A non liberal democracy

This is from the article, City-state a role model for the world, in The Star Online by Seah Chiang Nee about the many merit of Singapore.

Well-known author Catherine Lim painted this possible scenario for Singapore in 2030: “China rises to superpower status as the US declines and is in a position to offer an alternative to the discredited Western liberal democracy.

“In its skilful blend of authoritarianism and capitalism, its (China's) system is not unlike Singapore’s.

“If Singapore and China become thus twinned on the world stage, the Lee Kuan Yew model of governance will have achieved an international acceptance that the PAP could never have dreamed of.”

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The Chinese in Malaysia is "better"

This is from the article, FEW, POOR AND SCATTERED - India has a stake in ethnic peace and stability in Malaysia, in The Telegraph by Sunanda K. Datta-Ray about the situation of Indians living in Malaysia.

The Chinese who comprise 23.7 per cent of Malaysia’s 27 million population are also perturbed by the drift from secularism, which alone can unite a multi-racial state in contented peace. The election announcement during the Chinese new year celebrations was seen as an insult. UMNO’s 2005 general assembly — when the party’s youth chief brandished a traditional Malay dagger (keris), threatening to bathe it in Chinese blood — awakened memories of the horrendous 1969 race riots. But the Chinese have weightage of numbers (they are in a majority in 26 constituencies), wealth (several millionaires), and political power (Penang state has a Chinese chief minister). They also have China and Singapore (especially Lee Kuan Yew) behind them. Indians are helpless in contrast.

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The beginning

This is from the article, Tun Razak’s legacy – his vision, in The Star Online by Karim Raslan about "an apocryphal story from the 1960s".

Basically, the story runs like this: At the time of Separation – Singapore’s departure from the federation in 1965 – Tun Abdul Razak Hussein realised that Umno needed more young leaders in the party.

Great visionary: Razak had the foresight to enrol the brightest young Malays.
Faced with, amongst other things Lee Kuan Yew’s considerable rhetorical skills, Razak wanted young Malay leaders – grounded in their own faith and culture – who would be able to speak and if necessary debate both in Malay and English.

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Adopting Jamaica's programmes in 1970's

This is from the article, Unspeakable treachery, about Barack Obama by Dawn Ritch in the Jamaica Gleaner.

When Michael Manley took over the government of Jamaica in l972, Jamaica's economy was one of the fastest growing in the world, and Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore was adopting our programmes. Now we're killing each other and selling cigarettes by the side of the road, while Singapore has become a First World country.

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