What is Our Excuse?
Solomon Kassa
Tech Strategist & Advisor | TV Personality | Father | Founder, 1888EC | Author | Public Speaker | Techie | Loves: Design, Music, Travel, Fashion
Singaporeans are living out multiracial ideals and embracing in meritocracy -- a system where government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability. Meritocracy, at its core thrives in liberalizing a middle-class society, might face a negative connotation due to its association with elitism. However, it can and probably did provide an effective and successful way of aggregating rewards, incentives and competitiveness with equality of opportunity.
More than 7 in 10 Singaporeans believe personal success is independent of race or ethnicity. That’s a very remarkable finding for diverse Singapore, whose population is 74.2% Chinese, 13.3% Malay, 9.2% Indian and 3.3% other. The country is also the most religiously diverse nation in the world, with its population made up of Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and Hindus.
It is unprecedented how far this young nation has come in half a century considering its early days as a new nation were torn by ethnic tensions, violence and race riots.
Singapore's GDP per capita exploded from $427 to $57,714 in just 58 years. That is a mind boggling 13,516% growth. Singapore is currently the 11th most wealthiest country in the world in-terms of GDP per capita, surpassing USA and many other developed nations.
The county lacks natural resources and raw materials. So, it is dependent on importing most of them. Water is scarce in Singapore, therefore it is designated as a precious resource along with a scarcity of land. Singapore also has limited arable land, that means it has to rely on the agritech park for innovative agricultural production and consumption. Human resources is another critical issue for the well being of its economy. Against all these odds, Singapore became one of the wealthiest nation in the world by cultivating meritocracy to create a highly developed trade-oriented market economy. It’s economy has been ranked as the most open in the world, 7th least corrupt, 2nd best nation in the world for ease of doing business, with low tax rates (14.2% of GDP). Exports include electronics, chemicals and services.
What do we learn from this? What is our excuse?
#Singapore #Meritocracy #RealityCheck #Benchmark #Ethiopia
Product Analyst @ HCA Healthcare
4 年Amazing article with the prospective angle. ????
DHHS/ FDA / CDER
6 年Maybe the solution is in: More transparency in govt affairs, and Universities' finding ways to be engines of social change and economic growth--empowering their students -- having strong/effective alumni programs.? When everyone's attention is focused on productive activities, pursuing worthwhile goals -- who will have time to pick fights over how God/Nature? happened to create a diversity of human beings and other life on earth -- It'll all be dimmed by the LIGHT within each self!??
PhD student at UTA in Aerospace Engineering
6 年It’s very hard to implement meritocracy when the citizens with merit are too few, which will lead to aristocracy. Although Singapore isn’t an ideal comparison for a country like Ethiopia(population) but sure there’s a lot we can learn from them. Perhaps our Eritrean brothers can follow their model, I think it’ll benefit them a lot.
Insurance Advisor, Life Health and Wealth at RBC Insurance
6 年Very educational article!! We can all learn from Singaporean’s! Thank you for sharing.