Singapore is a tiny place with poor resources. It has only been 33 years since its independence, but it has developed into a modern country with rapid economic growth, political integrity, social stability and good fashion. There are many conditions and factors for Singapore's success, but one of the important experiences is to emphasize the rule of law and attach importance to the construction of the legal system.
Overview 1: It has a complete legal system and a strict legal network, covering all aspects of social and economic life.
The first characteristic of Singapore's legal system is honesty. Singapore was a British colony before independence in 1965. After the British left, they left a complete set of British legal system for Singaporeans. After the founding of New China, Singapore not only continued to follow the British legal system, but also formulated new laws according to the new situation and new economic and social development. From 1984 to 1994 and 10, the Constitution was revised eight times, which made it more unique and more powerful in law in China, and made the Constitution, congressional decrees and subsidiary regulations, judicial precedents and legal practices form a complete legal system. Since the founding of Singapore, more than 400 existing laws have been enacted, and the scope of legal adjustment is very extensive. From government power, business contacts, traffic rules, hotel management to all aspects of citizens' life, this complete legal system covers all aspects of social life like an incomparably powerful legal net. The second feature is matching. From the perspective of effectiveness, there are constitutions, decrees and subsidiary regulations; From the perspective of legal sources, there are statute law, case law and rules of international law. Take the Environmental Protection Law as an example. What are the decrees and subsidiary regulations implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Development of Singapore? That is, there are 42 government regulations or implementation rules, which are divided into 10 according to the adjustment scope. Each category has a congressional decree and subsidiary regulations for cadres, including 10 environmental protection decree and 32 subsidiary regulations. Another example is traffic laws and regulations. At present, the Land Transport Bureau has implemented 46 laws and subsidiary regulations on licensing, road use, electronic toll collection and road tax payment. Singapore has 14 government departments, and the laws and regulations of each department form a complete set. More than 80 statutory bodies have been established, operated and strictly enforced according to law. The third feature is strong operability. Criminal law, civil law and administrative regulations are highly targeted, and the punishment for illegal and criminal acts is very severe. It is almost impossible for Singapore to try to evade the law and take advantage of it. Taking car purchase as an example, Singapore controls the total purchase of private cars at around 200 vehicles per month. Moreover, the "vehicle license" system is implemented, that is, people who want to buy a car must go to the Land Transport Bureau to apply for a "vehicle license". Depending on the luxury of the vehicle, the cost of a car license plate is between100000 and 400000 Singapore dollars. You can't buy a car until you get the car ownership certificate. After you buy a car, you can register with the Land Transport Bureau and issue a license plate. In this way, smuggled vehicles and fake license plates are eliminated. Another example is the Companies Registry under the Ministry of Finance of Singapore, which is a government agency specializing in company registration and management. It has only 90 employees and manages 654.38+500,000 companies and 390,000 firms. The Company Law implemented by the Registration Bureau is a thick book with strong operability. For example, according to Article 174 of the Company Law, the company must hold a general meeting of shareholders every year, and the annual general meeting report, annual benefit report and annual audit report must be entered into the registration bureau through the computer network. If the annual general meeting of shareholders is not held within the prescribed time limit and the relevant report is not submitted, the registration bureau will notify the company to hold the annual general meeting of shareholders within a certain time limit. If it is not opened within the time limit, the registration bureau will issue a summons. Once sent to court, you will have to pay a fine and a prosecution fee of 65,438 yuan+0,000 yuan. Generally, there are 12 weeks before the court session, and the parties can accept the fine of the registration bureau, hold a company meeting, submit a report and correct their own mistakes. Singapore imposes a fine of S $65,438+0,000 or six months' imprisonment on those who operate without a license, go bankrupt, change the company's address, change directors, or operate illegally with false information. The supervision is very strict.
Overview 2: Laws must be followed, law enforcement must be strict, laws must be punished, and law enforcement is like a mountain. A good social order is "ruled" and "punished".
