What makes Singapore so different and so special? Someone once said, we build an oasis in a 3rd World region. In this oasis of modernity, everything works. We have an infrastructure that worked, an environment for creature comfort and a safe and clean environment. We created all these for people who are looking for such an environment to live and work in. And these are the people from the rich industrialized west and also the rich warlords and royalties of the 3rd World.
You can say that much about impressing the westerners from the developed world. And they would be pleasantly surprised to find such a place in the 3rd World where everything works. The water is drinkable from the tap. You press a button it works. You press a switch the light comes on. We take these simple things for granted. But they are miracles in many 3rd World countries. The people from the developed world would die to be here than elsewhere to do their business.
And those from the 3rd World, even if they are royalties or filthy rich, they have not seen anything like this outside of their palaces and mansions except filth. It is something they would feel comfortable and like to live in. Yes, they would prefer here than their 3rd World environment unless they did not want to leave their homes when taking a step outside is a walk into poverty, disorder and filth.
And for the rest of the 3rd World creatures, they have never seen anything like this in their life times and would never be able to enjoy them in their home countries. The road sides or the pavements, the walkways, are many many times cleaner and more comfortable than their homes. Walking into a shopping centre is like walking into a palace, and much better, much more comfortable.
Why do we need to go around the 3rd World countries begging for them to be here? They are crawling here, forming long queues. Even those from the developed world would want to be here than elsewhere.
We are selling ourselves too cheaply, like unwanted cheap prostitutes. We even offer ourselves to cheap foreign workers in large numbers. Is it something to be proud of, something that we want and can called achievements? We created a 1st World environment, 1st world public transport system, 1st world infrastructure only to flood them with more than a million or two million 3rd World inhabitants. Is that really what we want? Swiss standard of living amidst the 3rd World?
Chua Chin Leng aka redbean
* The writer blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com