PraiseforConversationswithLeeKuanYewandthe

‘GiantsofAsia’series

“ThankyouforsendingmeaninscribedcopyofConversationswithLeeKuanYew,whichIhavebeenreadingwith interestandenjoyment.Youhavedoneasuperbjobofcapturingthemanyfacetsofthisextraordinaryman,whomIhaveknownandadmiredforsomefiftyyears.Thatheis thefirst tobeportrayedinthe forthcoming ‘Giants of Asia’ series seems only right. I appreciate yourthinkingofmeandwilllookforwardtoyourconversationswiththeotherGiantsyouproposetoincludeintheseries.”

DrHenryA.Kissinger,56thU.SSecretaryofState,1973–77

“ThankyouforyourautographedbookonConversationswithLeeKuanYew.Itisafascinatingread,eventhoughIamfamiliarwithmuchofhis thoughtsandphilosophy,havingtheprivilegeofworkingcloselyunderandwithhim.Heisagreatteacher,notjustformebutalsofortheyoungergenerationsofleadershebroughtin.”

GohChokTong,formerPrimeMinisterofSingapore,1990–2004

“Manythanksforsendingmeyourbook—ConversationswithLeeKuanYew. Ihave been a great admirer ofMr Lee ever since I served as former presidentChiangChing-kuo’ssecretary in the late80s. I findmyself inspiredevenmoretodaybymanyofhisremarksinyourbook.”

PresidentMaYing-jeou,RepublicofChina(Taiwan)

“Therearetwotypesofcourageamongjournalists.Somemightrisktheirlivescrossing pathswith an IEDon an arid back road inAfghanistan.Many fewerrisk their reputation by going against the herd of conventional opinion. Tom

Plate,America’sonlysyndicatedcolumnistwhofocusesonAsia,…has takenthesecondriskinhisConversationswithLeeKuanYew.Andithasbeenariskwellworth taking.…His book could not bemore relevant at amomentwhenrecession,debtanddysfunctionareplaguingtheWestwhileAsiastridesboldlyinto thefuture.…Much to thecreditofPlate’s talent, thisbookreadsbreezily,despite itsheavythemes.It isbrokenintomanyeasilydigestiblechapterswithtitlesmimickingmoviesortelevisionshows….Overallthiswastherightchoicetomakewhatcouldeasilyhavebeenawonkishdrudgeintoanenjoyableread….Lee Kuan Yew’s wisdom makes sense. Tom Plate has done a fine job ofconveyingitforaWesternaudiencethatoughttobepayingattention.”

NathanGardels,columnist,TheHuffingtonPost

“…a scintillating insight into the private—and brutally candid—beliefs andthoughtsofthe86-year-oldMinisterMentoronawiderangeoftopics,fromhistemperandchildren tovariouscountriesandhis ‘authoritarian’ways.…Theseare captured in a writing style that is fast-paced and conversational over 24chaptersthatarepepperedwithMrPlate’sviews….”

ZakirHussain,TheStraitsTimes(Singapore)

“ForveteranAmericanjournalistTomPlate,MinisterMentorLeeKuanYewis‘the director of the blockbuster that is Singapore’. The book is written inMrPlate’s trademark humorous, witty and candid style. The conversations in thebookcoverawiderangeoftopics.Thereareseriousdiscussionsonphilosophy,internationalrelationsandgovernance….Duringabreak,authorandintervieweeevenbanteraboutwhatMrLeewoulddoifheweretotakeonthepostofUnitedNationssecretary-general.‘Itrytogetabitmoreof[MrLee]asaman,aswellasabrainiacandasaleader,’saidMrPlate,whoalsodescribedthepoliticianas‘warm,trustingandopen’.”

RachelChan,TODAY(Singapore)

“Singaporeisaneconomicsuccessstoryofthemodernera,andthemanbehindthistremendoussuccessisnoneotherthanLeeKuanYew[who]agreedtogiveatwo-dayinterviewtoAmericanjournalistTomPlate.…Theauthorhaspaintedapicture ofYewas a political geniuswhobelieves in pragmatismand commonsense rather than ideology. Tom Plate’s brilliant navigation skills [have

produced]many…not-knownfacetsofYew’sleadershipandpersonality.”DrAhmedS.Khan,TheDawn(dailynewspaperofPakistan)“TomPlatemaybeoneofthefewwritersabletobragthatheoncereceivedanotefromLeeKuanYewsaying‘youdeservetoberead’.Singapore’sseniorstatesmansentthefaxafterreadingacolumnPlatehadwrittenonChina.Thatmightexplainwhythe

veteranjournalist,whohasbeenwritingaweeklysyndicatedcolumnonAmerica’srelationshipwithAsiasince1996,founditrelativelyeasytoget

accesstotheMinisterMentorforhislatestbook,ConversationswithLeeKuanYew.”

SoniaKolesnikov-Jessop,TheSouthChinaMorningPost“...Plate’s“Geeshucks,didtheyreallysaythataboutyou?”stylehasahugeupside.Hissubjects

openuptohiminawaytheymaynothaveintendedto,andtheinsightsthereadergainsintotheircharactersareconsiderable...incomparable...for

historians,biographersandanyonewhoeverwantstofigureoutwhatmadethesemen,whododeservetobecalled‘GiantsofAsia’,tick.

SholtoByrnes,TheNational(AbuDhabi)

©2013ThomasGordonPlateFirstpublished2010(reprinted2010,2011)

PhotographscourtesyofYeongYoonYing/ResearchbyMyLu

Editor:LeeMeiLinDesignbyBernardGoKwangMeng/CoverillustrationbyP.K.Cheng

This2013editionpublishedbyMarshallCavendishEditionsAnimprintofMarshallCavendishInternational1NewIndustrialRoad,Singapore536196

Allrightsreserved

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NationalLibraryBoardSingaporeCataloguinginPublicationDataPlate,Tom.ConversationswithLeeKuanYew:citizenSingapore:howtobuildanation/TomPlate.–[2nded.]–Singapore:MarshallCavendishEditions,2013.p.cm.–(GiantsofAsia)eISBN:9789814435673

1.Lee,KuanYew,1923--Interviews.2.Lee,KuanYew,1923--Politicalandsocialviews.3.Primeministers--Singapore--Interviews.I.Title.II.Series:GiantsofAsia.

DS610.73959.5705092--dc23OCN823521335

PrintedinSingaporebyKWFPrintingPteLtd

ToAndreaDarviPlate,MSW,LCSW,

whoenduredthenotinconsiderableeffortsandauthor’sisolationthatproducedthis book with her customary knowing stares, stoic wails and quiet pain. SheholdsacademicdegreesfromUCBerkeley,USCandUCLA,butherworkwiththeseverelychallengedveteranpopulationat theU.S.VeteransAdministrationHospital inWestLosAngeles,California,was tooall-consuming topermithertimetoreadanydrafts.Evenso,withouther…well,probablytheremightbenobook,forsheisgreatlyresponsibleforthewondersofmylifeandthesteadinessofmycareerasaninternationaljournalist.

Sheismywife,andwhowouldn’tbeluckytohaveher?

“LeeKuanYewcanjustifiablybecalledtheFatherofModernSingapore.Hehassteered through policies that have been copied across Asia, and have greatlyliftedtheprofileandrepresentationofSingapore.Itisalegacythatwillendure.”

JohnMajor,PrimeMinisterofBritain,1990–97

“Heisabigfroginasmallpond.Heisnotsatisfiedwithwhathehas.HehadambitionstobecomePrimeMinisterofallMalaysia.Hetries to lecturepeoplebut people dislike that. People do regard him as an intellectual, as somethingmore than justanordinarypolitician.He’salways invited togivehisviewsonthings and, to that extent, he is somethingbigger thanSingapore.But the factremainsthatheis[only]theMayorofSingapore.Thisissomethinghedoesn’tlike.Yousee,hewantstobebig.Andhefeelsthatwe[inMalaysia]tookawayhisopportunitytoleadarealcountry.ButIthinkhewillgodowninhistoryasaveryremarkableintellectualandpoliticianatthesametime,whichisnotaveryoftenthing.”

DrMahathirbinMohamad,PrimeMinisterofMalaysia,1981–2003

“Isaleadertheproductofhistimes,ordoesaleadermakehistimes?LeeKuanYew is a living testimony to the truth of both assertions: the birth of a newnation-state—Singapore—wastheuniquemomentintimewhichdrovethismantorisetothecallofhistory;andinhissingle-mindedresolvetowrestlehiscity-state from the Third World into the First, he shaped his times, creating theSingaporewayofdevelopment,whichsomelookupto,andsomedecry.Itisafact, however, that if two names could be indissociable, these would beSingapore&LKY,andLKY&Singapore.”TonNuThiNinh,formerVietnameseAmbassadortotheEuropeanUnion,and

founderofTriVietUniversity,Vietnam

“PresidentandMrs.Carter’sfullagendamakesitimpossibleforthemtorespondpositivelytothemanyrequeststocontributetobooks.”

JimmyCarter,U.S.President,1977–81.

CurrentlyPresidentoftheCarterFoundation(signedbysomespokesperson,notbyanyoftheCarters)

“The Queen has asked me to thank you for your letter. Her Majesty wasinterested to read about your literary project entitled Giants of Asia, and hastaken careful note of your request. I am afraid, however, that throughout herreignTheQueenhasmadeitarulenottopubliclyexpressherpersonalviews.Iamsorrytosendyouadisappointingreply,butmayIsendmygoodwishesforthesuccessofyourproject.Yourssincerely,Mrs.SoniaBonici.”

BuckinghamPalace,London,onbehalfofHRHQueenElizabethII

“Ithasoftenbeensaidthattoday,thenaturalresourcesthatasocietyhasinhandarenotas importantas theknowledgeandthestrategyof itshumanresources.Singapore is an excellent exampleof this andLKYhasmade it so. It is not amiraclethattransformedSingaporefrombeingasmallandpoor‘phonebooth’size sleeping community, into one of the world’s most impressive successstories; itwasLeeKuanYew.Whether one agrees or disagreeswith him, hissuccessisonrecord.Heisanintellectualandastatesman,onewithavision,onewith a strategy and the ability to get things done. Readerswill havemuch tolearnfromhisstory.”

KantathiSuphamongkon,39thThaiForeignMinister.CurrentlyVisitingProfessorofLawandDiplomacyattheUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles(UCLA),andSeniorFellowattheBurkleCenterforInternationalRelations,

UCLA

“Singaporeisacity-statethathadpooroddsforsurviving,letalonethriving:noresources, tinysizeandpopulation,andsurroundedbydifficultandsometimeshostile neighbors. Through sheer intellect and willpower, LKY carved out acountry that is amodel for economic growth, has little or no corruption, is avisionaryindigitaltechnologyanddeliversafirst-rateeducationandlifeforitscitizens.”ProfessorJeffreyCole,DirectoroftheCenterfortheDigitalFuture,University

ofSouthernCalifornia(USC)

“Noonehaseverdonestate-guidedcapitalismbetter.IfChinacanmodelitselfon Singapore, the world will be a much better place. Education, health care,social investment, individualincentive,reasonableattentiontotheenvironment—agoodbalance.Hecreatedstabilityintheregion—anamazinglyhighdegreeofleverage,primarilybycommercial/economicexample.Alsothesmartuseofmilitary capability, never apparently applied,which is thebest sort ofmilitaryforce. Look after things well at home, and have a strong arm, and you caninfluenceothers.Ihopethathefeelsverygoodaboutwhathe’sdone.Regardingtheissueofallegedexcessivesocialcontrol:it’ssortoflikebankingandfinance—therightlevelofregulationhasalotofsensetoit.”

Wyatt(Rory)Hume,Director,Education,TrainingandDevelopmentfortheResearchDivisionoftheQatarFoundation;Provost,UnitedArabEmirates

University;andformerProvost,UniversityofCaliforniasystem

“LeeKuanYewhasmadeSingaporeabsolutelyuniqueinthispartoftheworld,bymaking itasoneof the leastcorruptpoliticalsystems in theworld….Nowthat isa tremendousachievement.Thequestion is,howlongcanyoumaintainanincorruptpoliticalsystem?”(statedpubliclyin2000)

SamuelHuntington,1927–2008,authorofTheClashofCivilizationsandtheRemakingofWorldOrder

Contents

>PREFACE:THELIONINWINTER

>INTRODUCTION

>PROLOGUETOTHEINTERVIEWSATTHEISTANA

>DAYONE

>OneLateAfternoonintheSummerof2009

>FatherKnowsBest

>TheFoxandtheHedgehog(NotaDisneyMovie)

>ChinaSyndrome

>ThePerfectStorm

>TheGood,theBadandtheUgly

>RebelwithaCause

>PassageToIndia

>GuessWho’sComingToDinner?

>LeeofArabia

>YearsofLivingDangerously(WithIndonesia)

>TheGodfather(Parts1and2)

>DAYTWO

>TheNextAfternoonattheIstana

>TroubleinParadise

>There’sSomethingAboutHarry

>CitizenLee

>FathersandSons

>FathersandDaughters

>KuanYew’sWay

>[TimeforaBreak]

>TheSingaporeanCandidate

>RushHour(SingaporeStyle)

>TheEndoftheAffair

>ModernTimes

>AFTERWORD:JUDGMENTATSINGAPORE

>MILESTONES

>WORKSCONSULTED

>ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

>ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

Preface:TheLioninWinter

SPENDINGANAFTERNOONwithanAmericanjournalistwouldnotexactlybeanyone’s ideaofarollickinggreat time.SoIwasa littlesurprisedwhenheagreed tosit for thisbook. I figuredmychancesatnobetter than50-50.Thenagain, Lee Kuan Yew was not one to duck an important part of his job andcertainlynomerejournalistfromanycountrywouldflusterhim.

Sowhenhesaidyes, Iknewitwasbecausehewouldwant toadvance theSingaporestoryashewishedoutsiderstounderstandit,andheknewIwouldbeagoodlistener.Afterall,Ihadproposedabookinwhichhewoulddoalotofthetalking.

Andheknewmea little.Theback-storywas that in1996, thefirstyearofmynewspapercolumnintheLosAngelesTimesonAsiaandAmerica,thethen-titledSeniorMinister(andwithoutadoubt,stillthepower)hadagreedtoaone-on-oneinterview.

From that session,Lee’s clear viewshelpedmeunderstand that, to a largeextent, the future ofAsiamight be shaped by the contours of the China-U.S.relationshipmorethananyotherfactor.Again,ithastobeemphasizedthatthisisbackin1996,whenChinawasnotyettheobsessionoftheWesternmedia.

AtthatfirstsessioninhisofficeattheIstana,Irememberhimgreetingmeinhistrademarkbutton-frontcardigan,thenquicklyseatinghimselfinhiscomfortchair—but tentatively, almost as if not planning to stay long. A practicedwarinesssearchedmyface,asifreadyingfortheinevitablevolleyofcaningandchewinggumqueries(thenthemaininterestofU.S.journalism)thatwouldstarthisclocktickingtowardinterviewclosure.

Hegotneithercaningnorchewinggumbaloneyfromme.Iwasn’tinterestedin re-hearing what I already knew from re-reading old U.S. media stories; Iwanted toknowwhatheknew that Ididn’tknow.The interview lasted longerthanscheduled.Anditwasthefirstofseveralthathelpedpavethewayforthebook-lengthconversationsessionsofthesummerof2009.Soitisfairtosaythat

fromallthis,heknewmoreorlesswhattoexpectfrommewhenweembarkeduponthisbook13yearslater.Iknewhecouldnotalwaysagreewiththeviewsof someone from Los Angeles, where I was based at my university, but onoccasionyoumighthearsomethingorotherfromhim.Oncehefaxedacopyofoneofmycolumnswith thescribbledencouragement thatmyviewsonChina“deserve to be read”. It would be dishonest not to tell you that thisencouragementwasappreciated.AndIwashardly theonlyAmericanover thedecades to accepthis tutoring.Whateverhis faults andmistakes, andhemadehisshare,hehelpedmanyofusintheWestunderstandthepoliticalmysteryandgrowing importance of Asia better, and in the process perhaps understandourselvesandourownassumptionsbettertoo.

Sointhebeginningofthe2009sessionsforthisbook,Iwassurprisedwhenheseemedalittlenervous.Duringanearlybreak,whenhewentsomewhereforafewminutes, Imanaged tocatch theearofLee’shoveringpresssecretary toaskher, ineffect,whythe lioninwinterseemedsoedgy.MadamYeongYoonYingwashername, andbluntnesswashergame.This formidable lady’s stylecould scare the Singapore media half to death, but Americans are okay withbluntnessandsowegotalongnicely.Andindeedshedidnotagonizeoverthequestion but looked at me straight and said, as if the answer were insanelyobvious:“…becausehe’sworriedaboutwhatyouwillwrite!”

It had not occurred to me that anything from aWestern journalist wouldmattermuchonewayortheothertoLeeKuanYew.Butinthewinterofone’slife,perhapsthingseithermatternotatall—orthentheymatterverymuch.AndforLee, theoutside imageofSingaporedidmeanagreatdeal.Yearsbefore, IhadaskedhimwhyhebotheredtoseemewhenIwasintown.HelookedatmeasifIwerejoking,thenanswered:“BecauseIwanttoinfluencethepeoplewhoinfluenceotherpeople.”AndsoforLeeKuanYewanybookabouthimthatwassympathetic, however defined or even marginally so, would be a favorablesnapshotofSingapore.Hedidnotseeabigdifferencebetweenhimselfandhiscountry.And, formostof hishalf century at the topofSingapore, neitherdidmanyoutsiders.

Hewas87whenhesurprisedalotofpeopleandmadeanappearanceattheofficialbooklaunchofConversationswithLeeKuanYew.ThiswasinMay2010attheShangri-LaHotel.Iwastoldthathehadnevergracedabookpartybefore,but had finally agreed, just a few days prior. I met his car at the VIP sideentranceofthehotelandwhenhefinallymanagedtogethimselfoutandsteadyhimself,Iaskedhowitwasgoing.

“I’mdegradingrapidly,Tom,”hesaid,andheshuffledforwardintothehotelstepbystep.Ididnotsayanything.

Aides warned me with particular authoritative ferocity—after telling merepeatedlythathewouldnotshow—thatontheoffchancethatheactuallymadetheparty,hewouldnotbesayinganythingattheevent.Heenteredthereceptionroom and sat down in a chair in a line of others right in front of the smallpodium. After a bit of ceremony and a run through several speakers, the lastbeingmyself,hestaredatmeandsaid,“CanIsaysomething?”

Whatdoaideseverknow,right?Isaidofcourseandusheredhimtothepodium.Asitturnedout,hedidnotsaymuchbutwhathesaidmademehappy.Clearinghisthroat,andstandingerectatthepodium,hesaid:“Idon’tagree

withallofit,butthatistobeexpected…theWesternjournalist’sexaggerationofeccentricity.Butonthewhole,hegotmypointofviewacross.”

Thatwasgoodenoughforme.

TomPlateBeverlyHills,March2013

Introduction

The following conversation took place out of range of the four open taperecordersthataccountforallthemanydirectquotesattributedtoLeeKuanYewthroughout this book. This informal exchange took place in themiddle of thesecondday,outontheterraceofIstanaNegaraSingapura—Istanaforshort.Itisputhereforareasonthatexplainsitself.

WITHALITTLEbitofbodyEnglish,LeeKuanYew,thehard-nosedfounderofmodernSingapore,motionstomethatitistimeforabreakinallthetalk.Thismeans—and there’s no arguing with this gent and certainly not on his hometerritory!—thatitistimeforabreak.Period!

Sowe raiseourselvesup from the tableset forusata farendof theStateRoombywhatlookslikeafireplace(buthowcouldsuchexistinever-swelteringSingapore?), but in fact is an odd little lonely raised stage with curtains.Westragglethroughalargedoorthatleadstoalongshade-dulledexteriorcorridorand thenmoveoutontoabroadandsun-scorchedplazaa fewcareful stepsofmarble below. It overlooks the well-named Function Lawn, Gun Terrace andEdinburgh Road that leads to Orchard Road, the country’s main retailthoroughfare.Visible in the near distance is the dramatic, busting-out-all-overdowntownSingaporeskyline.

No more than 5’10” (1.78 m) tall, but trim of figure, and yet laboringthrough his mid-eighties step by step, he rubs one weary hand over his paleforeheadandcoal-blackeyesaswe lose theprotective shadeof thecoolStateRoomandacceptaplungeintotheburningfurnaceoflate-afternoonequatorialSingapore.

The temperature is about 90° F (32° C), and the humidity is at about 90percent; and sowe aremovingvery cautiously, unwilling to confront thenextblanket of discomfort in any bold fashion. Then, suddenly, at about the sametime,westartjokingwithoneanother.Outofnowhereeruptsthissillyflurryoflight-heartedbadinage.Thiscomesafterhoursofconversationrangingfromthepolitical deficiencies of today’s democracies to the sustaining qualities of

meditationtothedynamicsofrelatingtotheriseofChina.Not many people know how witty this thoroughly modern Machiavellian

Mastercanbe.IstartjokingabouttheUnitedNations,andhebantersbacklikeheisguest-hostofapoliticalcomedyshow.Wegoatitforafewminutes(seethe story “Time for a Break” on pages 191–197), but then themood changesagain,asifanunexpectedwaftofbreezehadblowninfromacrosstheStrait.

TurningbacktowardtheStateRoomtofinishupthefinalhourofdiscussion,hestopssuddenly,hitwithwhatalmostseemslikealittlefear.Hestaresintomyeyes for a few seconds, then looks off and focuses on a distant white Doriccolumn.Thereissomethinghewantstosay,butdoesn’tknowhowquitetoputit.Hedoesn’twant to insultme, but hewants this particular stone, or pebble,uncovered.

Itisararemomentofpauseforthissupremelyarticulateandself-confidentman.Iwait.Iwillnotputwordsinhismouthforhim.

Finally,heblinksafewflutters,pivots90degreestoturntomeandfacemefrontally—almostblockingmewithhisbody—andwhispers,point-blank,inthatperfectBritishdictionthat thefirst timeyouhear itknocksyouoffyourchair,somethinglikethistome:‘Tom,thebookwillhavetohavecriticalandnegativestuffinit.Iknow,don’tworryaboutme.Justwritemeupexactlyasyouseeme.Letthechipsfallwheretheymay.Tellthetruestoryofme,asyouseeit.That’sallIask.’Thenhenodsforustoproceedapace.

Beforewewalk on, back to theStateRoom, I nod to assure him that thisindeedistheplan.

ButthetruthisthathisunexpectedcommentworriesmeinawaythatwouldbotherfewWesternjournalists.The‘warts’intheLeeKuanYewstoryarejustnot that interesting tome; thenegativesarewellknown,and it’s thestory thatoverthedecadeshehasmostoftenreadabouthimself,especiallyintheWesternmedia: the steely willpower, the dismissive if not obnoxious attitude towardcritics, the mean Machiavellian maneuvering around weak opponents andgrindingthemtodust,thehaughtysoftauthoritarianism.

ButthisisnottheLeeKuanYewIknowandfindmostinteresting,northeoneIwanttotellyouabout.ForwhenIfirstmethimin1996,Iwasastonishedbytherangeofhisinterestsandthedepthofhisinsights.Ispenttherestoftheday trying to think of someone I had interviewed who was like him. Therewasn’tanyone.AndoverthedecadesI’vebeenluckytointerviewmanyworldleadersandleadingthinkers.

FormycolumnaboutAsia,launchedintheLosAngelesTimes in1995andstill rolling on viaworldwide syndication in other newspapers (fromDubai toProvidence inRhode Island), I interviewed him four times between 1996 and2007. This book is based primarily on a pair of quite lengthy and arduousexclusiveinterviewsinSingaporeinthesummerof2009thataimtocapturethebrainpowerandtherangeoftheman.

So this is not a book about how most in the Western media view thecontroversial founder ofmodern Singapore. It is, however, an honest and fullaccountoftheLeeKuanYewIknow.Ihopeitisheavyoninsightandfeeling;Iknow it is low on ‘warts’. I don’t know whether Lee Kuan Yew will bedisappointedaboutthat;Icertainlyhopeyouwon’tbe.

ProloguetotheInterviewsattheIstana

IT IS 4 P.M.—the maddening mid-afternoon sauna of a sizzling Singaporesummer. And it’s raining like Sumatra, with aluminum siding sheets ofwaterslidingdownfromthesky.

IduckintothehotelcarfortheshortdrivetotheIstana,whichintheMalaylanguage means ‘palace’, for the first two-hour session with Lee Kuan Yew.Tooling along exactly at the posted speed limit—nomore, no less—thedrivernavigates steadily downOrchard Road, the glitzy shopping thoroughfare.Mymind should have been doting on economic statistics, political philosophy,Chinesehistoryandothersuchfinestuff.FormonthsIhavebeenboningupforthisandIwasasreadyasIwouldeverbe.Butweirdly,theheatortheoccasionorwhatevermusthavegottentomebecauseIamoffinsomemadmind-sphere,imaginingLKYassomemysteriousmogulintheAmericanmoviebusiness—asafamousHollywoodfigure,infact.

OutsiderssometimesdiminishSingaporebysuggestingitisnomorethananationas-corporation and dubbing it ‘Singapore Inc’. What a misreading! Nocorporation in thehistoryof theworldwaseveras interestingandcomplexasthisplace.

Unsurprisingly, Singaporeans tend to get riled by the Inc. moniker. I getirked by it, too, and I don’t even live here. I just hopemy Singapore friendsdon’tgetasirritatedbymyownHollywoodstyleanalogy.It’snotSingaporeasablandcorporation,butSingaporeasaspectaculardramaticepicmovie.

Forworseor forbetter, I liveandwork inSouthernCalifornia, in thevastsprawling suburb that includes the independent city of Beverly Hills wherefamousHollywood people live—and thenme.Here, people hunker down andmentallyimaginetheworldasonebigblockbustermovieoranother.

Hereinwhatwesometimescall‘Hollyweird’,norealityismorerealthanthebottom-line figures of the Box Office take. The movie Titanic is a perfectexample.Normal people knew it as a very familiar story of an historic cruiseshipgoingdown.ButdenizensofHollywood,beforeopeningday, saw it as ametaphor for a production company that would sink in a sea of red ink even

faster than the real Titanic. They didn’t think it would float; they thought itwoulddroplikearocktothebottomofthesea.Theywerequitewrong.

And so it iswithSingapore, imagined as amovie.Here is a story about alittle island country that, perhaps until relatively recently, few had heard of—except perhaps about some nonsense or other concerning chewing gum andcaning.Whocares?Howcanitsucceed?What’sthehook?

Decadeslater,Singaporeisoneroaringsuccess.It’spracticallyaclassic.Thebottom-linefiguresareasgreenasthecarefullyorganizedlandscaping,andtheplacehasanairportlikeamoviesetandaninfrastructuretheenvyofDubai;ithashomeownershipfor95percentofthecitizens,shoppingmallsoutofBeverlyHills90210, public schools that putAmerica’s to shame, international scienceandmathscoresevenhigherthanJapan’s,andanationalairlinethatremindsitspassengers that flying needn’t be cruel and unusual punishment.What’smosttellingisthatgiantcountries,especiallyChina,sometimesIndia,andnowevenfast-growing Vietnam, wonder how Singaporemade it so big and so quickly.TheywanttolearnSingapore’ssecrets.Right,noonewantstoimitateafailure.So if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Singapore today is one of themoreflatteredcountriesintheworld.

Lee Kuan Yew, modern Singapore’s legendary founder, and his belovedcountry are interchangeable. TonNu ThiNinh, that elegant lady from nearbyVietnam,puts this sowell in the frontof thebook: “It is a fact… that if twonames could be indissociable, thesewould beSingapore&LKY, andLKY&Singapore.”

That’sanicehigh-levelsentiment,butIamfromcrassHollywood/BeverlyHills.SoIamlookingforsomethinglessintellectual,morelike…grossbottomline!SoIimagineLeeasafamousmoviedirector.Youcanjustseehimsittingon the set in theDirector’s Chair, barking out orderswith his crisp, decisive,can-do autocratic style, his jutting jaw and drop-dead look. Go ahead, youwishy-washyliberals—MakeMyDay.

ThatprofileissobelovedhereinHollywood.Knee-jerkultra-liberalsthoughmany are, many here are also bottom-line studio executives and time-pressedstarsandstarletsalike.Don’t-give-a-darndecisivenessgoesoverbigtimeinthistown.Lee is likeanautocraticAlfredHitchcock folded into the trim figureofAngLee.

And by far—we imagine—LKY’s most famous film would in fact be‘Singapore’.WeimaginehismasterpieceinthegrandtraditionofGoneWithTheWind.Itisataleofhowoneman’shonestteamoffoundingfatherssweepinto

power after the collapse of the brutal occupying Japanese (normal casting:almostalwaysthebadguysinHollywoodfilms),fightoffaliencommunists(aswell as corruptingWesternvalues),marryMalaysia and thendivorceher afterjustafewyears(typicalHollywood,right?)—see“TroubleinParadise”onpages146–156—and thenwithMachiavellianacumenmanage tooutwit theWesternmultinational corporations seeking to exploit the country and its hardworkingpeople.Themovie endswith sweeping pans of the bursting skyline andwell-manicured parks and immaculate homes of this Asian neo-utopia, the richestcountryintheregionand,perhaps,itsmostenvied.

And it takes LKY and his team less than a generation to do this.What astory! And what a commercial success! So, should we get Lee ready for theritual pounce up onto the Oscar Stage to pick up his Lifetime AchievementAwardandtothankeveryoneinhisextendedChinesefamily?

Intruth,thecontroversyoverthis‘Singapore’blockbusterisnotquitesettledlegendyet.Theplacesomehowremainsaperpetualpuzzle.WhoknowswhereLeewillwind up in the firmament of greats!But one thing is certain: there’sneverbeenaproductionnumberquitelikeSingapore.

So this is thestoryofwhat it’s like tospendafewhours indeepconversationwiththisiconicandfashionablyauthoritariandirector.

It’sastorythatneedstobetold.Manypeople,mainlythosewhohavenevervisited, thinkhisSingapore is some sort of tortured totalitarianMartianplanetoutofAldousHuxley’snovelBraveNewWorld—the sort of never-never landwherethatwhichisn’tprohibited,ismandated.Andinsomelimitedsensetheyareright.Butjustgothereandvisit,andyou’llseetheyarealsoquitewrong.

Yourfirsttime,youthinkthereissomethingsurrealaboutitall.Thefeeling(it’s not creepy, just palpably different) hits you minutes after you land. Theairportisaknockoutandthesenseofnotbeingonthisplanetproceedsapaceonthedrivefromtheairporttoyourhotel.

You glance out a car window. The scene is not quite right. Something ismissing.Itbothersyou,butwhatbothersyouworseisyoucan’tputyourfingeronit.Andyouthinkmaybeitshouldhityourightintheface.

Butthenyougetit—it’swhat’sNOTvisible.TherearenoMcDonald’sbags,noKFCcontainers,noabandonedcars,nodeadbodies(onlyslightjoke,Iwasraised in theNewYork/NewJerseyarea),nohomelesscamps,no in-your-facebeggars (where are they? theyhave tobe somewhere!). It’s absolutely, totally,amazingly,andunbelievably…clean!

Thisisacity?It’snotanyplaceI’veseen,yousay…Thesamefeelinghitsyoudowntownwhere,youdiscover,womenclaimthey

canwalkthestreetsanyhourofthenightwithouthassle,muchlessassault.Druggangs don’tmonopolize the parks and intimidatemoms, strollers and familiesthat are hoping for nothing more than some urban peace. Again, where’s thestreet-sidelittering,thehomelessmini-cities,thescreamingtraffichorns?Greentreesandfloraeverywhere,andtheair—eventheairfeelsclean.

You don’t see thatmuch laundry hanging out on the terraces, as inmanypartsofAsia.Youcansitdownatacaféandputyourhandunderthetable,andnever come in contact with a ‘pre-owned’ piece of gum left behind as if adeliberateirritant.Callthisthepoisonedfruitofauthoritarianrule,ifyouwill;Icallitsaneandsanitary,andI’mformoreofit!

Also notablymissing at times are the feral traffic snarls (like in notoriousCairo)or theendlesscascadesofdirtyconcrete jungle(like in thecity-stateofNewYork)ortheteemingmassesoutintheopenwhosezipcodesstandforlittlemorethanonebigforlornshantytown.OhCalcutta!

Nothere.But there areother thingsyoumightgenuinelymiss, though itmay take a

fewdays tosort itallout inyourhead—and this is theother sideofparadise.Youmight trulymissvigorouscriticismof thecentralgovernment in thenewsmedia,orthekindofBritish-styleparliamentarydebatethatstandsyourhaironend.Youcango to thegorgeousparksbutperhapsmiss theanti-establishmentpoliticalorators,thecup-openitinerantmusician,theoddballsceneofanykind.What’smore,youmaymissthedramaofjurytrials;theydon’thavethemhere—andtheyareproudofhavingqualifiedjudgesmakingthecall.Youmayalsobeoffendedbythepolicyofcapitalpunishmentfordrugdealers(again,withoutpeerjury—thejudgeisthejury).

Ontheotherhand,you’llbehappyabouttherelativeabsenceofcorruption(evenpolicearepaidaswellasothergovernmentcivilservants,which iswellabove theWesternaverage),admire the lowinfantmortality rates (Singapore’shealthrecordleadsmostcountriesinalmostallhealthcategories),andappreciatethegunpolicy(noonehasthemexceptthepolice).

But, then again, back to the other hand … you might really miss theatmosphereofvigorousopencriticismofthecity-state’sleaders.Thereisn’tanyto speakof.Don’t youdaredisrespectfully criticize, for this isSingapore, andsincethe1950s,ithasbeenrunbyoneman(andtheelitearoundhim).Hisfull

nameisHarryLeeKuanYew,butHarryisusedrarely,maybebyclosefriends,or enemieswhoneedle that he’smoreBritish thanChinese.Anyway,LKY, atthiswriting,isnow86yearsofage.It’spasttimeyoumethim.

OneLateAfternoonintheSummerof2009

HEWALKSINandslipsmeanod,nowclosinginatabout15feetaway.Buthelackshischipperlittlestepofyore.

LKY,itappears,hasacold.We shake hands. I notice immediately that his office did pass along my

requestthatwedressverycasually(andthatthesesessionstakeplaceanywherebut in the formality of his office). I suppress a chuckle. This grungy level ofcasual Ihadn’tquiteexpected.Here is thispreciseandevenelegantstatesmandecked out in nondescript neo-warehouse clothes, shrouded in the trademarkwindbreaker,withworkman’s trousers and some kind of generic slippers. ThewholeoutfitseemsassuitedforamanabouttocleanouthisgarageasundergotheordealofquestioningbyaWesternjournalist!

Then you see the distress of pain. His stoic face has a look of wearypersecutionandhiswalkisasortofgravity-challenging, leaning-forwardstep-by-step-without-fallingmini-jog.Thisisfromavigorousmanwhohasspentanadultlifetimeinseriousworshipofanexercisemachine.Hedoesnotfavortheimpedimentsofcoldorinjury.Hecoughsandthisseemsimpossible.Since1996I’veinterviewedhimthreetimes.Hisfirstremarktomewasalways:“Tom,getonthetreadmill,losesomeweight.”

Hewasright—asisoftenthecase.FordecadeshehasdevelopedhisbrainasamixofBritishpositivism,classic

ChineseSunTzustrategizing,andflat-outSingaporeannationalism.Thatbrainhasbeenhonedand shaped inside awell-toned, healthybodymade inSparta-via-Singapore.Philosophershaveoftenwrittenofthe‘mind-body’problem.ButwithLKYtherehasbeennoproblem;itallseemstofit likeaSingapore-madeSwissclockthatjustkeepsonticking.

Butwhenheisobviouslylowlikethis,youalmostjoke:Singaporeissuchasmallcountry, theplacemightwellcometoastopif thefounderweretoslowdown;everyonemightjustaswelltakethedayoffandstayinbed.

Ofcourse,youremindyourself,heisnolongerprimeminister(hissonis);ofcoursehe isoff-to-the-sideandwelloff thepitch(doubtful),andallof that.

But as long as this legendary statesman is alive, he is to Singapore what thecenteristoacircle—inthemiddleofthewholedeal.

Andnowhehasacold!Seriously,Ifeelsorryforhim,havingneverfeltthisfromhimbefore.They

sayLKYisaclammymethodicalfish,butIneverhavefoundhimthatway.Topeople close to him and around him, he has been meticulous, demanding,impatientand,yes,sometimesbrutallydismissive.Butwithme,atleast,hehasbeen a helpful and patient tutor in the all-important subjects of politics,governanceandinternationalrelations.Heispassionateabout ideas(especiallywhentheyworkormakesense),aboutSingapore’suniqueness(as longasyoudon’tmake fun of it, especially the chewing gum and caning part), about nottoleratingpoliticalstupidity(unlessit’sfromtheU.S.Congress—arichsource—and then he’ll try so hard to keep his mouth shut), about imbecility ingovernance (never—hehopes—his own), and about asserting an essential roleforAsiaontheworldstage(dominatedinrecentcenturiesbytheAmericansandtheEuropeans,butperhapsthiscentury,eventually,byAsia).

Hisownsuperioritycomplexarisesinpartfromhissenseofwhat’srequiredtohelpredressAsia’slong-sufferinginferioritycomplex.

Lee,nowtitled‘MinisterMentor’(notmyall-timefavoritetitleforaseriousofficialposition!), and I are seated roundadining table, in the far cornerof averylargeroom.ItiscalledtheStateRoom,anditismuchlargerthantheOvalOffice of theWhite House, though not in the same league as the Delegates’Loungeoff to thesideof theGeneralAssemblyat theUnitedNations inNewYork. But it is in a league of its own as a reminder of the legacy of Britishcolonialism. You could imagineWinston Churchill calling in his war cabinet,lightingacigar,sittingdowninoneofthelargeyellowsofasandfeelingrightathome.Thatis,untilheventuredoutside—andgothitinthefacebytheclimaticovenoftheequator.SunnySingapore,ohyes,isnograyLondon.

Butintheafternoon,youmightwanttostaycoolandremaininside,aswearerightnow:LeeKuanYewandmyself,withtwoofhisaides,inthisgorgeous,chandeliered,cavernousroomthatisair-conditionedasseverelyasawarehouseofperishables.

So it is cooland slightlydark in thecornerwhereweare, sectionedoff tocreate a feeling of intimacy by awideChinese partition,mostly dark emeraldand decorated elegantly with birds and flowers. It is easy on the eyes. Overagainst a panel of old-style rectangular floor-to-ceilingwindows that overlookthe connecting corridor, a pair of physical rehab aides (he has his own

physiotherapyteam)standstillasstatuettes,waitingtoreplenishtheheatpadonthebatteredrightlegoftheordinarilyfit-to-a-teestatesman.

LKYturnshisheadalittle totheleftandlooksatmeasif tosay, let’sgetgoing.Hekeeps tightening the thigh-warmingpadand lookingover to amalephysicaltherapistinwhitewhowillkeeprunninginwithonesfreshlywarmed.An injury suffered while dismounting an exercise bike (a daily ritual) hassuddenly turned thisotherwisephysicallyvigorous formerhead-of-governmentintosomethingmorelikeanoldmanfinallylookinghisage.

