Singapore achieved independence from the British colonial rule in 1957. They joined the Federation of Malaya in 1962, only to be kicked out in 1965. At that time, Singapore was a sleepy fishing village being pummeled by abject poverty.
In the 1960s, Lee Kuan Yew, who was the prime minister of the country from 1959 to 1990, hired experts from India to develop Singapore’s economy. Under his able leadership, Singapore -- devoid of any natural resources -- became an internationally recognised economic powerhouse.
At present, the per capita income in Singapore is $55,182 (nominal), and in India, it is $1,626 (nominal). Singapore does not have a full democracy in the strictest sense, while India does. In the 2014 general elections, voters in India elected 186 members of parliament who have criminal cases against them. Democracy in Bangladesh is not even applicable in this regard.
For three decades, Lee ruled with an iron fist -- a country with an area of 718.3sq-km and a population of nearly 5.5 million. Given the reins of such a tiny country, he attained the stature of a world-class leader. More than a political leader, he was a true statesman.
What made Lee such a great figure? He was a dictator. He suppressed his political opponents ruthlessly but he did not have an anonymous offshore bank account. Not even any of his “cronies” or members of his family have such accounts.
Lee did not have the heart to nurture nepotism. He shunned sycophants. Nepotism on the part of the political leaders in power lynches the countries they are supposed to rule.
Joseph Tito was the president of the now defunct Yugoslavia: It was a country comprising of many ethnicities -- Serbs, Croats, Macedonians, Bosnians, and such. He and his wife were Croats. Once his wife exerted her influence to get a fellow Croat promoted to the rank of general in the country’s army, Tito divorced her for her “crime.”
Konrad Adenauer, the first post-war Chancellor of West Germany (1949-63), led his country from the ashes of the World War 2 to a productive and prosperous nation. Under his leadership, Germany achieved democracy along with economic prosperity.
Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping changed China. Mao put the country firmly on its feet while Deng laid the foundation for its economic development. Now, China is the second largest economy in the world.
In my view, Deng was inspired by Lee, specifically by his success in ruling the country and following the free market economy.
General Park Chung-hee, the authoritarian president of South Korea (1961 to 1979), laid the economic foundation of that country. He transformed South korea from its destroyed state after the Korean War to the wealthy and developed country it is now. Now prosperous South Koreans may criticise his rule as being unjustified, while North Koreans still tighten their belts to feel less hungry.
An authoritarian rule does not guarantee economic development. The Soviet Union was ruled with an unyielding iron fist. Till its disintegration it had very little to show, except for the first few years, in terms of economic progress. North Korea is another glaring example, along with Zimbabwe, which is currently under the authoritarian rule of Robert Mugabe.
An upright leader with vision and intelligence can change the fate of a country in a short time. While a big-mouthed politician who can make exciting speeches but lacks intelligence and patriotism, can often do very little for his country.
Lee’s dedication to his country was unquestionable and unwavering. Old generation Singaporeans saw in him a parent who deeply cared for them. Present-day prosperous Singaporeans, who have never seen the sleepy fishing village that was Singapore, are not satisfied with the extent of democratic rights they enjoy in the country.
Lee did his job perfectly, now it is the responsibility of Singapore's present-day political leaders to transform the country into a full-on democracy.
