[shotnothing]

> Having to be completely obedient to the state wears on the soul

I think this is very overstated, people break laws and talk shit all the time. Just don't do drugs and be an asshole and you should be fine, many laws are not enforced

[refurb]

While this is true - that many laws are broken, with the government looking the other way, or citizens just keeping their mouths shut - the statements made by Singapore's leadership sends a chill down my spine.

Just recently they made unilateral (clearly, because PAP controls Parliament and has since the country's founding) changes to the law that police don't need a warrant to search someone if there is a "reasonable suspicion the person may destroy evidence prior to a warrant". Not to mention there is no "right to remain silent" or "right to lawyer" (before making a statement), etc, etc.

But what really caught my notice was the quote from the Minister of Justice - “There is no downside to this amendment because if they search and they find the evidence, or if they do not find the evidence, no one is worse off."

To me that is wild. Invasion of privacy of an innocent individual and "no one is worse off". There isn't even an attempt to talk about trade offs - "yes, this is in invasion of privacy, but we're carefully balancing it against the need for an effective police force". Just straight up "searching the private space of an innocent individual is insignificant".

That said, there is overwhelming support for this kind of law in Singapore. There was a recent poll that asked something like "Do you agree with this statement: It is better that there is stability than democratic rights." and 70-80% of Singaporeans said "yes".

So "meh?". I may recoil at the very premise of the system, but Singaporeans seem to like it.

[kelipso]

> It is better that there is stability than democratic rights." and 70-80% of Singaporeans said "yes".

I think you'll find similar opinions in all of the east asian countries like south korea, taiwan, japan, china. Lived in singapore for a few years, I think it's great to visit but don't know if I'd want to live there; one party state, strict laws etc. Taxes are low though, so that's pretty nice.