MM LEE ON FREAK POLL RESULTS - 5 Years all it takes to ruin Singapore - Singapore's Online Community

**Miss QQ** · 26-06-2008, 08:27 AM

MM LEE ON FREAK POLL RESULTS - 5 Years all it takes to ruin Singapore
http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Sto...ry_251688.html

	Quote:
	MM LEE ON FREAK POLL RESULTS - 5 Years all it takes to ruin Singapore 'I know how we got here and I know how we can unscramble it,' he says By Lydia Lim, Senior Political Correspondent ONE freak election result is all it will take to wipe out Singapore's success in building up the city state, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew warned last night. This could happen if voters became bored and decided to give the 'vociferous opposition' a chance - out of 'light-heartedness, fickleness or sheer madness'. 'In five years, you can ruin this place and it's very difficult to pick up the pieces,' he told 650 participants of a dinner forum at the Shangri-La Hotel. Mr Lee was responding to a Bangladesh delegate who asked if Singapore would continue to thrive in his absence. The delegate also expressed sorrow at the news of Mrs Lee's illness, and Mr Lee thanked him. In his reply, Mr Lee returned to themes he has spoken on often - the need for a system to ensure good leaders emerge, and the danger that voters plumping for more opposition MPs might end up with an unintended change of government. Larger countries rich in resources can survive such a freak outcome, but not Singapore, he said. 'When you're Singapore and your existence depends on performance - extraordinary performance, better than your competitors - when that performance disappears because the system on which it's been based becomes eroded, then you've lost everything,' he said. 'I try to tell the younger generation that and they say the old man is playing the same record, we've heard it all before. I happen to know how we got here and I know how we can unscramble it.' He said a country needed three elements to succeed. First, a government that people have confidence in and will trust when tough decisions need to be taken. Second, leaders who are above board, who make decisions based on necessity, not how they will personally benefit. He said Singaporeans know they have such leaders because, over the years, 'we have not got richer, Singapore has'. Third and most importantly, a country needs able men in charge. The problem with popular democracy, he said, is that during elections, candidates are not judged on how well they can govern, but on their persuasive power. The forum, chaired by Mr Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, was a highlight of the first World Cities Summit and International Water Week. In his opening remarks, Mr Lee spoke for 20 minutes off the cuff, recounting his 40 years of striving to build up Singapore's independent water supply. He was determined because as long as Singapore was totally reliant on its neighbours for water, it would remain a 'satellite'. During a 30-minute question-and-answer session, participants from around the world probed him about water management and political leadership. He also presented the first Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize to Dr Andrew Benedek, a pioneer in the field of membrane technology for water treatment. A key outcome of several sessions held yesterday was the setting up of an informal network of 16 countries - comprising the Asean 10, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand - to share ideas and expertise on how to go about pursuing sustainable development. And the World Bank announced plans to set up in Singapore a regional hub for training urban planners, which will draw on the Republic's success in city development.

**lai** · 26-06-2008, 10:48 AM

Guess the election will becoming soon as MM Lee rises his awareness

**ggnore** · 26-06-2008, 10:51 AM

we definitely need good leaders to be responsible for the country's well-being. i guess the majority will still vote for the more capable ones.

**princessLUCK** · 26-06-2008, 10:53 AM

quite agree with what he had said!

**LReaction** · 26-06-2008, 12:04 PM

A stronger opposition is always good. Keeps everyone in check. If the opposition wins, they deserve to... they are also people that cares about the country, PAP makes them look like power hungry evil characters. >_>

**Yuppie** · 26-06-2008, 12:18 PM

Bad drivers have higher chances of getting into an accident.
Mothers are females.

Thats a summary of what he is saying.

But he doesnt say that when the leaders dont give a damn about the peoples' views, they are gonna lose some seats for sure.
Neither does he say that capable opposition leaders can run the country effectively as well.

