By the standard of uprisings in the Arab world, the political changes unfolding in Singapore are hardly earth-shattering. The wealthy, orderly city state is better known for its cocktails than for its revolutions. But Singapore, too, has had its spring.

It started in May when the ever-ruling People’s Action party was treated to its worst election result since independence in 1965. True, it won 60 per cent of the vote. Barack Obama would settle for that. But Singapore’s political system has hitherto not afforded the opposition even the slimmest foot in the door.

If there was doubt about the meaning of the result, Lee Kuan Yew, the “minister mentor” who steered Singapore to first-world status, underlined it by resigning. Last month, the normally placid election for president was closely fought, evidence of the newly competitive landscape. “Singapore has entered a new political era in the last three months,” says Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.