Singapore was built on order. Then life got messy
The strongest case for confidence in the country lies in us still possessing the stability, competence and capacity for self-correction needed to face problems head-on.
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Singapore’s achievement is not that every service works perfectly, but that coordination across government is treated as a central responsibility rather than left to citizens to navigate. Even so, Singaporeans’ lives have become distinctly less orderly, says the writer.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Ben Chester Cheong
After three years in Britain, I returned more conscious of a particular Singaporean advantage: the extent to which everyday security, infrastructure and public administration reinforce one another. It is possible to travel home late with relatively little fear, use a common digital identity across numerous public services and complete many routine transactions without first determining which agency holds the relevant information.
Britain has formidable institutions and digital capabilities of its own. Yet its government has itself recognised that duplication and fragmented service journeys continue to create unnecessary friction.
