December 24, 2006 >Lies: PM Lee says Meritocracy Runs Singapore
>PM Lee Hsien loong was interviewed on CNN’s talkasia. Unfortunately the full transcript is not available yet. This is the report by 146th (Straits Times).
Dec 24, 2006
My kids in politics? It’s up to them: PM
They will decide on their paths in life themselves, just like how his parents allowed him and his siblings to do so
By Zakir Hussain
FIRST came Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Then son Hsien Loong entered politics in 1984 and is now Prime Minister.
Will Singapore politics see another generation from the Lee family in politics?
Smiling, Prime Minister Lee said of his four children: ‘They have to find their own paths… I don’t think they will go into politics because they happen to be my children.’
It was no different in his case and his two siblings too.
‘My parents were lawyers; they let us choose our own paths,’ he told CNN reporter Anjali Rao in a TV interview aired yesterday.
Two key topics stood out in the half-hour programme in the network’s Talk Asia series on business, political and entertainment figures. They are: Mr Lee’s family and freedom of expression in Singapore.
PM Lee, 54, has a daughter and three sons, with ages ranging from 17 to 25.
Noting that each, in their own way, is different, he said: ‘They have to go with what they are good at, decide what they want to do with their lives, and make something out of it.
‘They will not always listen to me. And I don’t think they will go into politics because they happen to be my children.’
As for his siblings, he said: ‘Nothing would persuade my brother to go into politics, or my sister.’
Sister Wei Ling, 51, is director of the National Neuroscience Institute while brother Hsien Yang, 49, is group chief executive officer of telecom giant SingTel until next year, when he will leave.
So what persuaded him? He felt a sense of responsibility.
‘In Singapore, a small country, if you have the possibility of doing a good job, it’s your responsibility to come forward and give it a try.
‘That’s what I tell people to persuade them to come into politics, because…you need a team for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.’
Ms Rao also referred to the prominent roles Lee family members play in Singapore, noting in particular the PM’s brother’s SingTel post and that of his wife, Ms Ho Ching, who heads investment company Temasek Holdings.
Asked if it was healthy to have one family being so prominent in a democracy, the PM said: ‘We would not be prospering if this were a family operation, no matter how talented the family is.
‘Singapore works only because this is a meritocracy and people know it. You rise on merit, you are judged on your performance.’
He added: ‘Your family connections do not add, in fact sometimes they subtract, from what you are able to do.’
Has being a Lee been a hindrance in any way?
It was helpful when he first went into politics, he said, ‘because there’s name recognition, you’re not a stranger’.
Going around, he would hear, from time to time, parents telling their children who, in turn, tell each other: ‘Ah, Lee Kuan Yew’s son’.
‘But now, they say Lee Hsien Loong is coming. The name carries you that far; beyond that you are on your own,’ he said.
‘My father said, if I had not been his son, things would have been easier for me. But that’s his judgment,’ he added.
Mr Lee was also asked about the ‘rough’ times he faced, like when his first wife, Wong Ming Yang, died in 1982, and he was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer in 1992.
He said: ‘It’s very hard to reach middle age without having come across some rough spots along the way. I’ve had some, I lived through them.
‘I suppose it helps you know a little bit better who you are and what your limits are. But I don’t think it’s so unusual.’
———————————-HERE are extracts of the answers Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave on some of the issues raised during a television interview on CNN yesterday.
Is Dad pulling the strings?Q Some have said that as long as he (Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew) remains in Cabinet, he’s the one who’s really pulling the strings?
A (Laughs) There’s no end to this argument. People have to look at me and decide whether I’m speaking for myself, or whether there’s a little earphone giving me instructions.
Sensitive topic in the Lee family
Q You have taken legal action, successfully, against allegations of nepotism. Why is that such a sensitive topic in your family?
A We operate a clean system. And the fundamental basis of the whole system is meritocracy and transparency.
If you say that we run a nepotistic system, and all this is because of family ties, you’re striking at a very fundamental root…On a fundamental issue like this, there has to be finality and the facts have to come out and be ascertained definitively, and the way to do that is to go to court.
Feeling stifled?
Q The constant threat for journalists of being hauled up before the judges, doesn’t that stifle even the tiniest semblance of independence here?
