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Expectations among the liberals and progressives have just gone so far ahead, including myself. because sometimes, we need a reality check about what pace society can move at. so i think that's the tension, it's that economic growth has happened so quickly and sometimes, social laws, social customs, might need to take a bit more time. >> anthony: you know, a place where everything works this well and a system so seemingly different than the one we are taught to venerate, that's generally confusing. so what's the best thing about singapore and what's the worst thing about singapore? >> sudhir: ...

Company, establishing at first as a trading post for the british empire. 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....

It is the busiest transshipment point on the planet. singapore has fully embraced globalization. and that's proved in their case very rewarding. >> donald: singapore is an outsized economic port primarily because it's so attractive to foreign entrepreneurs primarily in the form of multinational corporations. so right from the start, the economic strategy was always to attract foreign capital. >> anthony: donald low is an economist who spent over ten years researching and writing about singapore's unique

>> anthony: a lot of social engineering has been superimposed to hold that together, and i think what a lot of westerners who come to singapore come here skeptical are often reluctantly holding to the inescapable conclusion that it seems to work. >> donald: it seems to work. but of course, the post independence singapore government has been often accused of being extremely keen and extremely competent at social engineering. of course, the most powerful instrument of social engineering is public housing. you know, before, singaporeans, a large majority of singaporeans, more than 80% of them to ...

>> cab driver: in singapore, everything is perfect here. this is one of the safest countries in the world. we are gifted to be in singapore. we show some good examples to the world. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