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Do not tar all Westerners because of Economist’s viewpoints

I read with interest the robust defence of the “Singapore way” as expressed by Lee Teck Chuan in the letter “Freedom with responsibility the Singapore way, unlike West” (March 24).

I read with interest the robust defence of the “Singapore way” as expressed by Lee Teck Chuan in the letter “Freedom with responsibility the Singapore way, unlike West” (March 24).

I, too, share his admiration of the Singapore way, and agree that The Economist got it wrong in its opinion piece on the three protestors convicted for creating a public nuisance at Speakers’ Corner.

However, I do not agree with the implication made by the letter writer that The Economist’s opinion represents an attack on Singapore by Westerners in general. Just because one publication that happens to be “Western” chooses to criticise a particular policy of the Singapore Government, it does not mean that all Westerners in general are against Singapore.

I am a Westerner and I have no agenda against Singapore, and think the Government does an excellent job.

Furthermore, there are many Asian-based publications that also criticise Singapore, but does this constitute a broad Asian agenda against Singapore? I think not.

I think that in order to avoid social disharmony, any disagreement one has with a particular point of view should be addressed to the author, rather than to their ethnic group.

The letter writer asked, “What moral authority do Westerners have to lecture Singapore?”, and then went on to make various criticisms of Western societies, such as their having “stagnant economies” and “dilapidated infrastructure”.

Well, I think that just as the letter writer should be free to criticise Western societies, then those outside Singapore should be similarly free to criticise Singapore if they wish.

I do not share the writer’s views on Western society’s decline. Rather than questioning what right they have to express their views, I think I should instead state the reasons I think they are wrong, without resorting to attacking their cultural group.

We are living in a time where the fear of foreigners is being inflamed by those who seek to gain power, and we must be careful not to get trapped in the mindset that the views of an individual represent the views of his or her whole culture. The Economist may have got it wrong, but that does not mean Westerners are against Singapore.

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