Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew is a great man! Singapore is the thriving metropolis that is today because of his vision, flexibility and courage to do what needed to be done. On the whole, Singaporeans are grateful for his role in creating the society that they live in. World leaders like former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher also speak highly of MM Lee.
I was, however, disturbed to read many of the letters condemning the youth who appeared in Channel NewsAsia’s “My Vote Matters,” with the Minister Mentor. The criticism in all the letters was the fact that the youth did not show MM Lee sufficient respect.
I believe that many of the writers have confused subservience for respect. Many would justify this confusion as being part of our “Asian Culture,” but I believe that there is a difference and understanding the difference will be good for Singapore’s future.
While there is dictionary definition for both words, I think we can understand the difference between the two as:
· Subservience is the unquestioning of authority. In a subservient society, the masses simply do not question or those in authority to account.
· Respect on the other hand means that those in authority are there because they have earned the goodwill of those they have authority over. Respect is something that happens between two parties. Those in authority are respect those they have authority over and are in turn respected.
Much has been said about why Singaporeans need to be more willing to challenge standard norms. We need creativity and innovation and if our youth are willing to challenge someone of MM Lee’s stature in public it’s a healthy sign that they are willing to be independent thinkers.
Secondly, turning MM Lee into an infallible deity insults the spirit of his achievements. We’ve all studied what he did but have we understood how he did it? I believe that Singapore’s future would be bright if we put our energies into understanding the spirit of MM Lee’s achievements rather than being obsessed by the letters of the achievements.
Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee and the late S. Rajaratnam were all men who thrived on challenges and were willing to expand their boundaries. All were born in a time when Colonial rule was a matter of fact. Instead of “Respecting” and not challenging that fact, they did and we became an independent nation. They respected British rule enough to transplant many of Britain’s institutions to Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew’s respect for Britain has resulted in his genuine friendships with many of her Prime Ministers. But the man was by no means subservient to the idea that British rule over Singapore would last forever.
Secondly, MM Lee was never a leader who expected his colleagues to follow him blindly. He was the Prime Minister and the undoubted leader of the nation. But he had respect for men like Goh Keng Swee and Rajaratnam to get on with their jobs and expected them to challenge his views when they felt it was necessary. They in turn respected him when he made his decisions after he had listened to them.
MM Lee’s achievements speak volumes. It’s hard to question a man who has been proved right on so many times on so many things. His wisdom is an asset to Singapore. But we should not worship it and condemn those who challenge it. We should, instead applaud those who are daring enough to challenge ancient wisdom and icons and create new wisdom that are best suited for the times we live and operate in.
Copyright: Tang Li (C) 2006
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