Lee Kuan Yew: How to Bring a Young Country to World Leadership with a Firm Hand in One Generation
Singapore's population is half the size of Belarus's. Singapore has no mineral resources; the country even has to import sand. At the time of gaining independence in 1959, Singapore was a poor country. The course of history was turned around by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who led Singapore from 1959 to 1990. Lee Kuan Yew firmly oriented the country towards the "collective West" and led the island to a civilized life. Not only politics were regulated: even spitting was prohibited. It was a great experiment, and it turned out to be successful.
Lee Kuan Yew was born on September 16, 1923, in Singapore, which was then a British colony. His parents belonged to different ethnic groups—Hakka and Peranakan. They did not understand each other's language, but they were interested in British culture, so they spoke to each other in English. It was this language that became Lee's native language.
At birth, the boy was given the name Kuan Yew, which roughly translates as "clear radiance." However, according to the tradition of wealthy and Westernized Chinese, he also received a European name—Harry. His paternal grandfather, who admired the British and had a lot of contact with them at work, insisted on this name. Throughout his life, relatives and close friends called him Harry.
Lee's family was quite well-off, although not super-rich. The father was prone to gambling and often lost money, demanding that his wife pawn jewelry. The stability of the large family, where four brothers and a sister grew up, was ensured by the mother.
When it was time to go to school, young Harry, at the insistence of his grandmother, was sent to study in Chinese. But after the boy did not understand anything there, he was transferred to an English-language school. This was a conscious choice: English-language education opened the way to British universities and the highest echelons of colonial society.
Later, when Lee Kuan Yew begins his political life, he will specifically learn literary Chinese and various dialects in order to communicate with his electorate.
Lessons of the Japanese Occupation
Before the start of World War II, Lee Kuan Yew, like many of his peers, was convinced of the invincibility and greatness of the British Empire. He wrote that already in school he knew for sure: any Englishman is a "boss, chief, master."
Everything changed in February 1942, when Japanese troops carried out a lightning operation and captured Singapore. The colonial government, which Lee admired so much, collapsed with a crash, and the British fled or were taken prisoner.
Three and a half years of Japanese occupation were a school of survival for Lee Kuan Yew. He worked for the Japanese, listening to intercepted radio messages from the Allies and deciphering them, and engaged in small business and black market trade.
Later, he called these years the most important years of his life. He drew two key conclusions. First, power is not a sacred given, but a mechanism that must be able to be protected. Secondly, observing the ruthless system of punishments of the Japanese, he noted that crime disappeared because people were afraid of punishment. This shaped his belief that when they say that "severe punishments do not reduce the level of crime" is a myth, and that strict authority can change people's behavior.
After graduating from the local "Raffles College," the future "father of the Singaporean nation" went to Great Britain, where he studied first at the London School of Economics and then at Cambridge University.
The guy studied brilliantly, but, as he bitterly recalled, in several exams he was overtaken by the only girl in the class—Kwa Geok Choo.
They secretly married in 1947. Kwa Geok Choo later became not just his wife, but his intellectual and political partner, a confidante who checked every important speech and legal document. Three sons were born in the family.
In his memoirs, he wrote with exceptional warmth about her role. When Kwa Geok Choo suffered a stroke in 2003, which took away her ability to speak, Lee Kuan Yew spent several hours daily near her bed, reading aloud to her. He admitted that it was necessary for himself, because she was his "anchor". After her death in 2010, the politician felt "no longer a human, but a half-human".
The Path to Power
In 1950, Lee Kuan Yew returned to Singapore with a degree as a British lawyer. It was at this time that he abandoned the European name "Harry" and became exclusively Lee Kuan Yew. He himself later noted:
"Lee Kuan Yew—this name became my public image. It expressed what I was fighting for and who I saw myself as: a nationalist with left-wing views."
Lee Kuan Yew began his legal practice, but quickly found his niche, working for free for trade unions, helping them fight for their rights and solve various problems. And this is an irony of fate, since becoming prime minister he will tightly squeeze all the trade unions in Singapore.
Also, ascending to the political Olympus, he renounced his former left-wing ideals. But in the 1950s, when the communists won in China and many Chinese diasporas in Singapore and Malaya sympathized with Mao Zedong, Lee Kuan Yew had to take this into account.
In one interview, he said: "Any resident of Singapore who wants to lead people who speak Chinese cannot afford to be anti-communist. If I had to choose between colonialism and communism, I would choose communism, and the vast majority would do the same."
