Viet Nam Human Rights
Vietnam needs a leader like Lee Kuan Yew
23/3/15
When historians chronicle Asia's modern
resurgence, they will focus on the rise of the region’s biggest economies: China, Japan,
India.
But if there's such a thing as "Asian capitalism," its spark,
smartest proponent and most controversial symbol was the founder of the
region's smallest country: Singapore's
Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father and first prime minister of
Singapore who transformed Singapore from a small port city into a wealthy
global hub, died Monday at age 91.
Lee Kuan Yew
was born in 16 September 1923. He was a
Singaporean politician. He was the first Prime Minister of Singapore, governing for
three decades. He has been described as the 'founding father' and 'architect'
of modern Singapore.
As the co-founder and first Secretary-General
of the People's Action Party (PAP), he led the
party to eight victories from 1959 to 1990, and oversaw the separation of
Singapore from Malaysia in 1965 and its subsequent transformation from a
relatively underdeveloped colonial outpost with no natural resources into a
"First World"
Asian Tiger. He was one of the most influential
political figures in Asia.
During three decades in which Lee held
office, Singapore grew from being a developing country to one of the most developed
nations in Asia, despite its small population, limited land space
and lack of natural resources. Between 1960 and 2011, Singapore's per
capita gross domestic product surged more than 100-fold. It now tops
$55,000. The city stands as one of the most advanced economies on earth, a
preternaturally clean and green oasis famed for strong institutions and
wide-open markets in a region still burdened by graft, cronyism and snarled
bureaucracies.
Lee's great insight was to recognize
that Singapore, after being
kicked out of the Malaysian Federation in 1965, needed to look beyond its
then-hostile neighborhood and export higher-end goods to the advanced economies
of the West and Japan.
Along with the other so-called Asian Tigers,
Singapore
concentrated on getting the economic fundamentals right -- encouraging savings
and investment, keeping inflation and taxes low and currencies stable, and
emphasizing high-quality education.
Lee often stated that Singapore's
only natural resources are its people and their strong work ethic. He is widely
respected by many Singaporeans, particularly the older generation, who remember
his inspiring leadership during independence and the separation from Malaysia.
Indeed, for many people in Singapore
and other countries, Lee is inextricably linked with their perceptions of Singapore.
Lee was also widely praised by other
world leaders. Henry Kissinger once said that Lee was
"One of the asymmetries of history". Richard Nixon
remarked that if Lee lived in another time and place, he would have attained
the world stature of a Churchill, a Disraeli,
or a Gladstone. Bill Clinton
and George H.W. Bush called Lee a "remarkable
leader and statesman" and "one of the brightest and most effective
world leaders that I have ever known" respectively during the launch of
his book, "Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going". Former British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher praised “his way of penetrating the fog of
propaganda and expressing with unique clarity the issues of our time and the
way to tackle them." Her successor, Tony Blair, said of Lee: he is
"the smartest leader I ever met."
World leaders remembered Lee Kuan Yew
as a political “giant” who crafted Singapore into a regional economic
powerhouse and helped drive the creation of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations.
UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon issued a condolence statement and said Lee "helped Singapore to
transition from a developing country to one of the most developed in the world,
transforming it into a thriving international business hub."
U.S. President Barack Obama said
discussions with Lee in 2009 were “hugely important” in helping him formulate
the U.S.’s
policy of rebalancing to the Asia Pacific region. “He was a true giant of history who will be remembered for generations to come as the
father of modern Singapore
and as one the great strategists of Asian affairs.”
Vietnamese leaders
extended condolences to their Singaporean counterparts over the death of the
former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on March 23. General Secretary
of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong sent condolences to
Secretary-General of the People’s Action Party Lee Hsien Loong, while State
President Truong Tan Sang conveyed his sympathy to President Tony Tan Keng Yam.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung passed his condolences to Singaporean Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong over the loss. The same day, Deputy Prime Minister and
Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also expressed his sympathies to Singaporean
Foreign Minister K Shanmugam.
In Singapore, a
steady stream of people arrived at the hospital and the Istana, the prime
minister's office, to offer their condolences. As the long wait for the
inevitable continued, the floral tributes piled up right outside the
city-state's main hospital, often laid by tearful, older Singaporeans who truly
see this sharp-tongued, tough-minded man as a father figure.
For all of its impressive successes,
this is still a country with Lee Kuan Yew's imprint visible everywhere. He was
unapologetic about the repressive measures he used to impose order, and
unapologetic about believing his prescriptions alone were the right ones.
No-one is quite sure what direction Singapore will now take without
him.
But, maybe according to some so-called
human rights activists, Singapore's
success has come at significant cost to human rights. Lee tolerated no dissent
and jailed regime critics without trial, and despite their wealth, Singaporeans
do not enjoy a free press, freedom of speech, or freedom of assembly. Critics
have also accused Lee of nepotism. In addition to his son Lee Hsieng Loong, Singapore's
current prime minister, other
children and close family members occupy powerful positions within
the country. Members of Singapore's
Malay and Indian populations have accused Lee, who was of Chinese descent, of
failing to share political and economic spoils with other ethnic groups.
His
leadership was sometimes criticized for suppressing freedom, but the formula
succeeded. Singapore
became an international business and financial center admired for its
efficiency and low level of corruption. His “Singapore model,” sometimes
criticized as soft authoritarianism, included centralized power, clean
government and economic liberalism along with suppression of political
opposition and strict limits
on free speech and public assembly, which created a climate of caution
and self-censorship.
In
the 2010 interview with The Times, though, he took a reflective, valedictory
tone. “I’m not saying that everything I did was right, but everything I did was
for an honorable purpose,” he said. “I had to do some nasty things, locking
fellows up without trial.”
He said he was not a religious man and that he dealt
with setbacks by simply telling himself, “Well, life is just like that.” Yes,
we need a leader like him to make Vietnam
like Singapore!
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All comments [ 11 ]
Lee personally shaped Singapore in a way that few people have any nation. His place in history is assured, as a leader and as one of the modern world’s foremost statesmen.
I respect his effective leadership of his wonderful, resilient and innovative country in ways that lifted living standards without indulging a culture of corruption.
Yes, Vietnam desperately needs a leader like him, make us proud!
Lee was a “giant of our region” who 50 years ago led a “vulnerable, fledgling nation to independence.
Thanks to his leadership, Singapore is now one of the world’s most prosperous nations, a financial powerhouse, and one of the world’s easiest places to do business.
We've had an Uncle Ho in wars, now we need another Uncle Ho in this developing age.
He was well known for his insights and foresight but what struck me most was his unwavering determination to see Singapore succeed. Vietnamese leaders should be like that.
Singapore is a model, a best example for Vietnam to learn and follows.
yes, Singapore is one ruling party, intolerant to human rights, being criticized by many democracy activists, but ironically it's still an undeniable developed country.
Lee was feared for his authoritarian tactics but insisted that strict limits on speech and public protest were necessary to maintain stability in the multi-ethnic and multireligious country.
I totally agree with you guys! We desperately need a leader like Lee Kuan Yew. He was an amazing person. I truly respect him. Lee Kuan Yea R.I.P you were amazing in every possible way. By the way, I do believe discipline is the way forward. Our Asian cultures don't share the same values as Western cultures so you should not use their criteria to judge Lee Kuan Yew. He led a poor and backward country with no natural resources into an international economic hub. He built an ocean out of a puddle. He was an inspiration to us all and showed that nothing is impossible. If Singapore could become an economic hub them Vietnam can too. We just need more discipline, hardwork, honesty and goal orientated culture. Less partying, showing up, corruption, content-with-the-way-things-are laidback way of life.
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