mkjr

and another view.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...ticle23610260/

YuropFlyer

Seems to be written by one of those guys that still believe in the idea of spreading western democracies by B-52's, Abraham tanks and Guantanamo is a good idea..

Heavily Anti-Russian/Chinese article too, imho.

Then he cheers countries like South Korea or the Chinese province of Taiwan, despite both of them having very much flaws in their democratic systems.

I do give him the point that a authoritarian system is a dangerous thing when it doesn't have proper transfer of power. However, in China, they did manage a system for transfer of power every 10 years, and they're rather successfully with it, as it seems. Compare this with the deadlock system of the largest "democracy" in the world, that has it's President and it's two-chamber parliament system often basically blocking any progress, it's ageing infrastructure and inability to solve such trivial matters.

I really thought Canadians see the world different than average US Americans, guess this author doesn't..

I'd personally would prefer the Singaporean system over (almost) every other system in the world. Maybe some kind of Swiss-system can work, and obviously, the smaller a countries size the easier.

Once you get several hundreds of million of people and/or on (ten)thousand of islands, things just tend to get more complicated, and some systems just can't work unless you're lucky enough to have oil (Hello there, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia etc etc..) - Singapore did have some advantages as in being a small island - but they also did has disadvantages compared with other countries, yes this didn't stopped them. Multi ethnics? Big issue in other countries, close to none in SIN.. no natural resources? Extremely hot weather? etc. etc.

AA_EXP09

To be entirely fair the w@nker that is PM in Canada is one of these guys (joining the ISIS mission, C51, more government monitoring...)

gilbertaue

Thats done on purpose so those who buy the fish balls at Old Chang Kee outside United Square have some exercise to do.

IAN-UK

Well, you're in good company :

..... the cult of Lee Kuan Yew has been an unmitigated disaster in Eastern Europe, where the example set by Singapore’s unapologetic autocrat has helped to rehabilitate and legitimize authoritarianism.

Vladimir Putin is a greater admirer of Lee, whom he awarded Russia’s prestigious “Order of Honor.” In Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili has been under Lee’s charismatic spell, passing his books around like bibles. The Ukrainian government, when ruled by Putin puppet Viktor Yanukovych, would disguise its kleptocracy by likening its governance to Singapore. Today, the cult is so widespread that even the Russian minister directing Crimea points to Lee Kuan Yew as a mentor.

Politico Magazine, March 23

http://www.politico.com/magazine/sto...#ixzz3VULlFu5Q

YuropFlyer

Using a great name for not-so-great things is rather common, isn't it, though?

jpatokal

It's also worth remembering that many of the things that Lee usually gets credit for -- in particular, virtually all of its economic policy like courting multinationals, reserving Jurong as an industrial park, setting up a currency board to manage the dollar, investing cash reserves through the GIC sovereign wealth fund, etc) -- was actually invented and driven by his deputy Goh Keng Swee.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goh_Keng_Swee

dannybhoy

Brings to mind the adage about the devil quoting scripture... I prefer an article http://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/...0110_3232.html which at least acknowledges that those who cite him as inspirations "only retain the autocratic side of the Singaporean mix - not the absence of corruption nor the quality of the public service"... sorry no English translation.

dannybhoy

One would have expected GKS to play a major role, the key role even, in S'pore's economic development... Why bother having a LSE PhD in economics if he couldn't do that. The important thing was that LKY took GKS' advice and gave him that free hand. Anyway, despite all the outpouring of emotion everyone recognises that it was a team effort... even Tua Pek Kong belongs within a pantheon of gods...

IAN-UK

Absence of corruption might be going just a little too far.

The Jade condo scandal indicated that he was at best lazy in enforcing discipline and probity among his nearest and dearest.

Later charges of nepotism perhaps stemmed from that same unseemly indulgence shown to family members.

The results of Lee's public service were, indeed, startling. That some were achieved by means eschewed by the west's more delicate politicians is the point studiously avoided in their eulogies. Who knows - there might be a hint of envy in that silence

mkjr

a rather accurate statement IMO....

dannybhoy

Close enough for government work, as the Yanks might say...

Moderator2

Discussion of Lee is Omni fodder. Let's limit this thread to travel.

BRITINJAPAN3

Do you really think we ALL ( whoever we all are ) knew that ? Funny no one mentioned it then,

quirrow

Back when I was schooling in Singapore and living near United Square, I took the daily MRT ride, and there was this thing called the stairs. And isn't the main entrance/exit to Novena MRT at Novena Square or whatever the new mall over it is now named.

The city state is practically changing too fast. A lot of people mentions the safety and cleanliness of the city as a major differential to other SE Asian countries, but I think there is also the amalgamation of cultures in neighbourhood markets. Indians, Chinese and Malays all talking in Singlish and that is always what has differentiated this city state in offering a bit of food and culture from all these immigrants.

Being immigrants, the locals 'fight for survival' and thus supports the ex-founding father PM Lee. That culture is still slightly unique in my view. FYI, I was educated most of my life in Singapore but I am not a citizen of the country.