And that’s a big part of why their country is wealthy and successful while their neighboring countries are disasters.

Korea and Japan rose from the ashes (Japan having lost WWII after their imperialist ambitions failed) in the same amount of time. Korea had a dictatorship or sorts but Japan didn't, but unless I'm mistaken, neither government was as autocratic (and still is) like the PAP is today.

The first Korean Republic (1948-1960) was vastly more repressive than the PAP at its worst, let alone today. Mass arrests of political opponents, reeducation camps, massacres: you name it, Rhee did it. The second republic (1960 to 1961) was theoretically a liberal democracy, but got couped almost immediately. After that, South Korea remained a somewhat milder developmental dictatorship, ala Singapore, until 1987.

If they were less autocratic, and they still won elections, they’d do okay. The problem would be if they lost.

Japan was a de facto one party state for most of the post war period.

good question, maybe because their neighbouring countries have a strong relationship to a certain religion (1) and (2) SG used to be a GB colony like HK which is doing great as well.

Hong Kong under British rule was an autocracy too. Sure, they had Western civil liberties, but no real democracy.

Any prove?