In 1954, he founded the People's Action Party (PAP). The party was initially a coalition that included both moderate nationalist intellectuals (Lee's group) and a left-wing pro-communist wing.
In 1959, when Singapore gained self-government, the PAP won the elections, and the 35-year-old Lee Kuan Yew became prime minister. He was in no hurry to release his communist comrades from prison, and when he finally released them, he gave them only meaningless, without any influence, positions.
The Trauma of 1965
Lee Kuan Yew believed that Singapore would not survive on its own. His strategy was "Independence through Merger" with the Federation of Malaya. In 1963, the British announced the independence of Singapore, and it became part of Malaysia. The condition of the Malaysians for the merger was the arrest of more than a hundred communists, and Lee Kuan Yew agreed to this.
However, the union was doomed to collapse. Lee Kuan Yew advocated "Malaysia for Malaysians" (equality of all ethnic groups), which contradicted the policy of the Malay ruling elite, who feared Chinese domination.
The conflict escalated. The culmination was 1965. Malaysian leaders, fearing that the popular Lee Kuan Yew could lead the entire Federation, decided to exclude Singapore.
On August 9, 1965, Singapore was "thrown into independence." At a famous press conference, Lee Kuan Yew could not hold back his tears, realizing that it would be extremely difficult for a small island that had no water, raw materials, and no army to survive. After that, he disappeared for six weeks, plunging into depression and simultaneously developing a survival plan.
Rejection of Democracy
After 1965, Lee Kuan Yew set himself two tasks: security and economic prosperity, achieved through unprecedented state control.
One of the first reforms is the creation of a strong army. When British troops began to leave Asia, Singapore was left defenseless. Lee Kuan Yew introduced universal conscription and turned to Israel for help (with whom Singapore secretly cooperated, calling Israeli instructors "Mexicans" so as not to irritate Muslim neighbors).
The army became a prestigious social elevator. Those who serve in the army receive huge benefits, get opportunities to then get a job in the civil service, go to study.
To compensate for the withdrawal of British troops, Singapore tripled its defense spending, and air forces and navy were added to support the army. By the end of the 1960s, Singapore had a small but well-trained armed forces, which allowed it to feel confident in the region.
In the Vietnam War, Lee fully supported the United States.
In the 1980s, close defense relations between Singapore and the United States allowed Singapore to acquire advanced American weapons and systems. The United States supplied Singapore with such powerful aircraft at that time as the F-16 and the E-2C early warning aircraft (AEW).
To carry out reforms, Lee Kuan Yew brought all spheres of life in the country under strict control. Being a staunch anti-communist, Lee ruthlessly exterminated the "communist plague". Communists ended up behind bars without trial or investigation, access to information from abroad was limited.
"Freedom of the press, freedom of the media must be subordinated to the main needs of the integrity of Singapore," said Lee. He justified his actions by the fact that newspapers were financed by foreign forces. The politician believed that in a developing country some freedoms should be sacrificed.
Due to the fact that communist ideas were destructive for the market relations that were emerging in Singapore, the communist party was banned in the country, and only one opposition deputy remained in parliament.
Here's what Lee Kuan Yew wrote in one of his books:
"I do not believe that democracy is the best form of government for all countries and that it will spread throughout the world. If this were the case, why are Western countries trying to impose it on everyone by force? If liberal democracy is so perfect, it will prevail over the whole world anyway, like a market economy, which is clearly superior to a planned economy and spreads throughout the world.
I had many discussions with Americans about democracy. (...) They say that power must change, only then is it democracy. I answer: let it be so with you in America. And leave us alone."
Lee Kuan Yew did not copy the Western model of the "welfare state," but created a system where citizens themselves are obliged to accumulate funds for housing and medical care from their salaries. He tightly subordinated trade unions, arguing that strikes would undermine the economy. Instead of the opportunity to strike to achieve their rights, the National Wage Council was created, where the state acted as an arbitrator.
Fighting Corruption in Singapore
At the beginning of independence, Singapore was corroded by corruption, the fight against which began "by simplifying decision-making procedures and removing all ambiguity in the laws as a result of the publication of understandable and simple rules, up to the abolition of permits and licensing".
The authorities sharply raised the salaries of judges, and the best private lawyers were attracted to judicial positions. Civil servants holding responsible positions were raised to the level of top managers of private corporations. An independent body was created to combat corruption among the highest representatives of the government.
