I find myself outside Singapore at one of the most significant moments in its post-Independence history. The current PM made a very dignified announcement with the news of LKY's death. By all accounts the crowds queuing to pay their respects at the lying-in-state are enormous; the personal impact on individuals considerable. That said, I'm told that the taxi-driver views of LKY and his contributions are polarised, as ever.
I can't help feeling that it's good for Singapore that this should be taking place now, some months ahead of the National Day marking 50 years of independence, so that the celebrations, in due course, can be forward-looking.
The international coverage of LKY's death and his coverage seems pretty balanced to me - a general acknowledgement of what he created, and a recognition of the trade-offs involved.
Friday, 27 March 2015
Monday, 23 March 2015
End of the Lee Kuan Yew era
As an outsider here, albeit a resident of nearly 20 years' standing, it's not for me to advocate political change following the death of Lee Kuan Yew, the formidable master architect of independent Singapore.
Whatever I may think personally, change is sure to come, sooner or later, for better or worse. It always seemed to me that Mr Lee generated a powerful magnetic force, a system of gravitational pulls, which held the assumptions and beliefs of the young nation in a more or less orderly system. That force may now be weakened, or disappear altogether. Leaders will no longer be able to invoke his name as a basis for legitimacy, or gain from their historic association with him. Material inequality, and, for example, the fact that the 'average' figures for the economic status of the population reflect in part the wealth of the super-rich minority, will come under greater scrutiny.
Generations have grown up who did not witness the creation of the Republic at first hand, and whose commitment to it has been reinforced by education, campaigns and callibrated media coverage. The possibility is that, from now on, political thinking will become increasingly diverse, and the government task of maintaining unity of purpose will become harder. Public consent will play a greater part in future, and simply announcing a plan will be no guarantee of its successful implementation.
Measures which might have been readily accepted if sanctioned by Mr Lee Kuan Yew will now be subject to greater examination and debate. The debates that are already taking place on the Internet will become louder, and audible to the public at large.
These change may be accelerated by the large numbers of recent migrants, who greatly value the economic benefits of living and working in Singapore, but have not been imbued with the Republic's nation-building ethos virtually from birth.
In short, Singapore politics will probably change. I don't know if the consequences will be good or bad. I very much hope they will be good. But I'm sure the task of governing it will require more skill and imagination than ever before.
Whatever I may think personally, change is sure to come, sooner or later, for better or worse. It always seemed to me that Mr Lee generated a powerful magnetic force, a system of gravitational pulls, which held the assumptions and beliefs of the young nation in a more or less orderly system. That force may now be weakened, or disappear altogether. Leaders will no longer be able to invoke his name as a basis for legitimacy, or gain from their historic association with him. Material inequality, and, for example, the fact that the 'average' figures for the economic status of the population reflect in part the wealth of the super-rich minority, will come under greater scrutiny.
Generations have grown up who did not witness the creation of the Republic at first hand, and whose commitment to it has been reinforced by education, campaigns and callibrated media coverage. The possibility is that, from now on, political thinking will become increasingly diverse, and the government task of maintaining unity of purpose will become harder. Public consent will play a greater part in future, and simply announcing a plan will be no guarantee of its successful implementation.
Measures which might have been readily accepted if sanctioned by Mr Lee Kuan Yew will now be subject to greater examination and debate. The debates that are already taking place on the Internet will become louder, and audible to the public at large.
These change may be accelerated by the large numbers of recent migrants, who greatly value the economic benefits of living and working in Singapore, but have not been imbued with the Republic's nation-building ethos virtually from birth.
In short, Singapore politics will probably change. I don't know if the consequences will be good or bad. I very much hope they will be good. But I'm sure the task of governing it will require more skill and imagination than ever before.
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