POLS102: How Does Democracy Emerge? How Does it Decline? 4

Michael Fay Incident in Singapore (1994)

  • Michael Fay, an American high school student in Singapore, was caught vandalizing cars with spray paint.
  • He was sentenced to a $3,500 fine, four months in jail, and six strokes of the cane (administered by a martial arts expert).
  • This incident escalated into a diplomatic issue involving U.S. President Bill Clinton and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
  • The Straits Times newspaper in Singapore (state-owned) gave the incident front-page coverage, portraying Fay as an example of the negative consequences of American individual freedom and lack of discipline.
  • The incident was used to highlight the perceived superiority of Singapore's disciplined system over American democracy.
  • Americans viewed the punishment as cruel and a violation of individual rights, criticizing Singapore's authoritarian government.
  • Politicians from both the U.S. and Singapore became involved, with Singaporean politicians arguing that they were simply following the rule of law and could not treat Fay differently because he was American.
  • Caning still takes place in Singapore for serious offenses; Fay was one of the few caned for vandalism.
  • Oliver Fricker, a Swiss citizen, was also caned for tagging a metro train.
  • Yuan Yeming, a British Singaporean, was sentenced to twenty years in jail and 24 strokes of the cane for cannabis offense.

Culture and Democracy Argument

Strong Form

  • Modern democracy originated in the West, growing out of American, British, and European political traditions.
  • Historically, most democracies have been Western nations or former British/American colonies.
  • Therefore, democracy is a Western cultural value and may not be suitable for other cultures.

Weaker Form

  • Some cultures are amenable to democracy, while others are not.
  • Confucianism and Islam are often cited as cultures resistant to democracy.

Islam

  • Ernest Gellner argued that in Islamic countries, sovereignty rests with God, not the people, which conflicts with democratic principles.
  • Legislation in Islamic countries comes from the Quran, not elected representatives.
  • Islamic leaders are responsible to God and for implementing the Quran, not to the people.
  • Gellner argued that Islamic countries lack civil society due to the fixed laws in the Quran.
  • However, separation of powers is an old concept in Islam, with the executive and legislature (Islamic councils) being separated for centuries.
  • The Quran may impose some restrictions, but many laws can be created outside its context (e.g., traffic laws, infrastructure).
  • There is also room for debate within the bounds of Islam (e.g., the interpretation of modesty in dress codes for women).
  • Islamic culture has many principles of democracy:
    • Respect for individualism
    • Government accountability (to God and the Quran)
    • Respect for equality and egalitarianism
    • Decentralization
    • Government structure in Iran:
    • Has a parliament and president similar to a democracy.
    • Also has an assembly of experts, a supreme leader, and a guardian council comprising Islamic leaders.
    • The leaders can veto laws deemed un-Islamic, similar to how the U.S. Supreme Court can veto unconstitutional laws.
  • Indonesia is an example of a thriving Islamic democracy.

Confucianism

  • The argument: Confucianism values hierarchical relationships (father to son, elder to junior), making it difficult for the concept of equality to take root.
  • Confucianism places the good of the group ahead of individual rights.
  • Consensus, order, and stability are prioritized over debate and conflict, which are seen as dangerous.
  • However, Confucianism also includes the idea of the Mandate of Heaven, where the emperor governs with heaven's support.
    • If the emperor loses the Mandate of Heaven, the people have a responsibility to overthrow him and install a new emperor.
    • This implies that ordinary people have the responsibility to hold government accountable.
  • Confucianism had the first merit-based civil service in the world, which is crucial to democracies.
  • Consensus relies on consultation and discussion.

Flaws in Conceptions of Culture

  1. Cultures are not uniform

    • Surveys in Singapore during the Michael Fay incident showed that 87% of Singaporeans supported caning, while surveys in the U.S. showed that only 52% of Americans opposed caning.
    • Cultures are not uniform within religious or national categories.
    • Culture can vary even within individual families.

  2. Cultures change

    • In 1986, only 26% of Singaporeans supported caning for small acts of vandalism, but this increased to 87% during the Michael Fay crisis, then dropped to 79% afterward.
    • Cultures are a moving target and must change and evolve to survive.

  3. Culture is not necessarily our destiny

    • Kim Da-jung (South Korean opposition leader) argued that democracy-oriented philosophies and traditions exist in both Europe and Asia.
    • He believed that the biggest obstacle to democracy in Asia is the resistance of authoritarian rulers, not cultural heritage.
      cultural clashes are often driven not by cultural differences but by nationalism.

  4. Cultures are extremely complex

    • Cultures have many values expressed at different times.
    • They cannot be treated as simple boxes that travel through history.

  5. Culture alone is not a sufficient explanation for a form of government

    • Culture may impact the threshold point of development needed for a country to become democratic.
    • Some cultures may have a lower or higher threshold point.
      list of democracies in Asia:
    • Includes countries where protestors have faced armed soldiers/police with weapons to demand democracy.
    • There is no clear evidence that Asia is less supportive of freedom and democracy than the rest of the world.

  6. Cultures are subject to foreign influence

    • Caning in Singapore came from England during colonialism, not from Singaporean culture.
    • It is impossible to isolate a culture and keep it free of foreign influence.
    • Cultures change partly due to foreign influence.
    • Core values are different from non core values.
  • The statement "Culture X allows democracy, Culture Y does not allow democracy" is essentially meaningless.
  • Dictators and democratizers alike use it, because culture is effective for political arguments by dictators and democratizers alike.
  • Michael Fay's sentence being reduced to three strokes made nobody happy; the Americans still gave him cane, while Singapore gave into the Americans.