Speaking late Wednesday, Lee, 84, warned Singapore voters
against putting the opposition at the helm of government "in a
moment of fickleness or just sheer madness" when they get "bored"
at some point in the future.
Should this happen, "I think all bets are off because in five
years they (opposition) can ruin this place," he told hundreds of
delegates.
He stressed that, unlike many other countries, Singapore does not have natural resources such as oil,
gas, forests, timber and aluminium.
"When you are Singapore and your existence depends on
performance -- extraordinary performance, better than your
competitors -- but that performance disappears because the system
on which it is based is eroded, then you've lost everything."
Lee, widely credited for shepherding the underdeveloped port
into one of Asia's wealthiest nations in one generation, said
younger Singaporeans often tell him he is
"playing the same old record" when he delivers his message.
Singapore's small opposition has only two seats in a parliament
dominated by the People's Action Party which has been elected since
1959.
Despite its economic success, local and international civil
rights groups have criticised the government for cracking down hard
on dissenters and political activists.
Street protests are rare and public gatherings of five people or
more are banned without a police permit.
Lee has maintained that Western-style liberal democracy is not
the right model for Singapore.
He said one ingredient for a country's success is putting able
leaders in government, but that this could be difficult under a
more freewheeling US-style democracy.
Lee holds the cabinet rank of Minister Mentor in the government
of his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080626/wl_asia_afp/singaporepoliticsoppositionlee_080626022729
