According to a recent report by BBC News Asia, Singapore is making headlines for all the right reasons,
“Why does Singapore top so many tables? Singapore is a small nation with few of its own natural resources. Yet in the past 50 years it has transformed itself into one of the world's economic powerhouses.” Tenna, Schoer, BBC News Asia, 24 October 2013
Here, DirectAsia.com takes a quick look at the compelling reasons why all eyes are consistently on Singapore.
Low Levels Of Corruption
It is well known that corruption is the scourge of many countries, so it's noteworthy that Singapore scores highly, currently number five, on the
list of least corrupt countries in the world.
Many Singaporeans commend long-serving Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, for his determination to set the tone for a public sector as free of corruption as possible. Even before Mr Lee took office, in order to attract foreign businesses to invest, Singapore took the decision to stamp out corruption by establishing the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau in 1952.
The Best Country To Do Business
It’s official. Businesses worldwide love doing business in Singapore. And they don't just choose the Lion City because of its valuable location. For eight years straight, Singapore has been named by the World Bank as
the best country to do business in.
The study assesses measures such as the costliness of commercial regulations and the strength of public institutions. Nations are also ranked on indicators such as the time required to start a business, file tax returns and export or import goods.
Low Crime Rate, And Still Falling
A friend of mine used a DBS ATM to draw a tempting amount of money, only to forget to take the cash. When he realised his dreadful mistake, he rushed back to the Bank expecting nothing. A kind soul had handed in the full amount.
Take it from a well-seasoned traveler – this does not happen in many countries.
Not only does Singapore have one the lowest crime rates in the world, crime has actually fallen for each of the past three years. Last year saw the lowest recorded crime rate in more than two decades. In addition, Singaporeans enjoy high levels of personal safety. According to UN data, Singapore has the second lowest murder rate in the world. Phew!
The Healthiest Population
Despite it’s tiny size, take an early morning stroll through any HDB, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve or the lush Botanic Gardens and you will see people of all ages on thoughtfully provided exercise machines, jogging under the aptly named rain trees or doing tai chi.
Maybe it’s no wonder that based on health-related indicators from the United Nations, World Bank and the World Health Organization for 145 countries with at least one million people, one survey placed Singapore in an overall first place with a health grade of 89.45%. And the nation shows no sign of slowing down.
The Greenest City In Asia
With an area of 710 square kilometres and a population of 4.8 million people, Singapore has one of the highest population densities in the world. Yet, sharing this space with us are over 2000 recorded native plant species.
In total, there are about two million trees planted along roadsides, in parks and protected nature areas. It is no wonder that Singapore is now officially ‘The Garden City’ after a recent study by The Economist magazine’s Intelligence Unit ranked Singapore as the greenest city in Asia.
Why is Singapore special to you? We’d love to hear from you.
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