When I first meet Lee Kuan Yew in nineteen ninety four I was absolutely struck by him, Richard Nixon once compare him to legendary stateman like Disreali, Bismarck and Churchill but Nixon said he occupies a small stage - That stage doesn't looks small anymore.
Lee Yuan Yew took a small split of land in Southest Asia which became independant in nineteen sixty four after great struggle and anguish with no resources and a polyglot population of Chinese, Malaysia and Indian Workers, and turned it into one of the economics centers of the World.
To do this, Lee Kuan Yew have to have smart economic policies but alos a shrewd foreign policty that allied with America, kept China happy, kept Russian and Japan at base. This week I sat down with Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore, his son now serves as prime minister. But Lee Kuan Yew is called "minister mentor" and he is still indisputably "the father of Singapore".
I was struck by the depth of his understanding of the world - China, Russia, the United State - all at age eighty five - listen to this.
[1:11]
Ah, you have achieved remarkable success for Singapore in your lifetime you seem to go from a tiny poor backward third world country to one of the richest countries in the world, but lots of peoples feel that you have been , you have exercise to tigher control but you should have open things up more that that it has been to dominating and coercive state - what do you say to that?
I say: ask my people that would be given the vote, the secret, nobody has ever led any scenery, no bribery, no coercion and no nothing. We have never won less than sixty two-thirds of the pool
- but it is difficult for opposition party to from
It is not the bussiness of the goverment to enable the opposition party to overturn us, right? You expect the Republicans to help the Democrats to overturn them?
No, but but leave aside the even just issue of of political competition, I'd just mean you have laws for example that allow random testing of people for drugs, you have, you know, the famous ban against chewing which is to exercise people's imagination - you you feel you have to let up a little bit?
No, not at all, because of that, we are now a safe, secure, fun city. The nineteen has been transformed in the last ten, fifteen years - any number of nightclubs, the night life, al fresco dining by the riverside and people can even chew gum now, you need to have a ... certificate to buy gum haha for the people who want to give up smoking and got to chew some nicotin.
What is this I am trying to do, I'm trying to create in a third world situtation a first world oasis. I am not following any prescription given mean by any theoritian - democracy or whatever. I work from the first principles what will get me there.
Social peace and stability within the country, no fight between races, between religion whatever - fair share for everybody is a whole moner.
I want investments, out of nothing except skilled manpower infrastructure, I'd built up the infrastructure, I educate the people, we have the best educated work force anywhere in Asia, and I would say within another ten years anywhere in the world. They are all educated in English, which is our working language and they keep their mother tongue with us - Chinese, Malay, Taiwan or India whatever.
Must I follow your prescription to success?
Do I want to be like America?
Yes, in his inventiveness, in his creativeness, but do I want to be with America, like Amercia with its in-ability to control the drug problem - No. The gun problem, no.
These are my choices.
I go by what is a good governance, what are the things that I aim to do: healthy, society, that gives everybody a chance to achieve his maximum.
What do you think of the American Campaign watching it from Singapore?
Ha, what can I see is fascinating, suddenly, Mrcain produces the governor from Alaska and is leading in the polls, she she's a hit. The first flush she was a disaster.
What do you want from the next president?
Engagement with the world, keep trade going, don't backtrack, don't put your self at adavangtage and put the world at a disadvantage and you make conflict more likely, try to maintain a balance so that peace and stability is assured without more conflict.
One thing you have been critical of the United States off in the past has been it's efforts to spread democracy around the world, you were critical of it even Bill Clinton's America leave alone the freedom agenda of George Bush, what do you object to in that push?
No, I don't think it's do-able, I am a social Darwinist, survival of the fittest?
No, the survival requires you to change, if you don't change then you're marginalizing and you will become extinct.
But do you look at the way which the United State has been trying to push Democracy around the world and you said ...
Where have you succeed it? You went to Halti initition building, and I've just, well I was just listening to the BBC on Halti recently, I mean, it's just un-doable
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