soon thereafter, singapore grew, quickly becoming a economic hub and regional capital for the british empire s new colony on the malayan peninsula. after world war ii, singapore clamored for independence, first becoming part of the malaysian federation, then a fully independent state in 1965. helmed by its first prime minister, lee kwan yeu, tiny singapore famously went from a third world outpost to a first world nation in a single generation. cab driver: in singapore, rules and regulations in singapore is very strict. we have to follow them. like, i am taxi, i can t break any laws. anthony: so if a camera catches you? cab driver: yeah, everything is in camera. so it is important everyone, we
anthony: well, that s a good question. where are they going to come from? goh: there s a lot of insinuations of an answer, but no true answer. anthony: the answer is not from singapore, right? they re going to have to come in from china. goh: for the 15,000, or 20,000 food stalls like this we have in singapore, if it s public run like this one, you can t hire foreigners. it s meant for singaporeans. anthony: but isn t the beginning of all of this was people from china, india. goh: that s what i keep saying, our food came from the rest of the world. yeah, we had nothing. and in that tradition, i say we must continue. anthony: for rent, cook food stall. we should do a pop-up. get my apron. anthony: stamford raffles arrived in singapore in 1819 with the british east india company, establishing at first as a trading post for the british empire.
anthony: to many, singapore is the land of opportunity. people from all over the world come here to get a good job, to find a better life. mike: as an overseas chinese, we have been discriminated in laos, thailand, vietnam, indonesia, malaysia, in america, australia, all over the world. suddenly, you got this guy called lee kuan yew. there s nowhere else in the chinese world have a real leader as big as lee kuan yew. anthony: much of singapore s success is often credited to its first prime minister, lee kuan yeu, a singaporean of chinese decent considered the founding father of modern singapore. reigning pretty much unopposed for 30 years, he s responsible for much of the social engineering that holds singapore together, as well as the favorable economic policies that have allowed it to thrive. michael ma arrived in singapore to take advantage of its
anthony: one last trip straight back to where it all started for me. a simple good thing, in this case, one of my favorite things. oh, here it is, the mighty char kway teow. ordinarily, this is a breakfast, i eat it every time i m in singapore. it s just about the unhealthiest breakfast you could have. i mean, it s literally like lard, crispy lard bits, healthy cockles, shrimp paste and a whole lot of noodles. and it s like legendarily fattening.
wealthy developed world, there is universal healthcare and little to no homelessness in singapore. the country s public housing policy provides an astonishing 80% of singapore s 5.6 million people with affordable homes, with 90% of the population owning their own home. donald: singaporeans would be hard-pressed to name a neighborhood that they would describe as a slum. they would be hard-pressed to name a neighborhood where they say of the people here are living relatively deprived conditions, with poor schooling, and poor amenities. and most of singapore feels, i mean even though economic inequality is high, income inequality is high, you don t see it in the public housing estates. it s a picture of general equality. anthony: by ensuring its citizens are safe, housed, healthy and for the most part economically successful, the singaporean government has been effective at keeping the masses placated enough, willing to accept curbs on their freedom and civil liberties.