Also, it’s rich... which means that Singapore has the resources to protect its people and implement measures that wouldn’t be economically feasible in poorer countries. But maybe most important, Singapore’s government is extremely competent. Government ministers are paid like CEOs, and government employees at every level are compensated well. People here aspire to work for the government (“It’s good enough for government work” isn’t an expression that people use here). So most government policies are data driven, thoughtful, and carefully implemented. All of those unknowns are what’s the problem just now... The danger now is that the unknowns turn out... like always. For example... during the height of the mini- panic here in Singapore in early February, the country’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, released a message (see it here) that’s reassuring and measured and hits all the right notes. What’s more, the prime minister made similar statements in three languages... English, Malay, and Mandarin. Forgivably, he doesn’t speak Tamil, Singapore’s fourth official language. That compares to other countries, where the leader struggles to speak even one language. But that’s not where they want you to look, as Tigran would say... May you find your way through the chaos.
unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.” All of those unknowns are what’s the problem just now. The answer to those unknowns? Another of my favorite politician quotes is from Viktor Chernomyrdin, who was Russia’s prime minister during much of the 1990s. “We wanted the best, but it turned out like always.” (It sounds better in Russian: Хотели как лучше, а получилось как всегда .) The danger now is that the unknowns turn out... like always. THE SECRET TO SINGAPORE’S SUCCESS As I mentioned a month ago Singapore had the second-most cases of coronavirus of any country. Now it has dropped to No. 20. No one in Singapore has died of coronavirus. COVID-19 has been a lot easier to get under control here because the entire country of Singapore is only a bit bigger than Columbus, Ohio. It has as many people as the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. That it’s so small makes it a lot easier to control. Along those lines, it helps that Singapore is an authoritarian state. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a Disney-fied steel boot... But it’s a hard and unforgiving boot nevertheless. When Singapore says “jump,” the only question is how high you jump. That’s useful in a time of crisis.
American Consequences
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