Why Can't We Be Like Singapore?

[donbuggy]

Take a look at the mess that EDSA has become. Did the authorities really plan it to be this way? Then read this:

From Singapore's The Straits Times newspaper of Dec. 15, 2007:

Selling Tunnel Vision To People
by Goh Chin Lian

Between Aljunied and Kallang stations, the columns of the viaduct carrying the above-ground MRT line are further apart than the other sections.

Know why?

Because the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) tunnel was going to pass under it.

But that's not the "wow" factor. What impresses visitors to the tunnel, says engineer Ong Thiam Ser, is that the decision on the columns was made 25 years before the tunnel would eventually be built in 2002.

"They would say, 'Wah, you all planned so far ahead'," recalls Mr Ong, a senior project engineer with the Land Transport Authority...

[ThePatriarch]

Democracy is earned and not given.

As a society, I believe that we Filipinos are not yet ready for democracy because we tend to abuse our freedom and not value the same. When the Americans 'gave' us our freedom, we did not really know what we have on the first place and even today, our leaders are bungling buffoons leading by ear and not by principles.

What we really need is someone who has the political will and determination to lead us to progress. Sayang, Marcos could have done that... he was even ahead of Lee Kuan Yew, but he missed his chance. Dapat mas progressive pa tayo sa Singapore ngayon!

My opinion lang naman...

[theveed]

Hehe, the EDSA/Ortigas flyover/MRT fiasco comes to mind.... "oops, we need to re-route the MRT and make it go up and down all over EDSA coz it won't fit under/over the existing flyovers" hehe

[washburn]

hehe kikbak kasi inuuna e
asa nalang na may mangyayari pa sa Pilipinas tsk tsk
.02

[batang_raon14]

Singapore after being left by its old ruler and country had a will that which not only does its political leader alone have, but also the people.

We always ask why we can't be like the developed ones. I don't. The facts are everywhere. Everyone's looking for a politician who can lead with "political will" per se, but do we, as a people even have the sense of the will itself?

Once we (yes, I do not exclude myself) get the jist of such will and realize that it's not just our own and our family that exist, then that I believe is when we need not have the need to ask why can't we be like Singapore, for by then we could be asking HOW did we become like Singapore... or any developed country for that matter.

As the previous replies have mentioned, kickback + no sense of long-term planning + more kickback + "moderated" kickbacks = chaos. Not just that, add the fact of those who allegedly "sponsor" these kickbackers just so that they can also have their own share of power to abuse and use it for the benefit of their own and of their family.

[redorange]

+1 with The Patriach and Batang_Raon 14

To quote JFK, "Ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country".

When people including those seated in power start taking this to heart then you will see changes in the Philippines. When people stop thinking only of themselves and their immediate family when they make decisions in their daily lives that impact others then you'll see changes. You don't have to be in power to make these decisions either, giving that bribe to the next traffic enforcer will influence him to ask for more bribes in the future which in turn will have a domino effect on other drivers. But until the mentality of people acting like they want the rule of law but don't want to follow it when it applies to them stop, then things will remain the same.

[1D4LV]

why can't we be like singapore? here are the things i can think of:

The Filipino Culture and Religion

The filipino culture affects. Some of the filipino traits are the "bahala na attitude", the "manana habit" and the lack of sense of nationalism for the general populace. Coupled with that, the Filipino catholic background sorts of influences or triggers this Filipino culture trait sorts of what hinders growth and the capacity for the nation to move forward. Bakit? Kasi ang mga Filipino, kuntento na on what they have and realizes that its either that the government can do something for them or God will provide.

Lack of A Strong Government and Corruption In The Government

Yes, Singapore had a dictator once. And that dictator's vision is to build Singapore. Yes, we had a dictator too once, and the vision of that dictator is to enrich himself and create a glamorous life for himself and his family. So instead of the Country First Attitude, naging, Kami Muna Attitude.

Size and Geographical Structure

Singapore's population and land mass is only a fraction of the population and land mass of the Philippines. This makes it easy for Singapore to build infrastructure and enforce laws. If the Philippines could only be the size of Metro Manila, medyo madali ang infrastructure implementation and enforcement of laws, if we consider that the government is clean enough.

The Philippines on the other hand, is an archipelago surrounded by bodies of water so medyo mahirap mag roll out the infrastructure. This also affects the requirement for urbanization.

opinion ko lang ito ha? not to flame.

[niky]

That's the problem.

The Philippines is not a "country" in the sense that Singapore is a country.

Singapore is a country built around a port. It's actually a city unto itself. There are no boondocks or backwaters inside singapore, no rural areas, nothing.

If the "Philippines" were Manila-only or Cebu-only... then we could possibly do something like that. We're smack dab in the middle of major shipping lanes, and there's the potential for either of the two to become a major port like Hong Kong or Singapore.

But the government has an entire archipelago to cover. That's a strain on resources... connecting as many as possible to the electrical and telephone grids. There are poor, undeveloped areas which lack medical, educational and social services. Our agricultural sector is floundering due to the lack of development and the catastrophic weather we have.

This sense of "me muna" is prevalent... but it's also connected to a more widespread insularity in the population. Some people come to power in the provinces by serving the interests of their people, but once they reach the national stage, these biases become more apparent... what does an Ilocano care for the south? What does a Cebuano care for the endless bickering in Manila? They're there to protect their own interests.

In a sense... the Philippines is at a disadvantage compared to most. We've only had less than a hundred years to become a nation... until now, we are not truly Filipino... but Tagalogs, Ilocanos, Cebuanos, etcetera. And until that changes, we cannot move forward.

[Syuryuken]

dahil pa rin yan sa corruption

nasa tubig ata na iniinum natin kumbakit ganyan magisip mga pinoy eh

OldBlue napaka sira ulo mo talaga

[Isuzoom]

iba kasi ang british colonizer look at them...malaysia, singapore, hong kong, india..etc mas business minded....tayo spain... usa...and what did we get from spain?..religion and siestas....our southeast asian neighbors are looking west to london we filipinos are looking east to disneyland.