# Lee Kuan Yew Dead at 91



## Edward Campbell (22 Mar 2015)

Media is reporting that Lee Kuan Yew has died at the age of 91.

He was a towering figure in Asia ~ he provided a socio-economic model of _conservative democracy_ that *will* be the foundation for whatever success the Chinese Communists may have in this century. 

Lee did not believe that Western _liberal_ democracy was best suited for Asia ... he thought it could be made to work, could be adapted, but he thought there was a better model and he imposed it on Singapore.

The _system_ protects the _fundamental_ rights of everyone that John Locke and John Stuart Mill would recognize: life, liberty, property and conscience, and the _system_ is firmly rooted in respect for the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.

Singapore has one of the most open and honest governments in the world (always in the top 10, usually in the top five in both categories) and one of the most _efficient_ ... based on a small, highly professional, dedicated and honest civil service ... small because many so called "public services," while regulated, are provided by the private sector ... dedicated and honest because the civil servant are not drones, they are valued _policy_ people and they are very well paid.

His counsel has been central to China since Deng Xiaoping; be sure that Xi Jinping will lead a large and very, very high powered delegation to his funeral. His influence will be felt long after we've forgotten all about Ronald Reagan, George W Bush, Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton.


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## tomahawk6 (22 Mar 2015)

He was a central figure in Singapore and will be missed.In the US due to our insular education system few even know who he was.


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## Edward Campbell (25 Mar 2015)

Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from _The Economist_, is an interesting bit of _strategic_ fallout from Lee Kuan Yew's policies:

http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21647094-taiwans-president-makes-unprecedented-foreign-visit-singapore-friends-afar


> Friends from afar
> *Taiwan’s president makes an unprecedented foreign visit, to Singapore*
> 
> Mar 24th 2015
> ...




My _guess_ is that Xi Jinping will say nothing about this ... it is, indeed, something of a _coup_ for President Ma, but he is smart enough to not push his luck and China will not display bad manners during the Lee family's mourning.


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## dimsum (25 Mar 2015)

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> My _guess_ is that Xi Jinping will say nothing about this ... it is, indeed, something of a _coup_ for President Ma, but he is smart enough to not push his luck and China will not display bad manners during the Lee family's mourning.



I agree.  Any sign of bad etiquette now would be disastrous for China from the other Asian countries, as it's a mourning period.


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## Edward Campbell (25 Mar 2015)

This opinion piece, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_, is the _progressive/Laurentian Elite_ view of Lee Kuan Yew's legacy:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/lee-kuan-yew-gave-singapore-independence-and-the-world-a-bad-idea/article23610260/


> Lee Kuan Yew gave Singapore independence, and the world a bad idea
> 
> MARCUS GEE
> The Globe and Mail
> ...




Mr Gee is a smart fellow and I'm fairly sure he knows he's stretching the facts to suit a _meme_ ...

     _"His main contribution was to legitimize the idea that you can have progress without democracy ..."_ 
      That, even with the qualifications Mr Gee added, is arrant nonsense. Singapore is a democracy ... it's elections are at least as free and fair as any in the world. 
      The opposition is weak because The People's Action Party, Mr Lee's party, very carefully serves the interests of the Chinese majority - the worst electoral result the PAP ever had as 60+% of the popular vote.
      Singapore does have very strict libel laws ~ largely unchanged from the ones that the UK left in force in the 1950s, Many Americans, Brits and Canadians (60 years later) find those laws, which Lee Kuan Yew did use against his
      political opponents, too strict but few can or would argue that they are dangerous. Not, perhaps, suitable for a _liberal_, Western society, but arguably, suitable for a _conservative_, Confucian one.

     _"The kind of leader that Mr. Lee personified – stern, fatherly, morally upright, far-seeing, a good shepherd to his flock – has enormous appeal even in a democratic age. If such a leader can deliver the goods, many would say,
      well, then, who cares about a free press or a critical opposition? ... The trouble is that the world produces very few such leaders. Mr. Lee was all but unique, an incorruptible strongman who really did put country above personal gain."_
      Very true. Lee Kuan Yew never held himself out as an _example_ but he did offer his policies, which as Mr Gee suggests reflected him, to others are guidance. Many others, including Stephen Harper, Barak Obama and Xi Jinping
      should have listened more closely.

     _"Singapore is hardly a totalitarian state, though you may face a caning for vandalism or hanging for drug trafficking. Open elections are held. The ruling party even lost some ground in the last vote in 2011. Clean, green and perhaps
      a little bit dull, Singapore is a billboard for what is often called soft authoritarianism ... But the formula wouldn’t have worked without an essential ingredient: Mr. Lee himself ... Without the check of opposition, the scrutiny of
      a free media and the threat of being tossed out by the voters, most leaders descend along the familiar path to corruption and brutality. That Mr. Lee did not was a function of his character, not of the virtues of the Singapore model."_
      That's essentially true, but it overemphasizes Lee Kuan Yew himself and understates his policies and practices which, themselves, bore the mark of his personality.

     _"Mr. Lee’s government was the exception to the rule. His success, sad to say, is probably not transferable. He worked on a small canvas: an island nation of 5.5 million about the size of Toronto ... For better models of development,
      look to other Asian success stories. Taiwan and South Korea have graduated from authoritarianism to full-throated democracy without sacrificing any of their economic dynamism."_
      But Mr Gee ignores that fact, and it is a fact, that the Chinese Communist Party has, explicitly, publicly, rejected "full-throated [_liberal_, Western] democracy" and is seeking a 'better' model. The only place to look is Singapore and
      it provides two useful models: a workable "soft authoritarian democracy" and a leader for the ages. 

The essential lessons from Lee Kuan Yew's _model_ are:

     1. A nation's people are its most valuable resource; worth more than oil or gold or fertile plains;

     2. Equality of opportunity gives people a chance to contribute. Equality of outcomes (the _progressive/Laurentian Elite's_ choice) is valueless, arguably even dangerous;

     3. Open, transparent, honest and efficient public administration is easy, simple and effective;

     4. The public administration should be focused on making policy and managing regulations ... most _delivery_ is done most efficiently and effectively by the private sector (the armed forces and police and similar activities, where the
         full force of the state are applied, are notable exceptions to that general rule);

     5. Good government is a lot like gardening. The people are the soil; good, sound policies are the fertilizers; and the people's votes are the plump, succulent veggies and beautiful flowers that grow in the soil.

Mr Gee and the _Laurentian Elites_ whose opinion he expresses are wrong. Lee Kuan Yew gave the world, including Canada, many, many good ideas.


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