They are very disciplined and targeted in their authoritarianism. It doesn't pervade daily life the way it does in China. They have free and open communication with the world. They have a vibrant consumer economy and a genuine multicultural society. They apply censorship and repression with a scalpel, not a broadsword. Law-abiding citizens reap a lot of rewards from living in a society like that and are willing to look the other way at the occasional arrest for being outspoken.

I spent some time there and met a bunch of locals from different backgrounds. Some were outright enthusiastic about the authoritarian government and thought the ends justified the means. Some (Malay folks in particular) chafed at the enforced rigidity of the society, but they still had comfortable lives.