It seems to me that the whole "Singaporean Values" issue can be summed up as economic incarceration.
Extended families do not live together because they love each other. They do because the cost of living is so exhorbitant, and the wages so low, that it is a necessity of survival. This is no different to any other developing nation.
The "meaness" could very well be a product of their success being measured only in monetary value. This could account for the low standing of the aviation profession there. It may also be the reason why Singapore is yet to have a citizen awarded a Noble prize.