TolightentheatmosphereItrytoeaseintomyCool-Complimentary-Mode.Ifloatoutasillycomment—somethingalongthelinesofhowwelltherecenttrekto neighboringMalaysiawent. It doesn’twork, it seems off-key, and I shouldhave known better. Thismuch-celebrated andmuch-criticized guru ofmodernsuccessfulSingapore,thishighpriestoftraditionalAsian/Confucianvalues,thisbête noire ofWestern human rights groups, this hard-nosed exponent ofwhatWesternershavetermed‘softauthoritarianism’,thisformidableintellect—isnotone for gratuitous brown-nosing. Even as he plows on deep into the eighthdecadeofhislife,hegivesyouthefeelingthatheisamaninahurry,whereveritisheisstillgoing.Generally,flatterygetsyounowhere:it’sasifhefeelssuchfluffonlyslowshimdown,distractshimfromseeingtheendpoint,andperhapsevenisaimedatlullinghimintosomekindofrhetoricalambush.

He glances back at me with eyes that usually seem to hide so much—becausetheyhaveseensomuchoverthedecades—butthistimeconveyonlytheslightestofirritation.Yes,there’safearsomesidetoLKY,andheisnotexactlyarole model for everyone. He is always knocked about by human rightsorganizationsof theWest forSingapore’snear-automaticdeath-to-drug-dealerspolicyandgeneralsternsentencingpolicies.FewWesternersfindcharminghiswilywaysofmanhandlingseriouspoliticalopponents.Scorestendtobesettledin the courts, where, almost miraculously, LKY never loses a case, and theinevitable losers find themselves plunged into financial doom.Outsiders havedescribedthisapproachasa‘softauthoritarian’styleofgovernance.

FormanyWesterners,infact,Singaporeislittlemorethanatechnologicallypsyched-up,soft-coregulagofcaning,don’twalkonthegrass(anddon’tsmokeanygrass),nochewinggumallowed,don’tdoanythingunlesswe tellyou it’snotspecificallyprohibited,andbecarefulifyouopenlycriticizethefounderofmodern Singapore because the inherited and still-used British anti-defamationlawstilttowardrepresentativesofthestate.

SoallIamexpressingtoLKYaswestartismyhopethatthislittlebookof

ourconversationswillattractenoughcuriosityintheWesttotakeusallbeyondclichésandhalftruths,promptingusalltobeginthinkingoutoftheconventionalpolitical box.We in theWestmight evenwind up appreciating Singapore forwhatitis—triumphs,warts,whatever.

Forjustasecond,theoldcockyanddefiantLKYsurfacesamidthecoughsand sighs and pangs of pain. His face, though well lined, is animated; he isgrinning now, so very alert: “Well, I thinkwhat theWesternworld readershipdoesnotunderstandisthatattheendoftheday,Iamnotworriedbyhowtheyjudgeme. I amworried by how the people I have governed judgeme. I owethemthisresponsibilitywhenIputmyselfupforelectioninthe50s,wonit,tookthem into Malaysia and took them out of Malaysia. We had to make anindependentSingaporework.”

Heissuddenlyonhisfirstroll;therewillbemanytodayandtomorrow.Heisa master explainer and convincer, so watch out! He’s hard to resist! Hecontinues:“ItwasanenormousburdenIthoughtIcouldnotdischarge.Wehadto create a new economy. But I had a good team. Empirically, we tried oneapproach after the other and finally succeeded.After succeeding,mynext job[he resigned as PM in 1990] was to find successors whowould carry on thesystembecauseifitbreaksdown,thenallthatIhavedonewillcometonaught.

“So,Ihadasuccessorin[formerPM]GohChokTong[nowseniorminister]andateamwithhim.Istayedbehindtoshowhimhowhecanchangethings.Ifhewantstochangethis,thisisthewaytodoit.Nocrushingofgears.Withinsixmonths,threeministersleftbecausetheydidn’tlikehisstyle.Italkedthemoutofit.Isaid,givehimtime,heneedstosettlein.Theystayedonandhecarriedon for 14 years. I helped him. He appointedmy son deputywho helped himsucceed.

“Goh’ssuccessmeansIhavesucceeded,notthathehassucceededonly.Hissuccess reflects creditably onme.He has decided to helpmy son [LeeHsienLoong]succeedbecause thatwill reflect favorablyonhim.Wehaveevolvedasystem,avirtualcycle.Atsomepoint,itmaybreakdownbecausetheablestandthebrightestmaynotcomeintodothejobbecausetheythinkalliswell,whyshould theyexpose themselves topresspublicity, constrict their family life? Ifthathappens,wewillhaveanalternativegovernment.”

I slip a word in: “But you are pretty proud of what you have?” I do notdredgeupthewell-knownSingaporejibethatthetriumphanttriadissometimeslabeledas‘theFather,theSonandtheHolyGoh’.

“ItwasthebestthatIcoulddowiththepeoplethatIhad.”

Iexplainthatthisisthestory—theamazing‘Singapore’movie—thatneedstohitAmerica’smoviescreens.We in theWestneed toknowmoreabout thisplace, rejectingwhat is not right for America but keeping ourminds open toborrowingandadaptingwhatmightstillworkforus.

Heshakeshishead—slowly,withalittlefatigue—thentightensthewarmingpadaroundhisrightthigh,sipsabitofwaterfromasmallglassonthecardtableputinfrontofus,andtellsmethathedoesn’tthinkmuchofthatpossibility.

“No,”herepliesinhischaracteristicpessimist-realisttone,withthatoverlayof British accent that fogs over centuries of Chinese heritage. “Only thoseinterested in international affairs and inEastAsiawill bother, nomatterwhatyoudo.The averageAmericanonly knowsSingapore as some farawayplace,unless theyhavevisited it. If theydid, theywouldhavebeen surprised that itwasnotthesortofplacetheyexpected!”

Cuedbytheboss,arehabaidejetstowardtheseniorstatesmanwithanotherheatpad.LKYtightensitalmostfiercely,asifonlyapainfulvice-likegripwillexpungethepain.

Ilookathim:“You’reright,dismaymightattendmodernSingapore’sfailuretoliveuptotheoldcliché.”

Henods:“Theydon’tknowwhereSingaporeis,theyarenotinterested.Theythink of onlyMichael Fay [the infamous graffiti teen delinquentwho in 1994wentona spraypainting spree inSingaporeandwas thuscaned], thenmaybecaning,chewinggum…strangeoddplacethisSingapore.”

For toolonga time, the issueofbannedchewinggum(nowlargely legallychewable) clouded up Western media lenses whenever they focused on thisisland city-state. Reports spun chewing gum into a metaphor for Singapore’speculiarways,and/orforitslockstep,police-stateproclivities.Formanyyearsasa visiting columnist, I too chewed over the puzzle of the chewing gumconundrum,butcametounderstandthatthetendencytosticktheremainsofthegumineverywhichplacewasviewedbytheauthoritiesasapalpableattackonSingapore’sambitiontobeperfect.Thatis,itwasanti-utopian.Itwasgummingup theworks. As far as LKY and his teamwere concerned, the yucky habit,commonplace in the old days,was a palpable enemyof progress.Theway toedgeforwardtowardutopiawassimple:simplyoutlawchewinggum.

...whattheWesternworldreadershipdoesnotunderstandisthatattheendoftheday,Iamnotworriedbyhowtheyjudge

me.IamworriedbyhowthepeopleIhavegovernedjudgeme.

Buthasn’ttheWesternmediamovedbeyondthechewinggumnonsense,allthe same? Surely these past impressions have been overtaken by enlightenednewperspectivesonSingapore?

Lee, fiddling with the latest heat pad as he replies, looks at me and thendown at his right leg: “I amnot surewe are past history.But themedia havestoppedfloggingthedeadhorse.TheycanseethatthereisadifferentSingapore.Itisnolongersterile,it’snolongeranabsenceoffun.”

Hestartstowarmuphere,asiflookingbothbackwardsandforwards:“Wehaveputonacolorfulglossandbuzz.Forhighculture,wehavemanymuseums,artgalleries,rapandwhateverelsetheyaredoinginthediscos,beerandwine-drinking by the riverside. They boost the tourist trade. It is part of a worldculture.”

TheClarkeQuaywaterfrontspannearSingapore’sdowntownareaisamajortourist attraction. Somehow—you have to chuckle—it’s very hard to imagineLKY leaning against a bar in the wee hours watching the street action andrunningupatab.

I tryonceagain—one last time. I explain that thechallenge inwriting thisbookistoreachpeoplewhoareunawareofthechange,andwhohereallyis,andso I add: “I want to get to that interior LKY. I don’t have to convinceSingaporeans that you are important, and I don’t have to convince even theneighboringMalaysiansthatyouareimportant,orperhapsanyoneinthisregionofthis.”

Lee, coughing heavily (he’s a non-smoker), starts to interrupt, but I amdetermined to finishmy point and plunge on: “But if I do this book right, itcould be a great help to Americans trying to understand what you stand for.Look,peopleinSingaporeknowyouareanimportantmanbut...”

Hestopsmeinmytrackswithabitofnegativebodylanguage.Referringtomy comment about how well Singaporeans know him, he hits me with this:“Theythinktheyknowme,buttheyonlyknowthepublicme.”

Itseemswehavehitanerve.

FatherKnowsBest

BORNANDRAISEDontheislandofSingapore,livinghereallhislifeexceptforschoolingabroadandalotofhard-drivingglobe-trotting,LKYhasheldthecenter of the island city-state’s public life formore than fivedecades.Andhethinks even Singaporeans don’t really know him—much less outsiders?Amazing!

Perhapsthisdesiretorevealmoreofhimselfthaneverbeforehelpsaccountfor the relative alacrity with which he agreed to these interviews. His presssecretary, Madam Yeong Yoon Ying (or YY, as she is fondly addressedsometimes)saysshecannotrecallMinisterMentorgivingaU.S.journalistthismuchinterviewtime.

No,theremustbesomethingelseunderneaththesurfaceofLKY,thisethnicChinesemanwhoseSingaporepatriotism(andthushispoliticalcareer)wasbornamid the horrific wartime Japanese occupation, and whose unbroken line ofserialgovernmentshaveledthisstrategicallylocatedislandstateofalmostfivemillionintoanunexpectedlyprominentdestiny.

Whodoeshethinkheis?He understands that he sometimes seems unapproachable, distant, even

menacing.I ask light-heartedly: “Will yougreatly disputeme if I do not characterize

youthusly,‘fun-loving’and‘light-hearted’?”He shakes that off and answers un-defensively: “I would not call myself

‘fun-loving’or‘light-hearted’.ButIamnotseriousallthetime.Everyoneneedstohaveagoodlaughnowandthen,toseethefunnysideofthings,andtolaughathimself.”

ButIdoubtmanySingaporeanseverseehisinteriorfunnyside.Maybethat’swhathemeanswhenhesayshispeopleonlyknowtheexteriorLee.

This is not surprising. People often label Singapore the ‘Nanny State’. Itwakesyouupinthemorning,watchesoutforyouduringtheday,andtucksyouinto bed at night. But it’s necessarily a suffocating love, with little room forbubblymirth.

Butthe‘NannyState’appellationseemstooun-masculine.SingaporeputsaDarwinianemphasisondisciplineandhardwork.AndlookingoverallisLKY,theultimategodfather.Tome,atleast,thecountryhasalwaysseemedmorelikea ‘Daddy State’. This reflection remindsme of an old American TV show—broadcasteddecadesago—called“FatherKnowsBest”.

Itwasahugehit.Thepointofthestorylineswasthat,yes,fatherdidknowbest, even if the restof the family sometimesdidmake funofhimbehindhisback.ManyAmericanswatchedadmiringly,almostreligiously.ThiswasbeforeAmerica’sfeministshadmademajorinroadsintoU.S.culture.Thiswasbeforethedivorceratesoared,beforegaymarriagewasanationalpolitical issue,andlongbeforeAIDS.

Myownfather, longdeceased,hadperhapsat leastonequality incommonwithLKY:hewascertainthatthisparticularfatherdidknowbestallthetime.Iamnot entirely certainwhen I first knewofmyability toget alongwellwithstrong authoritarian figures who were always so sure of themselves. But itprobablyoriginatedwith theproblemofgettingalongwithmy father.Hewas(shallwesay?)noteasytogetalongwith.

He was much taller than LKY, all German (as in Prussian, Poland-boundinvasion type-A). He was poorly educated, but hard-working and decent, yetaddicted to painkillers from wartime injury in the U.S. Marines, and as ateenagerhadbeenbeatensometimesonthebackwithanicepick—byhisfather,whohad(shallwesay?)temper-controlissues.

A lengthy conversationwithmy fatherwas a rarity, and a negotiation.Healsohadatemper.Heneverhitme,thoughtherewasatimewhenIleftthetopoffhisafter-shavelotionovernightthatIthoughtIwasdonefor.

Mybestfriendincollegewasabitlikemyfather,too—mostlyinaccessible,almostdeliberately ineptwith small talk—but, likeLKY,brilliant, in aquietlyintimidating way. And then there were those overbearing father-knows-bestbosses atNewYorkmagazine,Timemagazine and a few other placeswhere Iworked but won’t mention—demanding, unforgiving, difficult, though often(annoyingly)brilliant.

Intruth,Iwasmostlycomfortablewiththem.IamalwayscomfortablewithLKY.From him, you see, I don’t expect fresh pastries, ballet music, a smell of

saffronor an impromptuboutof standupcomedy.Tobe fair,MinisterMentorLee—atleastinotherinterviewswithhimformysyndicatedcolumnpriortothe

far lengthieronesfor thisbook—wasalwayseasier totalktothanmydadandalwaysofferedsomeoftheverybestinterviewsajournalistcanhave.

Ifindtalkingtohimalmostrelaxing.Honest.And, lookingat thisotherwise stalwart statesman, apparentlyhavingabad

healthday, Inowseehe isdialingdown intoa slightlybettermood.Theheatcompresses—one after another after another—seem to be soothing, and thisinterviewerfromtheWestCoastof theU.S.hasn’t irritatedhimwiththeusualnothing-is-newWestern style questions about human rights, chewing gum andcaning.

Infact,whatLeedoesn’tknow(ormaybehedoes)isthosequestionsseemless compelling tomeprecisely because they have been asked of him and hiseliteteamoverandoverandoveragain.

Thefactofthematteristhatthecountry’sprosperityandcivilitycannotbedenied.Whatmust be faced up to is this: Singapore is a huge success and anobviousgem(with imperfections,ofcourse).WeintheWestmayquarrelwiththe way it was achieved, but the achievement somehow seems to dwarf thecritique.Whyteardownamonumenttohardworkandsmartdecision-making?Singaporeisn’tabouttoinvadeneighboringstatesandimposeitssystemontheunwilling.Mygoalinthisbookofconversationsisn’ttowhittleSingaporedowntosize,forwhateversadisticmotive,buttosizeupthementalityandphilosophyofmodernSingapore’sfounderandseewhatcanbelearned.

Leeshiftshisweightinhischair.Heawaits.Herewego:“Iwantedtoaskyouaboutsomethingthatyou’vewrittenabout,

which is your temperament, the anger issue that you attributed to your fatherwhohadsuchatemper.”Ratherthaninsulthimbyaskingpoint-blankifhe’sahothead,thequestionbecomestheextenttowhichhisallegedhotheadednessisinherited.

ItisinthisstormycontextthatLeementionshisfatherinthefirstvolumeofhissweepingautobiography,TheSingaporeStory.Idon’taskhimtogotoodeepintothis.Amateurpsychoanalysiswon’tgetusveryfar.

So we approach the temper issue from the perspective of policy pursuitsratherthanpsychicpermutations:“Mytheoryisthatyourtemperisprimarilyatoolofgovernance,leadership.Machiavelli—inyourwritingsyoudoexplicitlyrefertoNiccolòMachiavelli—saiditwasalwaysbestfortheleadertobelovedandfeared,butifyoucanachievebutone,itisbettertobefearedthanloved.Soistemperacharacterdefectoratoolofgovernment?”

Thisseemstheclassywayofapproachingit.Afterall,HitlerandStalinhadserious anger issues (then again, so did Gandhi and, well, Beethoven, not tomentionVanGoghandVonKarajan...andcertainlyBillClinton).

LKYseemstoshifthisweightalittle.“Ifyoucanswitchitonandoff,yes,itcanbeatoolofgovernment,butpeoplewithirrepressibletemperscannotswitchitonandoff.Now,becausemyfatherhadanastytemper,Idecidedthattempersarebadbecauseitcreatedunhappinessformymotherandfor thefamily.So,Ihavenever,Inevertrytolosemytemper.MaybeIhaveoccasionally,butItrytocontrolit.”

“Youuseitforeffect,though,ifyouhaveto?”Frankly,thisisoneoftheveryfew,ifnotonly,timesduringthehoursofinterviewingthatLKY,itseemstome,isbeinglessthanfullyhonestwithhimself.

“Seldom.IfIamreallyangry,mybodylanguagewillshowthatIammostdissatisfied.”

“Can we say that you are almost like a young person growing up in analcoholic family? They tend not to drink. You are saying it was a poisonedpotionasfarasyouareconcerned?”

It’snotthatIamthinkingLeeisaliar.Beingcompletelyself-candidishardforanyone.Foryearsmyregularlyscheduleddrinkingofsignificantquantitiesofalcoholcreatedproblems,butitneveroccurredtomethatwhatIwaslookingatwasatrulyseriousdrinkingproblem.Butitoccurredtomywife.

Leepauses,then:“Yes,ofcourse,andIhaveneverstruckmychildrenwhichmy father did.He tookme by the ears and putme over thewell because I’drummaged his very precious Vaseline [brilliantine] called 4711, expensive inthosedays.I’veneverforgottenthat.Ireadinthemagazine,AmericanScientific,whensomethinghappenstoyouanditistraumatic,you’llneverforgetit.”

Ofcourse.“I’ve never forgotten because I was only about four, five years old. So, I

decidedmyfatherwasafoolishmanwhonevercontrolledhimself.”And thenmequickly inserting,noticing thatallduring this interviewnota

creaturestirredoutsideinthecorridororaroundtheinterviewtable:“Andthenanuncontrolledtemperismessy,right?”

“He made the whole family unhappy. He made my mother unhappy, andbecauseofrows,allthechildrenbecameunhappy.Confucianismrequiresmetosupporthim[myfather]inhisoldage,whichIdid.”

ThetermsConfucianismandAsianvalueswillcropupa lot indiscussions

with—and about—Lee.Roughly speaking, theymean a philosophy and ethicsthat lean toward traditional family-based and community-oriented values overmoderntechnocraticandindividual-centricones.TheachievementofSingaporehasbeentoblendthetwoworldstogether,thoughnotwithoutrealpain.Buthiscritics liken him to a Confucian emperor more than a democratically electedpoliticalfigure.Theknockonitsfounderisthathehidesbehindtheoldvalues(likehismother’sskirt)whenevercriticsraisemoralorethical issuesbasedonmoreindividualistic,Westernstandards.Whattheymaynotunderstandisthatnomatter how Westernized Lee Kuan Yew became at Cambridge, his DNA ismillennia-deepChinese.

It seems unnecessary to push him further on the personal temper point.Everyoneintheworldknowshehasone,whethercontrolledorotherwise.Ifhedoesn’tknowthis, thenwhat’s thepointat thispoint?EverydrymartiniI takecontains inherent unforeseen consequences. I still take one occasionally, butthat’s because even atmy age, part ofme is still a baby.Allmen are.Age isirrelevant.Weguystendtostaysubmergedindenialratherthansurfaceandfacecertaindeeplypersonalrealities.

But,foolthatIam,Ipushhimonemoretime.Henods, accepting that the bookneeds to bemorepersonal if it is to add

appreciablytowhatisknown:“Myfaultsareimpatienceingettingthingsdone,pressingmyassociatesandaidesinputtingintheirbesttogetthejobdone,orfairlyquicklyreplacingthemwhentheyarenotmakingtheeffortwell.”

