The Marina Bay area was developed using Lake Zurich as a model. As we all know, Lake Zurich is in Switzerland. It's the place where the Swiss gather to chill and relax, to take in the sights after a hard day's work or spend time with children over the weekends. It was therefore a symbol of the Swiss way of life. So when the govt finished developing the Marina Bay some years back, it considered as S'pore having attained the Swiss standard of living. S'pore has arrived. And to the Old Fart, we are now a First World Country as represented by the beautiful skyline and scenic views at Marina Bay.
But there's one whole big difference. The people who go to Marina Bay to enjoy themselves are not S'poreans. They are foreigners or tourists. Unlike in Switzerland where you can see it's visited by the Swiss themselves. Why? The simple answer to that is that S'poreans are struggling to make ends meet with the high cost of living here and so where got the time or mood to go catch the breeze at Marina Bay? The Swiss are comfortable with their daily living and so can afford to have recreational time in Lake Zurich. Most S'poreans are figuring how to pay all the bills by month end brought on by the high govt taxes.
LKY and GCT were so disconnected and alienated from what is truly happening on the ground and instead basked themselves in glory as they take in the sights of Marina Bay and conclude that S'poreans are living as well as the Swiss.
