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Why Singapore’s Economy Outshines Barbados

shontal munroe-knight

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Most times when reference is made to Singapore, it is about the system of government and how it has been able to transform itself into a model economy. Here is one of many examples why Barbados will never be able to compare to Singapore. We do not have the will, the mindset, or the discipline required to close the widening gap.

In Barbados, the Ministry of Agriculture is routinely treated as a low status portfolio, like Sports – assigned to junior members of Parliament (MP) or to individuals who prefer not to be overly burdened. The current minister, Shantal Munro‑Knight, is a first‑time MP. This is not a critique of her; it is a critique of the prevailing political culture that treats agriculture – a sector central to food security, land use, climate resilience, and national development – as a tick the box item. Singapore would never assign such a critical ministry to a newcomer. In fact, Singapore does not have a dedicated Ministry of Agriculture. Instead, agricultural policies, food security, and environmental sustainability functions are assigned to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment(MSE) and overseen operationally by its statutory board, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

This is the difference: Singapore efficiently drives to achieve national goals; Barbados distributes portfolios to satisfy political expediency.

Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys to Singapore where he explores the movement to turn that city into an edible garden paradise.

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15 responses to “Why Singapore’s Economy Outshines Barbados”

  1. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    Weee persist with the enormous efforts to pretend the Titantic is not sinking.

    As ideas like Singapore, as first raised in these parts by Barrow 70 years ago and given all we’ve learnt about development since, could still have meaning for small developing states.

    While we entertain such dreams we have capitalism, neoliberalism, empire and 600 hundred years of Western domination coming to an end. These two ideas cannot coexist.

    How can it be possible to think in terms of development absent the limitations imposed by the failures of the past and the current circumstances?

    Only today the tariff war between Canadá and the USA, the negotiations around them, failed with Carney responding to those measures earlier imposed by Drumpf.

    And this is merely a single data point. But everywhere we look there are massive governance issues, issues of economy.

    We could talk about Japan which recently was forced to hold on to US treasuries and take a 22B loan just to pay for oil. Bessent, wants to avoid a massive sell off which conditions portend.

    Surely, no small island state without resources, not even Singapore, or any other, immediately after the high point of globalization, at a time when large countries and blocs are failing, can find space to do more than merely tryng to survive.

    Mere survival and development are two completely different things.

  2. BAJE Avatar
    BAJE

    DISCIPLINE AND ACCOUNTABILITY

  3. David Avatar
    David

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcRyEBTR1lq/

  4. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Singa poor ?

  5. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    LOL @ Pacha
    “Mere survival and development are two completely different things”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~
    So true!

    But this whole affair HAS to be particularly distressing to the Pachamama… not so much the lotta despair, but much more so, the UNCANNY correlation that it all has with Biblical prognostications written eons ago.

    Poor Pacha must be at a complete loss as to how, despite ongoing disdain from Pacha’s pen, and the relentless abuse of a now whackerless Bushie, Our Pachie is forced to draw the identical conclusions, …make the same prognoses, and express the same hopelessness for brass bowls as has the irrepressible book, …and stinking Bushie.
    Murduh do!!!

    Pacha is apparently upset with this book because albino-centric demons were astute enuff to use it to their capitalistic advantage – against hard-ears brass bowls who lost their bearings… their purpose, their value, and their God.
    …and this is somehow the book’s fault..???!!!

    Imagine what it must have been like living at the time just before Noah’s flood…
    What appears to be notably missing in all the gloom is that the very abused book also outlines a path to TRUE development. A path that is described as narrow and winding, …but that leads to development that is WAYYYY beyond anything that Singapore has, or can ever experience.

    Perhaps when the correlation becomes even closer to causation (in the coming months) even Pacha will be disposed to explore that narrow and winding path…
    …hopefully before the gate is closed – like the doors on Noah’s ark were, by the time the waters REALLY started to rise…

    What a time!
    What a plan!
    What execution!

  6. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    Good video @Hants

    Perhaps someone could explain how this parade is representative of ‘senior games’ -which seek to promote healthy lifestyle, physical fitness, wholesome living, and positive interactions among our elderly.

    Every shiite is wuk-up, drink-up, dance-up, and wind-up.

    Indeed, if we were to envision a world immediately before Noah’s flood it could probably be characterized by such a ‘parade’.

    Bushie would have held an opening ceremony at the Gymnasium that paid special homage to every one of last year’s medal winners and special performers, featuring a short address from Mr. ‘Old’ Young – the perennial senior games advocate.
    The bushman would then add special challenge (and awards) to all new participants for 2026 to improve their health numbers by the close of the games, as well as to all sports organizations to expand their numbers of seniors.

    Politicians could attend if they wish…

    This would then be promoted constantly over the period of the games by TV, radio, and social media – just like they promoted the stupid BimPay nonsense…

    What a place nuh!!
    …where left is right, up is down, sexual perversions are ‘normal’ and hence brassbowlery is acceptable…

    Only bout here!!

