Far Eastern Economic Review responds to Singapore's leaders

From the Editor
FEER
October 2006 Issue

The Singaporean government’s recent decision to ban the REVIEW and the defamation lawsuits against us by its two most powerful politicians take us back to a time when the city-state was a poor speck of a country sitting on one of the fault lines of a fractious region. Besieged from without and within, the government of the young People’s Action Party resorted to Draconian colonial-era laws to crush dissent. Today, Singapore is an affluent and peaceful society with ample means to protect itself, and its Southeast Asian neighborhood has progressed from confrontation to cooperation. So why is it still using repressive measures against a monthly magazine that employs a total of three full-time journalists and has 1,000 subscribers in the country?
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Essays on Singapore by FEER academics

Garry Rodan, professor of politics at Australia’s Murdoch University, analyzes the Singapore government’s determination to protect the founding myths of the PAP despite new challenges from technology and globalization. (read more...)

Michael D. Barr, lecturer at the University of Queensland, investigates Singapore’s claims to meritocracy in its education system and reveals systematic discrimination against the city-state’s non-Chinese population.
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Hugo Restall, editor of the REVIEW, doubts whether Singapore’s efforts to become a leading regional financial center are gaining as much traction as the recent buzz over hedge funds would lead one to believe.
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