The Rhetoric
“If in 10 years, Philippines, Taiwan and South Korea were better societies because they adopted the US model (of democracy), Singapore would hurry to catch.”
– PM Goh Chok Tong, National Day Rally, 1995The Reality
“Singapore is an improbable nation and therefore cannot be compared to such places as South Korea and Taiwan…I think in 20 years our society will change. But I do not see a Western model…as the target we want to aim for.”
– PM Lee Hsien Loong’s speech at the Foreign Correspondents Association, Oct 6 2005