Compassionate Meritocracy
While Singapore's leaders have long advocated political meritocracy at home, their political model can and should influence other countries, especially those with a Confucian heritage. In this sense, Singapore’s strong relationship with China could be a game changer for political meritocracy – and thus for democracy.
SINGAPORE – More than two decades ago, political leaders in Singapore put forward the idea of “Asian values” to assert that liberal democratic principles and practices were not suited to the region, sparking an important debate that centered on the universality of human rights. But these discussions largely neglected another innovative proposal from Singapore’s leaders: modern political systems, they declared, should operate as meritocracies.
SINGAPORE – More than two decades ago, political leaders in Singapore put forward the idea of “Asian values” to assert that liberal democratic principles and practices were not suited to the region, sparking an important debate that centered on the universality of human rights. But these discussions largely neglected another innovative proposal from Singapore’s leaders: modern political systems, they declared, should operate as meritocracies.