this is a bias point of view. LKY did do much
good for Singapore. Ask yourself, if he was not a good leader, how
can Singapore be what it is today. Also, for Singaporeans to
support him all the way from when we gained independance to now
shows something good about him!
Was it LKY who did so much good for Singapore, or was it his
1957 team - Dr Toh Chin Chye, Dr Goh Keng Swee, S. Rajaratnam
and others - that did all the good by supporting and choosing
him to be their mouthpiece ?
Was it LKY or the generation from the 1930s and 1940s, who were
then already in their 20s in the 1950s and made the sacrifices by
believing in the speeches that LKY gave when he started out in
politics under the Colonial Government ?
If at all, LKY misled Singaporeans into believing him when he
sought independence from Colonial Rule only to see an autocratic
goverment making the Colonial Laws even tougher to control
Singaporeans -
"If we are to survive as a free democracy, then we must be
prepared, in principle, to concede to our enemies - even those who
do not subscribe to our views - as much(sic)constitutional rights
as you concede yourself." - Lee Kuan Yew Legislative
Assembly Debates Sept 21, 1955
"But we either believe in democracy or we not. If we do,
then, we must say categorically, without qualification, that no
restraint from the any democratic processes, other than by the
ordinary law of the land, should be allowed... If you believe in
democracy, you must believe in it unconditionally. If you believe
that men should be free, then, they should have the right of free
association, of free speech, of free publication. Then, no law
should permit those democratic processes to be set at nought, and
no excuse, whether of security, should allow a government to be
deterred from doing what it knows to right, and what it must know
to be right... "- Lee Kuan Yew, Legislative Assembly Debates
April 27, 1955
Singaporeans were misled into joining Malaysia in a Referendum that
did not give Singaporeans any real alternative not to join Malaysia
- as the three choices reflected the different conditions to join
Malaysia.
LKY also misled Tunku Abdul Rahman to accept
Singapore into the Federation of Malaya, and to pacify the Tunku
from having Singapore's entry upseting the ethnic balance in Malaya
- it was LKY's idea to create the Federarion of Malaysia that
included Peninsular Malaya with Singapore and the States of
Sarawak, Brunei and British North Borneo {changed to Sabah
later}.
It was LKY's reaction to the Ultra Malay
UMNO Politicians from Peninsular Malaysia that exacerbated a
fragile relationship between himself and the Tunku, which was made
worst by LKY's decision to have Malayan born Devan
Nair create a DAP to promote LKY's concept of a Malaysian
Malaysia in the image of the Singapore style of equality for
every ethnic group.
This decision to enter the Politics in
Peninsular Malaysia was against the agreement between the
Tunku and LKY that Singaporean politicians will not enter
the political arena in Peninsular Malaysia. The fact that LKY was
forced to respond to Ultra UMNO Politicians activities in
Singapore caused more friction in the relationship between the
ethnic groups.
The dramatic consequences of the head-on
political challenge between LKY against the Politicians from
Peninsular Malaysia resulted in furthering their insecurity
and atmosphere of being threatened by a more articulate person than
themselves. Tunku was the first to feel threatened
by LKY political ideas in his maiden speech in the Federal
Parliament.
"Let us get down to
fundamentals. Is this an open, or is this a closed society? Is it a
society where men can preach ideas - novel, unorthodox, heresies,
to established churches and established governments - where there
is a constant contest for men's hearts and minds on the basis of
what is right, of what is just, of what is in the national
interests, or is it a closed society where the mass media - the
newspapaers, the journals, publications, TV, radio - either bound
by sound or by sight, or both sound and sight, men's minds are fed
with a constant drone of sycophantic support for a particular
orthodox political philosophy? That is the first question we asked
ourselves. I would like to see minds stimulated and debate
provoked, and truth refined and crystallized out of the conflict of
different evidence and views. I, therefore, welcome every and any
opportunity of a chance to agree, or to dissent, in order that out
of thesis comes synthesis - thesis, anti-major premise,
anti-premise, synthesis, so we progress... I welcome every
opportunity to meet members of the opposition, and so do members of
my party, over the radio, over the television, university forums,
public rallies. We never run away from the open encounter. If your
ideas, your views cannot stand the challenge of criticism then they
are too fragile and not sturdy enough to last. I am talking of the
principle of the open society, the open debate, ideas, not
intimidation, persuasion not coercion... Sir, the basic
fundamentals we asked ourselves...is whether the duties of the
Minister of Information and Broadcasting are to produce closed
minds or open minds, because these instruments - the mass media,
the TV, the radio - can produce either the open minds receptive to
ideas and ideals, a democratic system of life, or closed and
limited. But I know that the open debate is a painful process for
closed minds...But let me make this point: that 5 million adult
minds in Malaysia cannot be closed - definitely not in the lifetime
of the people in authority. It is not possible because whatever the
faults of the colonial system, and there are many...they generated
the open mind, the inquiring mind." - Lee Kuan Yew Dec 18, 1964
Malaysian Parliamentary Debates ''
With LKY having a free hand
since 1965, and under his continuous influence -
is Singapore a better and free society according to
his grand vision encapsulated in his speech made in the
Malaysian Parliament ?
Jumping the Time Lines, Singapore
present day population problems had originated also from LKY's
insistence in a 2 child Family Planning in the 1960s - that
was vigorously promoted, including psychological pressure to have
the women undergo operation to prevent future pregnancy after the
second child birth.
Singapore's present political landscape is due entirely to the
insecurity of LKY in being challenged, resulting in the side lining
of his generation of leaders that formed his Team in the 1950s,
1960s and 1970s.
Every member of his earlier teams had been able to stand-up and
debate him on his ideas, and it seems that most allowed him to have
his ways due to his ''gift of the gap'' and an ''agile and alert
mind'' that is a storehouse of data and events.
The present Political Landscape will pose a future danger
to Singaporeans as the various institutions that existed in the
1950s and 1960s to provide check and balance to the Political
Structure were systematically dismantled.
Even LKY's idea of a 2-Key control over the National Reseve seem
to be quietly dismantled after the late President Ong Teng Cheong
put this concept to a test by asking the GCT Goverment to produce
an audit of the National Reserve so that the President will know
what he is looking after.
LKY's idea of not allowing a New Cabinet to utilise the budget
surplus from the previous Cabinet was made under the
pretext of protecting the National Reserves from
being ''supposedly raided'' by any rouge political party forming
the next Government.
This is merely creating future political problems for
Singaporeans who will dare to cast out the PAP from any supposedly
freak election result.
Why should this be seen as a freak result ?
If all these problems are not created by the wilful act of one
Man that believe himself to be infallible, and leaving the ordinary
Singaporeans to sweat it out to make things succeed - can Singapore
be what it is today ?
The fact that the Singapore economy continue to tick is not
due to the Politicians - who are quick to blame overseas factors
that affect Singapore - but is due to the energy and enterprise of
ordinary Singaporeans making our own way through a minefield
of legislations that slow us down.
The silly speed limits - of 50kmh, 70kmh, 80kmh and
90kmh - that blanket Singapore roads have made criminals
out of every Singapore driver, as no one seem to respect this piece
of legislation, and one can see car zipping along at speeds that
are in excess of the prevailing limits.
No one is caught until the law is enforced.
Can the Singapore economy exist at the various speed limits that
restrained Singaporeans, if Singaporeans did not take the risk to
break the law and be criminalised ?
This is Singapore under a kiasu Government that takes a short
cut in passing legislations that shoot the mouse with a cannon.
Is the POWER of ONE not to blame ?
Is his contribution not over blown ?