Disneyland with Death Penalty - Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump

Trump and Kim met for the summit at a special location – Singapore appears to be the symbolic capital of the new autocratic era. Their ruler Lee Hsien Loong embodies the dubious principle of sacrificing freedom for prosperity and security. He earns $7350 – per day. No government leader in the world receives a higher salary than him. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong earns as much as an investment banker and wields power like a dictator. He combines the best elements of capitalism and communism – for his country and for himself personally. Thus, Singapore has become a giant of prosperity, but also a bonsai democracy – a Disneyland with the death penalty. The city-state is considered a prime example of successful autocracies in the 21st century. And the summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's dictator Kim Jong-un is like a knighting of world recognition for Lee Hsien Loong. The summit in the autocrat capital has a symbolic depth. Singapore has long been seen by many neo-autocrats as a model and principle of order for modern politics. "Singaporism" also has surprisingly many friends in the West and refers to a police state with a one-party regime and turbo-capitalism. It generates a lot of prosperity and security – of course at the expense of freedom, democracy, and human rights. For Kim, the summit location has a very personal advantage: Singapore has not signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Therefore, no dictator will be extradited from here, making the city-state a safe haven for Kim & Co. – not even protests or demonstrations need to be feared by Kim and Trump here. Because in Singapore, there is the calm of a super-controlled and digitally well-equipped police and surveillance state. Order, cleanliness, punctuality reign here like hardly anywhere else in the world. It is often said to be "the Switzerland of Southeast Asia," but that is an insult to the great democratic tradition of the Swiss. Unlike in the diverse Switzerland, there, the all-dominating "People's Action Party" (PAP) is responsible for a daily life shaped by control and authority. Up to two years in prison is the penalty for selling chewing gum. Massive fines or even imprisonment threaten those who annoy the public as street musicians, spit on the ground, discard cigarette butts, sing "obscenely," feed pigeons, or do not flush the toilet. Two German graffiti sprayers from Leipzig who had decorated a Singapore subway were sentenced to caning and nine months in prison. Singapore is said to be a clean city. Things are even worse for gays and lesbians. Homosexuality is subject to draconian penalties. Article 377 of the Penal Code states: "Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman, or animals, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to a fine." Singaporeans have even less tolerance for drug users or dealers. They face the death penalty, which is carried out every few weeks. The harsh regime results in a very low crime rate, and Singapore is considered one of the safest metropolises in the world. Since the father of the current Prime Minister seized power in 1965, politics has been monopolized by the Lee clan, elections are manipulated, and political opposition is suppressed. Trade unions, schools, universities, and media are state-controlled, and the population is socially monitored. Political debate is stifled and steered with the most modern digital techniques. Lee has long been using Big Data to secure his political power. The digital surveillance and monitoring of the population are enormous – ranging from widespread video surveillance to internet censorship, the tools of Big Brother in the flesh. Critical bloggers and journalists are regularly arrested. In the freedom of the press ranking, Singapore ranks a dismal 151 out of 180 countries surveyed. Lee presents himself in public as a paternalistic social worker of his state, but he leaves no doubt about his claim to power. The violent suppression of the Tiananmen protests in Beijing in 1989 by China's military is explicitly justified by the regime. Both domestically and internationally, Lee has armed Singapore to a high degree. Its military is considered one of the most modern in Asia, with submarines from France, American fighter jets (F-15), and Leopard 2 tanks from Germany. Everything is there. The costs for the police and military consume a quarter of the state's expenditure, and Singapore ranks second globally in military spending per capita (after Israel). When human rights activists become angry, Lee likes to point to the successes of his Singaporeism. Under the aegis of his family, a small British Empire trading post has become one of the richest states in the world. The skyline of skyscrapers, luxury hotels, amusement parks, and the super-modern infrastructure (Singapore operates the world's largest port) testify to the economic miracle that has indeed reached all residents, including the lower classes. This promotes social peace. The educational level is enormous, the social safety net remarkable, and the standards of living, from healthcare to retirement benefits, outstanding in Asia. Lee, like his father, relies on the capitalist principle that as many Singaporeans as possible should own homes, capital gains are tax-free, and stock ownership and entrepreneurship are highly encouraged. Lee's Singaporeism is also referred to as Singapore Inc. And in the Lee family, the state fund Temasek manages a fortune of $300 billion, including the majority of shares in Singapore Airlines. With Temasek, Singapore is visibly a state-owned enterprise that focuses on maximizing profits while maintaining maximum internal peace. However, Lee is now facing trouble from an unexpected source. His own family is making his life difficult. His sister Lee Wei Ling, a renowned neurosurgeon, and Lee Hsien Yang, his younger brother who used to head the telecommunications company Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), accuse Lee of abuse of power, nepotism, and populism in an open letter. They explain that they have lost trust not only in their brother but also in Singapore's future. In reality, it is about the question of who should inherit Lee's power, Lee's son Li Hongyi or the son of the brother named Li Shengwu. The succession dispute is the political topic of conversation in Singapore. Although the two rebellious siblings do not have direct political power, the family feud is shaking a system that has been based on the charisma, power, and inviolability of the Lee family for decades. Lee must therefore fight for his power and succession – and for his salary. After facing public criticism of his lavish salary, he had to cut it by a third – but with $7350 a day, he still ranks at the top of the world's rulers. And the summit with Trump and Kim solidifies his position.