AS a first time visitor to Singapore as part of the 8th Middle East Journalists' visit program, the city-state has been alluring, yet educative. I did not know much about Singapore other than what people told me that it is a small and well-organized city, and has something for everyone that makes the city-state attractive as tourist, business, education or shopping destination. To me, the trip was an opportunity to see the little island that has been making a huge impact globally while earning a good reputation as a small nation that had risen from absolutely nothing. I think Singapore is an example of an ideal country that people should know and read about, especially its history, and how they reached this level with strong determination, education and superb planning. The story of Singapore is a story to be told that a country does not need national resources to be among the top developed countries in the world. It is a country that defies the impossible and proves that size does not matter. What made the visit all the more striking was the use of English as a medium of communication. Unlike other countries where language is a problem for many visitors, in Singapore, English is one of the main languages and a visitor will not find any difficulty communicating. Singapore succeeded in providing a comfortable way of living for its people because it focused on educating them, socially uplifting them and providing them the opportunities to work or do business. In addition, they welcomed entrepreneurs, people with ideas and investors and helped them work with the nationals for Singapore's development. It succeeded in being an ideal country where people from all over the world love to live and work. Singapore reached out to the world and offered its experience in development and, most of all, management while providing an environment that has little bureaucracy, and even that's quick-paced. I was shocked to see during a meeting with officials in the city that it does not take a businessman much time to register and open his/her business. For they believe in every success is Singapore's success. Starting a business in Singapore is very easy for what this city-state really hates is bureaucracy. A real eye-opener! Another reason why Singapore is a draw is that they view all problems as challenges that have solutions. And that's what they aim for — solutions. During my meetings with officials, they stressed on this fact every time — that whenever there is a problem all they seek is to solve it. Even when there is a law to be followed or embraced, the city-state starts by educating people on the need for it and then by increasing awareness first before imposing punishment. What really impressed me in the city-state is the fact that they implement strict punishment on all people who commit violations. Be it top officials or a common person on the street. Law does not differentiate between who is who. When a person — whoever he is, a ranking government or private sector official or a big businessman — makes a mistake, law applies to him/her immediately. And it applies equally to all. The best case is of the American teen, who vandalized public property in Singapore many years ago and was punished according to the law despite the intervention of the American president to stop Singapore from punishing the teen. Singapore has emerged as a strong nation because it practices this maxim: No one is above the law. That's why I see disciplined people on the street, and I think this is mainly because people are well educated and love their country more than they fear punishment. Everywhere I went, people are proud of their Singaporean identity and will not hesitate to provide a helping hand to anyone in need. The airport, the door to the city-state, too has its own warmth and charm. I am not going to go into details in comparing their airport with ours because I will be doing injustice to their airport. But it is true that the first impression a visitor gets when arriving in Singapore will be a positive one and, there is much more beautiful things to see out there. Streets are super clean and everywhere a person goes he will not see garbage on the ground. If anybody litters, then there's immediate ‘policing' done by citizens, who either stop and clear it themselves or stop the litterbug to clear his/her own litter. The education of staying clean and keeping the environment clean starts young. I saw a mother complimenting her child and clapped when he threw his garbage into the garbage can. She was teaching, while also reinforcing this fact to many people in the city, on how to be disciplined and respect the law at a very young age. I am sure, this child will grow up having no problem following the law, of course, unlike what we see back home. We should learn more from Singapore on social and business level. We should learn how this island managed to find a place among the top developed countries despite having no major resources, except discipline, knowledge and hard work. The fact that they are hungry for more keeps them innovative and inventive. This enables them to push the wheel of development at their pace and in any direction. We should learn from their experience in fighting corruption and fighting bureaucracy. We should see how the city co-exists with different ethnic background. The country has worked hard to develop their national identity despite the different ethnic backgrounds that make up the city-state. Despite the varied culture, all of them are primarily proud to be Singaporeans. Whenever there is a serious religious problem, a senior council made up of all different faiths tackles the problem before it escalates and finds a safe solution — the Singapore mantra. A picture of Singapore cannot be truly painted by these words. I seriously advise those who want to relax, study or do business to visit Singapore first. Learn for yourself the ease in doing business or just have a family holiday in this beautiful city-state and, I am sure, you too would be allured.
The writer can be contacted at [email protected] Twitter: @anajeddawi_eng