Singapore is a country ruled by law, and legal norms permeate all aspects of the country, society and family. There is a saying that "nothing is not legislated, law enforcement is everywhere, and no one knows the law." Law has become an important pillar of building a country, governing a country and strengthening a country. Selling or carrying15g of heroin in Singapore is punishable by hanging. In Singapore, there is still flogging, which is aimed at criminals who endanger society such as robbery and rape, and the sentence is not enough to punish them. Once whipped, my skin was raw, and after three lashes, I couldn't get out of bed for a month, which made people scared and afraid to take risks.
Singapore strictly enforces the law, "don't talk about it", don't talk about feelings, don't vary from person to person, and don't engage in "never again". Every law enforcement is a legal education for the people, so that the people realize that those who violate the law will be prosecuted and dare not try their own laws. When people's legal awareness is improved and they consciously abide by the law, the executive organs will have the ability and conditions to punish the decreasing illegal and criminal acts one by one, thus forming a virtuous circle of consciously abiding by the law and strictly enforcing the law.
Administrative penalties in Singapore are very severe:
First, there are many kinds of fines, involving almost all public areas. Penalty notices can be seen everywhere. No fishing in the park; There are words "no smoking" in the theater; There are signs of "no jaywalking" and various "forbidden zones" on the road, and you can see one 50 meters away. In addition, spitting, riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet, smoking in the elevator, damaging flowers and trees and other bad behaviors. Will be punished, and even if you don't flush the toilet, you will be fined. Numerous warning signs constantly remind Singaporeans and tourists to be careful everywhere.
Second, the fine is large. The warning signs are clearly marked with "price". If you litter, spit or go to the toilet without flushing water, you will be fined S $65,438+0,000? About five thousand yuan; Smoking in elevators or public places will be fined S $500; Crossing the street and running a red light will be fined S $200.
Third, fines are strictly enforced. Without strict enforcement, it is useless to have warning signs and price tags. The Singapore government attaches great importance to the execution of fines. If you drive illegally, the law enforcer will write down your license plate number and then inform you to pay the fine at the designated place. If the driver fails to pay the fine on time, he will be taken to court. For another example, the government hires special personnel to the commanding heights of buildings to monitor people throwing things down from upstairs with binoculars, or entrusts "taxi" drivers to monitor people littering on the road. Once caught, they will be fined and have to work hard for 3-4 hours, which is the so-called "garbage bug". Within the specified time, these "garbage bugs" put on special vests with the words "garbage bugs" printed in Chinese and English on the front and back, and cleaned public places with brooms and cleaning tools. At that time, radio and television, newspapers and periodicals will be exposed together, which will play a good warning role.
Fourth, talk first and punish later, and pay attention to the steps. When Singapore promulgates a new law, it is always widely publicized first. For example, the government has vigorously launched campaigns against wild dogs, beggars, mosquitoes, cleaning and greening weeks and against littering. After the publicity period, enter the implementation stage; At the beginning of implementation, some offenders were treated leniently. After the transition period, anyone who tries the law again will be severely punished.
Singapore's good measures have produced good social effects. To sum up, there are three points: first, it is conducive to cultivating good living habits and behavioral norms of Chinese people; The second is to make social management more efficient and the administrative organs become veritable law enforcement organs; The third is to increase national income. According to statistics, Singapore received a fine of over S $900 million in 10 and S $670,000 in 1990.
The Singapore government believes that no legislation is better than no law enforcement. All laws in Singapore are not strictly enforced.
Overview 3: Senior leaders take the lead in setting an example, taking the lead in law enforcement and abiding by the law, and truly achieving equality before the law.
Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew himself is a famous lawyer studying law. He is well versed in fish begins to stink at the head's theory. As the "head of state", Lee Kuan Yew has great power, but he has nothing to do with it, and Qiu has not committed any crime. He bought his own car and house. He tried to give up nepotism and prevent his relatives and friends from relying on his power to get rich. His three younger brothers, some as lawyers and some in business, have never touched him. Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Lee Kuan Yew, has outstanding talents and outstanding political achievements. He was recognized by the whole country in Singapore and by most voters in the election, but Lee Kuan Yew insisted on not accepting his own class. Lee Kuan Yew has been in power for more than 30 years and is honest and clean. During his reign, his political opponents criticized him a lot, but none dared to say that he abused power for personal gain and was corrupt. Not only that, he is extremely strict with his subordinates. Zhangyuan Zheng, the founding father of Singapore, made great contributions to the founding of Singapore together with Lee Kuan Yew, but was found to have taken bribes of S $500,000 by the Corruption Investigation Bureau. Faced with legal sanctions, Zheng knew that the law could not escape and chose the road of suicide. In Singapore, both domestic and foreign citizens will be punished for breaking the law. 1994, the "graffiti crash" of American teenager Mike Fei caused a sensation all over the world. Although President Clinton pleaded repeatedly, arguing that Mike Fei was underage and asked to be extradited to an American court, Singapore was not disturbed by this. According to Singapore law, he was sentenced to six months in prison and six lashes. Thanks to President Clinton's mediation, he finally got four lashes. This shows that Singapore's legal system is sacred, everyone is equal before the law, and law enforcement is fair and just.
Overview 4: There are strict implementation mechanisms and strict implementation procedures.
Scholars in Singapore believe that developing countries and developed countries are similar in economic development goals and legal systems. The only difference is that the legal mechanism of developed countries is rigid and belongs to hard-core countries. Developing countries are often countries with soft laws. Although there are laws, they are not strictly enforced. Singapore is a country with hard laws, and the flexibility of the legal mechanism is very small. This rigid legal mechanism is manifested in the following four aspects:
The first is the rigid law enforcement subject mechanism. Singapore has 14 government departments and 57 statutory bodies. All government departments and statutory bodies operate in accordance with specific departmental laws and regulations, with clear division of labor and clear responsibilities, and rarely cross-enforce the law. For example, the Land Transport Bureau mainly punishes illegal vehicles, such as using fake license plates and not paying road maintenance fees on time. The general traffic police department mainly punishes people's illegal acts. Another example is that the Ministry of Manpower only deals with foreign workers, while government civil servants are completely managed by the Public Service Commission under the Prime Minister's Office. The Ministry of Environmental Protection is in charge of environmental engineering, pollution prevention, food hygiene prevention, public health and sanitation and epidemic prevention. Park management and urban greening are managed by the National Park Administration, a statutory body.
The second is a rigid team of government lawyers. The so-called government lawyer is a person who is qualified as a lawyer and serves as a legal adviser in various government departments. They belong to the sequence of government civil servants, and can only serve the government with the salary of government civil servants, and cannot go to the society to handle cases. According to statistics, there are more than 200 government lawyers stationed in various government departments and statutory bodies in Singapore. Its main responsibilities are: 1 as legal adviser of government departments and participating in government decision-making; ? 2 demonstrate and answer various legal questions raised by government departments and provide legal advice; ? Acting for various government departments to handle various legal affairs; ? Entrusted by the government, drafting various legal documents and regulations; ? 5. Representing the government in administrative litigation; ? To prosecute on behalf of the government, a summons may be issued to summon the parties to appear in court to support the public prosecution.
Third, the law enforcement means are hard and diversified. In Singapore, law enforcement means are strict and diverse, not just fines. For example, in order to alleviate the contradiction of dense traffic in the central business district, Singapore law stipulates that when driving into the central business district in heavy traffic, four people must sit, from the prime minister to the common people. To this end, there are two female police officers at each intersection to observe the number of people in each car. Less than four people do not stop on the spot, but write down the car number, and then notify the owner in writing to pay the fine according to the specified time. If it is overdue for one day, the penalty will be doubled, and if it is overdue, it will be brought to court. Singapore law also stipulates that if you are fined and don't pay it, you can go to prison to pay the fine. In addition to fines and imprisonment, fines can also be imposed out of court according to legal circumstances, and flogging can only be imposed if the circumstances are serious.
