The Singapore story

During the Brexit campaign of 2016, pro-Brexit politicians in the United Kingdom promoted the vision of a “Singapore on the Thames” by freeing the UK from the European Union. Amaravati, the proposed new capital of Andhra Pradesh in India, was also envisioned as a Singapore-style city. Across the world, politicians cite Singapore as a role model, and people aspire to replicate it. Having lived and worked in Singapore for over a decade, I see three key areas where the city state excels and sets itself apart.

Singapore is widely recognised for its honest and efficient governance. A few weeks after I arrived, I received a call from the Ministry of Manpower. The officer informed me that my application to employ a domestic worker to care for my elderly mother had been received and assured me that it was being processed quickly. 

I was told not to worry. This level of service and efficiency is a small but telling example of how government ministries and agencies operate in Singapore. Many of the most meritorious students join the public service, and any incident of bribery is dealt with strictly, which has created a clean image of the state.

The second area where Singapore excels is logistics and infrastructure. It has one of the world’s best airports and one of the most efficient seaports. I never felt the need to buy a car due to the excellent and reliable public transport system. I could check bus timings on an app, walk to the stop, and the bus would arrive on time. The same applies to the metro system, which covers most of the island and runs at fixed intervals during both peak and off-peak hours. The high cost of obtaining a Certificate of Entitlement to buy a car has limited the number of vehicles on the road, averting congestion of the kind seen in Dhaka.

The third factor is Singapore’s world-class healthcare system. During Covid, the country recorded one of the lowest mortality rates globally. The response was well managed through careful planning, including advance vaccine procurement from global pharmaceutical companies, which helped reduce deaths in an ageing society. 

More broadly, there is strong emphasis on health and wellbeing. Singaporeans are encouraged to lead active lives through running, cycling and walking in well-maintained public parks. The Health Promotion Board promotes healthy habits such as walking 10,000 steps a day. Singapore was also the first country to mandate reductions in sugar content in soft drinks. It declared a war on diabetes and has taken firm action against vaping and k-pods, alongside a zero-tolerance policy on drugs.

Singapore moved from a third-world country to a developed nation within a few decades. While much of Asia turned towards nationalisation and socialism, Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew chose to open the economy to multinational companies, laying the foundation for its emergence as a regional financial hub. He was supported by a capable team that addressed housing and water shortages through the Housing Development Board, which now provides homes for nearly 80 percent of the population.

When people aspire for their country to become like Singapore, they are asking for a government that delivers on governance, infrastructure, housing and healthcare. These are not unreasonable expectations. Singapore has demonstrated what is possible over the past 60 years, and it offers a useful reference as Bangladesh transitions beyond least developed country status.

The writer worked as a senior executive at global banks in Bangladesh and Singapore