I used to travel around the world a lot. In fact, I still do, but I’m now convinced that places are further away than they used to be. I’ll explain.
I had been looking forward to this trip for some time. An all expenses paid trip to Singapore is nothing to sneeze at these days, even if I had to work a few days for it. Singapore, as you know is on the other side of the world. Well, it’s not exactly the other side, but it might as well be. The world’s circumference is about 24,000 miles and it’s about 10,000 to Singapore as the crow flies, but no one ever flies like a crow. My plan, developed after far too many hours on the internet, was to fly DFW to LAX, and after a short layover, catch the Singapore Airlines non-stop to Singapore. Three hours to LA, two hours of layover, and sixteen hours of food, drink, and movies to Singapore. If you’re quick with math you will note that this is an elapsed time of twenty one hours. Not a milk run, but within my collapse-in-exhaustion limit.
My flight from DFW was delayed before boarding for two hours by one of the two thunderstorms to pass this area in the last six months. Another delay of two hours on the runway ensued when the storm doubled back on itself. I was now four hours into my trip and hadn’t gone anywhere. As we pulled in to our gate at LAX I could see my Singapore Air flight taxiing for takeoff. An emergency call to my trusty travel agent informed me that I had several other options, none of which I would like. I finally settled on a flight leaving in four hours that would take me to Seoul, Korea where I would layover another four hours and catch a Korean Air flight to Singapore arriving there, if everything went right, some seventeen hours after I was supposed to have gotten there. My twenty one hour travel time turned in to a thirty some hour trip (well outside my collapse-in-exhaustion limit). The very nice and efficient Korean Air agent had given me little hope that my luggage would make it, and she was right.
After traveling almost forty hours door to door, I arrived (sans luggage) at the hotel on Orchard Road in Singapore desperately needing, in no particular order, sleep in a bed with sheets, some time alone in my own bathroom, food, a bath and shave, an internet connection, and some clean underwear. All were furnished forthwith excepting the clean undergarments. I was moderately suspicious when the floor concierge offered to provide me with a clean t-shirt, and what he called some men’s panties, but I accepted his offer. I asked for XL knowing that asian sizes tend to run small. Minutes later the doorbell rang with the promised items. The t-shirt would not fit over my head, and the men’s “panties” didn’t provide room for one leg much less two. So much for the clean undergarments.
But I was in Singapore. The other side of the world. A few facts are in order. Singapore is one of three contemporary city states. The other two are Monaco and Vatican City. Not exactly analogous. Singapore is separated from the Malay Peninsula by the Straits of Jahor and a much wider gulf of economic progress. Its 5.3 million inhabitants are arguably the most productive in the world as it ranks third in per capita GDP after only Qatar and Luxembourg which are both unique cases. 1.3 million of its population are not citizens but are there under various government programs which allows in country those skills it needs to help fuel their economy. Why can’t we figure that out.
Singapore has a short, but eventful history as an independent state. After centuries of domination by one war lord or another, the Brits took over in 1824. They did their normal colony thing, but without doing irreparable harm as they were wont to do in other areas of the world. The Japanese intervened for a short period in WWII, but then the Brits showed up again with hat in hand and prevailed until common sense held sway in 1959 when a form of troubled independence was tolerated until 1963 when it joined with Malaysia for a brief respite of two years, and finally, the current Republic of Singapore began a run to a form of democracy that we don’t really understand and an economic prosperity which we can only envy.
Let me give you two numbers. 14.5% and 2%. Those are respectively the 2010 GDP growth rate and current unemployment rate. Wow! How can that be you say? By comparison Singapore makes China look like, er, well, like it is. A non-democratic, semi-chaotic, barely, if at all, rule of law country where its inhabitants spit a lot in public and you have to risk your life if you visit a public restroom. No spitting in Singapore. Clean restrooms all around. Business friendly to a T, and a citizenry that behaves well because, I think, because it has to.
Lee Kwan Yew, Singapore’s first Prime Minister who served from 1965 until he retired in 2004 to let his son, Hsien Loong, take over has a lot to do with it. No, he’s not some tin pot dictator, but many have called him many other things including benevolent despot. He’s no dummy. His early education came from the renowned Raffles Institute where he learned Japanese and refined his Mandarin, both to good effect for his later endeavors. He put his Japanese to good effect during the war by working as a translator for the dominating Army, and he has been a champion of the Mandarin language for Singapore’s population throughout his tenure. He went on to graduate with honors from Fitzwilliam College at Cambridge. Lee and his colleagues collaborated to make Singapore first among the Asian Tigers and continues today to position Singapore as the Asian Hub for all things economic, and they seem to be doing a pretty good job of it.
There is more than a bit of dichotomy, however, in that Singapore is noted as amongst the most business friendly of governments, but it demands much from its citizens. Don’t have more than two kids, don’t chew gum in public, wait your turn for a place to live, don’t criticize the government, use your car only when told to, and, above all, be willing to accept “judicial corporal punishment” when one commits a transgression. Yes, public beating. Or more accurately, public caning. As recently as 2007 there were over six thousand such thrashings. I met Prime Minister Lee in the course of doing business in Singapore and spent much of my time worrying about inadvertently doing something that might invoke a public thrashing.
During my stay, one of the larger banks was fined by the government because its electronic banking network went down for a couple of days and the ATM machines wouldn’t work. Hell, in the good old US of A we can’t even slap a bank on the wrist for falsifying mortgage foreclosure documents on millions of people. But what’s really surprising is that the the fine (it was either $2.8 million or $280 million…I can’t remember) was levied one week after the incident. No special commissions to investigate, no due process. And they paid without a whimper. Tells you something about their society, doesn’t it.
On my one free day I went bird watching with a delightful university professor. He picked me up at the hotel at 5:45 and headed for the Botanical Gardens in the moonless dark of predawn. I mentioned that it would be hard to see the birds given the absence of the light. He said not to worry…we would get a bit of breakfast first. I’m always ready to eat so I gave no protest.
We navigated some narrow streets and parked near a building showing signs of life. As we entered, the smell of curry, garlic and chilis caused my taste buds to perk up. We sat amongst several tables of working men in a room of dim light but extraordinary aromas. The professor asked what I wanted, and I asked him to order for me. We were quickly served steaming hot mugs of tea and a large plate of very spicy lamb curry with a side of rice. It may be the best breakfast I ever had.
Bird watching was never so good.
