ABSTRACT
The turning point in Singapore's economic development was the adoption in the mid- to late-1960s of an export-oriented industrialization (EOI) programme. This was introduced against the background of a failed political merger with Malaysia and, subsequently, the announcement of the withdrawal of British military bases from Singapore. The proportion of spending on food, for instance, has dropped markedly, while expenditure devoted to leisure and education has jumped. The high level of students going overseas for education is part of a larger pattern. An ever-growing number of Singaporeans are also spending part of their working lives outside Singapore as the economy increases in sophistication and various links with the international community expand. The role of the middle class is clearly important, but any assessment needs to establish what this term now means in Singapore, as well as its size. The 1991 election results have put middle-class discontent with the People's Action Party (PAP) into perspective.
