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Comment by userbinator | Hacker News Reader

What would you even call their socioeconomic system?

Pure authoritarianism.

And yet the average Singaporean is freer economically, socially, and ideologically.

No freedom of press, no freedom of speech, no freedom of assembly, government owns/operates roughly ⅓ of the economy that features many state monopolies, the PAP maintains a gerrymandered control over the electorate, criticizing the government lands you in court for defamation and conveniently bankrupts can't run for parliament.

Singapore is many things but not none of what you've written.

Singaporeans have insanely high quality of life and high pride in their system and people. They have an immense number of negative freedoms that the average person across the world could only dream of: freedom from violence, freedom from the devastating effects of drug addiction on families and society, freedom from poverty, freedom from corruption, freedom from instability. For the average person looking to raise a family, build a quality life, and just live well, Singapore is the perfect social contract. Don't like it? They have the most powerful or second most powerful passport in the world and can move anywhere else they see fit, yet they see their country as the best place they could be

Singaporeans have chosen economic security and social authoritarianism over the freedoms we enjoy in the West. That's their choice.

A powerful passport doesn't mean they can move anywhere to live permanently and if they choose to become a citizen of the country they do move to then they will lose their Singaporean citizenship.

Most western European countries are as restrictive on speech as Singapore but are just dishonest.

American freedom of expression is a singular achievement.

I don’t agree with that assessment at all. I’m free to criticise my government in the UK in any way I wish to. I would have no such freedom in Singapore.

As long as you are not criticizing the UK.gov's stance on Palestine.

The proscribing of Palestine Action as a 'terrorist group" is an absolute farce but that doesn't prevent you criticising the governments position on Palestine.

> I’m free to criticise my government in the UK in any way I wish to.

As someone who moved from Singapore to the UK, this assessment is really quite funny. The Online Safety Act says hello.

My point is they see themselves as having more freedoms than the west does in places that matter to their daily life: freedom from poverty, violent crime, the devastating effects of drugs on families, social chaos, and corruption. To Singaporeans, these are real freedoms. They’d much rather have that quality of life than live in homeless-infested cities with drugs where they can at least criticize the government.

It’s not one or the other. There are plenty of societies that meet the bar you describe without the restrictions Singapore has in place.

So it's like Europe but ten times better.

Most countries are going to fall flat compared to the United States. Singapore is pretty amazing.

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