"Tell me about the Oligarchs in Singapore!" asked Limbuk. Cangik replied, "Singapore is often regarded as an economic success story, known for its efficient governance, high per capita income, and strict rule of law. However, beneath its image as a highly functional state, critics argue that it operates as a form of oligarchy, where political and economic power is concentrated in the hands of a small elite. Unlike traditional oligarchies dominated solely by business magnates or hereditary elites, Singapore’s oligarchy is a hybrid of political technocracy and corporate influence, deeply intertwined with the ruling People's Action Party (PAP).
In his work, The Political Economy of Singapore's Industrialization: National State and International Capital (1989, Cambridge University Press), Garry Rodan examines how Singapore's state-led industrialisation has resulted in a political economy characterised by significant state control over economic activities, leading to a concentration of power among political elites.
Rodan argues that the Singaporean state's active role in directing industrial policy has been central to its economic development. By positioning itself as a key player in the industrialization process, the state has not only facilitated economic growth but also ensured that political power remains concentrated among a select group of elites. This approach has allowed the state to maintain tight control over economic activities, effectively intertwining political authority with economic management.
The state's involvement in the economy has been multifaceted, including the establishment of state-owned enterprises and the strategic attraction of foreign investment under terms favorable to national interests. This deliberate strategy has reinforced the political dominance of the ruling elites as they oversee and benefit from the nation's economic progress. Consequently, Singapore's political economy is characterized by a symbiotic relationship between state-led industrialization and the consolidation of elite power.
Since its independence in 1965, Singapore has been governed by the PAP, which was co-founded by Lee Kuan Yew, the country’s first Prime Minister. The party has maintained nearly unchallenged rule for decades, shaping the country’s political system in a way that limits opposition and centralizes power within a small political elite. The Lee family remains at the core of Singapore’s political structure, with Lee Kuan Yew’s son, Lee Hsien Loong, serving as Prime Minister since 2004. While Singapore technically holds elections, the political landscape is heavily skewed in favor of the PAP through gerrymandering, defamation lawsuits against opposition figures, and strict media regulations.
One of the strongest signs of political oligarchy in Singapore is how key leadership positions remain within a close-knit circle of elites. Government ministers are often drawn from a small pool of top civil servants, military generals, and scholars groomed through government-funded education programs, ensuring that political leadership remains within an exclusive network. The high ministerial salaries—among the highest in the world—are justified as a way to prevent corruption, but they also reinforce a closed system where only the wealthy and highly educated can enter politics.
In Transparency and Authoritarian Rule in Southeast Asia: Singapore and Malaysia (2004, Routledge), Garry Rodan examines how Singapore's leadership employs selective transparency to maintain elite control. He argues that, in response to external pressures for transparency following the 1997-98 Asian economic crisis, Singapore implemented reforms in corporate governance and financial regulations to attract international capital without compromising its authoritarian governance. This approach differentiates between economic transparency, which is enhanced to facilitate investment, and political transparency, which remains limited to prevent challenges to the ruling elite.
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This selective transparency creates a paradox where Singapore's transparent economic policies coexist with restrictive political practices. While the government ensures clear and consistent corporate disclosures to maintain economic competitiveness, it simultaneously restricts media freedom and civil society activities to suppress political dissent. This dual strategy allows Singapore to benefit from the economic advantages of transparency while preserving the political status quo.
Singapore’s economy is characterized by a unique blend of state capitalism and private enterprise, where the government directly controls key industries through sovereign wealth funds like Temasek Holdings and GIC (Government of Singapore Investment Corporation). Many of the country’s most powerful companies, including Singapore Airlines, DBS Bank, and Singtel, are either state-owned or have strong government ties, ensuring that economic power remains centralized.
A major feature of Singapore’s oligarchy is how political elites often transition into corporate leadership roles and vice versa. For example, Temasek Holdings has been led by Ho Ching, the wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, further reinforcing the tight connection between political and economic power. Additionally, many high-ranking government officials and military officers later take on executive roles in government-linked corporations (GLCs), ensuring that the same elite group controls both state policy and major industries. This system has been described as a "revolving door" between politics and business, where power remains within a small elite network.
Despite this concentration of power, Singapore differs from more traditional oligarchies because it maintains a high level of efficiency, economic stability, and low corruption. The government uses its control over the economy to promote rapid development, provide high-quality public services, and ensure that the elite’s dominance appears meritocratic rather than purely hereditary. This has allowed Singapore to avoid the levels of inequality and political instability seen in more exploitative oligarchic systems.
In The Politics of Accountability in Southeast Asia: The Dominance of Moral Ideologies (2014, Oxford University Press), Garry Rodan and Caroline Hughes examine how moral ideologies are utilized to maintain elite dominance in Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore.
The authors argue that, in Singapore, the ruling elite employs moral ideologies to define and enforce acceptable behavior among public officials and citizens. This approach emphasizes ethical conduct and societal values, positioning the government as the guardian of morality. By framing accountability in moral terms, the elite can address demands for good governance without implementing liberal democratic reforms that might challenge their authority. This strategy allows the maintenance of existing power structures while projecting an image of integrity and responsibility.
Rodan and Hughes highlight that this moral framing is bolstered by influential organizations, such as religious bodies and media outlets, which reinforce the state's moral narratives. In Singapore, the alignment between the state and these organizations strengthens the moral discourse, further entrenching elite dominance by limiting the scope of accountability to ethical behavior rather than systemic political change.
