Mr Lee's advice to other
governments is – to have a government that the people support and
have confidence in; to have a leadership that's above board, where
decisions are made not for personal gain but because it is
necessary for the country; and to have able men in
charge.
The above about gahmen's
decision not for personal gain, gahmen people support and have
confidence in, a leadership that is above board and able men in
charge - are these lies from LKY?
======================================
Singapore's quest to be less dependent on Malaysia for
water started at separation
By Imelda Saad Aziz/Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia
| Posted: 25 June 2008 2312 hrs
Photos 1 of 1
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew
Related Videos 
Singapore's quest to be less dependent on
Malaysia for water started at separation
SINGAPORE: Singapore's quest to be less dependent on
Malaysia for its water supply came about from day one when the
country separated from its neighbour in 1965, Minister Mentor Lee
Kuan Yew revealed on Wednesday.
Speaking at a dialogue session during the inaugural Lee Kuan Yew
Water Prize Award Ceremony, Mr Lee recounted what happened during
the early days of independence and explained why water is so
crucial to the survival of Singapore.
He said even then, he believed new technology would steer Singapore
towards eventual self-sufficiency.
"How do we retrieve water from unprotected catchments, so that the
first flush goes off to the sea and the second one is collected and
is usable?
"So, I set up a unit in my office and I had a very good engineer
who was head of the department and we set out systematically from
day one (in) 1965 (to) get every drop of water in Singapore
potable...
"If every drop of the 96 inches of rain that Singapore gets a year
were collected and consumed, could we have enough for the
population of 2 million then?"
Today, Singapore has several water treatment plants which also
provide water to industries.
But globally, Mr Lee said the misuse of water in agriculture is a
problem, like switching on grass sprinklers in the day.
He said, "I just can't understand why we are doing this? Hasn't
somebody invented something that'll make sure that the water drips
onto the grass in the evenings when it's cool and the loss of
evaporation is minimal? But no, they work 9 to 5 and so they press
it on in the afternoon when evaporation is highest and then they
close (it) at 5."
He said countries could learn from the Israeli example of drip
irrigation - a method which minimises the use of water and
fertiliser by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of
plants.
Mr Lee added that he believes water reclamation and waste
management will be a huge industry because every society,
especially China and India, will have to cope with the problem of
water shortage.
When asked if Singapore would be able to sustain the same level of
progress without its founding father, the minister mentor said the
city state's leaders are built on credibility.
He noted that the problem with a free election system is that when
the electorate gets bored, they may place their trust in the
opposition. Then, Mr Lee explained, all bets are off because in
just five years a country can be ruined.
"If you are Canada or Australia, (which are) resource-rich, the
swing of (the) commodity cycle will lift you back. But when you are
Singapore, and your system depends on performance... when that
performance disappears because the system which it is based (on) is
eroded, then you've lost everything."
Mr Lee said Singapore is too small a country to help change the
world, but it is willing to share its knowledge of purifying water
with others.
He said, "We did not do this by ourselves, we climbed on other
peoples' shoulders; we brought things together and built on them.
We're happy to have people climb on our shoulders - whether you're
from the Middle East, China, India... it's a collaborative
effort.
"The world will need this because what we have assumed was
limitless, endless supplies of water... we have found it not to be
so, and we (have) found a way out of it."
Mr Lee's advice to other governments
is – to have a government that the people support and have
confidence in; to have a leadership that's above board, where
decisions are made not for personal gain but because it is
necessary for the country; and to have able men in charge. -
CNA/ac