"The Agency for Combating Greed"—this is how the people called the bureau that investigated cases of corruption. There was no presumption of innocence: an official lived beyond his means—therefore, a bribe-taker. Inspections came to the prime minister himself.
For the sake of the rule of law, the prime minister imprisoned a close friend when he was caught taking a bribe, and the minister of social development, who took $315,000 on his paw, committed suicide after talking with Lee Kuan Yew.
As a result, Singapore has become one of the least corrupt states in the world, and remains so to this day.
When asked about the secret of success in the fight against bribery, Lee replied: "Start by putting three of your friends in jail. You know exactly what for, and they know what for."
Singapore's Openness to Investment
The country's economic development strategy was based on turning Singapore into a financial and trade center of Southeast Asia, as well as attracting foreign investors.
"We welcomed every investor... We just went out of our way to help him start production," Lee Kuan Yew recalled.
Once his economic advisor, the Dutchman Albert Winsemius, called the vice president of the Singapore branch of Bank of America, who was then in London. "We want to become the financial center of Southeast Asia in the next 10 years," Winsemius said. To this he received the answer: "Okay, come to London. You can achieve this in 5 years."
In London, the guest was led to a large globe in the meeting room and told the following. The global financial day begins in Zurich, where banks open at nine in the morning. A little later, banks open in London. After lunch, banks in Zurich close, then banks in London close. At this time, banks in New York are still open. Thus, London directs financial flows to New York. When New York banks close, financial flows move to San Francisco. But in the time between the closing of banks in San Francisco and the beginning of a new day in Zurich, nothing happens in the financial world.
"If we place Singapore in the middle, then after the closure of banks in San Francisco, Singapore will be able to take the baton from them, and when the banks in Singapore close, they will be able to transfer financial flows to Zurich. Thus, for the first time in history, global round-the-clock banking will become possible," Lee Kuan Yew recalled in one of his books the words of a bank representative.
Transnational corporations, which the country attracts with low taxes, still play an important role in the economy of Singapore. The tax system ranks fifth in the world in terms of its attractiveness. Only 4 types of imported goods are taxed upon import: alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, petroleum products and cars. The country has developed the production of electronics, shipbuilding, and the financial services sector. Large-scale research is being conducted in the field of biotechnology.
Cleanliness and Water
Lee Kuan Yew understood that investors needed not only money, but also trust. He made tremendous efforts to create the image of a clean, green and stable city. In 1963, he began a tree planting campaign, the goal of which was to plant 10,000 seedlings a year, and in 1971, "Tree Planting Day" was founded.
Later he said that "greening is the most cost-effective project I have launched".
The politician also addressed the problem of water security in the country. Singapore has traditionally depended on water from Malaysia. However, this dependence led to the possibility of raising prices for water in Singapore and allowed Malaysian officials to use dependence on water as a political lever, threatening to stop supplies.
To solve this problem, Lee began implementing water recycling projects in 1974. As a result of such efforts, Singapore has achieved self-sufficiency in water supply since the mid-2010s.
In parallel with this, Lee Kuan Yew issued laws to radically improve the everyday habits of Singaporeans. It became forbidden, for example, to spit on the ground, smoke in public places, throw garbage on the ground, park cars in the city center, and also, when watering flowers, leave water in saucers under pots, as this attracts mosquitoes.
Each car was fitted with a siren that turned on as soon as the driver exceeded the speed of 80 km/h. After six o'clock in the evening, it was forbidden to drive a car alone—it was necessary to give a ride to colleagues at work or unfamiliar fellow travelers in order to reduce the possibility of traffic jams.
Corporal Punishment
One of Lee Kuan Yew's unshakable beliefs was the effectiveness of corporal punishment. He considered it an effective means of deterring crime.
Lee Kuan Yew himself spoke about his own experience in school years, when he received "three unforgettable blows to that very place".
"I never understood why Western educators oppose corporal punishment. Nothing terrible happened to me or my classmates," the prime minister was surprised.
Lee's government inherited corporal punishment from the British colonial system, but significantly expanded its scope. If under the British flogging was used rarely—only in a few cases a year for crimes related to violence, then under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew this measure was extended to an increasing range of violations.
By 1993, flogging became a mandatory punishment for 42 types of crimes and was additionally provided for another 42. Among those who began to be regularly flogged were drug addicts and illegal immigrants. As a result, the number of cases of flogging increased sharply: from 602 in 1987 to 3244 in 1993 and to 6404 in 2007.
