SG is what it is today because of globalisation: LKY

QX179R SG

SINGAPORE: Former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore is what it is today because of globalisation. He said the investments of trans-national firms have played a part in the country's development.

Mr Lee made these remarks on Friday night while hosting French oil giant TOTAL to dinner at the Istana.

He has been on the firm's International Advisory Committee since 1993, and said the experience has given him useful inputs as a Senior Advisor to the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC).

Mr Lee recounted how Singapore overcame the odds after separating from Malaysia and becoming independent in 1965. He said Singapore made some errors in its history, but got more things right than wrong, on the whole.

He said: "We were suddenly confronted with the challenge of making a living for two million people on a barren island at the southernmost tip of Asia, which gives us the advantage of servicing all the ships that cross the Atlantic and the Pacific.

"But more than that, we learned how to create conditions which gave confidence to investors, and made living in Singapore safe for foreigners and their families."

TOTAL's chairman and chief executive, Christophe de Margerie, paid tribute to Mr Lee as Singapore's founding father and invited him to stay on the company's Advisory Committee for as long as he wants. TOTAL bases several of its activities in Singapore, including the marketing of lubricants.

-CNA/ac

troublemaker2005 SG

so how to do>?

we dont pay milions for even one error. becasue one error alone is enbough to kill the whole island. wake up, one error in a country's admistration cannot be comparable to one error made by an employee in the private sector.

even private sector, many times one error a manager made in decision a lot of times i see casued so much trouble and shift the direction of the company on the whole - for good or bad infinitely.

been to so many countries but only see the middle and upper class lifestyle only. even been to the skid rows of US? or the worse of cheena's streets? i bet they have not!

sg is a small country, and we know we will always depend on our own population no matter what happens. to tell the people not to give birth to more than 2 children alone is very worng! more so if hard policies have been implemented to stop it, its almost like genocide, say we may not have a term for it. just like porn, have have hardcore and softporn.

the ghamn should not then make it a propaganda!

Nicole seah said right. we should not have the old style only fit and patch minor repairs in the system's loopholes. right now we should overhaul it, and start looking at our population birthrate and stop relying on foreign labor! what they did with the short in populatiopn backthen was to get more atificial 'sgrens' from other countries - and we know which one country they did massively with that! to cover up for the mistake a greave one!

casino was a joke - more jobs for the people. your sons and dotters go werk at casino arh? go therer werk or wank better!

Dalforce 1941 SG

I wonder whether the below book will be banned or not by Harry Lee Kuan Yew's PAP:

The Ruling Elite of Singapore: Networks of Power and Influence in Southeast Asia

Michael Barr explores the complex and covert networks of power at work in one of the world's most prosperous countries – the city-state of Singapore.

He argues that the contemporary networks of power are a deliberate project initiated and managed by Lee Kuan Yew – former prime minister and Singapore's "founding father" – designed to empower himself and his family.

Barr identifies the crucial institutions of power - including the country's sovereign wealth funds, and the government-linked companies – together with five critical features that form the key to understanding the nature of the networks.

He provides an assessment of possible shifts of power within the elite in the wake of Lee Kuan Yew's son, Lee Hsien Loong, assuming power, and considers the possibility of a more fundamental democratic shift in Singapore's political system.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Ruling-Elite-Singapore-Influence/dp/1780762348/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348288342&sr=8-1&keywords=michael+barr+singapore

Uraniumfish SG

IN BEFORE DALF.... ok nvm.

Chinaipv11 SG

I must be damn dumb to advertise here..

bycai SG

Michael Barr explores the complex and covert networks of power at work in one of the world's most prosperous countries – the city-state of Singapore.

It's always that enticing and intriguing for power struggle from foreigner, singaporeans and futue political parties in hybric for the pursuit on the hardwork of Singaporeans wealth. How would they love this to be protected and continue in the glory of its party and system has to be contested earnestly.

Singapore since independence is based on democracy because the Singaporeans are democratic. This democratic shift in Singapore's political system is nothing new in the heart of singaporeans in view of its democratical nature. There were many mistakes done in the course of developing singapore, one was publicly encouraging singaporeans to invest on share and many innocent young and oldies who never involved in gambling suffering mindset change and made loses and family in disarray.

troublemaker2005 SG

we build casinos for more jobs for sgreans.

fuking want our children towork in casinoes arh?!