Singapore Vs Korea
It's got better leadership but after Kuan Yew dies, will there be turbulence, asks US professor Jon Huer. The Korea Times
Jan 25, 2006

The most important human element that separates Singapore from Korea is leadership. Unlike the sad history of Korean political leadership, or lack thereof, Singapore has been blessed with a monolithic leadership structure, namely in the leadership of Lee Kwan Yew, now Prime Minister Mentor, the elder statesman of Singapore.

He single-handedly created modern Singapore in the last five decades from a circumstance not dissimilar to Korea's, that is, extreme economic poverty and cultural deprivation.

Honest and visionary, British-educated Lee has led Singapore from nothing to its current status as a giant in Asia.

When one compares Lee with the succession of Korean leaders in recent decades, the difference is catastrophically clear. In short, Singapore was blessed with Lee while Korea was cursed with a succession of failed leaders.

Another blessing for Singapore is that, unlike Korea's colonial master Japan, its colonial master was Great Britain.

Great Britain left Singapore with two great legacies: The English language and the mental habit of rationality in government, society and culture. English is Singapore's "official language,-- which is the language of its business, government, education, and culture.

All television programmes (with the exception of local dramas) are in English, as are all newspapers and educational instructions. (Littlespeck: there're other programmes in Chinese, Malay and Tamil, too)

English-language books and magazines are directly imported from the West, namely, the US and Europe, and are read by the public without the steps and expenses of translation.

This is an incalculable advantage for Singapore over nations like Korea, which struggle with a basic level of international communication.

Singaporeans use English in public and speak their own language at home and among friends. They switch between English and their own native tongue smoothly and unconsciously.

One of the intangible advantages of Singapore over Korea is their respective self-images and self-perceptions. In short, Singaporeans seem blessed with no trace of colonial "han, -- the feeling of injustice and grief that so gnaw at the Korean heart.

Everywhere, the legacy of British colonialism is evident in street and building names, and in the subconscious notions of rule-bound and rational life.

Colonialism is played out without bitterness or grievances so that one almost suspects over-romanticisation of the past.

Indeed, at popular tourist spots one sees numerous brass sculptures depicting the former British masters and local coolies engaged in friendly chitchats or business transactions.

The famed colonial ruler, Sir Raffles, is everywhere in statues and in public place names, and has even been officially designated as the "Founder of Modern Singapore.

(Can one imagine Koreans naming the former Japanese governor-general of Korea its modern founder and naming public places after him?)

Unlike Koreans, Singaporeans do not suffer the nightmares of the past. For them, there is another business day of today and tomorrow.

While Korea goes through a wretched process of reconciling with its colonial past, the ghost of its past in "han,-- Singapore serenely counts its receipts and plans future expansions.

A price for Singaporeans, too

Some observers grudgingly admit that Singapore is some sort of a modern utopia. But the price of Singaporean prosperity does have its underbelly that is not often observed or mentioned. Several factors are more obvious:

First, its observance of civil liberty and human rights is suspect. There is virtually no opposition in politics. It maintains a monolithic single-party dominance that is assured of control in the national assembly.

It does its job of pleasing the population better than any other alternative group. But this monolithic political control, which accounts for so much of Singapore's prosperity, is subject to many other factors for its continuing existence.

Second, there is a considerable income gap between the rich and the poor in Singapore. (Korea is guilty of this, but to a lesser extent).

The average taxi driver merely earns a livelihood while professors at Singapore National University boast the highest income in the world among professors.

But the criticism is muted largely by the fact that competition is open and merit-based, not through nepotism or discrimination.

Turbulence after Lee?

Third, Singapore's post-Lee era is fraught with uncertainty.

After Lee, now in his 80s, dies, Singaporean stability and dynamism may encounter turbulence, as Lee's larger-than-life dominance of Singapore may leave a void that no successor can fill.

That means trouble. Voices demanding change may rise, and the harmony and peace among different ethnic groups that are so uniquely Singaporean may shatter.

Finally, observant foreigners have commented often the fragile and "superficial -- nature of Singaporean friendliness and hospitality. It is, after all, business friendliness and hospitality, nothing deep or personal.

One has to pay for all its outward displays of goodwill and comfort. (Ask any of the half-million Bangladeshis or Malays or Filipino maids who labour there about the bitterness of life in Singapore).

For genuinely heart-felt affection and intimacy, one still yearns for Korean affection and intimacy, warts and all. But for quick superficial fun, or smooth friendliness or hospitality, Korea cannot hold a candle to Singapore.

In the last analysis, one wishes for a great leap of advancement for Korea in its quest for first-rate nationhood and global prominence.

But having lived and observed in both Singapore and Korea, one concludes, however reluctantly, that Singapore will not, and cannot, be Korea's model.

Their similarities as emerging Asian nations not withstanding, Korea will have to find its own unique resources to realize its dream of world-ranking progress, but not the Singaporean way.

(The writer is a professor of sociology for the University of Maryland University College Asia.)