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S'pore's leadership not inferior to old guards
By Imelda Saad, Correspondent
Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew does not think that the
present leadership team is inferior compared to the old
guards.
He was speaking on Monday at the first pioneers lecture series
organised jointly by the Economic Development Board and The Straits
Times.
Asked to give an assessment of the Singapore third generation
leaders, Mr Lee said in fact, standards have gone up.
He added, 'inteligence, administrative capabilities and political
sensibilities' have improved over the years.
What's missing, Mr Lee noted, is the 'combat experience' of
Singapore's first generation leaders who have gone through the
tumultuous indepedendent years.
'There's a vast difference between soldiers trained in actual
combat who've seen casualty, blood and horror and soldiers trained
in simulation. You can't recreate the same set of circumstances,'
he said.
Despite this, Mr Lee said today's team 'is as good as you can
get'.
He noted that the present leadership has gone through its own
baptism of fire such as SARS and the Asian financial crisis without
losing its nerves.
'People think I'm holding their hands but they're in charge,' Mr
Lee said. 'From time to time, when I see something that will lead
to dicey results, I ask them to think through.'
He said his hope is for the current leadership to find another team
in the next one to two elections to replace themselves.
It takes five to 10 years to nurture a team, he said, and to get
the public to accept them as leaders.
The concern however, is that it's getting harder to rope in good
people.
Mr Lee noted even in the current team, there's going to be
attrition.
Hence, there's a need to find younger leaders in their 30s and
early 40s.
'The system is working but you need capable men to make it
perform,' Mr Lee pointed out.
Turning reflective, the minister mentor closed the hour and a half
dialogue session with this message to Singaporeans, 'There's no
steady state of growth forever.'
Mr Lee said Singaporeans must be prepared to accept painful
measures to ensure Singapore's progress.
He cited examples such as the CPF cuts and GST hikes as 'unpopular'
policies.
Had the leadership flinched on such policies, he said, Singapore
would not be where it is today.
Other special guests throughout the Pioneers series of seminars -
to be held once every two months - include former Cabinet minister
S Dhanabalan, and former top civil servants Sim Kee Boon, Ngiam
Tong Dow, JY Pillay and Philip Yeo.
that's why we need to pay top $$$ to keep them to "lead"
us
