http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/breaking-views/34437-a-quiet-rebel-called-goh-chok-tong--pn-balji-
"Lee’s distate for India
has been well documented. He considered the South Asian giant a
lumbering and bickering elephant sacrificing economic growth for
noisy democratic ideals."
The Malaysian Insider, 6 Aug 2009
A quiet rebel called Goh Chok
Tong – PN Balji
AUG 6 – First, the obvious. During his 14 years
as PM, Goh Chok Tong became a very well-liked politician. And,
arguably, the most
popular one from Singapore.
How did that come about, especially when the odds were stacked
against a deputy who was not his boss’ first choice to take over, a
rising leader who was vilified
publicly for his “wooden” personality and a man many considered to
be a seat warmer?
Now, the not so obvious. His most
notable achievement as PM was his ability to move Singapore away
from one of the most-jealously guarded philosophies of Lee Kuan Yew
and his “Old Order” welfarism.
Just three weeks into his administration, Goh was already
announcing plans for a $5 billion fund to give handouts to students
who could use the money for enrichment activities.
Over the years in office, he also introduced other semi-welfare
measures like Medifund and Medisave top-ups and upgrading of HDB
flats. Even bolder was the giving of money in the form of shares to
Singaporeans in 2001.
The philosophy of these moves, especially the last one, was a stark
departure from the “Pay and Pay” culture that the PAP has often
been mocked for.
With the intellectual weight, political might and national track
record of a man like Lee hovering over this island state, how did
Goh become his own man?
A long-time friend of his said: “Many people don’t know the real Chok Tong.
He is a quiet achiever. Behind that personable exterior is a rebel,
one who builds his case persuasively and wins over people with his
sincerity.”
In foreign affairs, the quiet rebel popped up again. He stepped out
of Lee’s shadow and developed a special relationship with
India.
Lee’s distate for India
has been well documented. He considered the South Asian giant a
lumbering and bickering elephant sacrificing economic growth for
noisy democratic ideals.
At a time when China was
the flavour of the day, Goh gambled on India, saying that
he wanted to create an
Indian fever in Singapore.
The Indian gamble turned out to be a sweet bet for Goh, with Lee
acknowledging in 2005: “I will have to change my views on India in
my memoirs.’’
There were a couple of disappointments, though. One local, the
other foreign.
Just a year into his prime ministership, Goh wanted to test his
leadership’s popularity with the electorate. But during the
elections in that year, his party lost two more seats and the share
of votes dipped to 61 per cent, the ruling party’s worst
performance since the early 1960s.
In foreign relations, Goh’s exuberance in rushing into a fresh
start with Malaysia crashed, with relations between the two
neighbouring hitting new depths of acrimony and mistrust.
Leave these setbacks aside and Goh shines as a politician who has
left behind a social compact that even his successor has
institutionalised.
You need not look further than the workfare and jobs credit schemes
that Lee Hsien Loong have introduced in the last five years as
Singapore’s third PM.
The genesis of these moves goes back to the Goh Chok Tong era. The
former PM not only introduced welfarism, Singapore style, he also
entrenched it. And he did it in his own quiet way.
* PN Balji is a veteran Singapore journalist. He is now
director of Asia Journalism Fellowship. It is an initiative of
Temasek Foundation and Nanyang Technological
University.
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