**hooolahoop** · 26-06-2008, 12:22 PM

haii, if PAP cannot lead well, there's a reason for people to vote for opposition de marr. sounds more like propaganda to me.

we of course vote for the capable leaders. so if they want to continue winning the seats, prove they are capable. don't always talk and talk, cop so much money from us, then do nothing to help us.

**Sink-a-poor** · 26-06-2008, 01:17 PM

Something that I read regarding the politics of fear so prevalent in our country:

Fear of political reprisals is, therefore, not just a matter of perception. It is a physiological and psychological reality. It is a gut response that drives us into a lot of negative thoughts and causes us to react negatively. It is an "if so-and-so can get into trouble, so can I" kind of thinking. This is a kind of self-preservation mechanism. For this reason, it is not difficult to see why politics is avoided by most Singaporeans.

The danger of the threat of reprisals may have been exaggerated, but Singaporeans cannot be faulted for their fears. Over the years, the amygdala of Singaporeans has been unfavourably stimulated enough by the ISD's arrests, the closure of unions, the folding up of newspapers and the defamation suits brought against opposition figures as to make this fear understandable.

There is a saying in Chapter 53 of a Chinese classic entitled "Revealing Original Shape in Officialdom" that states: There is a wise old adage that says, `Kill the chicken in order to frighten the monkey. If the chicken is killed, the monkey will certainly be scared'.

There is another reason why we have reached the "miserable and pathetic" situation where people are afraid to speak their mind and politics is shunned. This is related to the stage of our moral development.

In pre-historic times, people react to fear by clubbing to death the threatening animal. In a more developed society, people are more civilised and the threats are different. The threats may come in the form of a policy that threatens a livelihood, a way of life or a property or where an act may threaten the principle of justice and equality or any democratic principles. The civilised reaction, in a modern fully-developed democracy, is to shout and protest until the threat is resolved.

In Singapore, however, we have not been able to reach the stage of a full-fledged democracy because the fear factor is so great that all our frustrations and angers have become internalised into helpless whimpers. It is no wonder that grumbling has become a national pastime.

Singapore may a country with first world physical infrastructure but our people have yet to reach the stage of moral development that other fully-developed modern democracies have attained. We are still at the level where we are pre-occupied with chasing after food, shelter and other material needs.

Abstract things like justice, democracy and equality, principles and good of society are too far from the minds of Singaporeans.

As long as the people are conditioned to live life at this basic material level, the fear factor is easily reinforced. It is not surprising that when voters were threatened with the withholding of upgrading, they fell in line. Tell people not to vote for more opposition or the investors will run away and the people will listen. Give them a bit of shares and the people will be grateful. As long as the basic needs are provided for, there is no danger of any silent grumble becoming loud noise.

No Singaporean is going to be convinced that involvement in the public affairs of the country is safe if our so-called "best and brightest" shun the highest level of politics. If the people who say, "Don't give excuse, nothing will happen to you" are themselves unwilling to demonstrate their belief with action, we can only conclude that, like all Singaporeans, they are just hoping for others to do the job. The overwhelming walkovers at every general election merely reinforce the attitude that politics in Singapore is something to be shunned.

**raph** · 26-06-2008, 07:23 PM

haa he read my mind!! oops!

**eL_niNo** · 26-06-2008, 07:40 PM

with competition comes progression.

Hallyu · 26-06-2008, 07:42 PM

If I am of age, I think I will vote for the current party...

I thought they were pretty good? and I don't trust the opposition party -_-

**zane80** · 26-06-2008, 10:34 PM

Yes, let PAP run stuff and we shall not care abt politics, Its good to llive in Singapor el ike that

cute wormz · 26-06-2008, 10:43 PM

the current party has done a really gd job governing our country...dun see the need to change as cant really trust other party...

**Siong2** · 26-06-2008, 10:47 PM

Just compare countries around us, we've being led very well.

**facevoid** · 26-06-2008, 10:48 PM

the youngsters these days think that those worker party can lead singapore.
stop being childish and wake up.

Hallyu · 26-06-2008, 10:49 PM

yay! finally people agree with me! I posted my comment in another thread.. and someone "scolded" me