The London-based Economist Intelligence recently carried out a survey by asking expatriates to assess the level of hardship of 130 cities all over the world. Not surprisingly, Melbourne and Vancouver came in as the best cities to live in. Also unsurprising was Port Moresby which had the dubious honour of coming in last.
The survey looked at 12 factors including housing, education, recreational activities and climate, rating every city on a five-point scale in each category, with five indicating extreme hardship.
The other top ten cities were Vienna, Geneva and Zurich (all equal fourth) while Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Oslo were also equal eighth.
The Japanese cities of Osaka and Tokyo were the highest rated in Asia in equal 21st spot. Next best was Hong Kong in 44th place.
So where is Singapore? Number 50. What is surprising is that despite all the hype from the PAP that we are number one in this and that, the survey tellingly shows that Singapore is nowhere near the best cities to live in the world.
Singaporeans should further note the following two points: One, the cities ranked more highly than Singapore are all found in democratic countries with perhaps the exception of Hong Kong (even so, Hong Kongers enjoy a degree of freedom Singaporeans can only dream about).
Two, the survey was conducted on expatriates who enjoy a much higher standard of living in Singapore than Singaporeans. If the expatriates feel the way they do, what more about the hardship that local Singaporeans face?
This survey exposes the PAP nonsense that Singapore needs authoritarian rule in order to achieve a high standard of living and a good quality of life. It has never been true that with freedom and democracy our society will descend into chaos and pandemonium. This survey is hard evidence that exposes the lie.
The sooner we realize this PAP-propagated absurdity, designed to prolong its own rule to the detriment of Singapore and Singaporeans, the better off we will be. You still have doubts? Just ask those who have left Singapore to live better lives in Melbourne or Vancouver.
The list in full:
1. (tie) Melbourne, Australia
1. Vancouver, Canada
3. Perth, Australia
4. (tie) Vienna, Austria
4. Toronto, Canada
4. Geneva, Switzerland
4. Zurich, Switzerland
8. (tie) Adelaide, Australia
8. Brisbane, Australia
8. Sydney,Australia
8. Copenhagen, Denmark
8. Dusseldorf, Germany
8. Frankfurt, Germany
8. Oslo, Norway
8. Montreal, Canada
16. (tie) Calgary, Canada
16. Helsinki, Finland
16. Stockholm, Sweden
19. (tie) Berlin, Germany
19. Amsterdam, Netherlands
21. (tie) Tokyo, Japan
21. Osaka, Japan
21. Honolulu, Hawaii
24. (tie) Hamburg, Germany
24. Munich, Germany
24. Auckland, New Zealand
24. Wellington, New Zealand
28. (tie) Brussels, Belgium
28. Reykjavik, Iceland
28. Luxembourg, Luxembourg
28. Boston, Massachusetts
32. (tie) Lyon, France
32. Paris, France
34. (tie) Barcelona, Spain
34. Atlanta, Georgia
34. Chicago, Illinois
34. Lexington, Kentucky
34. Miami, Florida
39. (tie) Cleveland, Ohio
39. Houston, Texas
39. Los Angeles, California
39. Minneapolis, Minnesota
39. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
44. (tie) Hong Kong, China
44. Lisbon, Portugal
44. Madrid, Spain
44. London, England
44. San Francisco, California
49. Seattle, Washington
50. (tie) Singapore
50. Manchester, England
52. (tie) Dublin, Ireland
52. New York, New York
54. (tie) Milan, Italy
54. Detroit, Michigan
54. Budapest, Hungary
57. (tie) Prague, Czech Republic
57. Rome, Italy
57. Washington, D.C.
60. Taipei, Taiwan
61. Seoul, South Korea
62. (tie) San Juan, Puerto Rico
62. San Jose, Costa Rica
64. (tie) Athens, Greece
64. Montevideo, Uruguay
66. Santiago, Chile
67. Buenos Aires, Argentina
68. Dubai, UAE
69. (tie) Tel Aviv, Israel
69. Warsaw, Poland
71. (tie) Zagreb, Croatia
71. Abu Dhabi, UAE
73. (tie) Guangzhou, China
73. Shanghai, China
75. (tie) Panama City, Panama
75. Amman, Jordan
77. (tie) Bahrain, Bahrain
77. Beijing, China
77. Shenzhen, China
77. Moscow, Russia
81. Pretoria, South Africa
82. (tie) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
82. St. Petersburg, Russia
84. Tianjin, China
85. (tie) Sao Paulo, Brazil
85. Kiev, Ukraine
87. (tie) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
87. Lima, Peru
87. Istanbul, Turkey
87. Kuwait, Kuwait
87. Tashkent, Uzbekistan
87. Tunis, Tunisia
93. (tie) Quito, Ecuador
93. Johannesburg, South Africa
93. Bucharest, Romania
96. (tie) Asuncion, Paraguay
96. Casablanca, Morocco
98. Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
99. (tie) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
99. Baku, Azerbaijan
101. (tie) Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia
101. Bangkok, Thailand
101. Caracas, Venezuela
101. Tripoli, Libya
105. (tie) Guatemala, Guatemala
105. Mexico City, Mexico
105. Manila, Philippines
105. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
105. Belgrade, Yugoslavia
105. Harare, Zimbabwe
111. Cairo, Egypt
112. Libreville, Gabon
113. Colombo, Sri Lanka
114. Douala, Cameroon
115. (tie) Hanoi, Vietnam
115. Bogota, Colombia
115. Nairobi, Kenya
118. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
119. (tie) Jakarta, Indonesia
119. Tehran, Iran
121. New Delhi, India
122. Dakar, Senegal
123. Abidjan, Ivory Coast
124. Mumbai, India
125. Algiers, Algeria
126. Phnom Penh, Cambodia
127. (tie) Dhaka, Bangladesh
127. Lagos, Nigeria
129. Karachi, Pakistan
130. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea