Lee’s political curiosity

Press, 27 December 1980, Page 6

Lee’s political curiosity

; ’From the •'Economist” ' Z London. The result of Singapore’s General: Eiection on Tuesday had a- totalitanan-like predictability. JEW-, sea‘ mained in. the hands of Mr Le» Kuan Yew’s People’s Action Party. . Only-38 . seats in J the' 75-seat' Parliament '.cfe even fought; the other 37 were uncontested. ? Yet Singapore is by no definition ? a totalitarian state. There is a secret (and compulsory) ballot, and nonLeftist opposition parties are active and in the election ceived more than 25 per cent of the vote. ... Singapore is political curiosity,parlijapmuf' — mocraey which -is-alse *a one-party State. . - • Mr Lee’s persistent, • and seemingly invincible/ appeal is based on "continuity ;.and consolidation.” Tri- 1 electoral joq, (VMlßJxoyiMDt 3.3’per cent), low-inflation (4 ’per <> nt)'-rttnapi housing pnjteeted jby puhi'tiva laws covering a liaytof tetec**

heroin (death). But the most obvious, example .of continuity.iahd consolidation is Mr Lee himself. . He has teen Prime Minister for 2i years, 15 of .them since Singapore left the- Malaysian and became a totally independent State W ® atiirjoniy 57 * n< * plans’ remain in command until he is at least . 65. Not only has he guided to great prosperity a tiny country without raw materials, but he regularly, and outspokenly, takes the world Staged'At- the Commonwealth Time; Ministers at .New .Delhi In September he swiped at AustraSti* for being backward industrially and Was; reported to have advised. Third World countries -tptiStoP gnimbling and « looking for &Bee£tiy te rottiroed.frmn Pelting seemingly satisfied rtfatt the Chinese.-*re.. discreetly disengaging them■'m from involvement .fa Seal communist insurgency fa thehtegion. He did not.beHeve that Chfa* nssarily be ' • . tong lf£ threat” to .the region. With Ms Chinese ancestor (aljgsjsrafcawij!as «fapba»t*« ; to*

interests, make us think, feel, and . act differently from China’s Chinese.” Singapore’s society is different from China’s, he says,.Mcause of its different interests, its different climate, its exposure to different cultural and political influences, and its different life-style, He is too subtle a man to be complacent about the leek of political ■ opposition in Parliament,. The freeing last February of Mr Lee -Tre Tonga, a former member of Parliament, after more than 16 years in political detCHr tion was thought by some to indicate a more relaxed view by the- Government towards Leftist politics. -ft •'■'.■lest once a Leftist himself, Would seem to have mad# Singapore. safe .. from subversion. But 'there ~ has bees Tittle subsequent evidence to support a change in policy. For tihe present the Prime Minister seem*, content to" keep his Jmrri tMrty on its toes merely by ordering timeserving members of Parliament to give. way.?, to new talent. Eleven of the old guard retired at Tuesday’s election and their replacements were mainly young technocrats. In <- Government reshuffle m come*‘fteW'-te «toP_down. the : teetefatetak-Lee raey lite-teetj weas-jiwhen yoaarethietbaoluta btes. it a difficult or ensure that the man of your choice.