Singapore’s commandment

Press, 30 May 1989, Page 16

Singapore’s commandment

The ever-nervous Government of Singapore has spotted another potential enemy in its midst: the Christian Church. On April 30, a Sunday, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, the son of the Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuhn Yew, complained of the fervour generated by some preachers. By destroying Singapore’s “delicate religious balance” it could lead to violence, he said.

Young Mr Lee, the Trade and Industry Minister, is in addition a kind of minister of philosophy. He articulates the Government’s view of what properly constitutes “the spirit of Singapore.” In January he bemoaned the spread

of Western values in the citystate.

On the face of it, Christian influence in Singapore appears small. The vast majority of Singaporean Chinese are Buddhist or Taoist or “free-think-ers.” Christians amount at the most to about 5 per cent of the population. Alarmingly for the Government, some members of Parliament belonging to the ruling party have become born-again Christians.

Mr Lee suggested that representatives of the big religions should get together to ensure they did not go beyond “the

limits set by prudence.” But he gave warning that some legislation may be necessary.

A stern sermon. Yet the Christians of Singapore can be a fierce lot. Two years ago an antique Chinese table in the Anglican cathedral was destroyed because it was decorated with a carved dragon, claimed by some members of the congregation to be a satanic beast. The controversial Bishop of Durham is, they say, a Doctor of Damnation rather than of divinity. God knows what they call Mr Lee. (Copyright — The Economist.)