Spudboy100@aol.com wrote:
[snip]
>>> I am guessing that there are several reasons why Singapore succeeded
>>>where Somalia, seems to remain a backwater.
1) There is order in Singapore because the peoples that comprise Singapore
desire it. Somalia hasn't gone up that hierarchy of needs yet.
2) There is a respect for learning in Singapore, in Somali-little. It's
agrarian knowledge, at best. Agrarian knowledge in wonderful, but its not
software coding.
3) There is the same unhappy mix of politics and religion, that has slowed
many countries.
4) Somalia is more fractionalized amongst tribes and clans.
5) The transition of powers between regimes is not clear as it is in
Singapore.
Note: with Singapore, there is still the authoritarian smell of
dictatorship.
There is more hope that as the economy develops, the hunger for
self-representation will occur.
The capitalist spirit is essential, but its comparative to growing a heart
in vitro, and claiming it as a human personality. It's important, but there
needs to be more. Is Somalia going down the road of development? I'd need
more evidence to be convinced.
Mitch >>>
These are valid points, Mitch. No quibble here. The Chinese/Confucian
emphasis on education has, I'm sure, played a big role in Singapore's rapid
development (Singapore's population is something like 76% ethnic Chinese).
Bill
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