Scandals will hurt squeaky clean Singapore, but not too much

White-clad supporters at a rally for the People's Action Party, which has held power in Singapore for more than six decades. (Image: Bloomberg)

Bloomberg

Sun, 13 Aug 2023

By Daniel MossTo understand why even the whiff of scandal can create big waves in Singapore, it’s helpful to consider economics – of six decades ago, not just the past six months.For Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister, the young republic’s best hope of survival after divorce from Malaysia was to transform itself into a base camp for multinational corporations. A tiny country that functioned well in a volatile region. That meant infrastructure, an educated workforce, law and order, competitive taxes. Also...

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