Singapore Democrats, 18 Sep 2008
"But these are the same corporate bigwigs who, year after year, lavish praise on the PAP system without attempting to see its autocratic downside. Their views are channeled through surveys and reports conducted by organisations like the IMD, PERC, World Bank, etc that Mr Lee Kuan Yew cites with unstinting pride.
But why are these organisations so enamoured with the PAP system? The simple answer is that it serves their interests. These conglomerates are given generous tax breaks, assured that local workers do not belong to independent trade unions, and told that their businesses have a say in determining the wage levels of the locals through the National Wages Council.
It's corporate heaven.
And corporate representatives respond by heaping the PAP with accolade after accolade: naming Singapore one of the freest economies in the world, best place in which to do business, best place for expatriates to live in and so on, never mind that Singaporeans have little say in these and other matters that affect them."
Read More
