Unfortunately if those smartest of individuals that you refer
to can be turned into a raging mob by some well voiced opinions,
then they cannot be so smart after all, even if they happen to
belong to tertiary institutions.
These supposedly smartest of individuals are impatient and
immature activists, with a rebel spirit of youth, and are easy prey
to political activists to capitalize on.
They are found in Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines,
Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and even in Malaysia if one read the
involvement of tertiary students in the political upheavals of
these countries over the last twenty years.
Unfortunately (or fortunately), Singapore's tertiary students
absence in political activism is not so much due to the maturity of
its student, but is due more to the watchful eye of the Internal
Security Department "embedded" in the tertiary institutions.
Some of these agitations have resulted in the fall of the
governments as was seen in Indonesia with the fall of Suharto,
Philippines with the fall of Marcos, Thailand with a change of
military rule to parliamentary democracy, Korea with the change
from one man rule to a elected Presidency, and Taiwan witnessing
the change of an entrenched Political Party for the last forty
years.
Unfortunately, some agitations have witnessed complete disaster as
in Chinas experience with the Tian An Men Square bloodshed,
Myanmar with a bloody military suppression, and Malaysia having a
short lived uprising in support of a prosecuted Deputy Prime
Minister.
These people cuts across different societies from a multi-ethnic
community such as in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand; to
a single ethnic group such as in Korea, Japan, and perhaps Taiwan
and China.
Much depends on the nature and characteristics of the society from
which these people come from.
The Thais are mostly Buddhist and accommodating by nature (?),
although some can be quite hot tempered when agitated.
The Burmese are quiet or soft spoken, and subservient by character,
but can also turn violent at the flip of a switch in the
mind.
The Malays (this term will cover the multi-facetted Indonesian
communities covering the ethnic groups of the Javanese, Bugis,
Sumatrans and others in the Indonesian Archipelago) are by nature
also very accommodating and subservient too, as most in the rural
farming communities are; but can also be fiery in their outburst
when agitated.
The Chinese and Koreans can be hospitable and accommodating in most
instance, but up to a point, and can be very energetic and militant
in pushing for their turf.
With such diverse people coming from diverse communities, and all
bearing the same human traits of compassion, accommodation,
hospitality, with varying degree of militancy in confrontation
one has to look deeper into the character of each society before
attempting to transplant the success from one society to apply the
same policy to another (that have a totally different
make-up).
While Singapore has a majority of Chinese in the make-up of its
multi-racial population, with most being successful in economic and
non-economic activities, it is able to accommodate and assist the
other non-Chinese communities to share in its economic
success.
However, in Indonesia, the majority of the population is of the
Malay stock that is not as economically active, and with the main
economic activities being in the hands of the minority ethnic
Chinese. With its economic strength, the Chinese Community in
Indonesia was able to gain political leverage.
This was the main cause of the problems that ignited the racial
sensitivities in Indonesia (as it also did in Malaysia-Singapore
during the 1960s and 1970s).
While the major Chinese Community controlled the economic pie in
Singapore, the pie was big enough to be shared with a smaller group
from the other races that make up the Singapore Population.
Unfortunately, it is the Minority Chinese Community in Indonesia
that controlled a relatively "small" economic pie of an undeveloped
Indonesian economy, that is insufficient to be shared by the over
burgeoning population of Indonesia, which can only result in
economic envy that leads to further racial difficulties.
Indonesia has to address their own problems with solutions that
suit the character of its people, its cultures, its own unique
situation.
President Megawati has made a good start by instilling the
confidence of the Chinese Community, in recognizing the lawful
existence of the Chinese Community in Indonesian Life.
In so doing, President Megawati has kindled the flame of confidence
in the Chinese to continue its successes in Indonesian economic
activities, so as to rekindle business confidence within Indonesia
that can only result in more investments, that leads to job
creation, and to political stability.
The Singapore Way may not necessarily be the best way for
Indonesia, due to the different set of circumstances, and the
different nature of the peoples.
However, I would think that LKY's Political Philosophy maybe most
applicable for Indonesia, that is -
"Fill the Stomach, and dull the Mind".