The fourth is the hard law enforcement procedure. Singapore's laws are relatively complete, thorough, clear and easy to operate. The company law specifies the conditions for the establishment of a company in detail. Among them, article 142 stipulates that the company must set up a "registered office" in Singapore from the date of its establishment, and ensure that "all communications and notices can be posted here". Moreover, it is stipulated that the place should be open to the public for at least three hours every day, and once the office space is changed, it must be reported to the registration authority. Otherwise, the company manager will be convicted and fined less than 5000 yuan. Another example is Singapore's implementation of the driver reward and punishment scoring system. If the driver accumulates 24 points within 24 months, he will be ordered to suspend driving for three months and must be retrained and tested before driving. The time limit for being ordered to suspend driving for the first time is 3 months, and the time limit for being ordered to suspend driving again can be as long as 3 years. Generally, 50 yuan will be fined 6 points for running a red light and 24 points for speeding 60 kilometers per hour. In addition to revoking his license, he will be fined or imprisoned.
Overview 5: There is a strict legal supervision system and a supervision and inspection team with excellent quality and real power.
Singapore's laws are closely linked, and it is particularly strict to guard against the links that are prone to problems and the departments that exercise power. For example, the Commerce Bureau of the Ministry of Finance was established in 1985, with 70 administrative and professional staff, including 27 high-quality professionals and1/deputy procuratorate-level government lawyers. The bureau specializes in dealing with "white-collar crimes" related to violations of company law, securities law, corruption, fraud and dishonesty. The bureau not only has the power of investigation, but also has the power of prosecution given by law. Another example is that Singapore's supervision of companies is in place. In addition to strict regulations on directors' qualifications, directors' responsibilities and company secretary, the Company Law also stipulates that an auditor must be established within three months after the company is established, and the auditor is paid in the company, but is responsible for supervising the accuracy and falsehood of the company's financial statements. If he finds any problems, he must report to the management and the company's company registration office. Company auditors are protected by law from being falsely accused and prosecuted. The company law also stipulates that financial statements must be kept for seven years. Another example is traffic management, and its supervision system is quite complete. There are 680,000 vehicles in Singapore, but there are only 350 traffic policemen, mainly relying on electronic traffic equipment to direct traffic. All traffic lights are electronic, and electronic monitors are installed at 220 intersections. If a vehicle runs a red light, the monitor will automatically take pictures and issue a fine ticket quickly. If it is overdue, the court summons will follow. At present, Singapore is trying out an electronic automatic toll collection system on some busy road sections to control the direction and flow of vehicles by economic means.
The perfection of Singapore's supervision system is also reflected in its excellent legal supervision and inspection team and mass supervision network all over the society. Singapore has 10000 police, 9 police stations and 96 police stations. There are also nearly 10 thousand neighborhood committees, which implement joint defense between the police and the people; China also has 199 Crime Prevention Committee.
In order to prevent civil servants from breeding corruption, Singapore established the Corruption Investigation Bureau in 1952, and revised the Anti-Corruption Law six times from 1963 to 199 1 6. The law gives the bureau very extensive powers, and the director is appointed by the president, directly under the Prime Minister's office and accountable to the Prime Minister. They can ask and understand the story and information from anyone. If the respondents refuse, they will be fined S $5,000 or imprisoned 1 month or both. Anyone who obstructs the bureau from carrying out its tasks will also be fined S $5,000.
The most powerful thing is the provident fund system, which is the killer to prevent public officials from breaking the law and discipline. The provident fund system is designed for public officials to purchase housing, medical care and old-age insurance, accounting for 40% of employees' income, including 18% of employers and 22% of individuals, which are deducted monthly and managed by the state. The older the qualifications, the higher the status, and the more provident funds, up to several hundred thousand. Therefore, Singapore public officials are very afraid of being expelled from public office. Once dismissed, the provident fund will be cancelled.