This utilization of moral ideologies effectively deflects pressures for democratic reforms by channeling public expectations into areas that do not threaten the existing power hierarchy. Consequently, while promoting a facade of accountability, the elite preserves its dominance by avoiding substantial political liberalization.
In "The Hidden Globe: How Wealth Hacks the World (Riverhead Books, 2024), Atossa Araxia Abrahamian examines how special economic zones (SEZs) and territorial ambiguities, such as those in Singapore, enable wealth to reshape economic and political landscapes, thereby facilitating elite control.
Abrahamian discusses the role of free ports—special zones within a country where goods can be stored without incurring customs duties. In Singapore, the development of such free ports has attracted significant wealth by offering tax advantages and confidentiality to art collectors and investors. This system allows the affluent to store valuable assets like art, gems, and jewelry without the scrutiny typical in other jurisdictions, effectively creating enclaves of economic activity that operate under different legal and tax regulations.
These zones exemplify how the wealthy can leverage territorial ambiguities to their advantage, establishing areas that operate under tailored laws and regulations. This strategic use of legal exceptions enables elites to maintain and grow their wealth with minimal oversight, thereby reinforcing their economic and political influence. Abrahamian's analysis highlights the complexities of global capitalism, where such zones contribute to a parallel world that often operates beyond the reach of traditional state governance.
Through these mechanisms, SEZs and territorial ambiguities in places like Singapore facilitate elite control by providing environments where wealth can be accumulated and managed with reduced regulatory interference. This contributes to a restructuring of economic and political landscapes, often in ways that favor the interests of the affluent over broader societal considerations.
One of the defining traits of oligarchic rule in Singapore is its tight control over media and civil society, ensuring that opposition voices struggle to gain traction. Most mainstream media outlets, including The Straits Times, Channel NewsAsia, and Mediacorp, are directly or indirectly linked to the government, leading to self-censorship and a lack of critical reporting on the ruling elite. Laws such as the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) allow the government to take legal action against individuals or media organizations that challenge the official narrative. Additionally, political dissent is restricted through defamation lawsuits and strict assembly laws. Opposition politicians, such as Chee Soon Juan and JB Jeyaretnam, have been sued for defamation by government leaders, resulting in financial ruin and disqualification from running for office. This legal strategy ensures that political competition remains weak and that elite dominance continues unchallenged.
While Singapore’s system shares characteristics with oligarchies elsewhere, it differs in key ways. Unlike Russia’s resource-based oligarchy or Thailand’s military-royalist oligarchy, Singapore’s ruling elite legitimizes its dominance through economic success, strong governance, and low corruption. The government has maintained public trust by delivering high living standards, world-class infrastructure, and efficient public services, making resistance to its oligarchic structure rare compared to other nations where wealth concentration leads to widespread dissatisfaction.
At the same time, this stability comes at the cost of political competition, media freedom, and social mobility for those outside elite circles. While Singapore presents itself as a meritocracy, the reality is that access to power is largely restricted to those from elite educational backgrounds, government service, or corporate leadership, reinforcing a system where governance remains in the hands of a small group.
Death of a Perm Sec by Wong Souk Yee (2016, Epigram Books) is a political thriller that delves into the power dynamics of Singapore’s ruling elite. The story follows the suspicious death of Chow Sze Teck, a former permanent secretary accused of corruption. His apparent suicide by overdose raises doubts, leading to an investigation that unravels deeper secrets about political control, systemic corruption, and the opaque nature of governance in Singapore.
The story revolves around the death of Chow Sze Teck, the permanent secretary of the housing ministry in 1980s Singapore, who is accused of accepting millions in bribes over his career. His death initially appears to be a suicide caused by a mixture of alcohol, morphine, and Valium. However, as a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) inspector delves deeper, the family uncovers potentially more sinister circumstances that may implicate high-ranking government officials. The novel explores the dark heart of power politics, from Singapore's tumultuous post-independence days to the socio-political landscape of the 1980s.
The novel critiques the oligarchic structure of Singapore’s political system, where a small group of elites hold immense influence over the country. Through Chow’s character and the unfolding mystery, the book explores themes of political suppression, the lack of transparency in government dealings, and the consequences of absolute power. Wong Souk Yee, a former political detainee herself, uses fiction to highlight how Singapore’s tightly controlled political environment stifles dissent and rewards loyalty within the ruling elite.
By portraying the fate of a high-ranking civil servant entangled in corruption and secrecy, Death of a Perm Sec offers a rare, critical perspective on Singapore’s oligarchy, shedding light on how power is maintained and challenges are suppressed.
Singapore’s oligarchy is unique because it operates under the guise of technocratic efficiency rather than outright elite exploitation. The PAP and the Lee family have ensured that power remains concentrated within a small ruling class while using economic growth and strong governance to maintain legitimacy. This differs from traditional oligarchies, where power is often maintained through corruption, crony capitalism, or military force.
While resistance to oligarchy in Singapore is limited due to the government’s control over politics, media, and civil society, future challenges may arise as the younger generation demands greater political freedoms and accountability. Whether Singapore will evolve into a more open political system or maintain its elite-dominated structure remains an open question," Cangik ended the discussion.
