What is the safest country in the world? What country’s passport is welcome – visa-free – in more countries than anywhere else (193 to be precise)? Where is home ownership highest in the world? Which country has the highest per capita income in the world, with no natural resources?
It’s Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore ….
As we migrate towards an imminent change in Iran, we must ask ourselves a key question: What is the model for a new Iran? Iranians must NOT only win their freedom and topple the Mullahs. Still, they must ultimately create an entirely new civilization —a new way of life — and transcend to the future with the sense that they will build one of the most advanced societies and systems the world has ever witnessed.
The goal for Iran must be much larger. Greater. We need to position the country to be a leading nation on the planet. Create a system that yields the most advanced citizens in the world.
Why?
Because it has been the distinct feature of Iran’s enemies that they wanted (and still want) the demise of Iran and Iranians, they hate us. They want us to be impoverished. They want Iran splintered and torn apart. They cannot stand by and watch Iranians prosper. Their aim with the toppling of the Shah and the placement of these useful idiots in power (the Mullahs) was to destroy Iran. They wanted the destruction of Iran. They planned for a slow, steady, systematic death at the hands of the Mullahs.
Who are these enemies?
First – Arab Elite. Not ordinary Arabs, but their elite around the Persian Gulf have long dreamed of Iran’s total demise. These are the same folks who funded Saddam Hussein to the tune of billions. These are the same folks who keep harping on the US (in particular) to sanction and contain Iran, so that they can remain transshipment points for trade with Iran (i.e., sanction busters that profit from Iran’s demise) and control Iran’s exports and access to global markets.
Second – the Brits. As key allies of these Arab elites (who are educated in Britain). They’ve never forgiven Iran for nationalizing its oil assets. They still feel entitled to Iran’s wealth. They have carefully schemed the rise of the Mullahs and the containment of Iran so that they can steal Iran’s oil and gas in the Caspian Sea via Azerbaijan and the Persian Gulf via Qatar.
If Iran were open, there would be no Dubai for air services. If Iran were open, there would be no Dubai for shipping goods in the Persian Gulf. If Iran were open, ALL the banking, all the trade, all the stock and commodity markets in the region would be via Iran.
So, what must Iranians do?
Iranians must not only topple the Mullahs but also stick a finger in the eyes of those who hate and envy Iranians. Iranians must prosper and develop a nation that surpasses our enemies. We must succeed beyond any possibility that they can even come close to the level of prosperity of Iran and Iranians. It can only be our success that becomes revenge for the misery they have caused Iran and Iranians. We must not only defeat the mullahs but also defeat our enemies and transform Iran.
There is no better example of a nation that has done just that than Singapore. Singapore must be Iran’s model.
Perhaps it’s helpful to start by explaining that Singapore was once part of Malaysia. In fact, it might surprise you to know that Malaysia basically kicked out Singapore … yes, literally kicked them out (thinking they would collapse). Like a nasty divorce, the Malaysian government, led by Tun Abdul Rahman, saw expulsion as the only solution to the political impasse, i.e., irreconcilable political and economic differences, particularly the escalating racial tensions in 1964. Rahman wanted to punish Singaporeans. How could a small island, with no natural resources (including fresh water), survive without access to the resources of the rest of Malaysia? As one of Singapore’s leaders once stated: “We faced tremendous odds with an improbable chance of survival.”
Today, Singapore boasts a per capita income roughly an order of magnitude higher than Malaysia’s! Singapore ranks highly in key social indicators — education, healthcare, quality of life, personal safety, infrastructure, and housing — with a home-ownership rate of 88 per cent.
Singapore has been on a mission to prove itself since its independence. This is the same mission Iranians must be on – after the Mullahs have been toppled.
Fifty-eight years after independence, this underdeveloped country (Singapore), plagued by poverty, corruption, and insecurity, has become one of the richest and safest in the world. Where does this incredible success come from?
At independence, Singapore had a per capita income of around $500, comparable to Ghana’s in the same year. Today, it stands at $100-130,000, compared with less than $7,000 for Ghana. Singapore is the country where the standard of living has improved the most since it was first measured!
Singapore’s standard of living is now much higher than that of a country like France and should soon rank 1st in the world. Infant mortality, for example, has improved faster than in any other country, as has the human development index. It is the safest country in the world, with the lowest crime rate.
