Happy National Day!
the traffic jams caused by NDP rehearsals have definitely been a pain in the ass. haha...=)
IS OUR GOVERNMENT TOO GOOD FOR OUR OWN GOOD?
Friday July 22, 2005
Tang Li
LAST year, when India's communists became part of the governing coalition,
Mr Arun Jain, the CEO of Polaris Software Lab - an Indian IT company - was
asked what this would mean for India's IT industry. He replied: "We have
flourished without government help and as long as the government continues
to leave us alone, we shall continue to flourish."
This got me thinking. How is it possible for India - a large and unwieldy
nation - to produce companies such as Infosys and Wipro, private sector
companies that are investing in more developed countries?
By comparison, Singapore - a nation of highly-educated people - has only
produced world-class companies when its Government is involved in some
way or other.
India's entrepreneurs believe they succeed in spite of the government,
while Singapore businessmen view the Government as a necessity to success.
I believe this state of affairs has come about because the Government has
done too good a job at providing for Singaporeans.
Some would argue that what the nation needs is a spell of bad government.
Good government has killed one of the prerequisites of entrepreneurship -
curiosity and optimism. I read recently - and commented on - an article
about how the failure of the government to provide clean drinking water
had led to a thriving water industry in India. In Singapore, the Public
Utilities Board sees to it that every Singaporean household is provided
with clean drinking water.
Another downside of an overly competent government is that it has led to a
blind trust of authority figures. While Singaporeans do grumble about the
government, they do so in the same way that children complain about their
parents.
Take the Suzhou Industrial Park, for instance. The Singapore and Chinese
governments had "sealed the deal" and Singaporean businessmen assumed that
everything would work well because the Government had helped them. They
were not prepared for the problems of dealing with the provincial Chinese
government. By contrast, Hong Kong and Taiwanese businessmen are prepared
to do business in countries where the rule of law is not strong.
Could these problems be solved with a spell of bad government? The answer
is no, if this means dealing with a rogue or rotten government. One only
has to look at what rogue government has done for the large and
resource-rich Congo to imagine what it would do to small and
resource-poor Singapore.
However, Singapore could deal with indifferent government. Indifferent
government or less efficient government could make the population less
dependent on the government to provide and more willing to create its own
opportunities.
An example is Hong Kong, with not much more population or land than
Singapore. Private entrepreneurs fill many services that the indifferent
government does not. The population is renowned for entrepreneurial
dynamism. And if social indicators are anything to go by, Hong Kong has as
high a standard of living as Singapore. Crime levels are comparable; in
1991, Hong Kong had fewer cases of theft than Singapore.
Ironically, the Singapore Government recognises the dilemma of its own
competence and is taking some action. Its current solution is to involve
the private sector in managing its services or, in some cases, allowing
entrepreneurs to fill certain niches. Look at the way karung guni
enterprises work alongside the National Environment Agency in the disposal
of rubbish.
Will this solution work? My mother said: "Parenting is a lifelong habit"
and it will take time for the Government and electorate to change their
expectations of each other. But change is necessary and given time,
hopefully, Singaporeans will become more resilient and play a greater role
in society for themselves.
Tang Li is a freelance writer. If you wish to comment, email us at
news@newstoday.com.sg
Visit TODAYonline website at http://www.todayonline.com
IS OUR GOVERNMENT TOO GOOD FOR OUR OWN GOOD?
Friday July 22, 2005
Tang Li
LAST year, when India's communists became part of the governing coalition,
Mr Arun Jain, the CEO of Polaris Software Lab - an Indian IT company - was
asked what this would mean for India's IT industry. He replied: "We have
flourished without government help and as long as the government continues
to leave us alone, we shall continue to flourish."
This got me thinking. How is it possible for India - a large and unwieldy
nation - to produce companies such as Infosys and Wipro, private sector
companies that are investing in more developed countries?
By comparison, Singapore - a nation of highly-educated people - has only
produced world-class companies when its Government is involved in some
way or other.
India's entrepreneurs believe they succeed in spite of the government,
while Singapore businessmen view the Government as a necessity to success.
I believe this state of affairs has come about because the Government has
done too good a job at providing for Singaporeans.
Some would argue that what the nation needs is a spell of bad government.
Good government has killed one of the prerequisites of entrepreneurship -
curiosity and optimism. I read recently - and commented on - an article
about how the failure of the government to provide clean drinking water
had led to a thriving water industry in India. In Singapore, the Public
Utilities Board sees to it that every Singaporean household is provided
with clean drinking water.
Another downside of an overly competent government is that it has led to a
blind trust of authority figures. While Singaporeans do grumble about the
government, they do so in the same way that children complain about their
parents.
Take the Suzhou Industrial Park, for instance. The Singapore and Chinese
governments had "sealed the deal" and Singaporean businessmen assumed that
everything would work well because the Government had helped them. They
were not prepared for the problems of dealing with the provincial Chinese
government. By contrast, Hong Kong and Taiwanese businessmen are prepared
to do business in countries where the rule of law is not strong.
Could these problems be solved with a spell of bad government? The answer
is no, if this means dealing with a rogue or rotten government. One only
has to look at what rogue government has done for the large and
resource-rich Congo to imagine what it would do to small and
resource-poor Singapore.
However, Singapore could deal with indifferent government. Indifferent
government or less efficient government could make the population less
dependent on the government to provide and more willing to create its own
opportunities.
An example is Hong Kong, with not much more population or land than
Singapore. Private entrepreneurs fill many services that the indifferent
government does not. The population is renowned for entrepreneurial
dynamism. And if social indicators are anything to go by, Hong Kong has as
high a standard of living as Singapore. Crime levels are comparable; in
1991, Hong Kong had fewer cases of theft than Singapore.
Ironically, the Singapore Government recognises the dilemma of its own
competence and is taking some action. Its current solution is to involve
the private sector in managing its services or, in some cases, allowing
entrepreneurs to fill certain niches. Look at the way karung guni
enterprises work alongside the National Environment Agency in the disposal
of rubbish.
Will this solution work? My mother said: "Parenting is a lifelong habit"
and it will take time for the Government and electorate to change their
expectations of each other. But change is necessary and given time,
hopefully, Singaporeans will become more resilient and play a greater role
in society for themselves.
Tang Li is a freelance writer. If you wish to comment, email us at
news@newstoday.com.sg
Visit TODAYonline website at http://www.todayonline.com