Overview 6: Strengthen the legal consciousness of the whole society, emphasize social discipline, cultivate citizens' concept of abiding by the law and protecting the law, and make the law become the norm of citizens' life.
The government and people of Singapore generally realize that to build a stable society, everything should be done according to the rules, and the whole relationship, including the relationship between the state and the people, the relationship between society and society, the relationship between individuals and organizations, and the relationship between individuals and individuals, should be adjusted by law, so as to establish a legal social order and regulate the rights, obligations and behaviors of all subjects in social, economic and political activities in legal form. Singaporeans have a strong concept of the legal system. Whenever there is a problem with social and economic impact, the government will immediately enact laws to solve it through law enforcement. Disputes between ordinary people are also settled through lawyers or judicial channels. Singapore attaches great importance to the cultivation of citizens' legal awareness and has offered legal courses since primary school. Foreign employees also attach great importance to the cultivation of legal awareness. Anyone who comes to Singapore to work as a laborer will be issued a labor handbook telling them what they can and can't do in Singapore.
Overview 7: Governing the country according to law depends on persistence.
This is the key to the success of the rule of law in Singapore. "Persistence" has two meanings. First, perseverance, like a day for decades, is often unremitting, rather than relying on several battles and several strikes. The second is to exclude other factors, especially the interference of human factors. Both former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and current Prime Minister have led the people of Singapore through more than 30 years of ups and downs, and they all have an excellent style: if you don't do something, you will do it. Once you have done it, you must stick to it, never relax, make achievements, and never tolerate those who violate the law and discipline. The Minister of Communications was also punished for speeding, which eventually made the fine system an important means to change social customs. Singaporeans believe that bad habits are stubborn and it is difficult to eradicate them without insisting on correcting them.
Overview 8: Strictly manage officials, fight corruption and protect honesty, and win the trust of the people.
Corruption is considered as a cancer in developing countries. Building a clean government trusted by the people by the rule of law is an extremely important successful experience of the "Singapore miracle". To sum up, there are mainly the following points: first, establish a set of complete, specific and feasible laws and regulations, including the civil service law, the civil service code of conduct, the civil service disciplinary regulations, the property declaration law, and the corruption prevention law. The second is to establish a strict system of selecting and employing people. The concept of civil servants in Singapore is very broad, including administrative officers? Political leaders and officials? About 6000-7000 government workers and employees of state-owned enterprises and institutions? There are probably hundreds of thousands of people in this part. In addition to the administrative officials who hold public office through election, the latter two types of personnel must pass the examination and be selected on the basis of merit. The third is to establish a strict property declaration system. The fourth is to establish a moral assessment system. The government issues a diary to employees every year as a personal moral record.
Overview 9: Advocating the cultivation of life values, promoting the rule of law by virtue, promoting the world style by officials, and the simultaneous development of two civilizations.
Singapore's only resource is human resources, and to give full play to people's potential and enthusiasm, we must have a good social atmosphere, that is, a good world atmosphere. If the world is good, it must be an official. Starting with "managing officials", Singapore has grasped the construction of official style and a clean and efficient government. How to carry forward good folk customs with good official style? For decades, the Singapore government has attached great importance to the cultivation of national values and family values and ruled the country by virtue. The five values of the country are: the country is supreme and the society is the first; Family as the root and society as the foundation; Seek common ground while reserving differences and negotiate * * *; Racial harmony and religious tolerance. The five family values are: love and care, mutual respect and respect, filial piety, loyalty and commitment, and harmonious communication. From the education of "good citizens" in schools to social education and even the training of civil servants, it is the core content of moral and legal education in Singapore. In Singapore, no matter officials or people, everyone is self-disciplined, law-abiding and pursues noble moral sentiments. A good official style inspires a good folk custom, which promotes a good world style and makes material civilization and spiritual civilization develop simultaneously.