Topic brought forth from one posted by Typhoon. Previous topic
erased for strong, provocative language.
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The visit of Mr. Lee Kuan-yew
Lee Kuan-yew
He doesn't know that the "unification" stuff he wants to sell is
already outdated in Taiwan?
In September 2000, former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew
visited Taiwan and gave its leaders plenty of "advice" regarding
relations with China. We took a look at Mr. Lee, his background and
views. The article was published in the Taipei Times on 14
September 2000.
Lee was born into a wealthy Chinese family in Singapore in 1923. He
studied law in England in the late 1940s and was admitted to the
English bar in 1950. After his return from England he became a
leader in nationalist political circles, and in 1954 formed the
People's Action Party. Lee was a member of the delegation that
negotiated Singapore's independence from the British in 1956-58.
Following his party's victory in the subsequent elections, he
became prime minister in 1959, a post he held until 1990.
The fact that he led Singapore for more than 30 years presents two
alternative propositions. First, the people of Singapore liked him
so much that they elected him again and again; or second he was
repressive and didn't allow opposition to surface.
As anyone familiar with Singapore's history will confirm,
proposition number 2 is the correct one: for a while there was a
mere one-man opposition in Singapore's parliament, and Lee found it
necessary to frame that person and imprison him.
Perhaps Lee's Singapore is thus not a great showcase for democracy.
Lee coined a phrase for his approach: "Asian values," meaning that
individual human rights are less important than the government
deciding what is best for its people. Lee and other small-time
dictators such as Hong Kong's Tung Chee-hwa and Malaysia's Dr
Mahathir Mohamad have used the concept to justify the authoritarian
state of affairs in their states.
So, what kind of advice is Lee going to bring us? Presumably that
unification with China is "inevitable," as he stated in an
interview with the Far Eastern Economic Review on 8 June 2000. But,
wait a minute, if "unification" is so good for Taiwan, why doesn't
Singapore "unify" with China? Aren't they all Chinese? We haven't
seen any indication that Lee intends Singapore to do that.
In the same interview, Lee stated that it is wrong for Taiwan to
emphasize its own separate identity. Yet, isn't that what he has
been doing in Singapore himself? Lee, isn't it a bit hypocritical
to tell others they can't have their own identity, when you have
been asserting Singapore's identity yourself all your life?
As Taiwanese we have the same right as all the peoples of the world
to our own identity, culture, and history. We have the same right
as all the peoples of the world to be accepted as full and equal
members of the international community.
Lee would do best, therefore, to stay at home and mind his own
business. We Taiwanese will determine our own future.
http://www.taiwandc.org/twcom/94-no5.htm
