Qutting
Five years later .. probably
Winds of politics change as Lee Kuan Yew talks of final term, but first an election battle. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Jan 29, 2006

AT a time when the face of politics in Singapore is changing, its 82-year-old founding father is finally preparing to concede to an unstoppable foe, the process of ageing - but not for now.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has said the next five years could be his last term in Parliament.

He would stand in the coming election for another five-year term at the end of which, at 87 or 88, he said he might be too "decrepit" to continue.

"I'm not as active as before; but enough to fight an election," Lee told local reporters in Qatar.

His announcement to stay on has evoked strong and mixed reaction from some Singaporeans.

Lee retains his base of support among older citizens who had lived through the chaotic past and benefited from the better life. Fearful that things will go wrong if Lee is not around, they would likely be relieved by his decision.

This base, however, is shrinking over time and natural attrition; the longer Lee and his People's Action Party (PAP) remain in power, the more this group will shrink.

This, however, does not mean the new generation that is taking over is automatically rejecting them, but the support is no longer unquestioning.
The younger, liberal-minded and Internet-savvy Singaporeans do not feel beholden or bonded to them the way their parents did.

Some are critical of government policies, both past and present, and want Lee to retire now so that Singaporeans can have "a freer life".

The reaction of the majority, however, is a quiet one, a sense of the inevitable, believing that like it or not, there's nothing they can do.

One letter writer summed it up: "I respect the man for his contributions over the years. But I seriously think he should step down now so he can enjoy his retirement years."

Another said on the Internet: "He would have commanded more respect if he bowed out a long time ago, but unfortunately he did not."

Others believe that Lee, who towers over the others, is needed to help guide Singapore through these critical, even dangerous, times.

Lee has long distanced himself from the day-to-day running of the government but he still wields tremendous power over the country. His last term will see a greater wind of change across the land.

It is caused in part by changing demographics, the emergence of younger voters with very high expectations and who are harder to please, and partly by an increasingly tough and competitive world.

With Lee starting his countdown to retirement - albeit years away - Singapore's political opposition, which had been relatively quiet and dormant, may begin a revival.

Lee had anticipated more qualified Singaporeans joining opposition parties to challenge the PAP after he's gone.

Quite a few qualified people have recently trickled into the Workers Party, Singapore's oldest and largest opposition (formed in 1957) to contest the polls. In the years ahead, the number is likely to increase.

So far, opposition resources remain weak. In the 2001 election, for example, it could compete in only 29 of the 84 seats. It won two, pulling only 25% of the popular votes.

Speculation abounds as to why Lee is keen to remain in control.
One theory is that he first wants to see the 18-month-old leadership under Lee Hsien Loong firmly settled in.

The first priority: To ensure that he gets a strong mandate.

Lee's presence is assuring to the younger leaders as the PAP faces one of the strongest election challenges for decades.

Lee may be reluctant to let go for fear that if he does, the Singapore that he helped to create will slide. This partly stems from the fact that he has such a high assessment of good leadership that few people can fit in.

"This means that he will always have nagging concerns about his successors or a post-Kuan Yew Singapore not making it," said an old timer.

"The fear may be overblown to others but because of his role in creating much of today's Singapore, it is understandable."

Since the late 80s, Lee had become less uptight and more relaxed compared to his "head-breaking" days as signs of progress began to show. He retains this sense of humour today.

At Qatar, he quipped "You're keen to see me pack off and go? In that case I'm going to disappoint you."

He sees the need to free up on Singapore so that it can become a creative world city, but the steps taken have been relatively few and small - insufficient to make a major impact.

The general thinking is that as long as he remains in the government, the Lee Kuan Yew era looks set to continue, irrespective of who the prime minister is.

His mere presence in the Cabinet will tell Singaporeans they can expect no major political change within the ruling party. Everything will be played according to what is set out - at least for a few more years.

Jon Huer, a professor of sociology (University of Maryland University College Asia), said the post-Lee era is fraught with uncertainty.

"After Lee dies, Singaporean stability and dynamism may encounter turbulence, as Lee's larger-than-life dominance of Singapore may leave a void that no successor can fill.

"That means trouble. Voices demanding change may rise, and the harmony and peace among different ethnic groups that are so uniquely Singaporean may shatter.

(This article was published in The Sunday Star)