Prospettive dell’ordinamento singaporiano: il delicato equilibrio fra autoritarismo, stabilità sociale e pragmatismo economico

This paper offers a general introduction of the Singaporean system which takes into consideration both the basic geographical and geopolitical factors on the one hand and some of the most peculiar elements of its legal system on the other hand. A brief introduction is given about the relevant strategic importance of the geographical position of the country nowadays and also in its main historical developments. It is also made a description of the figure of Lee Kuan Yew, in order to show the deep influence that his political commitment has given to the country in the last decades. The aforementioned elements offer a basic frame to describe some of the most peculiar elements of the Singaporean legal system. Firstly, some elements of constitutional law are shown, especially with regard to the central role of the Parliament. Then, some focuses are given about how the authoritarianist and paternalists attitudes of the political establishment have their wide influence in different areas of the juridical sphere. On the other hand, it is shown how the political establishment encourages economic freedoms with a pragmatic approach in order to keep the high economic standards of the country. Finally, some reflections are made about the possible perspectives of the Singaporean system taking into account both the internal and international main ongoing changes. In particular, on the one hand it is taken into consideration the hypothesis of a real democratic improvement of the present Singaporean political system; on the other hand, it is considered the possibility that the present status quo is substantially kept, even if apparently under new forms and expressions.