Lee Kuan Yew era
Lives on..
As it nears 50th year as defining as ever, the question invariably arises: "How much longer?" By Seah Chiang Nee.
Aug 16, 2008

UNLESS the unexpected happens, the Lee Kuan Yew era will reach it's half-century mark in Singapore next year.

At 84, Lee no longer resembles the pugnacious 35-year-old lawyer who became Singapore’s first prime minister in 1959 when it was a self-governing colony.

But to the disappointment of those who want him to retire, he remains as active as many politicians half his age, embracing a high profile at home and abroad that far exceeds his advisory role as Minister Mentor.

Recently, he appeared in Beijing for a day to attend the Olympics opening ceremony and then dashed home in time to celebrate Singapore’s National Day.

Months earlier he was in Europe and spent several hectic weeks visiting the Middle East.

“He’s here, he’s there, he’s everywhere,” exclaimed a Singaporean, who joked that it tired him out just reading about Lee’s activities. “He is so active that he overshadows the younger ministers.”

With the retirement in February of Cuban President Fidel Castro, who also took office at the same time 50 years ago, Lee suddenly became the world’s longest surviving political leader.

A handful of long-serving African leaders are years behind Lee in political longevity.

There is a small difference, though, but hardly significant.

Unlike Castro, Lee stepped down as Prime Minister in 1990 to take up advisory roles in the Cabinet – first as Senior Minister and then as Minister Mentor – titles that are unfamiliar in most developed nations.

At that time, he said he would leave the daily running of the country to his successors and would play only “a goalkeeper role” in the event of a crisis.

That hands-off attitude soon lay by the wayside and Lee began to take the front seat again.

In recent years he has dramatically increased his public profile, making more and more pronouncements on major foreign and domestic matters crucial to Singapore.

By comparison, his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, a one-time cancer patient, has become much less active, which sometimes prompts Singaporeans to ask: “Who is the real Prime Minister?”

At any rate, Lee’s forceful character and his historic role in Singapore has marked him as the real power, whatever the title he chooses to call himself.

Lee’s hold on power – especially the nation’s finance, military and the mainstream media – is almost unbreakable and his authoritarian leadership, a little softened through the years, is still evident.

For most observers it matters little who is prime minister, as to them the Lee Kuan Yew era has not been eclipsed.

Will it continue – and for how much longer?

Ask any Singaporean and he’ll swear it will be endless. Kuan Yew, however, has a different answer. He says he will carry on as long as his health permits, because he is still useful to the country.

Kuan Yew believes that he has to remain active. “With nothing to do, no purpose in life, you’ll just degrade, go to seed,” he said during a public dialogue.

“We've got to educate those about to retire: Don’t retire, work. Retirement means death.”

Most believe that Kuan Yew is hanging on because of one or both these reasons: firstly, things will go wrong for Singapore when he goes, and secondly, the current crop of leaders don’t measure up to his expectations.

The achievements of Kuan Yew and his team of unusually capable first generation leaders are indisputable.

They transformed a poor, squatter colony into the world’s seventh richest country with per capita GDP rising from less than US$1,000 in 1959 to US$49,800 now.

Thanks to the investment in education, Singapore's first prime minister has successfully raised a new generation of well-educated young Singaporeans who are able to build on the island’s prosperity.

That, however, has its political downside for him and his authoritarian style of leadership.

A gap has built up between these worldly-wise, Web-savvy youths, who feel little beholden to him and his old values, which had served him and Singapore well in the past.

The Internet is full of their messages telling him that times have changed and he should change, too, and allow for more personal liberties.

This is, of course, not the entire truth.

The more elderly, conservative Singaporeans either support Kuan Yew or continue to vote for him out of fear that Singapore can get unhinged when he goes.

Some observers, however, believe that in the past year or so, as Kuan Yew became more active and inflation worsened, some of this heartland support may have eroded.

At the same time, the liberal-minded young people have become more vocal against Kuan Yew, many calling for him to step down.

They say that although he had done much for the country in the first 25 years, his remaining in office is stifling the emergence of new leaders within – and outside – the PAP.

Kuan Yew’s complaint against the young generation is that they are ungrateful for what he has done. As one foreign observer said: “Young (affluent) Singaporeans are beginning to see that a gilded cage is a cage, nonetheless.”

One letter writer said: “Lau (Old) Lee, I think you should take a rest from the vigour of politics. You have struggled since 1959 and have already passed on the torch to your son.

“You have already achieved your aim and ambition. There is not much for you to do here.”

Still, it's very unlikely that the Lee Kuan Yew era will end on its 50th year.

(This was first published in The Star, Malaysia on Aug 16, 2008)