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The Evolution of Singapore

 

            How May Singapore's Meritocracy Evolve?.
             While meritocracy has been trumpeted as a cornerstone of the Singapore's rise from Third World to First, its internal contradiction has reared its ugly head in recent years. As identified by Dr. Kenneth Paul Tan, the 'winners and losers' result of meritocracy widens income inequality and results in social stratification where an exclusive elite class perpetuates itself at the top through opportunity hoarding. It is difficult to dispute that meritocracy's principle of non-discrimination may precisely be unfair because it denies recognition of what may be "unfair advantages from the very beginning"1, such as unequal wealth and social status. This renders equal opportunity "a naive expectation that can no longer advance beyond mere platitude"2. Further, the social ill of elitism is evident, capped by various controversies such as a British expatriate's diatribe on public transport commuters as "poor" and the public outrage over a top junior college student's elitist blog post. Despite the increasing discourse over meritocracy's failings, this author agrees with Lydia Lim that the challenge to meritocracy is not on its continued relevance in Singapore.3 Nevertheless, a seismic shift in approach towards meritocracy appears imperative.
             Change in Mindset Towards One's Success.
             This author believes that it starts with a change in mindset towards one's success in a meritocratic society. A system driven by meritocracy implies that the end result, be it success or failure, is deserved. In 2013, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong expressed his hope for a 'compassionate meritocracy' where the successful should understand their responsibility to help the less fortunate who may not have had access to the same opportunities. This author lends Mr. Robin Chan's argument that we should recognize that luck, be it in terms of wealth, social status or opportunity, plays a big part in success.


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