Duringtheexchange,histwoaides,seatedattheotherendofthetable,saynothing and avertmy eyes, despitemy repeated staring. I am reasonably suretheyarealive.

Leeadds:“ItendtoblowupwhenmysecretariesaredilatoryandIamunderpressure.”

Iwonderifthereisanythingelse.“Thisisnotanexhaustivelist.Icannotseemyself.”Thereisasilence.He adds: “My faults are many and numerous. You will have to ask my

opponentsandenemies,andtherearemanyinSingapore.”

TheFoxandtheHedgehog(NotaDisneyMovie)

WHATISTHEtemperofthetimes?Whatisthetemper/distemperoftheleader?When one thinks of an authoritarian leader (however ‘soft’)who sports a badtemper,onethinksofaHitleroraHirohitoleadingamilitarilypowerfulcountry.

Butwhataboutoneleadingamilitarilyinsignificantcountry?The Pope was not to be feared, Stalin once said. After all, how many

divisionshashegot?But world influence cannot be measured in the mere metrics of military

capabilities.PopeJohnPaulII(KarolWojtyla)helpedendtheColdWarthroughthe barrel of steady moral barrages against Communism. Lee, also a staunchanti-communist, has had regional and international influence through thepotencyofhisideasaboutgovernance,cultureandinternationalrelations—ideasthat have special force inpart becausehis countrySingaporehasputmanyofthemintoaction.Askalmostanyone,evensomeofhisenemies,and theywillalmostallagree:LeeisagiantofAsia,nomatterhowtinyhiscountry.

Idrawhisattentiontoafamousessay,decadesold,bythelategreatOxfordFellowIsaiahBerlinthatmayprovideakeytounlockthesecretofthemindofLKY.It’sabouthowonemightclassifygreatfiguresinhistory.AnanalogyfromGreek literature of the hedgehog and the fox is used to divide greatmen andwomenintotwomajorcategoriesofgreatleaders.

As he hunches up a little in his chair, I explain it goes like this: the Foxknows lots of things, lots of different ways of surviving. The Hedgehog onlyknowsonemajorthing,buttheonethattheHedgehogknowsisareallybigdeal—itiscentraltohislifeandthatofeveryoneelse.

SoEinstein,whobroughtforthintotheworldthishugeidea(aboutuniversalrelativity), would obviously be a Hedgehog. By contrast, the genius AristotlewasthescientistofthousandsoflittleideasandthusarguablywouldbetheFoxwhoknewlotsoflittlethings.Botharegeniuses,butofdifferentkinds.

“Now,inthisfamousbook,Berlinmovesquicklyintotalkingaboutwhathe

reallywants to talkabout,which is thegreatnovelistLeoTolstoy.What is thenatureofTolstoy’sgenius?Berlinaskshimself.DidTolstoythinkhewasaFoxordidTolstoythinkhewasaHedgehog?And,eventhen,wasTolstoynot justunderestimatinghimself?Itseemstomeyouarealmostadamantinsayingthatyou are a Fox, that you know a lot of little practical things, and you are notbringingtotheworldsomebigHedgehogidea.”

Inotherwords,thisisourmainquestion:LKY—Hedgehog,orFox?Anditis the big thematic question to which we will return at the end of ourconversations.

Listeningcarefully,he letsoutafaintsighandtightens theheatpadonhisrightthigh,thensays:“Idon’tthinkinthoseterms.Iamnotgreatonphilosophyandtheories.Iaminterestedinthem,butmylifeisnotguidedbyphilosophyortheories. I get things done and leave others to extract the principles frommysuccessful solutions. I donotworkona theory. Instead I ask:whatwillmakethis work? If, after a series of such solutions, I find that a certain approachworked,thenItrytofindoutwhatwastheprinciplebehindthesolution.”

My sense is that Lee harbors the gut instinct that all general politicaltheories,howeverexpressedby(say)theaverageotherwiseharmlessuniversityprofessor,containeitheranexplosivemeasureofdangeroranoceanofprofoundnaiveté.Forwhenpushedtologicalendpoints,theyinclinetowardextremism,whether Communism at its purest or a brutal brand of capitalism sometimeslabeled ‘free-market fundamentalism’ or ... (most probably of all) towardinconsequentialism.

Leeworks through these thoughts:“So,Plato,Aristotle,Socrates, Iamnotguidedbythem.IreadthemcursorilybecauseIwasnotinterestedinphilosophyas such. Youmay call me a ‘utilitarian’ or whatever. I am interested in whatworks.”

Iamnotgreatonphilosophyandtheories.Iaminterestedinthem,butmylifeisnotguidedbyphilosophyortheories.

Leethenusesadeftexampletodemonstratetheadvantagesofkeepingyourideologyfromrunningawaywithyourcommonsense.“So,backinthe1960s,1970s, 1980s,” he says, a touch dismissively, “when the conventional andfashionabletheoriesheld[so-called]‘ThirdWorldleaders’inthrall,‘socialism’,‘Communism’, ‘the Soviet Republic’ and ‘no exploiting multinationals’, I

bucked the trend and succeeded. Then the others in the region followed myexample.”

Third World ideology took the unwavering (indeed, the mind-blowinglyideological)viewthatpermittingaforeignmultinationalcorporation tooperateinyourcountrywastohandthemthekeytotheTreasury,allowthemtobilkthecountry’s natural resources and steal off with your most talented children. InSingapore, though, the country possessed splendid human resources, not tomentionavigilantandcageyLKYwatchingoverthemassivemultinationals,tokeeptheirpredatorypracticestoaminimum.

He is clear enough on his pragmatism, but, whether he accepts it or not,extremepragmaticutilitarianismisitselfaphilosophy:“Andsoyoubroughttoyourpoliticalcultureanewutilitarianreligion!”

Barelymissingabeat, for themoment ignoringmyoff-centerdirection,hewenton:“Whatismyguidingprinciple?Presentedwiththedifficultyormajorproblemoranassortmentofconflictingfacts,IreviewwhatalternativesIhaveifmyproposed solution doesn’twork. I choose a solutionwhich offers a higherprobabilityofsuccess,butifitfails,Ihavesomeotherway.Neveradeadend.”

“Isee.There’salwaysaPlanBsoyoucanalwaysgetoffPlanArealfast?”“Yes,ofcourse,ifitdoesn’twork.”“AndyouwillnotletlobbyistsandothervestedinterestskeepitatPointAif

itisnotgoodforthecountry?”“Right.No!”So,workingwiththemultinationals,heisananti-Marxist,right?That’ssort

ofanideology,aHedgehogidea,right?Iaskhim.His response: “I am not anti-Marxist but anti-communist, i.e.anti-Leninist

methodsoforganizingapartytocapturepowerandtoholdasocietyinitstotalgriponceinpower.”

Critics sometimes suggest thatLee’s People’sActionParty (PAP) is semi-Leninistincharacter.Butthecentralgovernment’smethodofcontrolisfarmoresubtleandnotremotelyasbrutal;anditderivescredibilityfromthedramaticallypositiveeconomicandsocietalresultsproduced.WesterncommentatorswhocandiscernlittledifferencebetweenLKYandFidelCastrohavemuchtolearnaboutSingapore’sfounder.

Hegoeson:“Marxarguesthatlaborcreatesexcessreturnsthatarecreamedoff by capitalists. ButMarxwaswrongwhen he predicted thiswould lead togreatinjusticesand,finally,rebellionandacollapseofthecapitalistsystem.This

hasnothappenedbecauseoftradeunionsfightingforbetterworkingconditions,andgovernmentsredistributingincomesthroughhousing,health,educationandsocialsecuritybenefits.”

Allthisistothegood,hesuggests,especiallytheuseofcentralgovernmentinterventiontosanddowntheroughedgesofcapitalism.Itkeepsthingsmovingforward.Butextendedtoanideology,ortosomeinflexibleformula(orpoliticalpartyplatform),stateinterventionismcanbedangerous.

Inthisregard,heworriesa lotabout thedirectionof theU.S.Headds:“InEurope,because thesocialsecuritynet isovergenerous, theworkersarenotasharddrivingandtheeconomyhasbecomesluggish.TheU.S.isattheotherend,higher competition, with less social support. However, if the Obamaadministration and Congress move towards the European model of socialsupport,itwillleadtoaslowerandlessdynamicAmericaneconomy.”

Youmaycallmea‘utilitarian’orwhatever.Iaminterestedinwhatworks.

Aswedoandshallseeevenmoreclearly,LeeishardlyshyaboutputtingupStopSignsandofferingadvicetoothers.HeobviouslyenjoysbeingtheSageofSingapore, though he’s smart enough not to charge foolishly into dangerouswaters. In past interviews he would sometimes decline a leading question bysayingsomethinglike,“No,no,no,Idon’twanttogetintoafightonthatpointwithyourAmericanCongress.”

What’scertainlytrueoftheSingaporesageisthehighqualityofhiscounsel.It is balanced. He is no religious believer in free-market fundamentalism. Hewouldneverfallfortheprimitivismthathumansarealwaysrationaland/orself-interestedactorswhosebehaviorcanbemodeledwithpredictiveprecisionandwhosedecisionsarealwaysintheirand/ortheirsociety’sbestinterests.

Iask:“Sowheredoyourcoreinstinctsoriginatefrom?”“You can begin by analyzing my character. My thinking comes from my

character.HowdidIgettobewhatIam?MaybemyDNAwasthatway.AlsoIhavemylifeexperiences.Onemeetsaseriesofunforeseeableandunpredictablesituations when your whole world collapses. Anyway, mine did. The BritishEmpire was supposed to last another 1,000 years in Southeast Asia, butcollapsed when the Japanese army came in 1942. I never thought they couldconquer Singapore and push the British out. They did, and brutalized us,

includingme.Luckily,myheadwasnotcutoff.Manylosttheirs.”“Youhadanarrowescapeatonepoint.”Henodsaffirmatively.“IlearnedaboutpowerlongbeforeMaoZedongwrotethatpowercamefrom

thebarrelofthegun.TheJapanesedemonstratedthis;theBritishdidnot.They[theBrits]wereat the tail endofEmpirewhen theydidnothave tousebruteforce. The British had superiority in technology, commerce and knowledge.They built this big Government House on a hill with Indian convict labor in1868 todominate thepopulations.Thisbuildingdominated thewhole island. Ilearned how to govern, how you dominate the people, as theBritish did, andhowtheJapaneseusedtheirpower.

“Themoment the Japanese tookover, theymoved to all thebigbuildings.Theybecamethedominantforce,andwiththepoweroflifeanddeathoveryou,youobey,ornofood,arrest, torture.Thewholepopulationbecamesubmissiveexceptforafewwhotooktothejungleandfoughtbackasguerillasand,iftheywerecaught...”

“Tortured,huh?”Hecoughsagain.“Yeah,manywere.Youcansay,Iama‘Fox’inthesensethatIknowinthis

situation,thishappens,inthatsituation,thathappens.Watchyourstep,likethefox.”

“Andyouknowalotofsurvivalsteps,right?”Henods:“Butisthereaguidingprinciple,agoldenthreadthatrunsthrough

allofthem?Iamnotsure,Iamnotsure.”Ipushon,determinedorfoolish,Idon’treallyknow:“Justtounderlinethat

point, but that’s exactlywhat IsaiahBerlingets atwith regard toLeoTolstoy,andTolstoysoundsjustlikeyou.Seriously!Tolstoyineffectsaid,Idon’thaveageneral principle, I don’t have an over-arching philosophical approach, Iwanttheempiricaldata, Iwant thespecificsand then I respondasnecessary ... likethat. But Berlin’s thesis is that precisely because Tolstoy was a genius, thegeniuses always, even subconsciously, look for some unifying principle or,perhaps,somesenseofoverallorder.YouknowwhatImean,sothatyoudon’treallyhavetomakeyouroverallframeworkupallthetime.”

Just asBerlin thoughtTolstoywas a secretHedgehog, nomatterwhat thegreat Russian novelist thought of himself, I harbor the same instinct aboutSingapore’smodernfounder.ButIknowheportrayshimselfasasensible-shoes

British empiricist without theoretical pretensions, and so I know my TolstoyHedgehogideaisdestinedtoproveahardselltothishard-boiledstatesman.Butwhygiveupsosoon?WeAmericansarebornoptimists!

HowaboutPlato?IaskhimwhetherhisbelovedSingapore(thecountry,notthemovie)properlywants tobea later-dayRepublic in thefashionofPlato—elitist,meritocratic,learned,anti-one-man-one-vote.Heknowsyouwouldn’tbeabletogetPlatotoendorsetheideathat thehomelessmaninthegutterof thestreetshouldhavethesameonevoteasthepresidentofHarvard.

Isay:“AndifyoudidhaveasystemthatcouldproduceaPlato,whoseideaofthecity-statewasasclosetoutopiaasonemightgetonearth,wouldn’tyouwantPlatotorunyourcountry?”

Leeclearshisthroat,asifatthesametimeclearinghismind,butpushesthefocus away from Singapore and toward the larger question of superiorgovernanceandstableworldorder:“Platotalkedintermsofacity-state.Wearetalkingintermsofmeganationswithmanyethnicgroups,manycultures,manyreligions,multiple contradictions between them.How itwill panout, I cannotsay, but I do know that the present system is not, as [the American politicaleconomistFrancis]Fukuyamabelieves,theendofhistory,thatnothingelsecanexceldemocracy,thatyoucannotdisplaceit.That’snottrue.”

Isay:“Classicliberaldemocraciesmayeventakeustoadeadend.Imean,Ihavespentfour,fivemonthsnowreadingallyourstuffandthinkingaboutwhatyou’vesaidandpreparingforthisinterview,andIseeyouasdoinganumberofthings.ButontheHedgehogside,yourwholeimplicitcritiqueofdemocracy,ofone-man, one-vote, I think your views, which in America would be deemedpoliticallyincorrect,tosaytheleast,arisefromadeepwellofgoodwill,aswellas genuine fear. I don’t think they are evil in any sense. You stand for goodgovernance. I mean if you stand for anything at all, you stand for goodgovernance.”

Next youwill hear—loud and clear—the voice of the no-nonsenseBritishutilitarian.

“Everysocietywantstobegovernedbyleaderswhobringthegreatestgoodtothegreatestnumberinafairandnon-discriminatingway.WecouldnothaveheldthesocietytogetherifwehadnotmadeadjustmentstothesystemthatgivestheMalays,althoughtheyarenotashardworkingandcapableastheotherraces,a fair share of the cake. Their lives are improving, they have got their ownhomes, more are receiving tertiary education and becoming professionals invariousfields.They’reimprovingbecausetheyseetheirneighborspushingtheir

childrenineducationandsothathelps.”ThisiswhereLKYisonlyhintingatalonganddeeplyheldconvictionthat

might be termed ‘negative eugenics’. Just as careful breeding in the animalworld can produce superior specimens, careless inbreeding in the animal (andhuman)worldcanproducelesscapableorlessgiftedsubcultures.HeviewstheruralMalayswithcompassion,butalsowithconviction:theyarenotbredtobego-getters.HehascomparableviewsabouttheUighurs,whohavebeenpushedaround by a massive influx of ethnic Han Chinese into Xinjiang, in westernChina. To reduce the sometimes violent tensions there, as on the MalayPeninsula,theansweriseconomicdevelopmentthatbenefitsall,evenwhenyouhavetotweakthewealth-distributionmachineinnewways.

Hesays:“They[theChinesegovernment]developXinjiangandtheybelievetheywillalleviatetheproblem.ItoldoneoftheirministersthatwhenIwenttoUrumqi,thecapitalinXinjiangin1990,IfoundtheUighursinthemajority,over50percent,andall in low-risebuildings.Whenthis troublebrokeout,Uighurswerenowonly14percentofthepopulationofUrumqiandtheHanChineseareover70percentinthesetallbuildings.TheroadsanddevelopmenthavebroughtintheHanChinesefromthecoastalcities.HowcantheseUighurscompetewiththeHans?

“I told them, look,why don’t you do it anotherway?You can’tmake theUighur competitive in business as the Chinese have been doing this forthousands of years.Whynot get yourHan companies to bring the best of theUighurs in asminority partners?Then they are also in the high-rises and alsosharing in the growth. Instead, they are being pushed out, not just their bigcompanies, but even their hawkers and small shopkeepers, squeezed out. If IwereaUighur,IwouldfeeltheHansaretakingover.InfrastructuredevelopmentmeansmoreHanChinese.MoreHanChinese...doesn’tmatterifIgetricherasaresult,butI’mbecomingpoorer.”

Ethnicitiesandnationalitiesthatareallowedtobesetatoneanother’sthroatsstrike Lee as governance gone stupid. The more integrated they are thanghettoized, economically as well as politically, the better for economicdevelopment,not tomentionpoliticalstability.Hegrabsanothercontemporaryexampleoutof the air, as if reaching for a fewbarsof somemusical score toillustrateafavorite,ifcommonsensical,theme.

“Anotherexample isSriLanka. It isnotahappy,unitedcountry.Yes, they[themajoritySinhalesegovernment]havebeatentheTamilTigersthistime,buttheSinhalesewhoarelesscapableareputtingdownaminorityofJaffnaTamils

whoaremore capable.Theywere squeezing themout.That’swhy theTamilsrebelled. But I do not see them ethnic cleansing all two million-plus JaffnaTamils.TheJaffnaTamilshavebeeninSriLankaaslongastheSinhalese.”

“SowhatAsiasawwasethniccleansing?”“That’sright.”“Theywillcomeback,youthink?”“I don’t think they are going to be submissive or go away. The present

presidentofSriLankabelieveshehassettledtheproblem;hisTamilTigersarekilledandthatisthat.”

Ilookupfrommynotesandwithasensethatherewemightbeseeingasideof LKY that is under-reported, I say: “See, that’s really a fascinating point,becausetotheextentthatwehaveanysenseofwhoyouareatall,wethinkofyouasthishard-boiledforce-firstguy.Butinfactyoursystemofgovernmentismuchsofter,consensualandintelligent,whereaswhattheSinhaleseinSriLankaaredoingisacaricatureofanLKYwhoneverexisted.”

Leefightsacringe,asiffightingoffabadmemory—ormybadanalogy.Hestartstosaysomething,thenstops,thenleavesitatthis,referringtoSriLanka’spresident: “I’ve read his speeches and I knewhewas a Sinhalese extremist. Icannotchangehismind.”

Undertaking battles that cannot be won is not a particular trademark ofLKY’spragmaticsuccessformula.Neither isareligiousobeisancetoso-calledpuredemocracyastheformofpreferredgovernment.HedoesnotmentionthatSri Lanka is a democracy, based on one-citizen, one-vote. He’s not againstdemocracieswhentheywork.He’sagainstdefendingthemjustbecausetheyaredemocracies. This position strikes me as more consistent than the U.S.relationshipwithotherdemocracies:wesupportthemonlywhenweapproveofthem,denouncingthem(orworse)whenwedon’t.

He is also opposed to defending propositions that have little factualfoundation simply because they are politically correct. He does think, by andlarge,Chinese peoplework harder thanmany other nationalities or ethnicities(thoughnot,forexample,morethantheJapanese).Infact,hesuspectsthe21stcentury will be a Chinese or Asian one. He thinks the Tamils deserve morerespect than theSinhalesehavegiven them.Hedoubts theaverageMalaywilleverbecomeahard-chargingworkaholic,asaremanyChinese...asare(aswewillseelater)manyIsraelis...andasaretheJapanese.Infact,theJapaneseareso driven that they serve to underscore the point that even an inefficient

democraticsystemofgovernmentisnotnecessarilyanimpedimenttoeconomicgrowth.

ChinaSyndrome

THE SINGAPORE-CHINA relationship is an important part of thisconversation.Butfirstalittlebackgroundisneeded.

LKY would be the first to admit that he is riveted by China. After hisSingapore,heprobablythinksaboutnothingelsemore,thoughrisingIndiahaslatelybeenhighonhisradarscreen.

