromthe arts and academic communities to save Murugesu fromthe gallows. Among the events organized to promoteawareness of Murugesu’s plight were candlelit vigils, pressconferences, petitions, prayer sessions, and an appeal to thePresident for clemency, which was rejected. Murugesu wasduly hung on 13 May. The police only permitted an antideathconcert at the Substation to go ahead on 18 Augustafter the organizers removed all images of Murugesu;989
The Management of Globalization in Singapore: Twentieth Century Lessons for theEarly Decades of the New Centurypresumably because the government did not want himturned into a martyr.A similar case that had international dimensions wasthat of Australian citizen Nguyen Tuong Van. Nguyen wasarrested on transit at Changi Airport in December 2002 with396 grams of heroin. Nguyen’s case came to attention whenhis appeal to the President for clemency was rejected inOctober. Sections of the Australian liberal media played upthe story while some Australian politicians predictablyindulged in Singapore-bashing with “Chinese rogue port city”among the more colorful descriptions of the city-state(Grattan, Gordon and Button, 2005). Meanwhile, on a moreconstructive note, local civil activists sought to raise debateover the death penalty. All these, however, were to no avail.Even letters from the Australian Foreign Minister AlexanderDowner to his Singapore counterpart George Yeo failed tochange the government’s mind. Nguyen was hung on 2December 2005.According to PM Lee, this uncompromising stance is to,firstly protect citizens from drugs and, secondly, to ensurethe country does not become a transit centre. Suchresistance to external pressures wins the governmentlegitimacy from many Singaporeans, who believe in thedirect link between capital punishment and low crime rates.Nonetheless, there is a growing section of vocal Singaporeanswas oppose the death penalty, ensuring that the issue will bere-visited over and over again.Other examples of resistance to external pressuresinclude the government’s defense of Singapore’s press. In aglobal survey on press freedom, Singapore was ranked 140out of 167 countries by an international NGO, ReportersWithout Borders. The ranking itself was of little consequencebut the minor debate it stirred provided the government theopportunity to reiterate that “an unfettered press that actsirresponsibly can be destructive”, and to conclude that“Singapore’s model of government and the media has givenour country a clean government, social equity and harmony,and as a result, a strong economy” (Stanley Low, 2005).4. Immigration and Foreign Talents990
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