Ordinary Singapore

The Decline of Singapore Exceptionalism

Bibliographic Data

ID3985295
AuthorsM Barr (0000-0002-1684-7906, Flinders University, corresponding author), Michael D Barr
Year2016
Volume46
Issue1
Pages1-17
Publication date2016-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Contemporary Asia (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-2336 • E-ISSN: 1752-7554
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00472336.2015.1051387
OpenAlexW1524522839
LanguageEN
Citations received29
References cited28

For decades Singapore's ruling elite has sought to legitimate its rule by claiming to be a talented and competent elite that has made Singapore an exception among its neighbours – an exemplar of success and progress in a sea of mediocrity. In this article it is contended that this basis of legitimation has been irreversibly damaged. In essence, it is suggested that the governing People's Action Party has lost control of the national narrative, and its achievements are increasingly regarded as being "ordinary" by the electorate. The mystique of exceptionalism, which was the basis on which the government was widely presumed to be above the need for close scrutiny and accountability, has collapsed. This collapse has substantially levelled the political playing field, at least in terms of expectations and assumptions. The government can and probably will continue to win elections and rule through its control of the instruments of institutional power, but the genie of scepticism and accountability has been released from its bottle, and it is hard to see how it can be put back in. This fundamentally changes the condition of Singapore politics: the narrative of exceptionalism is dead and the Singapore elite finds itself struggling to cope in a new and critical political environment

Accountability · Elite · Exceptionalism · Government (linguistics · Law and economics · Legitimation · Mediocrity principle · Narrative · Parliament · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Polity · Scrutiny · Sociology · Asian Studies and History · Law · Socioeconomic Development in Asia

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