Chinaisnotjustahugeplacealmostbeyondhumanimagination,butitalsohasbecomeahugenewconcept.Forthefirsttimeinalongtime,allourfutureswilldependalotonwhatChinadoesordoesnotdo.ThiswillbetoughformanyofusintheWest,especially,todigest.Weareusedtobeingcenter-stage.

Chinaisnotonlyacountrywithmoreinhabitantsthananyother.Nowrisingtore-establishitsnormalhighrankingintheplanet’sgeopoliticaluniverse,itisalsoaniconforbreakneckeconomicdevelopment.Unstoppable?Nooneknows;anything can happen, and in China, it has. But it does look to be the Asianexpresstrainofthe21stcentury.Thiswasnotthevisionofthefuturebackinthe1960s,whenitwasstillastumbling,half-sleepinggiant.Butdeeplyembeddedhistoricalforcesdonotstaydownforlong.

IthasbeentheinstinctofLKYandhisinnercircletotrytolookbeyond(andbe publicly articulate about looking beyond) history’s next great breathtaking,hairpincurve.Muchlike thegreat thinkerArnoldJ.Toynbee(1889–1975),hissenseisthatcivilizationsandculturesneed(moreorlessurgently)torespondtothechallengesand threatsofhistory, if theyare to survive.Healso shares theviewwithToynbeethatacultureorcountrythatlacksadriving,highlyeducatedelite deeply committed to public service is doomed to be slow to respond—perhapstragicallyandevenfatallyslow.

Onone level,Lee’shugebetson theelitistapproach togovernancecanbeattributed to hisDNA debt, as it were, to the track record of highly effectiveChinese Mandarins in past dynasties. But beyond mere reprise, Lee’scontemporary power elite represents an affirmation and extension of thatprincipleinaverydifferentsetofcircumstances.Ineffect,moderngovernance,whichincludesbasicdecision-makingandpriority-setting,istoocomplextobe

lefttothemaninthestreet.Lee always knew that his obsession aboutChinawas inSingapore’s long-

termnationalinterest.IfatinyvulnerablecountrylikeSingaporedoesn’tclimbaboardandperhapsevenslipintoaseatbehindthepilot-engineerontheChinesetrain, operating as a kind of unofficial back-seat driver, it will be leftdangerously behind. He has also steadily obsessed that if China itself didn’tchange dramatically, that train would never even leave the station—and thewholeregionwouldbestuckwithoutthishugeeconomicengine.

Quickas...well...afox,LKYclimbedaboard,ranintothecabin,andbeganengagingwithDengXiaoping(1904–97).ThelatemasterleaderofChina—thesuccessor toMaoZedong—savedChinafromtotalcollapse.TheformerprimeministerofSingaporemay‘only’beaFox,byhisownestimation,butDengwasaHedgehogifthereeverwasone.Dengcametoaccepttheverylargeideathatonly some kind of reformed entrepreneurial capitalism could save communistChinafromself-destruction.Hehadthat‘visionthing’,aswesayintheU.S.

Thetwoleadershadincommonextremeambition,adeterminationnottoletanythingoranyonegetintheirway,andasharedsenseoftheChinesepeople,everywhere,deservingaspecialplaceon theworldstage.Theyfirstmetwhenthediminutive,chain-smokingDeng,74yearsold,wasstillnowhereyetneartheheightofhispowersonthemainland.Lee,fromthecolossallysmallercountrysouthoftheMalayPeninsula,wasthenapproximatelytwodecadesyoungerandwell into his powers overSingapore, thoughnot sowell knownon the globalstage.Thiswasin1978.Thetimingisimportanttoappreciate.LeewasworriedaboutSingaporebeingleftbehindwhenChinagotbackuptospeed.

The near-epochalDeng-Lee get-together did not finally occur until a half-dozenyears after the stunningFebruary 1972 secret visit ofRichardNixon toChina.As screaminglycynicalamove forboth sidesof theSino-U.S.aisleastheNixonploywas,ityieldedthepivotalShanghaiCommuniqué.Thispledgedthe governments of the United States and the People’s Republic of China toworktowardthenormalizationofrelationsandnot“seekhegemonyintheAsia-Pacific region”.FewAmericandiplomaticabout-faceshadeversostunned theworld. And for Asia, it was nothing less than a major political earthquake.Today,Lee, inparticular—thoughhardlyuniquely,ofcourse—views1972asapositivewatershedyear in theevolutionof the strategic structureofEast-Westrelations.

InLee’seyes,PresidentRichardNixoncarvedoutaspecialplaceforhimselfinhistory.Thatis,hemayhavebeenineptinahundredsmallerways,butnoton

thisverybig issueofChina.ThesinsofWatergateandother seriouserrorsofjudgmentnotwithstanding,Nixon,forone,atleastunderstoodthebigideasthatmaketheworldgoaround.Foralongtimepriortothatbreakthrough,thebestpolicy wisdom about China was that the sleeping giant should be fedtranquilizers with its daily slathering of shark-fin soup to keep it sleepy. ButNixonsensedthatChinawouldnotsleepforever,andthosewhodidnot try touseChinaforitsownnationalinterestswouldinevitablylosethegametothosethatdid.TryingtoallyBeijingagainstMoscow,whichwasthentheenormouslymenacingSovietEmpire,seemedlikeaverygoodideaatthetime.

LeegreatlyadmiredthehardgeopoliticalgroundworkofNixonandhisthen-nationalsecurityadvisorHenryKissinger.AndasMaobegantocometohisend,Lee reached out toDeng in as seemly away as possible.By 1978Dengwasitchingtogetthecountrymovingforward—andfast.HisvisittoSingaporethenbecameknown as something of awidely heralded crash-course in rapid state-driven,capitalisticeconomicdevelopment,withLeeasFriendlyCollegialTutor.WhenDengendedthevisitandwentontootherstops,hecomplimentedLeeonSingapore’s impressive achievements. Lee said thank you for the compliment,butofcoursebothunderstoodthatSingaporewasscarcelyathirdorafourththepopulation of Shanghai alone. Lee says that Deng sighed and replied withsomething like: “If I only had Shanghai to do, I toomight be able to changeShanghaiquickly[asyouhaveSingapore].ButIhavethewholeofChina!”

Tiny or little titan, you have to admire the way small Singapore, beingdemographically two-thirds Chinese, became the smartypants tutor in the re-educationofDeng,themasterrebuilderofmassiveChina.Thistutorialrolehasbeenanimmenselypositivefactor inSingapore’sprestigiousriseinAsia—andone of a number of important factors in China’s lusty embrace of a kind ofsocializedcapitalism.ThetruemeasureofLee’sinfluenceonChina’stilttowarda kind of Chinese capitalism can of course be overstated, but it can also beunderstated.ForfewdisputethatChinawasdesperateformodelsthatwere(a)Chineseand(b)successstories.Thereweren’t toomanyofthemin1978.OnewasSingapore—andtheplacewasinAsia,notinScandinavia;itwasChinese,notJapaneseorOccidental;anditwasawinner.

Leenods:“TheChineseknowIhavehelpedtheminthepast.TheideasthatDengXiaoping formed, if he had not come here [in the 1970s] and seen theWesternmultinationalsinSingaporeproducingwealthforus,trainingourpeoplesoasa resultwewereable tobuildaprosperoussociety, thenhemightneverhaveopenedup...openingupthecoastalSEZs[SpecialEconomicZones]that

eventually led to the whole of China opening up by joining theWorld TradeOrganization.

“HehadfortuitouslyseenSingapore.In1978,wehadadiscourse.Isaidtohim, Communism will only work if you believe that all men will sacrificethemselvesfortheirfellowmenandnot[first]forthemselvesandtheirfamilies.Iworkonthebasisthatallmenandwomenfirstworkforthemselvesandtheirfamilies, and only thenwill they share a portion of it with the less fortunate.That’sthebasisonwhichIwork.”

Lee, in effect, is claiming a role (which magnitude to be determined byhistory’slaterjudgment)inhelpinglaythegroundworkforwhatmayturnouttobeaChinesecentury.

“So,hedecided,leasethelandtothefarmers,individualfarmers,whereuponproductivitywentup.Hemusthavebeenthinkingaboutit,butseeingSingaporeconfirmedhisthinking.Itworkedwellinthecoastalprovinces,SEZs,especiallyShenzhen, tappingHongKong.Thenall thecitiesopenedup.Now, thewholecountryisinWTO.”

And Iadd theveryobviouspoint: “Whichwasahugehistorical jumpandpoliticaldecision.”

Right,henods:“So,therelationshipwithmegoesbackalongway,openingwindows for them. When they deal with my successors, it’s different. TheChinesearealreadysuccessful.But since theycan still learn fromour system,theystillvisitus.”

This isakeypointwithLKY,andcentral tounderstanding thepropositionthat Singapore’s importancemust transcend its size and population. Instead ofcowering and feeling diminished in the shadowof giants, thismicrowave-sizenation gains stature by playing with the big boys, even somewhat fearlessly,thoughneverrecklessly.

He looks atmewith that pair of raisin-black eyes andquickly adds: “It issillytothinktheywilljustcopyus.Theylookatusandsay,well,willthisworkin China? Where they think something will work, they take that particularsegmentandbud-graftitontotheirsystemwithsomealterations.”

Hegoes intodetail about a specificSingaporepolicy thatworks inChina:“Take their housingprogram forpublichousing. [ThenChineseVicePremier]ZhuRongjicameherein1990,andhewentintotheboltsandnutswithus:howdidyousucceedingettingawholepopulationtoowntheirownapartments?Hestudiedour system;wehadaCentralProvidentFundwith individualaccounts

andyoupay20percentofyoursalary,youremployerpays20percent.Outofthataccount,youcanpayyourinstallmentsforyourhomeovera30-yearperiod.A portion of the CPF is kept for their ‘Medisave’; medical care requires co-payments so people don’t go to hospitals or clinics for frivolous reasons.ZhuRongjistartedsomethingsimilarforhousinginShanghai.”

“DidtheSingaporehealthinsuranceapproachworkinShanghai?”“Yeah,it’sworkingandcopiedwithvariation,andwithfurthermodification

fordifferentpartsofChina.”I askhim to compare the lateDengwith thevery recentZhuRongji,who

until 2003 was the Number Two in China and the much-acclaimed technicalvirtuosiofChina’smostrecenteconomicreformsandplungeintotheWTO:“InmoderntimesinChina,isn’tZhuRongjithesortofspiritualsuccessortoDengXiaopingasapragmatist?”

LKYthinksthatoneoverabit,re-adjuststhepad,looksouttowardhisrightwherethelongcorridorleadstohisoffice,thensays:“TheveteransoftheLongMarch do not really understand the free market. They may have read AdamSmith in translation, but what they knew best was the communist system. Itbrought China down. Deng could see the Soviet Union, Cuba and EasternEurope.Hewaslookingforawayoutofthis.Singaporewasausefulsourceforadifferentworkingsystemforthem,bestwithadjustments.”

Iworkonthebasisthatallmenandwomenfirstworkforthemselvesandtheirfamilies,andonlythenwilltheyshareaportionofitwiththelessfortunate.

Without at all diminishing the brilliantZhu,Lee cannot escape the pull ofDengasthecommunistwhoineffectbrokewithCommunism—agiganticleapofleadership.

Icounter,tryingtobringthematterintotheusefulpresent:“Howaboutthis,then? We think of it as Singapore seedlings, little parts of your nationalexperience can be transplanted and can sprout in compatible soils elsewhere.Howdoesthatmetaphorworkforyou?”

Lee doesn’t disapprove and refers to the famous Suzhou project on theChinese mainland: “I don’t know if you have been to Suzhou. It’s their besttownship,well laidout,beautiful,bya lake.Wechose thesite. Itwasfarmingland, a 70-square kilometre [27-square mile] site, and we had much trouble

becausetheywerepooratthattimesotheymadeuscarryalltheoverheads,theinfrastructure. We paid for moving the power lines out of the land, and forconnectingthesitetothemainhighway.”

He sighs, adjusting the heat padwith some irritation: “Wehad to bear thecost;we lostmoney.We brought over 2,000 of their officials to Singapore tolearn andwhen theywent back, our officialswentwith them. Suzhou is nowtheir prized project. Other provinces are going there, learning from them andtheyareveryproudofit.Theyhavejustcelebratedthe15thanniversary.Theyinvitedme,broughtoutalltheoldministersandthepresentministerinchargetoattend and publicize it,which is for themgood and for us, too, good becauseafter itwas completed, at first they advertised in theFinancialTimes that thisproject came about without Singapore, just Suzhou. They did it all bythemselves.Butuntilwegotinvolved,theinvestorsdidn’tcome.”

Isay:“Isthatright?”“ThentheyputitoutasaSingapore-Suzhoujointventure.Thentheinvestors

came.TheChineseaskedus,‘Please,don’tleave.’”“BecausetheSingaporeadditionistheguaranteeofstandards?”InAmerica

wewouldcallittheGoodHousekeepingSealofApproval!Henods:“Wegaveitcredibility.Whatisinterestingisbecauseifyousayto

most Americans, even those who have been to Harvard, if you say to them,Singapore is excellent, theywill say,well, howbig is Singapore?Well, I say,four million people, okay. But then one can say, but Singapore has had aninfluenceon,notacontrolof,butaninfluenceon,ChinaforreasonsXYZ,andthosereasonsXYZaregenerallygoodforeverybody,theworld,andthen,now,theyaremoreinterested.”

That’saratherconvincingwayofdescribingit.FormanyAmericans,however,helpingChinagetonitsfeetaftercenturies

ofrelativesleepandseeingitwakeupwitharoarisdisconcerting.Wejokeaboutwhetherhemightbeaclosetcommunistafterall!Helaughsandsays:“WilliamSafire[thelegendaryformerNewYorkTimes

op-edcolumnistwhodiedinSeptember2009]thoughtIwasadangerousfellow,teaching theChinese how to do things!Why do youwant the communists tosucceed?Well,evensomeofmyownofficers toldme, look,whydoweteachthemandthentheywilloutdousandthenweareintrouble?

“So,Itoldthem,thisisachanceforustogetafootinChinaatatimewhentheydon’tknowhowtodoit.Butthey’vegotsomanybrightfellowsandthey

aregoingtogoallaroundtheworld,andyoucan’tpreventthemfromcomingtoSingaporewithacamcorderandtakingpicturesandstudyingus.So,wemightaswelldothisforthem;makeagreatimpactonthemandtheleadership.

“NowwehaveonefootinChina.Andsowehavegotajointcommitteethatmeetsonce ayear, their vicepremier andourdeputyprimeminister.Wehavestarted an eco-city in Tianjin, which will take 15 more years to do. We areengagedatvariouslevels;theyaresending110to120mayors,orofficialsonthemayor level, everyyear fromall their cities, toacoursehere foreight toninemonthsonpublicadministrationandurbanmanagement.We run thecourse inChineseforthem,andthentheygoroundandstudyandweseethemrightbackintheirowncitieswritingabouttheirexperiencehere,whichisnotbad.ItgivesusagoodreputationinChinesecities.”

ThePerfectStorm

SURVIVAL WORRIES: if Singapore is not attached to forces bigger thanSingapore,itwillbecomesmaller,couldshrinkandmightevenbeabsorbedbyalarger country—and thus die. Lee talks often about the need for his littleSingaporetosee—andacton—thebiggerpicture.

“ShellOil,themultinational,oncegavemetheideafortheterm‘helicopterquality’.Inotherwords,youcanseeaproblemintotalandyoucanzeroinonthe detail, which you have to see to solve, and zoom on it. That’s calledhelicopter quality.Now, if you are too low,yourhelicopter quality is too low,youdonotseethewholepicturenorcanyourzoombepowerful.”

Hmmm:“Okay,butasyoucomeupfromthehelicopterandyouareseeingthebiggerpicture,whatdoesthatmean, thebiggerpicture?”IamstillgropingforaHedgehoghintfromhim.

Hesensestheintellectualundertow—thatIamtryingtowhooshhimoutintodeeperwaters—butheisquickandnimbleanddigshisfeetfurtherinthesand:“The bigger picture means you can see this part as part of something else. Imean,youtakeSingapore.Singaporedoesnotexistinisolation.WhatyouseeinSingapore isa reflectionof theworld it lives in, it is theworld it isconnectedwith.So, theworld it isconnectedwithwidenswith technology.Sailingships,EastIndiaCompanyneededawateringplacefortheirshipstogotoChina,fromIndia to China. Finally, they’ve got opium to give to the Chinese and bits ofsilver.Thencamethesteamship,faster,moreconnections.ThencametheSuezCanal, better still. Then came faster ships, then came the flying boats. Thencamecables.Now,optic fiber,broadband.As theworldchanges,wearemoreandmoreconnected.”

He sometimes talks the way his mind reasons—jabbing forward forintellectual position like aprizefighter trying topushuncertainty into a cornerforthekill.

“So, thebiggerpicturenow is this.Our fatedoesnotdepend justonwhatgoesoninJohororinIndonesiaorinASEAN[AssociationofSoutheastAsianNations].ItdependsonwhathappensinAmericainthisnewordernow.Thirty

years ago, I would say Americas, Europe, Japan, they were the developeddynamos in the world. Gradually, that changed. Today, there is still AmericaNumberOne,JapanNumberTwo,EuropeNumberThree,andthepotentialnowisChina,NumberFour, likely tobeNumberTwoinabout20years,andIndiatoday,NumberSevenorso, likely tobeonebehindChinain20,30years.So,youmust factor that into your calculations as you are going forward in yourpolicy.Becauseinthe1970s,IcouldseethatChina,onceitchangesitssystem,wasboundtorise.BecausewhenIwentthereandItalkedtothem,Ifoundverycapableminds,ofcoursethenblinkeredbytheirideology.”

OurfatedoesnotdependjustonwhatgoesoninJohororinIndonesiaorinASEAN.ItdependsonwhathappensinAmericainthisnewordernow.

Dumb feet-in-cement Hedgehogs, Lee was probably thinking to himself,they’dbebetteroffbeingamoreflexibleFoxlikeme.

Mesaying:“Sure,heldbackbythesystem.”LKY nods vigorously: “Yes, by the system, the communist system. So, I

said,well,we’dbetter,whilsttheyneedus,wehadbetterhelpthem,thenwe’vegotafootin,whichhashappened.ButridingwithChinaalonewillputusinhotweather.”

Likethelittlejunglebirdthatlooksforsafetybyridingonthebackofagianthippopotamuswhilepeckingawayhelpfullyatthebigmonster’sannoyinglittleinsect issues, Singapore has more than one hippo it aims to ride. There’semerging India, for another.Then—Lee saysnot to forget—there’s still Japan,withitsstill-gianteconomy.

Butlet’slingeronChina.For a long time, America only knew China by the extraordinary work of

Pearl Buck,whose novelTheGood Earth was practically viewed as a touristguidebookontheChinesepeasantsoul.ShebecamethefirstAmericanwomantowintheNobelPrizeforLiterature.

So I put it to him thisway: “TheGoodEarth stirred a really deep feelingamongAmericansthattheChinesepeoplepossesssomekindofeternalsoulnomatter thepolitical systemunderwhich they suffer.Youhave touchedon this.You have said Mao Zedong may have had 100 sayings and all kinds ofnewfangled ideas, but there are 5,000 years of more or less continuous

civilization before him, and so there are five million other sayings. So onewonders, the600millionpeople in theChinesecountryside, thosewhoarenotalongthecoastsandthecities,aretheystillPearlBuck’speasantsdespiteallthevoraciouseconomicdevelopment?”

Lee seems to like this question, mulls it over like a wine connoisseurlovinglyopeninganunfamiliarnewbottle.HethengrabstheheatpadlikeLinushuddlingablanket,thehackingcoughremindingusthattimestopsfornoman.