International attention to this cruel practice was drawn by the scandal of 1994, when in accordance with the law on vandalism (for graffiti on the wall of a house), a teenager with an American passport, Michael P. Fay, was flogged.
Lee Kuan Yew also retained the British practice of school corporal punishment for boys. They were enshrined in law in 1957. He also introduced the punishment of flogging in the Singapore Armed Forces. Thus, Singapore has become one of the few countries in the world where corporal punishment is an official measure of maintaining military discipline.
Family Planning
One of the most controversial and extraordinary features of Lee Kuan Yew's governance was his deep and systemic interference in the private lives of citizens, which he justified by the need to ensure long-term stability and economic growth of the nation. This policy was manifested in two main directions: control over birth rates and attempts to manage the choice of partner.
First, faced with the threat of overpopulation on a small island, the government began an aggressive "Stop at Two" campaign. This initiative went far beyond simple propaganda.
The state introduced a system of financial incentives and disincentives to force families to limit themselves to two children. For example, parents who gave birth to a third and fourth child faced an increase in the cost of childbirth in public hospitals, lost tax benefits, and women did not receive paid maternity leave.
On the contrary, families in which one of the parents underwent voluntary sterilization after the birth of the second child received significant financial bonuses and, most importantly, their children had priority when entering the most prestigious schools. These strict measures led to a sharp drop in the birth rate, and in the 1990s the government had to make a U-turn to avoid a demographic crisis.
In the spirit of Plato's ideas that "the best should unite with the best," Lee Kuan Yew watched with concern as many highly educated men preferred to marry women with a low level of education, while women with university degrees often remained unmarried.
To correct this situation, which, in his opinion, led to a decrease in the quality of the gene pool and the upbringing of the next generation, in 1983 he created the Department of Social Development. This state organization functioned as a dating service, organizing events, cruises and meetings exclusively for "white collars"—people with higher education.
Lee argued that the educational level and intelligence of parents play a crucial role in shaping the abilities of their children, and he promoted policies aimed at encouraging highly educated women to have more children.
Last Years and Legacy
In total, Lee Kuan Yew won seven elections and resigned only in 1990, setting a world record for the longest tenure as prime minister.
Under his leadership, the island state, within just one generation, turned into a developed country with a high-income economy.
Lee called this unprecedented leap a transition "from the Third World to the First World". Over these three decades, gross national product (GNP) per capita grew from $1,240 in 1959 to $18,437 in 1990; the unemployment rate fell from 13.5% to 1.7%; and foreign trade increased almost thirtyfold, reaching $205 billion.
After his retirement, Lee Kuan Yew retained the post of Minister-Mentor and led a campaign to promote the study of Chinese along with English by Singaporeans.
The "father of the Singaporean nation" Lee Kuan Yew died on the evening of March 23, 2015, at the age of 92. From 2004 to 2024, the post of Prime Minister of Singapore was held by his son Lee Hsien Loong.
Singapore's achievements became a source of inspiration for the leadership of China, especially under Deng Xiaoping, who sought to adopt Singaporean methods of economic growth and entrepreneurship, while maintaining political control. From 1996 to 2019, 55,000 Chinese officials completed internships in Singapore to study its methods.
In 2013, Alexander Lukashenko also visited Singapore. Some analysts hoped that he would be able to adopt the experience of this country. Now we can say that Lukashenko and Lee Kuan Yew are brought closer by their term in power—31 years.
What else unites them is intolerance of dissent. Lee Kuan Yew became one of the co-authors of the concept of "Asian values", which served as an ideological justification for restricting individual freedoms for the sake of collective stability. However, this may be the only thing that strongly unites Belarusian and Singaporean authoritarianism.
The country has always been firmly oriented towards the USA and Great Britain, and not towards the USSR/Russia and not towards China. Although 70 percent of Singapore's population is Chinese.
The country's leaders are the highest paid in the world, earning several million dollars a year—but they do not reach into the state pocket.
For business, this is one of the most favorable territories. There was no talk of confiscation of business or arrests for the purpose of ransom. If you have property, then no one will take it away from you "in the name of the revolution".
Singapore, although it was an authoritarian country under Lee Kuan Yew, strictly adhered to certain legal norms. There could be no talk of "not up to laws", or of applying the law retroactively.
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