Not sure if that's a fair judgement - It seems particularly endemic that it's almost a meme/stereotype in itself in Singapore; that all cab drivers are discontent with the government
Singapore is not a democracy. They have sham elections where the opposition party is only allowed to have media coverage by the single state run media channel for three weeks before the election. If your neighborhood votes for the opposition party you lose funding for things like public transportation. Lee Kuan Yew lives in a giant, gated, guarded compound in the middle of the most valuable real estate in the city.
Also criticizing the government is a crime and saying the wrong thing on facebook can land you in prison.
As always, the truth is somewhere in between what you say and what the government portrays. 38 Oxley Road was owned by the Lees since the 1940s, well before any of them came into power, and well before property prices in Singapore exploded to the level they have now. It is also a stretch to call it "giant" or the "most valuable" piece of real estate, when there are hundreds of bigger houses in the nation. The number of "guards" is also comparable to the state leaders of any other European country, and certainly pales in comparison to the US or some dictatorial nations.
There is some bias in state media coverage, but that is fast becoming irrelevant when the main source of news for people nowadays is social media. Criticizing the government is not a crime, and people regularly do it - one only has to go to the Facebook comments section of the state newspaper to take a look. Making a factually false statement and then gaining significant fame could get a lawsuit filed against you - so tread lightly when making big claims that you have no proof for.
CyberDildonics|5 years ago
Also criticizing the government is a crime and saying the wrong thing on facebook can land you in prison.
finolex1|5 years ago
There is some bias in state media coverage, but that is fast becoming irrelevant when the main source of news for people nowadays is social media. Criticizing the government is not a crime, and people regularly do it - one only has to go to the Facebook comments section of the state newspaper to take a look. Making a factually false statement and then gaining significant fame could get a lawsuit filed against you - so tread lightly when making big claims that you have no proof for.
ScalaFan|5 years ago
https://thediplomat.com/2015/02/soft-repression-the-struggle...
For more info: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/dispute-pm-lee-hsien-loong-not-mer...
No privacy either: https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-singapore-crime-li/singapo...
ValentineC|5 years ago
Not for public transportation, but yes, it's not a secret that opposition-held constituencies get substantially less public funding: https://www.ourclassnotes.com/post/cipc-funds-which-town-cou...
ponyfleisch|5 years ago
Would you mind linking the specific law(s) you talk about here?
ZephyrP|5 years ago
Didn't he die the better part of a decade ago?
ponker|5 years ago