And at local police stations, a citizen can register a change of address, which is immediately sent electronically to 17 government agencies. As part of the same on-line effort, the government aims to encourage citizens to use the Internet in every sphere of life, from the schoolhouse to the courthouse. At the tony Raffles Girls' School, Principal Carmee Lim sees the Internet as a way to turn students into seekers of knowledge. They become more independent. Learning becomes very intrinsic.
Dramatic changes are also underway in Singapore's legal system.
In the stately, wood-paneled chambers of the Supreme Court, which was built under colonial British rule in the 1930s, defense lawyers, prosecutors and judges dispense with hefty legal tomes and use computers mounted on their desks to share documents and case law precedents. The change hasn't occurred without resistance. The government has taken on this task with the same top-down zeal that characterizes its initiatives, ranging from population control to ensuring that public toilets are properly flushed. Some critics question the effectiveness of consciously trying to mold Singapore into a nation of innovators and inventors. Too much central planning, they say, leaves no room for the creative entrepreneur to operate alone.