LettersSingapore and Hong Kong are different at the core, and the Lion City’s policies are supported by its people

Singapore is a sovereign republic, and its political choices reflect its history since becoming an independent nation

Hongkongers may not approve of those choices but Singaporeans do, and the city’s stability speaks for itself

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Singapore often generates comparisons to Hong Kong due to their similar size and role as financial centres, but the Lion City is a sovereign nation and this makes its politics very different from Hong Kong’s. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:30am, 4 Nov 2019Updated: 7:30am, 4 Nov 2019

I refer to Phil C.W. Chan’s “Singapore is no alternative for Hongkongers angered by loss of freedoms – the Lion City’s restraints go far beyond Hong Kong’s” (October 25).

I am baffled as to why this article was necessary. Singapore is certainly not offering itself as a destination for Hongkongers wanting to leave the territory. Perhaps Mr Chan should address the more important issue of why some Hongkongers want to leave, rather than trying to dissuade them from heading to Singapore.

In fact, Singaporeans have been watching the upheavals in Hong Kong with alarm and concern. Disruption in Hong Kong affects the whole region, including Singapore. We are saddened that the turmoil continues with no end in sight, and hope that good sense will prevail.

For a positive outcome, Hongkongers need to reach a consensus on a way forward under the “one country, two systems” principle. As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted recently, quoting a wise Hongkonger: “From China’s point of view, they must not only think of one country, but remember this is two systems. And from Hong Kong’s point of view, you must not only think of two systems, but remember that this is one country.”

Hong Kong and Singapore are fundamentally different because we have radically different historical experiences. Singapore is a sovereign republic. Its citizens have voted 14 times since 1959 for a government of their own. Since 1965, when it separated from Malaysia, Singapore has charted its own path in the world, unbeholden to any foreign power.