“Yes, butwith this difference now, and I put it at two levels.One iswhatsociologists call low culture, your basic beliefs and your attitudes to things. Imean,afterthefirstmonthofchildbirth,youdon’tdothesethingsandyoumusteat these things and so on. That low culture persists, the way they are beinggovernedinthoseareasofChina,butwheretheofficialsaresqueezingthemforextrataxesandsoon,theynowhavecellphonesandtheyfindoutthatthisisnotthe central government doing this but the local officials. They’ve got theknowledge,sothey’renolongerassubmissive.

“So,youfindclasheswiththepoliceandsoonbecausethepolicearemadeuseofbythelowerofficials,whopushtheruralpeoplefromtheirlandatcheappricesandthentheysellitataprofittothecommercialpeoplewhowanttobuildbigfactoriesorhouses.

“So,thereisnowagrowingfarmingpopulationwithmoreknowledgeofthewaythecountryisbecausethey’vealsogotchildrenrunningawayandworkinginthecoastalcitiesandmanyhavegonebacknow,millionsandmillionsofthem...andso theyhavebroughtback theknowledgeof theoutsideworld,of theircitylife.”

Knowinglyornot,itseemstome,Leeispaintingaclassicportraitofapre-revolutionary situation: “So, China is gradually changing profoundly.Increasinglycheapandavailable technologyandcascadesof reversemigrationarewisingpeopleup to the truestoryof theexploitationofChina’sheretoforeisolatedruralregions.

“And,furthermore,theChineseknowthatwiththeirindustrialization,everyyear, tenorplusmillionswillgo into thenew towns theyareconstructing fortheirpeople.So,theyhavepreparedtennewtownsof40millionpersonseach.”

That is one breathtaking scenario, I say: “Themost unbelievable aspect ofChinaisjustthesheernumbers...ofeverything.IstheMiddleKingdomgoingtobeabletoholdthewholealltogether?”

Lee saying: “If they change in a pragmaticway, as they have been doing,

keepingtightsecuritycontrolandnotallowingriotsandnotallowingrebellionsand at the same time, easing up, you know, givingmore provincial authority,morecityauthority,moregrassrootspower,it’sholdable.”

Please note that LKY equates tight security with national security.Conversely, easing up politically might trigger an unraveling. The Westernperspectiveviewsofficial crackdownscritically;Lee sees themasunavoidableforacountryofthatsize,historyanddegreeofunsolvedproblems.

How can they pull that off—Iwonder—without significant psychological,mentalandideologicalchangeswithintheoverarchingCommunistParty?

Lee nods: “Yes, of course. Their first hindrance, which is something theyhave not contemplated doing, is to remove the privileges of the 70 millionmembers of theCommunist Party.You can commit any crime; you cannot beinvestigated by the Public Procurator. Only the Party Disciplinary Committeecan punish you. So, the Disciplinary Committee is influenced by, you know,whichfactionisthischapsupporting?Imean,youdon’twanttopunishachapwhoissupportingyou.So,thatisoneofthereasonswhythecorruptionhasnotbeenweededout.”

I wonder out loud whether it is at least imaginable that the ChineseCommunist Party will evolve out of its original control-all ambition intosomething like Japan’s LiberalDemocratic Party. Thiswas the huge umbrellastructurethatuntillastyear[2009]ruledtheJapanesepolitylikeanoctopuswithtentacleshungrilygrabbingateveryunoccupiedspace.

LKYdoubtstheanalogy.“No,becausethetraditionisdifferent,thehistoryisdifferent.TheJapanese

systemgrewoutofthesamurais,thesamuraiwithXnumberoffollowerswhowilldieformeordiewithme.So,whentheygettogether,samuraisgettogetherandeachbringshisfollowers.”

Mesaying:“ThosearethefamousfactionsoftheLDP.”“Yeah.So,theybroughtthatintotheirpoliticalsystem,theirfactionsystem,

and [the] head of the faction finds the resources to shower on the otherMPs.Otherwise,youcannotbeafactionleader.Youmusthavethemoneytosupportthem. Every time an election takes place, it costs five million dollars. Theirsalaries and all the perks come up to nearly 100 million dollars. So, whenelectioncomes,you’vegottofindthemoney.”

Leemeansawholelotofmoney—yardsandyardsofyen.“The [historic] Chinese system is different. In the imperial system, the

leader,ortheemperor,appointsalltheseniorofficials.Howaretheyappointed?Through the examination system. Whether the examination produces goodadministratorsornot, it’squestionable,but itproducesverybrainypeople.So,theCommunistPartyhasmodernizedthatsystem.AftertheCulturalRevolution,theywentbacktothatmodel.Theyputitdownthat(andDengXiaopingstartedthis)atsuchandsuchanage,youretirefromthisjob;atthatage,youretire,andevenifyougettotheCentralCommitteeandthePolitburo,youretire65,orifyouarethechief,thepresidentortheprimeminister,youretireat70.

“So,eachnewcropnowismorehighlyeducatedthanthelastone.Yougetmayors now who’ve got PhDs and some of them, MBAs from Americanuniversities.Therefore,thereisnofactionassuchbutjustloyaltiestodifferentleaderswithintheleadership.”

“And you don’t think that the Chinese will allow their Central Party toevolveintoafaction-drivendynamic?”

“Theyknowthis,thatifyoubreakChinaupthisway,itwillfallapart.”Thecounter-argument is thatChina infactwill fallapart if theCommunist

Party doesn’t drop dogmatic homogeneity, and develop open and vigorouslycompeting schools of thought that better reflect honest differences of opinionacrossthegreatexpanseofChina.Itseemssoobvious,tomeanyway.

TheGood,theBadandtheUgly

LKY’S VIEW OF the dynamics behind contemporary historical events iscomplex.Asanysophisticatedmanorwomanknows,noonefactorcanexplainall that happens in life, whether economics, game theory, culture, or even aHigherPower.Buthe iscertain thatgreat leadersat the topof theirgamecanpush history in desirable directions.Because he is a proponent of governmentelitism—alwaysassumingtheeliteishighlyqualified,deeplymotivatedandun-craven,which isone assumption—it is logical thathewould findvalue in theGreatManTheoryofHistory.

“Whoweresomeothergreatmenyou’vemet?”“Iwould say thegreatestwasDengXiaoping.Athisage, toadmit thathe

waswrong, thatall these ideas,Marxism,Leninism,Maoism, theyare justnotworking and have to be abandoned, you need a great man to do that and toconvinceoroverridehisOldGuardcolleaguesandsay,nowwegothisdifferentway.”

Many Westerners would gasp at the thought of putting Deng on such apedestal.Afterall,themostpowerfulcommunistleadersinceMaowasaknownkillerofpoliticalopponents.WhenheservedunderMaoheoversawexecutions,gulagsand faminesmade farmoredeadlybymurderous state indifference.AsMao’ssuccessor,hewasthepoweratthethronein1989,infamouslypullingthetriggeratTiananmenSquarethatleftatleastseveralthousandunarmedChineseciviliansdead.

Thesewell-known facts notwithstanding, Lee’s admiration is driven by anappreciation of Deng’s boldness in abandoning the debilitating ideology ofcommunist economics for amélange of opportunistic neo-capitalist or classic-entrepreneurial reforms.Thehistoric effortwas towindup liftinghundredsofmillionsofChineseoutofpovertyandbringingrealistichope toChinafor thefirst time inavery long time.TheSingapore leader’sapparent toleranceofallthingsDengmayattimesseemshocking,butitisconsistentwithhislargerviewthat methods of government vary from culture to culture, and cannot becondemnedoutofhandifthenetresultissteadyand/ordramaticimprovement

inthelotofthepeople.Asakindofpessimisticprogressive,hedoubtsthatanysizable omelet can bemadewithout smashing a lot of eggs; what’smore, heacceptsthatgettingallyoureggsinorder(andinakitchenhot-houselikeChina)isnotordinarilyatea-timeprocess.

IthenraisetheissueofnewstudiesandinternalrevelationsthatseektocutDeng down to size by raising serious questions about his true commitment toreform.

“Andyoudon’tbuy the recentmemoir revelation that therewas less therethanmeetstheeye?”

“Hewas?”I repeat: “That there was less there than meets the eye in terms of his

conversiontoeconomicreform?”“No,no,no.[Idon’tbuy]thatZhaoZiyanghadstarteditinthewesternpart

ofChina.Yes,ZhaoZiyang[thenaveryhighgovernmentofficial,well-knownreformer,andMaocriticwithintopleadershipcircles]hasstartedsomemarketeconomicsinthewest,butZhaoZiyangwouldnothavehadtheclout tobringthewholeleadershiparoundandsay,dothis.Imean,theremusthavebeenmanylittlesignstohimthatifyougotowardsacompetitivemarketeconomy,itwillworkbetterbecausepeoplewanttoworkforthemselves,notforthebenefitofothers.Whentheycamehere[andvisitedusinSingapore],thatclinchedit.”

I slip this in: “It’s like you suggested to him, sure, here in Singapore, theChinesepeoplearedoingwell.Butbackathomethere’sawholelotofChinesepeoplenotdoingwell.So,what’sthedifferencebetweenSingaporeandChina?It’sthesystem,right?”

Lee,noddingvigorously inagreementwhile still coughing: “Asheopenedup,hesavedChina.”

That is a breathtaking encomium to think about it: oneman savedChina.LKYstopshereandexecutesabodymovementthatissoexpressiveandtypicalof him. I’ve seen itmany times. It conveys something of a total physical andmentalcommitmenttogettinghisanswerexactlyright.Hetakesyourquestion,internalizesit,pivots45degreesawayfromyou,kindofrunsitupanddownhisinternal body computer, then pivots back at you in the reverse 45-degreedirection, and, with his hands out and up, like a conductor about to cue theorchestra,presentshisview.

His thinking aboutChina is based on two factors.One is his pragmatism:Chinaexistsandwhatarewegoingtodoaboutit?ThesecondisthatChinais

Chinese,whichonthewholehethinksagoodthing.LKYisanythingbutpro-communist,tosaytheleast;butanyonewhowouldwishgargantuanChinaandits 1.4 billion people a condemnation to continual disaster, disease anddissolutioniseitherevilorinsane.AndanyonewhowouldhaveunderestimatedDeng,thatlittlechain-smokingmidgetofaman,wastobeprovenaswrongasanyonecouldbe.

IwouldsaythegreatestwasDengXiaoping.Athisage,toadmitthathewaswrong...youneedagreatmantodothatandtoconvinceoroverridehisOldGuardcolleaguesandsay,nowwegothisdifferentway.

Lee goes on, in an undertone of almost palpable anger: “At first he wascondemned by the West.” Deng wanted to reform the country withoutunderminingorder,whichmightriskanothermonumentalCulturalRevolution-likecatastrophe. “Theywouldhavepreferredhim tobeaGorbachevand thenseethatChinaisinruins.”Helaughs.“AndsothentheypatronizedDeng,”headds,shakinghisheadwearily.

Lee appreciates the lateDengnot only as the strong leader of a sprawlingcountryalmostimpossibletolead,butalsoasanhistoricChineseleaderwhoserule began the corrective process of reversing European humiliation. StrongChineserule,underthisvision,isnotonlyaninevitabilitybutalsoanecessity.InanypositiveDarwinianprogression,theChinesecivilizationwouldnaturallyrisetothetop,alongwithothermorecapableraces.

As that process proceeds in accordance with some historical rhyme andrhythm,theUnitedStatesandthePeople’sRepublicofChinaareforcedtoco-existassometimes-cooperating,sometimes-competingcentersofgravityplantedinthegroundof(onedearlyhopes)planetarystability.Thelatterhalfofthe21stcenturymaywell prove to beAsia’s time for dominance, as the 19thwas theEuropeanCentury.But that’snotgoingtoevolveovernightbyanymeans,andfortheforeseeablefuture,thevisionaryqualityandleadershipcapabilitiesoftheUnitedStateswillbecentraltoworldaffairs,asofcoursetheywereduringthelastcentury,thewell-namedAmericanone.

So, Lee worries as much about the top dogs in America as in China. Asempathetic,ifnotchauvinistic,asLeeisabouttheChinesesurge,heisnotonetoassumeAmericaisfinishedanytimesoon.Agreatadmirerofentrepreneurial

Americans, especially when they are at their most pragmatic and decent, heprobablycareswhoispresidentatanyonetimeasmuch,ifnotmore,thantheaverageAmerican.

Iask:“SowhoisthegreatestUnitedStatespresidentthatyou’veseen?”“ThatIhaveseen?”“Yeah.Towhomyouwerecloseenoughtomakeanassessment.”HisanswerwillsurpriseverymanyAmericans.“ButforthemisfortuneofWatergate,IwouldsayRichardNixon.Hehada

realisticviewoftheworld.Hewasagreatanalyst,realistic,butalsoatacticiantogetthingsdone.Butthisneedwithwantingtoknoweverythingandtomakesurehegotre-electedbecameobsessive.And,too,I thinkhewasillservedbyhistwoaides.Whatweretheycalled?”

“HaldemanandEhrlichman?”“Yeah. Imean, they shouldhave said, forget it,makesnodifference.”But

Nixonhadtodiscovereverysinglethinghispoliticalopponentswereupto.Isay:“PresidentNixonultimatelydidn’thavethecharactertogetoutofhis

ownway.”“No,heneednothavedonethat.Hewasboundtowinanyway.”LKYwasn’ttheonlyAsianleadersorrytoobserveNixon’sunceremonious

abdicationfromWashington—inahelicopter. Ifyoupoll theAsianeliteofhisgeneration,Nixonwouldprobablybenoworse thannear the topof the listofAmerican presidentswho’ve impactedAsia positively. Especially among non-communist Asian leaders, the American war in Vietnam was much lessunpopularthanwiththeU.S.public.

ButforthemisfortuneofWatergate,IwouldsayRichardNixon.Hehadarealisticviewoftheworld.Hewasagreatanalyst,realistic,butalsoatacticiantogetthingsdone.

Theopening toChina,aspreliminaryas itwas,continues tobeviewedbymanyinAsiaasanhistoricalmasterstroke.

ThemainmotiveofNixonandKissingerwasnottocatertoAsianprioritiesortobecoolcatswithChina,tobesure,buttodiscomforttheSovietUnionasmuch as possible. But the collateral benefitwas enormous: to open up a newchapterinWashington-Beijingrelations.

Nixon first visited with LKY in 1967, before the California congressman

(and once-defeated presidential candidate) went to the White House on hissecondtry.ThecareerRepublican—and,itneedstobenoted,careercommunistcritic—trolledaroundtheworldtobeefuphisinternationalportfolio(thatis,toseem more like a statesman to the American voter). In particular, HarvardProfessorHenryKissinger,whowastobecomeNixon’snationalsecurityadvisorandthensecretaryofstate,hadrecommendedtheSingaporestop.

I askLKY to look back through the decades: “Imean,what strikesme inyourwrittenmemoirsaboutNixonis,accordingtoyou,howmuchhelistenedtoyou.”

“Yes,ofcourse.”Well,modestyprobablyisn’tmystrongestsuit,either.Isay:“ButAmericans,ofcourse,arenotknownnecessarilyasbeinggood

listeners.”“Henotonlylistened,hetooknotes.”“That’swhatI’mdoing!”Hebrushedoffthepaleeffortathumorlikeoldlint:“No,heaskedmeabout

Mao.So,IgavehimagraphicassessmentofwhatIthoughtMaowasdoing.Isaid thatMao is painting on amosaicwith 5,000 years of history behind themosaic.He’spaintinghispictureonit.Therainswillcome.Whathe’ssaidwillbe washed away, what’s been settled for 5,000 years will remain. This isConfucius.”

That was a striking image: that the DNA of the culture remains far moredeeplyembeddedthansomemodernideologicalflimflam.

Me asking: “You think they’ll ever take that gosh-awful picture [ofMao]downinTiananmen?”

“Eventually, but not now. I mean, that’s the present ruling elite’s label oflegitimacy.HefreedChinafromfeudalism.”

In1969,attheWhiteHouse,LKYmetwithNixonasecondtime.ThefatherofmodernSingaporereiteratedhisviewthattheferalCulturalRevolutionwouldsomeday peter out, as would many of Mao’s ill-conceived ‘campaigns’ totransform China, but that the U.S. intervention in Vietnam must not end tooquickly.

Note that Nixon and Kissinger endured fierce domestic criticism for theturtle-paceof their reluctantwithdrawal fromVietnam;but,according toLee’sadvice at the time, slowing it downwas exactly theway to go.OnewondersabouttheenormityoftheimpressionofLee’sviewsonNixonandKissinger!

Lee supported a policy that was known asVietnamization—equipping theanti-communistVietnamese to fight the communists themselves.Lee sincerelybelieved that an abrupt U.S. forces pullout would have emboldened theVietnamese communists, their allies and their sympathizers to knockover oneSoutheast Asian country after another like, well, wavering dominos. Lee issecond to no one I know in his view that the Marxist-Leninist is first andforemost interested in seizing and keeping power. Everything else (economicdevelopment,socialjustice)ismuchfurtherfromtheheart.

Note thatKissinger’s secretvisit toBeijing in1971 toprepare forNixon’ssecretvisitin1972wasnotbyanymeansthesolereasonforAsia’shighregardfortheformerHarvardprofessor.Itwasalsohiswell-articulatedsenseofworldpolitical dynamics as being so deeply rooted in history and culture thatsignificantchangedoesnotcomeeasily,andoftenarrivesconvulsively. In thisregardtheKissingermind-setseemedmoreAsianthanAmerican.

“Andfromthestandpointofsecretaryofstate,Itakeitthatyou’reafanofKissinger?”

“Sorry?”Icatchhimfiddlingwiththeheatpadagain.“You’reafanofKissinger,right?”“Yes,”andthenheaddedanothernameofaRepublicanpresident’ssecretary

of state—George Shultz: “They’re both stable, they’re comprehensive in theirapproach. Kissinger has the advantage of being more expressive with words.GeorgeShultzhasn’tquitegotthesameliterarystyle.He’sveryprecise.So,hehasn’tgotthefree-flowing,colorful,contrapuntalbalanceofKissinger’sGermanbalanced,rounded,longphrases.”

Mesaying:“Well,notonlythat,butsomeonewhoknowsGeorgewellsaysthatGeorge is soparsimoniouswithwords thatwhenhe’s talking, you almostgetthefeelingthathefeelshehastopartwith$5outofhisownpocketforeveryextrawordheuses.”

ButLKYwasn’tbuyingthatoft-toldjibeaboutShultz.Bycontrast,Clinton’ssecretariesofstateneverstruckLKYasanythingvery

special.Thequestionispushednottomakethecasethat,wereheanAmericanhe’dbeaRepublicanratherthanaDemocrat.Rather,itisaimedatshowingthedegreetowhichheiscomfortableappraising‘foreigntalent’,andtheextent towhichSingapore’sfortunesrideontheabilitiesof theU.S.superpowerelite toperformatahighlevel.

Iteasethisout:“Basicallyinforeignpolicy,Clintonwasn’tthatstrong,was

he?”“Well,WarrenChristopherwasnotmuch.ThenMadeleineAlbrightwasnot

better.”“Shewasworse?”“ShedidnothavethehistoricaldepthofHenryKissinger.”I say: “InpublicChristopherwasprobablybland, but at least hewasvery

competent, and then, let’s see who else we’ve had? Then Bush had, as youwouldsay,therewasCheneyandRumsfeld,reallyrunningit.Condiwas...”

“AndColinPowellwaspushedaside.”Hesaiditwithsadness.LKYcaresaboutthecaliberoftheelitesrunningthe

top countries because he believes the priorities, conduct and decisions of theglobal elite are essential to securing a better future. Singapore without itsgoverningelitewouldnotbewhereitistoday.Irrationaldemocraciessometimesdolittlemorethanlegitimizemobruleorpolicypreferences,notthesurestrouteto quality governance; even at their best, they are hard put, in his view, tocompetewithtrulyqualified,non-corruptandwell-motivatedelites.

