I was reading TIME magazine article on US health care and it quoted an economist, Mancur Olson, who in 1982 said:"as a democracy matures, special interest grows more entrenched. Their intense dedication to their own specific needs often trumps the broader, but less focused, interests of society."
It made me think... With the woo har over the AWARE saga in mind, has Singapore's democracy progressed to a stage where special interest groups, without government backing, can push a cause so far and wide, with so much media coverage?
Well, I think for our case, it's more like Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Our basic needs are fulfilled (thanks to the state - oh the irony) so we have the capacity to push for special interests.
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