Vega - Singapore

Singapore

Vega

Hugh and Annie

Mon 11 Nov 2019 10:54

Indonesia, at least in the earlier stages of our rally, was hard work. The schedule was punishing, the daily organised activities long and tiring, the social dimension of getting to know and interact with a group of 60 other yachties not always straight forward. And yet, as we adjusted and introduced our own schedule variations we fell into a more comfortable pattern and could really appreciate the warmth and generosity of local communities; the Indonesian Tourist Authority was keen to introduce these communities to people from other cultures as they would normally lead rather isolated and insular lifestyles. As long as we felt that the generosity and hospitality that we were being given was also a positive and inclusive experience for the locals we were comfortable - particularly when it was clear that the funding was being provided from Jakarta. Even so, an enormous effort was required from each regency government for our visit and it was humbling to understand the preparations that would have been required for each of our visits.
Being on a rally is very different to sailing on your own or in a small group. On your own your interactions are likely to be much more personal and you are more likely to be invited into someone’s home, wedding, church service or whatever. On the rally we interacted at the community level and were more likely to be eating, singing and dancing with the Regent and feted as visiting celebrities by the community. Different perspectives but the rally did take us to places and communities we would have been very unlikely to visit otherwise. A truly wonderful and memorable experience.
As we worked our way through Indonesia it brought into focus the modern economic fact that wealth is generated (or distributed) in the urban areas. The contrast between the living conditions in the rural and more remote areas and even quite small towns is enormous. In the larger towns it is greater still. This doesn’t mean there is no poverty in the urban areas - inequalities will be magnified - but the general level of infrastructure and wealth is much greater. We didn’t go to Jakarta (nor regret not doing so) but the nearer we were to Singapore the more industrial and developed Indonesia became. Nevertheless Singapore is in a different league! Modern, largely urban, highly developed. It is not as crowded, densely developed and oppressive as Hong Kong. In some ways Singapore is a huge theme park, at least the parts designed to attract international visitors, and all the visitor attractions are provided by spectacular architecture and urban planning. The first thing that strikes you is how clean it is. No litter, absolutely no graffiti, no chewing gum on the pavements. Gum is prohibited which is one of the clues that Singapore is quite an authoritarian state. The same party has been in power since independence in 1953 and any opposition party leader getting too big for his (I doubt there have been many hers) boots is soon prosecuted and made bankrupt. Constituencies voting in an opposition MP go the bottom of the government support list. Singapore has the highest paid politicians in the world. Not necessarily the wealthiest but the point is to avoid the need to resort to corruption in order to amass personal wealth. Just imagine the outcry if it was proposed to pay Boris Johnson the same salary as the Singapore Prime Minister - $3.1m a year!! However, Singapore is regarded as one of the least corrupt economies in the world.
Britains (many of whom now wish to emulate Singapore as we leave Europe) should bear in mind that public expenditure is low, there is no NHS; help for those who can’t afford health insurance and other social services is heavily reliant upon charitable support. Income inequality is high, tax levels are low and Singapore is regarded as a good location to live for those with high personal wealth. If you are young, ambitious, talented and hard working I imagine that life in Singapore could be pretty good. The model might work for London and the south east of England also but without joined up infrastructure such as HS2 I wouldn’t get too excited in the north.
Exciting, vibrant, fun, Singapore certainly is. Authoritarian in a Far Eastern (Chinese) way it is also and we were reminded of this as we motored past in Vega and a police launch made a big detour to come over and usher us farther out into the shipping lanes and away from the Singapore harbour limit - shadowing us until convinced we were safely far enough away.

China Town