Quora Answer: How is Singapore Corruption-Free?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “How is Singapore corruption-free?”

There is no such thing as a place that is corruption free.  As long as there is temptation, and someone to be tempted, there will be incidences of corruption.  What Singapore does better than most countries in the world is in limiting corruption to an almost negligible rate.  What we do is put in place a culture where corruption is heavily proscribed.  It is not viewed as a way of life, or the necessary cost of doing business.  It is not something to be tolerated, or tacitly accepted.  This value system discourages some corruption.

Secondly, there is a system of investigating, and prosecuting cases of corruption.  The Prevention of Corruption Act has an extensive description of acts of corruption and inducement.  There is a specific agency, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, under the Prime Minister’s Office which investigates every tip off. Under this act, whistleblowers are protected by law.  The Act also sets out that any form of corruption perpetrated anywhere in the world by a Singaporean, or a Singapore-based entity, is prosecuted as if the act were conducted in Singapore.  This is one of our few acts of legislation that is extraterritorial.  Cases are public, and the penalties are severe.  Penalties include incarceration, judicial caning for specific charges in the Penal Code, and the seizure of assets.  This has the twofold effect of public shaming, and making it very expensive.

Finally, the underlying conditions that lead to corruption are addressed by the system.  The civil service, for example, is paid well, and on time.  Bonuses tend to be generous. When there is certainty of salary and adequate compensation, there is no excuse to ask for extra inducement.  Tenders and the procurement process are transparent, which means that there is little room for inducements to get the sale.  There are also checks by the Accountant-General and external auditors.  This makes it difficult to take money and hide.  All this means that the corrupt are eventually caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  This gives people confidence in the system, and deters corruption.