Envoy slams Australian radio show for calling Singapore an ‘autocracy’

Nayar noted in his response that the programme’s host and several of his commentators called Singapore a “one-party state”, an “autocracy” and “verging now on a flawed democracy”.

“They portrayed Singapore’s group representation constituencies (GRCs) – introduced to guarantee minority representation in parliament – as a ‘tactic’, among other ‘roadblocks’, designed to obstruct the opposition,” Nayar said.

It was hosted by Rear Vision presenter and journalist Antony Funnell and featured the following guests – assistant professor of politics and public administration at Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Dr Stephan Ortmann; associate professor of international relations at Flinders University, Dr Michael Barr; senior research fellow in the governance and economy department of the National University of Singapore, Dr Gillian Koh; and senior fellow for Southeast Asia and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, Joshua Kurlantzick.

In its introduction, the episode notes that Singapore has never had a change of government in its 61 years of existence, also drawing attention to what it described as the leader of the opposition being “deposed”.