  7. John A Avatar
    John A

    Trying to speak of Singapore and Barbados in the same sentence is pointless. You are trying to compare a disciplined society with a “brek fuh yuself” indisciplined one. Singapore is a clean society where its people don’t throw snack boxes out of car windows, or pelt pep bottles on the highway. Their government also does not pander to the vote but does what’s best for the country. If you compare their progress from say 1960 to ours from the same year, you will see how different approaches yielded different results. Just look at our NISSS and it’s damagement and compare it to theirs for an example of governance.

    We have allowed this country to run rampant for way too long to pull it back now. The ZRS, madness on our roads and lost of law and order in terms of enforcement, have lead us where we are now and all the grandstanding and posturing can not change it. I mean shite man we couldn’t even decide where to put a circus without making a embarrassment out of it.

  8. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    Bushie

    You presuppose that we’ve never been here before as natural human beings. Wrong!

    And while your singular book draws on stories or sometimes oral traditions from the long arc of human evolution to assert relevance, there are gross contradictions which can never be squared.

    Example, the fiction of a Noah and an Ark! For even to a fallen man, like you, this story could never have made sense in the natural world.

    Two of a kind on a boat one man and his family built, on a boat sailing for months or years before running aground. Of the millions of species and animals Pachamama has evolved this story could have never been anything but a boat load of shiiite.

    More generally, we have all kinds of calamitous stories within the evolutionary history of humans. Less than 60K years ago there were only a few dozen females of child-beating age on this planet, and we survived.

    Sixty-five million years ago, long before humans, there was the last apocalyptic event of six which destroyed over 90 percent of all living things, including the giant dinosaurs. But modern birds are evolved from dinosaurs.

    400 nuclear weapons are enough to trigger a new ice age. An event which will block out the Sun and cast the entire earth under two miles deep of ice. Maybe the Sun is the real God!

    Weee have over 20K nuclear weapons and many more than 400 are likely to be used, given the arithmetic.These are the orders of magnitude. Regrettably for you, nobody will intervene to save you or us ….. but us!

    But yes, this is the time for a national survivalist ethos. Not for dated and meaningless notions about development.

  9. David Avatar
    David

    @Bush Tea

    This is WE kulture.

  10. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    But reference to Singapore helps to set the bar doesn’t it?

  11. John Avatar
    John

    Poor self serving leadership with no vision, plan, discipline and commitment.

  12. John A Avatar
    John A

    @ David

    That’s right it does show you how 2 countries between 1960 and now took different paths. One would say Singapore was fathered by a dictator, but unlike others he ensured all his people benefitted. What to me is most interesting is how people there who grew up with serious rules, learnt to respect them and as a result a standard was not only maintained but has flourished to this day. No one should ever compare Signapore to Barbados, they are like night and day apart. We sadly must accept that ALL governments are responsible for the delinquent state we are in today, where rules and laws are more of a “suggestion” it seems than actual enforced rules of law.

  13. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    Much has been written by the scholars regarding the advantages and disadvantages of a benevolent dictatorship system versus our so called democracy. Probably more will long after we depart this world. There will always be trade offs.

  14. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ John A
    “…rules and laws are more of a “suggestion” it seems than actual enforced rules of law.”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    It is not that our politicians do not like ‘law and order’. No doubt each and every one of them would like nothing better for Barbados to be much like Singapore.
    The challenge is how to do this without having such laws apply to themselves, their family, their party affiliates, lodge brethren, their financial backers, and even to favored yardfowls.

    It takes special brilliance and oratory gymnastics to manage this delicate balance.
    Any decent brass bowl can manage what Singapore did… That only takes true patriotism, honesty, transparency, and unrelenting accountability.

    Do you think that it is easy to preach to the youth about ‘putting down their guns’ – while you carry your own …and also have a permanent police security presence?

    How do you inspire a people to live within their means – while government is spending wildly on CARIFESTA, HOPE, STEAL and Four Seasons … and ‘the thing’ at Newton, …while bragging about borrowing more and more…?

    ..Or how about removing tint in our super hot climate – but exempting certain officials who apparently, may be affected by the UV rays…?

    So then we have to…
    – Pass inept laws with dubious loopholes included,
    – Ensure that the Judiciary is inept, thereby, no matter how fast the police catch criminals, they are recycled even faster.
    – invalidate our systems of transparency like the PAC, Annual Audited accounts, Audit General etc
    – Refuse to respond to potentially incriminating issues like NISSS, HOPE and other Radical issues
    – Bribe Calypsonians with gigs, sponsorship, tours and handouts – cause they can be dangerous.
    – Silence all questioning voices in the Press and use Announcer as an example of what can happen.

    Then..
    You can say that the required laws are in place…
    You can blame parents, police, courts, youth, schools, … even stinking Bushie,
    but you ARE able to proclaim yourself to be ‘honorable’, and some of those who concede to your bullying can even be ‘most honorable’… LOL

    This is a LOTTA HARD WORK!!!

    In Singapore, the same laws applies to all citizens, foreigners, Medes, and Persians.
    And the systems of transparency are such, that any intended brassbowlery requires both bravery and stupidity in large measures.
    Therefore their many hands seem somehow able to get EVERY shiite to work…
    Simple!

    What a choice we made!

  15. David Avatar
    David

    Wow Bush Tea, you are coming hot tonight. Nothing to add.

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