THE SINGAPOREAN EXPERIENCE - AN ALTERNATI VE TO THE HEGEMONY OF WESTERN DEMOCRACY

The authors draw attention to an experience that is seen as an alterna tive to the hegemony of western democracy, namely the case of Singapor e. Singapore is often seen as an economic and political ideal by many states in? as well as outside, Asia. The Singaporean experience is deb ated in relation to the concepts of democracy and democratisation. Whi ch are the hallmarks of the Singaporean experience? The authors find t hat Singapore is well organised, has a booming economy, a high standar d of living, is ethnically well integrated and politically stable. Sin gaporean authorities see this as a result of long-term planning - plan ned economy, combining market forces and Confucianism. The authors the n focus their attention on possible consequences of a widespread diffu sion of the Singaporean experience. The Singaporean regime is seen as a weak authoritarian regime, that by repressive means seeks to establi sh stability and political as well as social control. The development of Singapore may be characterised by a lack of general democratic righ ts and autonomous organisations, essential prerequisites for a democra tic - free and unhindered - discourse. The authors conclude that Singa pore, because of its size and economy, is in a unique position, making it difficult for other regimes to copy the Singaporean experience. Ho wever, the Singaporean experience might lead to the spread of some sor t of hybrid democracy, where democratic rights are put aside in order to foster economic growth and maintain public order, i.e. economic rig hts are perceived as more important than political rights for the citi zens.