Singapore

SINGAPORE IS A SMALL island city state that was, until its separation in 1965, part of Malaysia. As a former British colony, much of its legal system and business practices are based on British models. In the case of Singapore, it has been the government that has been the leading driver of economic development and government-linked companies (GLCs), together with multinational enterprises, have been the most influential actors in business. The economic downturn of the mid-1980s persuaded the Singaporean government of the importance of entrepreneurship in addition to the existing driving forces, and thus, it has encouraged Singaporeans to conduct their own overseas foreign investment. In doing so, some entrepreneurs have used their own personal networks and, while there is no suggestion of impropriety, it has reduced the level of transparency in Singaporean business dealings.

The majority of Singapore's more than three million people are ethnic Chinese, with smaller numbers of Malays, Indians, and others. Singapore has become known as one of the most economically and technologically advanced societies in Asia; it has been run by the People's Action Party (PAP) since its founding and that party has become almost institutionalized as the government, albeit in free and fair elections. The PAP is well-known for its paternalistic style and its sponsorship of Asian values. Partly as a result of this and partly because of an earlier perceived need to defend Singapore against the twin dangers of mainland Chinese triad gangs and communism, Singapore has a strict criminal justice system with sentences readily enacted.

To maintain business confidence, Singaporean leaders are keen to make it known that the city has a very low crime rate and is secure for multinational companies. However, it is ironic that any opposition to the PAP from trade unionists, or even non-political figures, has regularly been met with official revelations that the dissidents are in some ways part of international conspiracies and guilty of a wide array of crimes. Foreign media disseminating stories that the ruling party considers detrimental to the party or to individuals within it have been struck with severe financial penalties, resulting from libel actions in which Singaporean courts interpret the law in ways which are generous towards plaintiffs.

The current vogue for promoting business interests above social ones, which has long been attractive to Singaporean leaders, requires a reduction in regulations and bureaucracy which has made it easier for businesses and business people to commit crimes. The introduction of e-commerce and other information technology systems has also provided avenues for new crimes such as cybercrimes, which include online fraud, credit card theft, and theft of identities, as well as hacking websites, and cracking software and systems. A survey by KPMG in 2002 found that fraud in business was considered to be a growing threat and was an ever-present aspect of business, with nearly half of the business executive[Page 749] respondents acknowledging that they had witnessed fraud of some sort in their own organizations. Singapore has strongly emphasized the development of information technology skills as part of its development model. Ironically, the skills engendered offer opportunities for crime for which international policing protocols have yet fully to be established.

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