Gestural Politics: Civil Society in “ New” Singapore

Pragmatic Philanthropy

“…147 The Internal Security Act and the Societies Act were used to oppress any form of dissident voices and increase oversight of non-governmental entities. 148,149 More significant were the PAP government's political strategies and institutional barriers used to control and co-opt civil society.…”

“…147 The Internal Security Act and the Societies Act were used to oppress any form of dissident voices and increase oversight of non-governmental entities. 148,149 More significant were the PAP government's political strategies and institutional barriers used to control and co-opt civil society. The party sought to delineate the public debate surrounding civil society by alternatively naming it as "civic" society, focusing more on the "responsibilities" of the citizenry rather than its "rights."…”

“…The party sought to delineate the public debate surrounding civil society by alternatively naming it as "civic" society, focusing more on the "responsibilities" of the citizenry rather than its "rights." 150 Having begun as a oneparty state that unilaterally provided social services, the PAP shrewdly evolved into a "competitive authoritarian" 151 regime that still adhered to the principal belief of the government as the core of society, while allowing limited, state-controlled civil outreach.…”

“…152 At that time, Brigadier-General George Yeo, minister for information and the arts, gave a speech incorporating a metaphor apt for the current circumstances surrounding civil society in Singapore. He acknowledged past government policies and attitudes as resembling a "banyan tree" that gave no room for civil society to grow, calling for a "pruning" of the tree (yet keeping the tree as the core of society).…”

Who Governs and How? Non-State Actors and Transnational Governance in Southeast Asia

“…There is certainly a large literature that has explored the role of business networks, civil society groups and scholars' networks in regional governance in Southeast Asia (see Bowles and MacLean 1996;Lee 2004;Caballero-Anthony 2005). However, these non-state actors have been studied more for their advocacy activities directed at states and international organisations or in providing expert advice to these traditional governors in world politics rather than as rule-makers and enforcers themselves.…”