Singapore: Money, Money, Money

Life Extension

Singapore is dying. When outside, I noticed 90% of people in my residential area appeared over 70. Though tariffs and plunging stock markets are taking center stage, countries are ultimately about people. When I first visited Singapore in 2001, it may have been “third world,” but the designation was obviously temporary. Anyone could feel Singapore’s energy at its bustling outdoor markets, air-conditioned offices, and outdoor hawker centres, in no small part because everyone wanted to prove their relevance to a visiting American law student. It’s not a stretch to say I loved Singapore, where I had a summer romance reminiscent of Grease (1978) and fell in love with its prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew.¹

Fast-forward two decades, and there are fewer outdoor hawker centres, fewer visible Malays, and fewer people interested in conversing with a foreign visitor. Singapore is now a hedge fund cosplaying a “first world” country; somehow, it feels worse than being “developing.” Though free from racial and religious segregation, Singapore’s economic success has caused a unique problem: expat segregation. Almost no expats live in HDB flats, which generally require six-month contracts, while most regular Singaporeans reside in HDB flats. Citizen housing here is supposed to foster a sense of community, but few people in my complex talk to each other, few people use public gym equipment, and most people in organized clubs seem to have nothing better to do. If you want old age to frighten you, come to Singapore.

Part of the problem is that Singapore prioritizes tech and finance workers and does little to attract foreign artists, writers, authors, or journalists. Consequently, zero Singaporean journalists are well-known; its most famous author, Kevin Kwan, attended high school and university in Texas and lives in America; and its best movie, The Wedding Diary (2012), was made by a Malaysian.²