Singapore is in for some seriously interesting times. Lee Kuan Yew did a masterful job of getting Singapore up to speed after independence, but like so many leaders over-identified with their nation, he overstayed his welcome. The Lee family's tentacles are firmly entrenched in the politics and businesses of Singapore, and while I hope they will have the common sense to tolerate the inevitable rise of the opposition -- which is already occurring, despite the steep odds stacked against them -- I'm afraid they're much more likely to lurch into outright dictatorship and fulfill Lee's own prediction:
"if there is a freak result [and the opposition wins], within two or three years, the army would have to come in and stop it”
http://leewatch.info/quotes/
That date is not far off: Singapore's next general election must be held by January 2017, and the opposition is all but guaranteed to take a sizable portion of seats. Thanks to Singapore's first-past-the-post politics, if they grow from the current 40% to tip over 50%, they'll suddenly have an unassailable majority... and what then?
I'll give the final word to Lee's last standing arch-enemy, Chee Soon Juan:
“Why is he still so afraid? I honestly think that through the years he has accumulated enough skeletons in his closet that he knows that when he is gone, his son [Lee Hsien Loong, the current Prime Minister] and the generations after him will have a price to pay. If we had parliamentary debates where the opposition could pry and ask questions, I think he is actually afraid of something like that. ...
Mr Lee Kuan Yew fights all his demons within himself to try to shore up his reputation. In the process, however, he destroys the very legacy that he so desperately desires to establish.”
– Chee Soon Juan, Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party
Oh good god. As a Singaporean (who has worked in the opposition politics no less) I am sick and tired of Chee Soon Juan the megalomaniac who can't get basic economics right, being treated as our saviour. He is not.
The opinion above was formed by living in Singapore for ~8 years and continuing to take an active interest in its affairs for the next 5. You're welcome to disagree, but please tell me why then instead of just downvoting...
I am okay with a benevolent dictator. As Arrow and Sen showed that we can't talk about agrregate social interest or about the public will, it is better to have a LKY to ramp up a country.
Somehow, LKY planted all his family members in powerful roles of the government and the government run companies.
Government linked corporations (GLC) controll 60 percent of the singapore Economy. Tamasek holdings is one such. The CEO of Tamasek is the wife of the current prime minister, who is the son of LKY.
Another benevolent dictator in the making? Maybe, the elections can tell.
My friend's brother went to Singapore from India as an electrician in 2010. He was making S$550 per month, and was living in a shack somewhere in Singapore. Cheap labor imported from Malaysia, Indian, China, Thai, Burma, Phils help the government linked companies make profits. And this explains why Singapore does not have minimum wage.
For all his shortcomings, LKY has shown the world how well a tiny city-state can do economically with geopolitical leverage and strategic thinking. Especially when it comes to diplomacy vis-a-vis the West, most Asian political leaders are confused (and confusing) at best and belittled (and bewildering) at worst, but no leader of the West fucked with LKY in his prime.
I've lived in Singapore for almost 5 years already and have recently switched citizenships (my son would have to serve in Singapore's military service once he reaches the appropriate age). I have come to appreciate Singapore's style of governance. The sheer efficiency and reliability of government service still surprises me to this day. Having come from the Philippines where bribing somebody in the government to get things done is part of normal life. I am all too willing to sacrifice a bit of freedom to gain stability, reliability, and peace. Not worrying about the safety of my wife and child when they come home late is a huge thing for me.
Yes Singapore has it's own set of societal problems, but I'd rather have that than the numerous problems that is deeply entrenched in Philippine society nowadays.
Rest in peace Mr LKY. Your accomplishments are legendary.
Singapore was a backwater country with no natural resources when he came to power. It's since evolved into one of the primary economic hubs in Asia, with a higher per-capita GDP than her former colonizers, Great Britain.
To transform a country in such short a time is nothing short of remarkable.
I recently learnt that Kuan Yew fought desperately against the expulsion of Singapore from Malaysia. At the time, he didn't believe Singapore was viable as an independent state.
"Every time we look back on this moment when we signed this agreement which severed Singapore from Malaysia, it will be a moment of anguish. For me it is a moment of anguish because all my life ... you see, the whole of my adult life ... I have believed in merger and the unity of these two territories. You know that we, as a people are connected by geography, economics, by ties of kinship..."
