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Singapore shows the way

ONE of the most impressive places I have ever visited is the tiny city-state of Singapore. Being a historian, I have often looked at photographs of the island at the southermost tip of the Malayan peninsula dating from World War II showing how quaint this picturesque, albeit strategically important outpost of the British Empire once was.

When I visited there in the 1990s, Singapore was almost unrecognisable. The famous Raffles Hotel, built in 1887, is still there, and in places one could still see the typically Chinese small shops, similar to those in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou.

But for the rest it is an orderly, gleaming, modern and affluent city, so clean that you could almost eat off the street, where everything apparently works perfectly. You almost feel as if even the bushes along the streets are polished and square, and waiting for the order “quick march!”. It is clear that Singapore is a huge economic success.

All of this is thanks to one man, Lee Kuan Yew, who has just died at the age of 91. He was the longest-serving prime minister (1959-1990) in the world, and he was responsible for changing his country's situation from being a desperately poor, underdeveloped island to one of the most advanced economies in the world.

READ: Singapore braces for change as Lee era ends

For instance between 1960 and 2011, according to the economic news site Bloomberg, the per capita gross domestic product grew more than hundredfold, to over $55 000. Is there any state in the world which can top this achievement?

When he took over in 1959, Lee faced huge problems. His people were badly educated, and the island had no natural resources.
Also, there were ethnic problems between the Chinese majority (77%) and the Malayan (14%) and Indian (8%) minorities. Besides, the income from the huge British naval base was winding down, as the Royal Navy was progressively abandoning its presence east of Suez.

But Lee also had two clear assets.

One: Singapore is a small country with a relatively small population (presently almost 5.5 million), making well-structured development much easier than in – say – India or China with their teeming millions. Secondly, in especially the Chinese population he had a group with a culture of duty above personal happiness and a tolerance for back-breaking hard work. (Although, to be fair, there was a tendency for nepotism and corruption too.)

How Lee turned Singapore around

In order to turn Singapore around, Lee followed several routes.

In the first place, he was partly influenced by traditional Chinese Confucian thought, which stipulates that those in power should be strict, but just and scrupulously honest. In this tradition he was authoritarian, but he used his authority to severely clamp down on corruption and crime.

Secondly, he rejected Communism and turned his back on the socialist leanings he had in his youth. He followed free market principles, creating a climate conducive to growth, and kept the state further out of the economic process.

In the third place, he invested massively in education and training. This did not pay off immediately. He saw it as a long-term investment. And to be sure, it took about 20 to 25 years before the dividends became visible.

In the last place, he followed a strict policy of not advantaging any of the three ethnic groups above the other. In spite of being Chinese himself, he never could be accused of neglecting the feelings or interests of the Malayan or Indian minorities.

In essence, he was no ideologue. As he explained to the New York Times in 2007: “We are ideology-free. Does it work? If it works, let's try it. If it's fine, let's continue it. If it doesn't work, toss it out, try another one.”

Of course, being a liberal democrat I am no admirer of Lee's authoritarian model, as it can be misused too easily by a Jacob Zuma or his ilk. But for the rest, I take my hat off in awe.

Zuma milks state coffers for own gain

What a contrast with our own country, where the president sets the example (Nkandla) of milking the state coffers for his own advantage and continually ducks being held responsible for it.

Where corruption and violent crime have become daily occurrences, and even being fingered in the media (thank heaven for the constitution's protection!) often leads only to a rap across the knuckles. Where the state's functions – keeping law and order, delivering basic services – are breaking down because of incompetence and indifference. Where large parts of the education system are dysfunctional.

Where the ethnic minorities are increasingly made to feel unwelcome. Where the ANC's ideological approach is being enforced in all walks of life, despite the fact that it is visibly falling apart.

Lee Kuan Yew was not perfect, not by a long shot. And I know full well that his recipe cannot be transferred unchanged from Singapore to South Africa.

But I sometimes dream of our government really opening itself up to learn from countries other than Cuba, Venezuela or Russia. Like Singapore.

And then I wake up in the real world.

* Leopold Scholtz is an independent political analyst who lives in Europe. Views expressed are his own.

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