SINGAPORE - The opposition should remain "competitive" in
Singapore's political landscape but former Minister Mentor
Lee Kuan Yew
doubts if the country will be able to sustain a two-party political
system.
Speaking at a forum during the 7th anniversary celebrations of the
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy yesterday, Mr Lee
felt a two-party
system will not be good for Singapore.
"Amongst other reasons, I don't believe Singapore can produce two
top class teams. We haven't got the talent to produce
two top class teams," he said.
Mr Lee made these comments when responding to a forum participant's
question on his vision for Singapore's future. In response, Mr Lee
began by saying: "The question has got to be your
vision, not my vision ... It's not for me to tell you what vision
you should have."
Mr Lee, who was Prime Minister for more than three decades, said
that he had "simpler problems" to tackle when he was in charge of
the Government. "We are in the First World and many highly-educated
people believe we must have more competition, more pressure on the
government," he said.
"A generation that grows up in a period of affluence believes that
we have arrived and as the saying goes the 'First World Parliament' must have a
'First World Opposition'.
"So the restlessness, whether that leads to better governance, I am
not able to say. We will wait and see - how constructive the
opposition can be, or will be."
Mr Lee addressed a broad range of topics during yesterday's
50-minute long dialogue. They included how the European debt crisis
would evolve to addressing widening income gaps. He said Singapore
has no plans to buy bonds from European countries facing a debt
crisis, and felt Europe's monetary union will eventually break
apart into two or three separate tiers because of economic
differences among the member states.
'The solution is immigration'
Immigration, which was a talking point in Mr Lee's dialogue session
with Nanyang Technological University students last week, surfaced
again as a topic during the forum yesterday.
One of the participants asked Mr Lee how Singapore can do better in
population policy now that the country is facing an ageing
population after
the stop-at-two children policy.
Mr Lee said the
policy had "nothing to do with what's happened". He
noted ageing populations are seen in developed countries where
women are educated and "do not see their future just bearers of
children".
"So the solution is immigration ... and as we age, and there are
not enough young people to look after the old, then maybe the population will be
receptive to taking in more immigrants," Mr Lee
said, and added Singapore could add about 20,000 to 25,000
immigrants annually to grow the population.
Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of
Public Policy, then asked Mr Lee what can be done for Singaporeans to
understand better the importance of
immigration.
Mr Lee replied: "I think we have explained it but they just don't
want to see so many foreigners in their midst." The turning point
for Singaporeans to understand the importance of immigrants, he
felt, would be when they realise the immigrants are needed
desperately and "are hurt by objecting to immigrants coming to
Singapore".
Another forum
participant asked Mr Lee if Singapore's national identity is strong
enough to absorb the immigrants. Mr Lee replied
that Singaporeans do not accept the need for immigrants because
some immigrants do not speak English. "I don't think they (the immigrants)
can learn English in their lifetime enough to become Singaporeans.
We have to wait for that to happen in the next generation," he
added.
http://www.todayonline.com/Hotnews/EDC110915-0000398/Two-party-system-not-good-for-Singapore,-says-Lee-Kuan-Yew