A What do you want to say which you dare not say?
Q Absolutely nothing.
A There you are. (laughs) So how are you stifled?
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Anonymous
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>Q The constant threat for journalists of being hauled up before the judges, doesn’t that stifle even the tiniest semblance of independence here?A What do you want to say which you dare not say?Q Absolutely nothing.A There you are. (laughs) So how are you stifled?This can only be one of two things:-1. A rehearsed interview where they are both reading from a script.2. LHL twisting and redirecting the the question into a personal attack (as is typical of PAP style) which the reporter is not smart enough to recover from. The interview is about LHL not the bloody reporter!Seriously we need smarter journalists if the country is ever going to get a media that is free from state control. What is the use of bombastic language when they don’t have the street smarts to navigate the interview? But of course, they’ve all been programmed by the education system and the government knows it. Not forgetting to mention that they have specially selected the cream of the crop based on subservient characteristics for all the choice interviews. They have to be rewarded for making the PAP look good, you know.
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Anonymous
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>Or perhaps the reporter is smarter than you think?By giving the answer “absolutely nothing”, I would suggest the reporter is deliberately demonstrating an instant example of someone who is threatenned by fear of being hauled to court. It’s just that LHL is too dense to grasp the reporter’s finesse.Robert L
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Anonymous
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>There really isn’t a problem with running the country as a meritocracy. It ensures the survival of the nation in today’s competitive world. The problem stems from running it as a meritocracy with double standards.For the argument’s sake, let’s even forget about the whole issue of nepotism in the Lee family. Just take a look at the attitude of the elected MPs. These lazy gits expect to be paid a ridiculously high salary yet blatantly voice it out that they do not expect to work for it. Seriously! What meritocracy are you talking about? Apparently, the only people in Singapore who are on welfare are the elected officials. Another failure of the Singapore “democratic” system. It seems like the only reason why Singapore cannot afford a social welfare system is because there is already a very expensive one in place. The country will be better off when these deadweights are eliminated and replaced by someone who is actually willing to work for money.MPs decry whinging Singaporeans, call for soul searching – TODAYSINGAPORE: Instead of harping on what the Government can do to bridge the social divide, the spotlight in Parliament on Thursday fell on Singaporeans. And there were some home truths told, too.”A nation of complainers” and “a society increasing reliant on the Government for help” were among the sadder – and harsher – labels mentioned. Member of Parliament for Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman started the ball rolling when he called for “reflection and soul searching” among Singaporeans. Dr Maliki noted Singaporeans had become increasing reliant on an “efficient system” that handles issues on the municipal and national level. He said: “When the lift landing of our flat is not clean … we call the town council; when there are mosquitoes in the neighbourhood, we call the NEA (National Environment Agency) … if things don’t improve, we go to our MPs or tell the media.”While not advocating that the Government be taken out of the “equation”, Dr Maliki hopes to see that the “responsibility to make the society work rests not only on those in the chamber”, but also on “the collective interlocking hands of four million Singaporeans”. For example, he wanted Singaporeans to reflect on what they, and not the Government, had done to strengthen resilience within their own families.MP for Marine Parade GRC Lim Biow Chuan called on Singaporeans to be more gracious and compassionate and said Singapore is fast becoming a nation of complainers. While the Government can set the tone, he urged Singaporeans to be “encouragers” – not only in encouraging fellow citizens, but also pushing the society to be an inclusive and cohesive one.”What makes a country great? It is not just the laws … the efficiency or the beautiful buildings but the people that make it great,” Mr Lim said.East Coast GRC MP Ms Jessica Tan urged Singaporeans and the Government to also provide an environment where “people can run their own race”. Using the example of a weekend running club, which she is a member of, Ms Tan said the encouragement from each other helps members to complete their runs. Likewise, she hoped that such encouragement would make “the journey much better” for all Singaporeans. – TODAY
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Anonymous
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>maybe he kids will enter politics..in the opposition…
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Anonymous
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>It is really strnage: there is absolutely no transcript or video found on this in the www, does anyone know how, why, where? Cheers A.
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Anonymous
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>If PAP style of meritocracy is so good. LHL and his elites should have gathered better than two thirds majority to a bunch of unknown first timers.
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