Me asking: “Speaking of which, who’s the worst American president youhadseenupclose?”

“Carter. He’s a good God-fearing man. When you are the president ofAmericatoruminateatCampDavid,thencomedowntosayAmericanswereindeepdifficulties...”

“Theinfamousmalaisespeechin1979.”“No, your job as a leader is to inspire and to galvanize, not to share your

distraught thoughts. You make your people dispirited.” For Lee, serious,competentgovernancerequiresmakingdifficultpolicychoicesandseeingthemthroughtoeffect,evenagainststrongoppositionandthetideofpublicopinion.

“Isthesecondworstthatyou’veseenBushJr.,GeorgeW?”“Iwouldnotputhimthesecondworst.IwouldsayBushJr.hadmelancholy

advisers.”Interestingchoiceofword—melancholy.ThenLKY throwsout a really fine insight: “Bush Jr. knewhedidn’t have

muchexperience.Itisvirtuetoknowyourself.”Imentionthat,priortotheBushJr.years,manyAmericanshadahighview

ofCheney,withhisextensiveexperienceinCongressandtheExecutive.Henods—andwishesnottoaddanythingmorethere.Hehasjustzippedup

hismouth!

Imentionthe41stpresidentoftheUnitedStates,43rd’sfather.“He was a balanced, thoughtful man. Unfortunately he had this thyroid

problemduringhisre-electioncampaignandshowedhehadlostenergy.Hadhenotbeenlethargic,hecouldhavewon.Hehadgovernedwell;hehadfoughtthefirstIraqWarwell.Theeconomicdownturncouldn’tbehelped.”

No,yourjobasaleaderistoinspireandtogalvanize,nottoshareyourdistraughtthoughts.Youmakeyourpeopledispirited.

I jab in: “He also ran up against a phenomenal domestic politician, BillClinton.”

“No,hadhenotlosthisenergy,hewouldhavewon.”Isuggestagain:“Well,theeconomyseemedtobetankingthen.”Americans

willwell remember theClintoncampaign-staffmotivationalmantra in runningagainsttheseniorBush:“It’stheeconomy,stupid.”

“Theeconomicdownturncouldn’tbehelped.”I let that go, not agreeing—and he knew that I doubted his view—then

saying:“Interesting.Well,whatdoyouthinkofClinton?”“Very clever man, very political, likeable fellow because he’s got that

outgoingpersonality.”“Yeah,terrificpersonality.”“Whenhetalkstoyou,youarethemostimportantpersonintheworld.ButI

think,it’sgenerallytrue,hebreakstherules.”“ToomuchAmericanfreedom?”“Well, inhis case, it’spartlyhis character. I don’tknow. Imean,hehada

difficultchildhoodandsoon,soforth.”Iletthepsychoanalysisgo.ButIamstruckbytwothings.OneishisclinicalanalysisofthevauntedClintoncharm.Itisclearthatlife

had somehow immunizedhim to it.Legendhas it that formerChinaPresidentJiangZeminalsowas immune toClinton’scharmoffensives,which,allegedly,hefoundquiteoffensive.ButotherthanZeminandLKY,thereisonlyoneothermajorworldpolitical figurepubliclyknown tohave foundnothingwhatsoevercharming about the Arkansas charm-machine. That was GeorgeW. Bush, hissuccessor.

IwouldsayBushJr.hadmelancholyadvisers....[He]knewhedidn’thavemuchexperience.Itisvirtuetoknowyourself.

Question:so,besidestheirClintonimmunology,whatintheworlddoLKY,ZeminandBushJr.haveincommon?

Thinkaboutit.Theothernotableedge toLee’sviews ishiscompletecontempt fora ruler

who would be brought down by misconduct with a woman. His own publicconduct with—and attitude about—women is evidently without controversy.There has never been a breath of scandal. His own writings reveal a near-worshiptowardhismother,andinfiniteloveforhiswifeofmanydecades.Hisgovernment’s social, political and economic policies have always forcefullyfavoredequalityofopportunityandachievement.Theyhavecreatedawomen’sprofessional class that never existed on the island 50 years ago. It will takeanothergenerationor so,perhaps, for thatequality to reach thevery tipof thetopofSingapore;but increasinglySingaporeanwomenare in thedriver’sseat.Unlike affirmative-action apologists, LKY would never rush women into toppositions just for appearance’s sake; but he fully expects women to be well-representedinthenextgenerationofSingaporeleaders.

Themotive was not so much ideology as practicality. LKY’s governmentwas able to double the size of its (relatively tiny) adult workforce simply byenforcingpoliciestoeliminatediscriminationsthatholdwomenback.Bythe80sand 90s, Singaporean women comprised world-class achievers in manyprofessional fields.Theywere socapableandoutstanding that theysometimesscared away potential suitors—SingaporeanChinesemenwhowere culturallyunpreparedtorelatetotheirpartnersasflat-out,even-upsocioeconomicequals.

LKYonceconfidedtomethathesecretlyadmiredtheJapaneseforslowingdownthisadvanceinordertomaintainculturalcontinuity.ThereareanumberofreasonswhySingaporenowhasoneofthelowestbirthratesinAsia,butoneofthemisthis:somepowerhousewomenscarethelivingdaylightsoutofsomeSingaporeanmen.At thesametime,Japan’seconomy,onidlefor twodecadesnow,might havedonebetter hadwomenbeenmoredynamically integrated intheworkforce.

Singaporefeltithadnochoice.Inthemid-60s,whenitwasforcedoutofatwo-year trial federation withMalaysia, it was suddenly on its own—sink or

swim. And so, the otherwise conservative Confucian culture didn’t have theluxuryofgoingJapanese-slowonanything.Inaddition,thesocialandeconomicliberation of women (Chinese and family-oriented Confucian culturenotwithstanding)fitwellwithinLee’smerit-driveninstincts.

So I push on: “Well, luck of the draw, but the reason I’m asking thesequestionsisnotonlybecauseI’minterestedinwhatyouactuallythink,butalsojustlookattheAmericansystemandourallegedlyterrificsystemofdemocracy.Haveweproducedthebest?

“LetmejustlookatSingapore.YouusedtohaveKishoreMahbubaniattheUN,andhewasterrific.Beforethat,youhadTommyKoh,andhewasterrific.Yourlong-runningladydiplomat,ChanHengChee,inWashington,isterrific.Imean, they’ve all punched above theirweight. I’m a fanofGeorgeYeo, yourforeignminister, and I don’t know the rest of your camp, but you have someterrificpeople.

“Imean,CharleneBarshefsky[Clinton’s tradeadviser]used to tellme thatwhenyougototheseinternationaltradeconferencesanditwouldbeliketwointhemorningandsomebodywillsay,what’s theprecedentforXorY,andtheneveryonewouldturntotheSingaporedelegationfortheanswer,becauseitwasalwaysthebestprepareddelegation.Imean,here’sasystemthatproducesthatqualityandwejustproduce...”

Hesmiles,obviouslyproudoftheinternationalteamsSingaporeputsoutforpeopletosee:“Well,that’sthenatureofyourpoliticalappointments.Youknow,you’ve got to appoint people who have donated to the campaign, or to re-election ... appoint peopleyou’reobliged to.Whereyouhave a freehand andappointthemostcompetent,thenit’sdifferent.”

“That’s consistent with your theme, it seems to me, of the limitations ofdemocracy?”

Heanswerscautiously,forthisisobviouslysensitiveground:“Well,Ithinkthe presidential system is less likely to produce good government than aparliamentary system. In the presidential system, your personal appearance onTVisdecisive,whereasinaparliamentarysystem,theprimeminister,beforehebecomes theprimeminister,hasbeenamemberofparliament,andprobablyaminister,andinBritainthepeoplehavesizedyouupoveraperiodoftime,youknow,andtheyhavecometocertainconclusionsastowhatkindofapersonyouare,whatkindofdepthyouhave,whatkindofsincerityyouhaveinwhatyousay.

“So,thepartythenchoosesthemanmostlikelytoleadthemtovictorythenext time round.Theychoose themanwith themostpoliticalweightandalsothe administrative capacity to get his policies implemented so that after fiveyears, they can win again. Your presidents, I mean, like JimmyCarter ... mynameisJimmyCarter,I’mapeanutfarmer,I’mrunningforpresident.Thenextthingyouknow,hewasthepresident!”

“Wehadapeanutaspresident,right?”“Imean,myfirstmeetingwithhimwasashock,youknow?”“Why?”“Hedidme the favorof seeingmewithin amonth after takingoffice.So,

he’squitenew.Hisaidesmusthavesaidhe[thisSingaporeguy]isworthseeing.It was a five-minute photo ops ... at the mantlepiece, photo ops. It was allchoreographed. Then photographers out, seven minutes tête-à-tête, then fullmeeting.Whatdidheraise? ...Whydoyouwant this improvedHawk?Isaid,what’s that? ‘Improved Hawk, it’s an improved version of the surface-to-airmissile.’ I said, because it’s an advance onwhatwe have. [I guffaw loudly atthis.]Hesaid,it’shightechnology,doyouneedit?Isaid,wethinkwedo,butifyouhaveanytroubleatall,I’dgetitfromtheBritish.Isaid,it’snotamatteroflifeanddeath.

“So,wewentthroughthemainmeeting,onehour,thebalanceofonehour,and he had a laundry list and he went through all the laundry list, all theirrelevantsmallthings.WhereasI’vebeendiscussingwithNixonandwithFord;Fordwas reallyHenryKissinger running the [foreign-policy]show,all thebigissuesinEastAsia,whereisitheading,howisitgoing,whereisSoutheastAsiagoingtofitinallthis?”

LKY sighs: “I left bemused, and he gaveme a book, his campaign bookcalledWhyNotTheBest?So,Iwentbacktothehotel.Isaid,let’sfindoutwhathe’s like. Iwasastounded.He recountedhow,as aboy, the fathergavehimapennyorwhatevertoputintothepewbox,andinsteadofputtingonein,hetookapennyout.So,thefatherthenthrashedhim.Isaid,whydoesthemandothat?Havingdoneit,howdoestellingtheworldthathewasapettythiefhelp?”

I couldn’t help myself, and had to slip this in: “He also did an infamousinterviewwithPlayboymagazineandthefamousquotewas,theyaskedhim,hewasmarriedtoRosalyn,ifheeverhadphysicalfeelingsforotherwomen?Andhesaid,‘SometimesIhavelustinmyheart,’andalotofpeoplesaid,wow,that’sanoddplacetohavelust!”

(Laughtereruptsintheroom;thetwoinvisibleaidesarealiveandbreathingafterall!)

LKY saying: “There’s something not quite right about him. Then hewentbeforeRickover, theadmiralof thesubmarinefleet.So, theadmiralsaid,whatwas your place in Annapolis? He said 167th or whatever. So, Rickover said,‘Whynotthebest?’”

Thecrusty,plain-speakingRickoverwouldsaysomethinglikethat,Ithoughttomyself, then to Lee: “In away the blunt-talking Rickover is your spiritualbrother!”

Hesaysnothing,ofcourse.

Well,Ithinkthepresidentialsystemislesslikelytoproducegoodgovernmentthanaparliamentarysystem.

LikethefamousheadstrongAmericantankcommander,GeneralGeorgeS.Patton(orforthatmatter,PresidentHarryS.Truman),HymanS.Rickover,thefour-star admiral who invented the nuclear-powered submarine, was not formincing words. And so his mouth would sometimes get him in trouble. ButAmericans, by and large, love theman of couragewho says exactly what hethinks. LKY is no fan of one-man, one-vote, but in America his electabilityquotientwouldbehigh,fortheverysamereasonsAmericanssoadoredPattonandRickover.

Idonotknowofanypersonwhoismostlikeme.

Which rumination leadsme to push the thought in anotherway: “Is thereanyonealivetodaywhoismostlikeyou?”

Alongpausehere:“Idonotknowofanypersonwhoismostlikeme.”Youhavetolaugh.Heissmart.Andpossibly...yes...unique.

RebelwithaCause

DOYOUBELIEVEthisAmericanjournalistwasshamelesslydisloyaltolistensilently(actually,morelikeguffawingly)asthisforeignleaderofatinycountry,withoutanyoftheburdensandresponsibilitiesofasuperpower,toreintooneofourformerpresidents?

He utterly belittled him—an American leader who, after all, had onlygarnered a Nobel Peace Prize after leaving office. I mean, how manySingaporeanshavewonaNobel?(Answer:zero)AndsowhoisthisLKYtobesodisrespectfulofthepresidentofacountrysoallegedlyimportanttoSingaporeandtoworldstability?

When LKY decides on something or someone—that such and such isunimportant,orover-rated,ornot the realqualitydeal—youget thesense thatappeals are a waste of your time and money. I tried to get former PresidentCartertoassesstheplaceofLKYinhistory,butasyounoticedinthefrontofthebook,therequestwasdeclined.Iwishtheformerpresidenthadtakenabroaderview.ItwouldbesalutaryforLKYtogetabitofhisownmedicine,asitisforallofus.

In the category of Things-He-Does-Not-Have-a-Huge-Amount-of-Respect-or-Need-for,pleaseincludenearthetopofthelistthenewsmedia.Itisbelieved,in theWest at least, that an independent newsmedia is essential to a politicalculture. Over the decades Lee has shown he believes no such thing. HisgovernmentandthePeople’sActionPartyputalidonitsownmedia,andwhentheyfelt theforeignpresswasbecomingtoofeisty, theymadeitmoredifficultfortheoffendingnewsoutfittooperateinSingapore.

So, tobeprovocative, IaskhimaboutSingapore’sownnewsmedia,oftencriticizedintheWestassupinetothegovernmentandthusintrinsicallysecond-rate.(Bytheway,myownviewisthat,exceptforitsobviouspunch-pullingasregardsthebigshotsattheIstana,TheStraitsTimes,thecountry’sleadingdaily,isafirst-ratenewspaper).Hisresponseisunmistakable.

Hesighs,forthisisnothisfavoritetopic,especiallyasIamacareerWesternjournalist: “First, the Singapore people are not deprived of any news. All

magazinesareavailable, Internet isopen.Whatwehavenotallowedis for thelocal media to go crusading. Report factually, express your opinion in theeditorialpageand in lettersfromreaders in theForumPage.Wereceivemanyletters from the public, mostly complaints, but also some compliments andsuggestions.Wereplytoeveryoneofthem,thosethatareserious.Wedon’townthenewspapers,theyarerunasprofitablebusinesses.Buttheyarelosingreadersbecauseofonlinenews.Weencouragethemtoreportwrongdoings.Thatisonewayforwrongdoingstosurfacewhenwemissthem.”

Well,thatisthat.Hismindismadeuponthis.Sowhydoweevenbothertolistentothisguy?Butthat’sthefascinatingissue—peopledo.Youdo.Icertainlydo.Wealldo.Butwhydomanypeoplewanttoknowhisviewsandgenerallylistencarefullywhenheoffersthem,eventhoughheisanythingbutthesecondcomingofThomasJeffersononcertainissues?

LKYhasreceivedhonorsfromhigh-levelinstitutionsallovertheworld,hasbeen often treated as aworld-class senior statesman par excellence (when notbeing denounced as a new-age Torquemada by groups that focus almost non-contextually on issues such as human rights and capital punishment), and hasclimbed into—specially since stepping down as prime minister in 1990—theunofficial chair of Contemporary Asian Oracle. The well-respected Americanjournal Foreign Policy even crowned him, as he turned 86, as the AsianKissinger.

Why?There are reasons for almost everything, as Lee would say. One is his

reputationforsayingprettymuchwhatisonhismind,andyougetthesensethatthisisonemindthatisrarelyblank.Anotheristhathisintellectualindependence(sayingwhathewants)derives inpart fromSingapore’sposition in the regionand the world. Since his country depends on almost everyone for something(Malaysiaforwater,Indonesiaforproduce,theWestforfirearmsandsecurity,etcetera),itiswhollydependentonnooneinparticular.

From theU.S., for example, Lee never asked for nor accepted a dollar informal foreign aid grants. He is not interested in being viewed as a welfaredependentonUncleSam.ThatwouldundermineSingapore’sindependence.Sowhat praise he has for us is thus not purchased and is surely sincere; whatcriticismsheoffersare(fromhisstandpoint)reasoned,scientific.What’smore,manypeoplelistentohimasthetrueSageofSingapore,someonewithdecadesofexperiencewhohashungintherethroughthickandthinlikeatruewarrior.

AndasAsiahassurgedinprominence,Lee’svoicehasriseninparallel,as

have thoseofsomeothers inSingaporeandelsewhere in theregion.WhoelsearewetolistentofromAsia?OnlytheDalaiLama?OnlyChina’sPresidentHuJintao?SomeIndianguruwhosenamenoonecanpronounce?

To be sure, Singapore’s high self-regard irritates its neighbors. But it isnecessarilyanon-threateningnation; ithasnever invadedanyone,and itneverwill,ifonlybecauseitcan’t.Itisnotanuclearpowerandit’shardtoimagineitwouldeverwanttobe.Itlurksovernoone,thoughitsdefensivecapabilitiesareno joke. This gives it a certain above-the-fray status, like some highlyintellectualizedand technocraticversionof Indiaback in thedayswhenNehruspokewithavoicethatcarriedfarbeyondthePunjab.

Then there’s the issue of style. Soft authoritarian or not, Lee’sCambridgediction, elite level of learning, emphasis on continuedmid-career learning forhimselfandhiselite,andfocusonthebig,ifnotphilosophical,issuesrenderhispublic voice distinctively instructional. Except perhaps for the very longest ofhislongspeeches,heisalwaysextremelyinterestingtolistento,andtoread(hisprose style is often blunt to the point of coming across as Basic Hemingway101). His writer’s voice contains recognizable elements, in various ways, ofIndia’sNehru,theinternationalmedia’sDavidFrost,someChineseMachiavelliandDaddyDearest.ItisanaccumulatedvoicelikenootherIknowof.

Wechatabouttheimportanceofspeechifying.Isubmit:“WhenIwasingraduateschool,ItookaseminaratPrincetonfrom

TedSorensen,whowasPresidentKennedy’sillustriousspeechwriter,andhesaidtomethis:Tom,youareagreattalkerandallofthat,buttalkingisnotwriting.”

Henods:“Yeah,talkingisn’twriting.”“TedSorensensaidsomething like, that’s reallydifferent,you’vegot tobe

more disciplined, more organized, very clear, except when you don’t want tobe.”

“Becausewhenyoutalk,youcanrepeat.”“Andyoucanusebodylanguage,theatmosphereofthemoment.”LKY:“Whenyouwrite,youcan’t.Themovingeyedoesnotgoback. If it

hastogoback,thatmeansyou’vewrittenpoorly.”Mesaying:“Now,ifyouareagoodwriterandagoodcommunicator,which

youare,thatisahugeplusforaleader,butifyouarenot,it’sahugehandicapforaleader.”

“Well,yes,because,Imean,tobealeader,youmustbeabletocommunicateyourfeelingsandmovetheotherfellow.It’snotjustideas,youknow.”

“Andyoudon’thavetobeagenius.Youmaybe,butyoudon’thavetobe.RonaldReaganwasnotagenius.”

“Butyoumustmovetheotherfellow’sposition.”Isay:“Yeah,andbeclear.AfterCarter,thatwasReagan’sgreatstrength.He

hadthreeideas:Americaisgreat,lessgovernmentisbettergovernment,andtheSovietUnion is theevil empire.Endof story.Thatwas it; thatwas thewholedeal. But hewould stay on it. He didn’t change his tune every threemonths.Whoisthegreatcommunicatorofourtimenowinpolitics?”

“Today?MaybeObama,asafluentspeaker.Iamnotsurewhetherhewouldproduce results, but for sheer ability toput things thewayhewants them, thewayhefeelswouldgodownwiththepeople,withAmericans,he’sgotaknackforit.”