The rise of Singapore as a global powerhouse is indeed remarkable. The visionary leadership of Lee Kuan Yew led this transformation. This is precisely the type of leadership Iran will need.
Lee Kuan Yew’s foresight and astute governance played a pivotal role in transforming Singapore into a thriving economic hub. Amidst this success story, one might ponder how, even in the absence of traditional advantages, Singapore managed to carve out a place on the world stage. Perhaps it’s a testament to the power of strategic planning and effective leadership that resonates beyond geographical boundaries.
The Japanese nearly executed Lee Kuan Yew during the Second World War. He became Prime Minister in 1959 by just one vote. He remained in the post for 30 years, overseeing Singapore’s independence and then the city’s tremendous growth, which was anything but a foregone conclusion.
In a logic combining planning and liberalism, its development went through 2 major phases. From the 1960s to the 1980s, Singapore relied on its geographical position as a trade crossroads, its status as a poor country with an accessible workforce, and a policy of firmness and stability to distinguish itself in a dangerous region. Iran too enjoys an enviable geographic position – at the trade crossroads of Europe and Asia. Iran, too, has a very accessible, educated workforce – in abundance – like Singapore’s.
For 20 years, the regime focused on developing the island and training its people. From the 1980s onwards, Singapore transformed itself from an emerging to a wealthy country by focusing on excellence, innovation, high-tech industries, and services.
Controversial, Lee Kuan Yew ruled Singapore with an iron fist. But with skilled individuals such as economist Goh Keng Swee, political theorist S. Rajaratnam, and former military man George Yeo, he created a model of effective, development-oriented governance.
Despite its democratic institutions, Singapore is a hybrid regime that some describe as “enlightened despotism” or “benevolent dictatorship”. Lee Kuan Yew claimed to put the long-term collective interest ahead of short-term public satisfaction.
The Singaporean model rests on three pillars: pragmatism, with expertise taking precedence over ideology and even democracy; meritocracy, deemed indispensable to the cohesion of this multicultural society; and long-term vision, even at the expense of democratic vitality. It is interesting to note that mosques, Hindu temples, and churches are scattered around the tiny island, and, most interestingly, that different ethnic groups coexist in housing complexes. There are no ghettos. No segregation.
Despite this, Singapore knows how to reinvent itself to continue: with a focus on meritocracy (an average working week of 44 hours), the country has set up an education system that ranks 2nd in the world in the PISA rankings, particularly 1st in mathematics. Doesn’t this sound familiar to Iranians, who, by the way, consistently rank highly in global mathematics Olympiads?
One of the original features of Singapore’s education system is that children are introduced to logic and mental arithmetic exercises at an extremely early age. Homework or accompanied homework takes up 9 hours a week (3rd worldwide), inspired by the Japanese Heguru system.
On an island of 600 km2 (700 for the whole archipelago) devoid of resources, Singapore’s only wealth is its people, as Lee Kuan Yew used to hammer home. Hence, the emphasis on educational excellence, to ensure a well-trained population, and on ultra-qualified immigration.
Singaporean intellectual Kishore Mahbubani argues that, for many Asians, his country is “the most successful society since the beginning of mankind”. The “Singapore model” highlights its transformation from an impoverished nation to a wealthy one through strategies like openness to foreign investment, a focus on high-tech industries, and a long-term vision.
Lee Kuan Yew was a pragmatic leader – not bound by ideology. He strived for “good men to have good government”. He would say, however, that even if the system of government is sound, bad leaders will harm their people. He emphasized the importance of high-quality civil servants and supported them well. This is the civil service that devised very clever ways to expand home ownership – but also banned the sale of chewing gum in Singapore, placed controls on smoking in public, imposed capital punishment for drug possession, and created fines for jaywalking and throwing trash in public areas. The place is spotless. You can eat off the sidewalks. It’s amazing!
Singapore is by no means perfect, but there are many lessons to be learned from Singapore for Iran and Iranians.
In the final analysis, bearing in mind the contextual differences and the preconditions for Singapore’s success, policymakers in Iran must have the political will and be prepared to pay the high political and economic price of implementing Singapore-style reforms, with appropriate modifications, to solve Iran’s problems.
I strongly suggest that Iranians of all walks of life travel there and study Singapore’s success. A new Iran would do well to model itself after Singapore.
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