Quote taken from transcript of a press conference given by LKY on August 9th, 1965 [1]
Circa 2001 their GDP per capita was 1/3 lower than Japan, and about 1/5 lower than Hong Kong. They suffered a decade of stagnation from the early 1990s until 2003. They've been on a tear ever since, with GDP per capita now 45% higher than Japan and Hong Kong. Quite a jump in just 13 or 14 years.
Likely within another few years they'll pass Malaysia in GDP, with Malaysia having six times the population.
Singapore is an incredible state and I enjoy every stay there, but the principle where "the good of society [takes] precedence over individual rights" has its scary downsides: http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/07/29/the-social-laboratory/
The Singapore he created is a testament to his philosophy of pragmatism over idealism. No doubt there are serious downsides to this approach, but as a citizen of the bureaucratic and populist EU I can't help but admire what it has achieved in just a few decades.
Lee did good and bad: he successfully set up a stable productive state, but to get there economized certain liberties that seem fundamental. The problem is that Singapore remains stable and successful, becoming the role model for developing autocratic countries like China.
I haven't been in Singapore and have read very little on why Singapore is so successful.
Three of Four Asian Tigers (Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea) are more democratic/free and equal in prosperity comparing with Singapore.
IMHO, a great strategic port and super effective government are probably key reasons that power the its great achievements. I hope people don't consider quasi-dictatorship style of governing the cause of economic miracle.
One trade policy that they followed that was identical to that of Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea was the suppression of the value of their currency by purchasing US treasuries. That gave a much needed boost to their exports and allowed them space to create an industrial ecosystem.
I don't see how you can say Hong Kong is more democratic/free. It was a colony, now it's a SAR of PRC, which has been tightening its fingers. The people are certainly more free to protest (for the time being), but their politicians are hand-picked by Beijing. Not really better than Singapore where the administration sets up arbitrary barriers to opposition political activity, and announces elections on short notice while gerrymandering new districts to divide and conquer and pockets of opposition support.
That was true in the 1990s, but not in the last 10 years where use of capital punishment has been consistently less than 10 persons per year, including foreign nationals (i.e. not "its population").
Conversely the USA has a much higher percentage of its population sitting in prison. I suspect many of those people would prefer a caning over the loss of many productive years of their life.
For what is worth, I'd rather be executed than to "live" in an American prison. The idea that solitary confinement occurs in a first world country is appalling and scary. Don't get me started on the things inmates and guards do to some people.
What wrong with caning? It's a much more effective punishment than a jail term. Pain is a strong negative reinforcement, while prison for career criminals feels more like home than freedom. It's drastically cheaper than a prison term. It prevents the contact with prison subculture/gangs.
Additionally, it provides some restitution to victims, in the case of violent crimes.
Asshole's dead. Good riddance. Stole power on a platform of communism, moved to totalitarianism / familial nepotism, set up his 'wealthy, modern' state by money laundering for Burmese junta, struck up a cheap friendship with US (easy sale: naval positioning for the straits, cable taps on comms, aggressively purchasing regional comms providers in places like .au), did a PR job on .sg's great 'democracy'. His biography - Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going - is a disgusting exercise in narcissism attempting to rewrite history. Dirty man, dirty state, dirty legacy.
> set up his 'wealthy, modern' state by money laundering for Burmese junta
D'oh! I've been wondering how Singapore's low-taxing government accumulated all the capital that it invested, and that answer is so obvious: they took it from people somewhere else. Would you mind pointing me to a book that fills in the details?
jpatokal|11 years ago
"if there is a freak result [and the opposition wins], within two or three years, the army would have to come in and stop it” http://leewatch.info/quotes/
That date is not far off: Singapore's next general election must be held by January 2017, and the opposition is all but guaranteed to take a sizable portion of seats. Thanks to Singapore's first-past-the-post politics, if they grow from the current 40% to tip over 50%, they'll suddenly have an unassailable majority... and what then?
I'll give the final word to Lee's last standing arch-enemy, Chee Soon Juan:
“Why is he still so afraid? I honestly think that through the years he has accumulated enough skeletons in his closet that he knows that when he is gone, his son [Lee Hsien Loong, the current Prime Minister] and the generations after him will have a price to pay. If we had parliamentary debates where the opposition could pry and ask questions, I think he is actually afraid of something like that. ...
Mr Lee Kuan Yew fights all his demons within himself to try to shore up his reputation. In the process, however, he destroys the very legacy that he so desperately desires to establish.”
– Chee Soon Juan, Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party
skinnylatte|11 years ago
jpatokal|11 years ago
raincom|11 years ago
Somehow, LKY planted all his family members in powerful roles of the government and the government run companies.
Government linked corporations (GLC) controll 60 percent of the singapore Economy. Tamasek holdings is one such. The CEO of Tamasek is the wife of the current prime minister, who is the son of LKY.
Another benevolent dictator in the making? Maybe, the elections can tell.
My friend's brother went to Singapore from India as an electrician in 2010. He was making S$550 per month, and was living in a shack somewhere in Singapore. Cheap labor imported from Malaysia, Indian, China, Thai, Burma, Phils help the government linked companies make profits. And this explains why Singapore does not have minimum wage.
kiyoto|11 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VexrmTacOAA
Once in awhile, I watch that footage of Meet the Press to remind myself what a sharp political leader he was. RIP the benevolent dictator.
walterbell|11 years ago
maceo|11 years ago
jmgtan|11 years ago
Yes Singapore has it's own set of societal problems, but I'd rather have that than the numerous problems that is deeply entrenched in Philippine society nowadays.
Rest in peace Mr LKY. Your accomplishments are legendary.
judyzhou|11 years ago
unethical_ban|11 years ago
Bribery as a matter of course for accomplishing mandated tasks is its own kind of servitude.
DevX101|11 years ago
Singapore was a backwater country with no natural resources when he came to power. It's since evolved into one of the primary economic hubs in Asia, with a higher per-capita GDP than her former colonizers, Great Britain.
To transform a country in such short a time is nothing short of remarkable.
oska|11 years ago
"Every time we look back on this moment when we signed this agreement which severed Singapore from Malaysia, it will be a moment of anguish. For me it is a moment of anguish because all my life ... you see, the whole of my adult life ... I have believed in merger and the unity of these two territories. You know that we, as a people are connected by geography, economics, by ties of kinship..."
Quote taken from transcript of a press conference given by LKY on August 9th, 1965 [1]
[1] http://web.archive.org/web/20140809182331/http://www.nas.gov...
adventured|11 years ago
Circa 2001 their GDP per capita was 1/3 lower than Japan, and about 1/5 lower than Hong Kong. They suffered a decade of stagnation from the early 1990s until 2003. They've been on a tear ever since, with GDP per capita now 45% higher than Japan and Hong Kong. Quite a jump in just 13 or 14 years.
Likely within another few years they'll pass Malaysia in GDP, with Malaysia having six times the population.
CyberDildonics|11 years ago
stefantalpalaru|11 years ago
thesumofall|11 years ago
ocrammer|11 years ago
seanmcdirmid|11 years ago
queryly|11 years ago
Three of Four Asian Tigers (Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea) are more democratic/free and equal in prosperity comparing with Singapore.
IMHO, a great strategic port and super effective government are probably key reasons that power the its great achievements. I hope people don't consider quasi-dictatorship style of governing the cause of economic miracle.
crdoconnor|11 years ago
China did this too, later.
cplease|11 years ago
l10nf15h|11 years ago
sjwright|11 years ago
Conversely the USA has a much higher percentage of its population sitting in prison. I suspect many of those people would prefer a caning over the loss of many productive years of their life.
Panoramix|11 years ago
seanmcdirmid|11 years ago
duckingtest|11 years ago
I see no downsides.
unknown|11 years ago
[deleted]
contingencies|11 years ago
thisrod|11 years ago
D'oh! I've been wondering how Singapore's low-taxing government accumulated all the capital that it invested, and that answer is so obvious: they took it from people somewhere else. Would you mind pointing me to a book that fills in the details?
jpatokal|11 years ago