It’s hard to knowhow far that talent can carryObama, though: “SorensensaidthattooaboutObama,andso,betweenhisopinionandyours,thatjustaboutnails it forme.But, still, I haveveryunhappydoubts aboutObama; Iwonderwhetherhewillhaveasecondterm.Butleavingthataside,Irememberbeforehewaspresident,someonesaid:Obama?Heisonlygoodatgivingspeeches.Andthen Ted Sorensen weighed in and said, hey, wait a minute, that’s reallyimportantforapresident,tobeabletocommunicate,toindicatedirection.Don’tbelittlethattalent.”

Iamnotsurewhetherhe[Obama]wouldproduceresults,butforsheerabilitytoputthingsthewayhewantsthem,thewayhefeelswouldgodownwiththepeople,withAmericans,he’sgotaknackforit.

Theodore C. Sorensen, whom I admired as a student and thereafter as ajournalist,wastotallydevotedtoJohnKennedy,ofcourse.JFKluckedout.Tedwasalltalent.And,likeLKY,infact,JFKaswellasTSwasarealwriter(whoinanotherlifemighthavebeenanewspaperornewsmagazineeditor),andarealthinker, sardonic and sometimes unpredictable. Kennedy, through Sorensen, itseemedtome,couldoftenbeseensearchingforlarge,Hedgehog-likeideas;hehad such a lively mind. LKY, it seems to me, is always searching for them,restlessly.But,foranumberofreasons,hedoesn’twanttomaketoobigadealofit.

PassageToIndia

THEPUBLICPOLICYachievementsofSingaporearenottobemootedsimplybecause of its size—brains count, Lee is right. Even so, even brains aren’tenoughbythemselves.ThoughmorepopulatedthanLosAngeles,LKY’shomecountry is perhaps but a third the population of Shanghai, as the late DengXiaopingfamouslysuggestedtohim.ThepopulationofNewDelhi,thecapitalofIndia,isapproximatelythreetimesSingapore’s.ImaginewhatitwouldbeliketohavetobetheBigBadNannyoveraplacelikeIndia!

So I askhim that. I put it to him straight: “But could youhavedone it inIndia?”

“InIndia?”“CouldyouhavedoneIndia?”“No.”Ithoughtthataratherdirectanswer:“Butwhy?”“It’s an established ancient civilization. Nehru and Gandhi had a chance

because of their enormous prestige, but they couldn’t break the caste system.Theycouldnotbreakthehabits.”

Noticehedidn’tmentionthesize-of-populationissue.ToLKYan inheritedculture is sortof like a country’sDNA.Tochange it

almost requires laser surgery.Cultures thatevolve tochanges incircumstancesand challenges can thrive; those that do not, fall behind. In a famous andinfluential 1994 interview with Fareed Zakaria in Foreign Affairs, the semi-official journal of the U.S. foreign-policy establishment, Lee spelled out hisToynbeeesque view that culture is destiny. That’s why he often admonishescriticstounderstandacountry’s‘startingplace’.

SoIventurethis:“ButthegreatNehruaddedtotheproblemofIndiabecausehewasstuckonanidea:Sovietcentralplanning!”

“Yeah,hewas.”“Butyouwouldhavedroppedthatinthreemonths?”Henods,asifsure:“Yousee,hewasstuckonbigideas.Hewentforideas.I

chase ideas provided theywork.When they don’twork, I say, look, this idea

maybe soundsbright, but let’s try something thatworks.Sowe try somethingthatworks,let’sgetitgoing.”

If you believe in numbers as a fully satisfying measurement of trueachievement,SingaporeunderLeeandhissuccessorshasbeenusingideasthatwork for decades. Consider that in 2008, the per capita income of India wasUS$2,900,number167intheworld.ButSingapore’swasUS$51,600,eighthinthe world. The U.S. number—and this surprised me—was but tenth, atUS$47,500.OverthedecadesSingaporeputalotofpolicystuffintosuccessfulmotion.

Isay:“YouraideandIweretalkingaboutthegloriousgardenshereinIstana,andlookingatthemaslittlelaboratories.Youbringsomelittleplantinandifitdies,youdon’t try toplant themelsewhere in thecountry, right?Didn’twork,don’t do it. But Nehru, was he someone who was too much of a Hedgehog,perhapsstuckonbigideas?”

LKY tilts his head slightly downward: “I don’t know whether he is aHedgehog,butheisamanwhoplayswithideas,youknow,‘Non-AlignedThirdWorld’, not committed to either side when, in fact, he was committed to theSovietsideintheend,becauseyouneedadvanced-technologyweaponry,andsohe chose to criticize America. He didn’t get on with John Kennedy; yourememberthefamousinterchange:KennedyshowedhimhowthewealthylivedinAmerica, grandbuildings, et cetera, andNehruwasunimpressed. Imean, Iwouldnothavebeenunimpressed!So,he’sadifferentman,hismentalmake-up.So, hewrites books, hewrites beautiful books.He’s an anti-colonialist, he’s afreedomfighter,butwhatdoyoudowithfreedom?Whatisitthatyourpeoplewant?”

ThisisakeycrywithLKY.Whatdopeoplereallywant?Hecontinues:“Gandhi’sideawastogivethembackthevillage,thespinning

wheel.Well,Imean,that’sgoingtogetyounowhereinthisIndustrialAge.”But this is getting us somewhere: “You say at one point, what do people

want?Dotheywantfoodonthetable,acar,ahome,or theywant theright towriteanyeditorial inanewspaper?Andthenyousay, Iknowwhat theywant.Yousaytheywantreality,notconcepts.That’syourview.But,evenso,Nehruwasagreatman.”

India today is increasingly important to Lee’s Singapore. Nobody in theregion wants to bet everything on China. He picks through foreign policyoptions the way a NASCAR driver plots out an upcoming race. The main

concernisnotwhathappensifeverythinggoesright,butwhattheoptionsareatanygivenpointwhenthingsgowrong(assometimestheydo).IfSingaporeputsallitsdiplomaticchipsongiantChina,whichthenturnsangrilyonitssmallestneighbors(orinternallyimplodes,whichhashappenedbefore,andcouldhappenagain—let’s face it),what is itswayoutof thebox itput itself in?Leeknowsthat without India actively involved in Southeast Asia, ASEAN alone cannothopetostandagainstChinaonanyimportantissue.

Ichaseideasprovidedtheywork.Whentheydon’twork,Isay,look,thisideamaybesoundsbright,butlet’strysomethingthatworks.

Leeshrugsaswereviewallthisgeopoliticallandscape.Withoutexchangingaword,weacceptthatChinawillprobablyholdto‘peacefulrising’,inBeijing’sstiltedmantra.Orthatviewcouldprovenaïveanditmightwakeuponedayandfollowinthefootstepsofanynumberofgiantsinhistoryandstarteatinguptinyneighbors.

ThisiswhereIndiamightcomeinhandy.It’snothardtofollowLee’scrisplogic.

“Who is the counterweight? Japan cannot be the counterweight. It has notgot enoughbodies.Together Japan andAmerica, yes, canbe a counterweight,economically and physically, and militarily, but who is the X counterweightwithin Asia, because America may, in 100, 200 years, become less able todominateAsia.ButtheIndiansarehereforkeeps.”

Theformerprimeministerexplainsthehedgingstrategy:“So,wedevelopedrelations with India. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [India’s brainy primeminister]andIhavebeentryingtogetIndiansinto[thepoliticalcommunityof]Southeast Asia for decades, fromMrs. IndiraGandhi onwards, but theywerealways too preoccupied with Pakistan. So, Manmohan Singh, as financeminister, faced his problems and his kitty was running very low, foreignexchange...”

“Youmeaninthe1990s?”“Yes. So, he changed economic strategy, and came here, togetherwith his

trade minister, who is now home minister, Chidambaram, and says, will youendorse this [such-and-such a finance program] because if we endorse it, itbecomes more credible. So, I said, yes, of course. So, we developed that

relationshipandwegraduallybrought themintoASEANasadialoguepartneronequal termswithChina.ThenfortheEastAsiaSummit,whichtheChineseweregoingtodominate,webroughttheIndiansandtheAustraliansandtheNewZealandersforbalance.So,theyknowthatwearetheirfriends.”

Returning to the Indians, he expresses satisfaction at Singapore’s steadydevelopmentofa solidbilateral relationship tooffsetapossible (if so faronlytheoretical) unpleasant China syndrome. But this get-it-doneman, even in hismid-eighties, hasn’t slowed down enough to tolerate one of India’s leastendearing traits: a bureaucracy that moves with the approximate speed of abacklashoftaffy.

“So,we’vegot access to them,”henearlygroans, “butunfortunately, theirbureaucracyissoslow.”

“Yeah,it’samazing.”“Somanythingswecoulddowiththemarenotbeingdone.”Idon’tmentionittoLKY,butonedifferencebetweenhiscountryandIndia

is that for the former, which is a relatively progressive society, the defaultpositionfortryinganythingnewseemstohavebeena‘yes’.ButforIndia,whichisrelativelytraditional,thedefaultappearstoremaina‘no’.

Then I slip into the role of agent provocateur, saying sarcastically: “ButIndia’sademocracy.”

“So?”This—OccidentalfansoftheOrient—wasnot‘so’asin‘ahso’.Itwas‘so’

asin‘sowhat?’Iamtellingyou,dearreader,ThomasJeffersondoesnotliveintheIstana.Neither(foryoupoliticalphilosopherfans)doesJohnRawls.Sowhodoes?Myanswercomeslater.

Ifmorallyorreligiouslyyoubelievethatone-man,one-voteisaxiomaticallythecorrectsystem,areyoupreparedtopaya‘democracytax’?Eveninthebestrun of them, you have to incur a substantial inefficiency (and, unusually,corruption) deficit.This is not to suggest that a suffocatingbureaucracy is theinevitable concomitant of a democratic system: to be sure, sludge-filledbureaucracies are scarcely the monopoly of democracies; they can breed likecancerinautocraciesjustaspathologically.

India’s bureaucracy, though, is pretty much the stuff of legend; what’samazingisthatdemocraticallyelectedfigureslikeManmohanSinghmanagetoachieve as much as they do in the face of a system that, culturally anddynamically,hasmorerespectforthepastthanthefuture.

Wegoon:“So,nowfast forward, thenextdecade,afterhevisitedyou,hethenbecomesprimeminister.Ishejustapuppet?”

Leesaying:“HeisthereonthesupportofMrs.SoniaGandhibut,no,no,heis not a puppet.WhenSoniaGandhihesitated about theverybignuclear dealwithAmerica, he said, Iwill resign if youdon’t support it. So, she supportedhim.”

“Andhegotit.”IndiaisreceivingoodlesofnucleartechnologyfromUncleSam.

“Andhegotitandthatwasagoodmove.”“Is it a good move for America too, do you think?” Many Americans

opposed it because of blanket opposition to the spread of nuclear technology.You might even call the opponents the ayatollahs of nuclear proliferationdoctrine.

“Yes,surely.”Leeisnotonefordoctrine.Orforayatollahs,especiallyoftheacademickind.

“So,thatiswhereyouputpragmaticsoverideology?”“Yes,ofcourse.”

GuessWho’sComingToDinner?

SURVIVAL.Lee’s vision of geopolitical stability would require, for starters, an adult

workingrelationshipamonggreatpowers.Anythrustforhegemonybyanyonepower is inherently disturbing and destabilizing. It is the moral as well aspoliticallyrealisticpositionforalltoopposesuchabuildupbyonepoweralone.

Even if Singaporewere not the little bird pecking away on the top of thehippotosurvive,butwereitselfoneofthehippos,hisvisionandinstinctwouldnotchange.Eveninthemindofanalleged‘softauthoritarian’,therehavetobelimitsonthefreedomofthestrongest,asofcoursetheyburdentheweakest.

Survival. LKY himself is quite the survivor. In an environment of uttercomfortbereftofchallenge,hewouldshrinkpsychologicallytoamorenormaldimensionofpoliticalactor. In the realityofhisownmind,heseesexistentialchallengeseverywhere.HeisstillunconvincedthatmainlyMuslimMalaysiaisnolongeramilitarythreatto76percentChineseSingapore.

As he puts it tome: “Both our northern and southern neighbors aremuchlargerthanus.BothhaveMuslimmajoritiesandaredifferentlyorganized.BothhavenotcompletelyacceptedtheirethnicChinesecitizens.Thisaccentuatesthereligious and cultural divide, and a subconscious sense of being a nut in anutcracker.”

Paranoid?Orprudent?Threats are everywhere.Hehas seenoff engineers toHolland to study the

scienceofdikebuildingintheeventthepaceofglobalwarmingquickensandarising sea level threatens Singapore’s reclaimed land. He most admires thosewhotakedestinyintheirhandsratherthancowerinindecisiveness.HeadmiresnoonemorethantheIsraelisfortheirhard-scrabble,high-IQsurvivalism.

IlookupfrommyyellowpadonwhicharescribbledtopicsIwantatleasttotouchonbeforetheclockrunsout:“There’salineinyourautobiographythatIjustwanttohavealittlefunwithifyouwould.Youtalkedabout‘everysocietyhas a small percentage that’s exceptionally able. These people are like the

philosopher-kingsofold.Theywillhavetobethrownupthroughameritocraticprocess or be actively sought out to lead. Doing so helps raise the lot of allsociety farmore thanpretending that allmenare equally capableor talented.’Thenatonepoint,yousaid,andIfoundthishilarious:‘I’mnotassmartasanIsraeli.’”

“Yeah,that’sright.”“Whateverdoyoumeanbythat?”He turned to stare at me, an eyebrow almost raised, as if the point were

obvious:“TheIsraelisareverysmart.”“Why?”Hesearcheshismemoryforastory:“IaskedaBankofAmericapresidentin

1990orsomething,whyaretheJewssosmart?Andhegavemeabook,hisowncopy,well-thumbed.So—Ihaditboundupbecauseitmightcomeapart;IthinkI’vestillgotitsomewhere—Ireaditthrough,smallbook.And,well,itdidn’tgointothepogromsandhowthestupidpeople,theslowandthehalf-witted,weredestroyed and the bright ones survived. He emphasized how the good genesmultiplied.HesaidtherabbiinanyJewishsocietywasoftenthemostintelligentandwell-read,mostlearnedofallbecausehe’sgottoknowHebrew,he’sgottoknowtheTalmud,he’sgottoknowvariouslanguagesandsoon.So,therabbi’schildrenaremuchsought-afterbysuccessfulJewstobringthegoodgenesintothefamily.That’showtheymultiply,thebrightonesmultiply.Thatsumsitup.”

Isay:“AndwhereasintheCatholicChurch,thepriestswilldestroythat[bynotprocreating]andsotheChurch’skidsaregettingdumber.”

“Andthepriestsarethinningouttonothingnessnow.That’sright.”LKY adheres to the almost mechanistic logic of eugenics and negative

eugenics theway the ‘scientific’ baseballmanager relies on statistics of homerunsandstrikeoutstomakegamedecisions.Ifsuchandsuchabatterhasa.200lifetime average against left-handed pitchers, that batter will not likely bepermittedtocometotheplatelateinaclosegameagainstaleft-handedpitcher.Similarly,smartcouplesaremorelikelytoproducesmartchildrenthancouplesthatarelesssmart(howevermeasured).TheproblemforSingapore(andothersinAsia,includingHongKongandJapan)isthatmoreandmoresmartcouplesare having fewer and fewer children. Under the dis-eugenics hypothesis, thismeans each successive generation becomes less smart, like a systematicallyshrinkingCatholic-priestpopulation.

Lee’ssolutionforhiscountry’sdilemmaistoopendoorstoforeignerswho

want to become Singaporean, but not to all outsiders—only to the educatedprofessionals,theachievers,thebrains,theelite.Inalmostanydemocracy,suchthoughtsbyaleaderwouldgethimintoaboiloftrouble.LKYsaysthathedoesnotworrymuchaboutbeingpoliticallycorrect.Ifagivenpropositionistrueandgermane to good governance, it is a betrayal of trust to act as if such a truthdoesn’t exist. Burying it under the sawdust of political correctness is to lay aland mine for yourself. If a certain ethnic or racial group is overwhelminglydisadvantagedregardingthisorthat,ignoringthatreality,bynottreatingit,onlyperpetuatesthenegativeconsequencesofthedisadvantage.

Amerit-basedsystemadvantageseveryone,thelessableincluded,byhavinggovernance driven by the best. Suggesting that everyone is equal or that theexceptionallyablepopulationisanythingbutasmallpercentageofthewholeis,inhisview,arrantfoolishnessand,atworst,anevildeception.Purelydemocraticsystems which are not strictly meritocratic tend to elevate mediocrity. Thehonest, courageous leader—or contemporary ‘prince’—will not hesitate to tellthetruthpubliclyandactonit.Yes,sometimespeople’sfeelingswillgethurt.

Political systems vary by the terrain. Israel is basically a Western-styledemocracy, and the Catholic Church is not. Neither is China. All threedominions in oneway or the other, at given times, have been successful. Butdemocracyideologueswillnotbehappyuntileveryoneisademocracy.ChinaisoftenurgedbytheWesttoopenupanddemocratize,evenovernight.

Isay,tryingtocoveralotofterritoryquickly:“In1999,inBeijing,ClintonsaidbluntlytoChina’sPresidentJiangZemin,duringamemorablejointpublicTV appearance, that the Chinese government’s thinking about how to governwasonthewrongsideofhistory.Isit?”

“Theyneverthoughtsothen,theyevenlesssothinksonow.”“Butwhatdoyouthink?”“No, Ididn’t thinkso thenand Idon’t thinksonow. I think theirwayhas

kept China together and they are making progress, but they’re going to facemany problems along the road. Technology is going to make their system ofgovernanceobsolete.By2030,70percentormaybe75percentof theirpeoplewillbeincities,smalltowns,bigtowns,megabigtowns.They’regoingtohavecellphones,Internet,satelliteTV.They’regoingtobewell-informed; theycanorganize themselves. You can’t govern them the way you’re governing themnowwhereyoujustplacateandtheymonitorafewpeoplebecausethenumberswillbeso large.Theyknowthisand theydon’tknowwhere theywillendup,buttheybelievestepbystep,asthesituationchanges,theyadapt,theychange,

theycanremainincontrolandtheyco-optthebrightpeopleandtheactivistsintotheirparty.It’snolongeracommunistparty.It isapartyofall thosewhowillmakeChinagreatandstrong.That’sall.”

Meadding:“Butthewrongsideofhistorypoint,itgoesbacktotheFrancisFukuyamabook,TheEndofHistory, andnot onlywashewrong in the sensethatunpredictablehistorykeepsrollingonwhetherwelikeitornot,butmaybeourcherisheddemocraticsysteminAmericaistheexceptionthatdoesn’tprovethe rule. In otherwords, that other formsof governance are going to bemorethematicinthefuture.”

LKY adds: “I do not believe that one-man, one-vote, in either the U.S.formatortheBritishformatortheFrenchformat, is thefinalposition.Imean,humansocietywillchangeovertheyearswithtechnology,withfreetravel.Thedemographicsofcountriesarechangingwithmixturesofpopulation.

“Whatwillbetheendresult?Idon’tknow.Imean,whatwillbethefutureofthe U.S. to begin with? The Chinese have projected it and they are fairlyconfident.Theyseethemselvesasrelativelyhomogenous.Yes,they’llabsorbafew more foreigners along the coastal cities, but they’re likely to remain, astoday,90percentHan.Infiftyyears’time,atthemost,another10percentnon-Han, mixed; 80 percent Han. By comparison, they see the U.S. and theirmigrationpatterns.By2050,theHispanicswillovertaketheAnglo-Saxons.So,eitheryouchangetheircultureortheychangeyou,andIdonotbelieveyoucanchangetheirculture.”

Leecontinues,atbreakneckspeednow:“Imean,youlookatLatinAmerica.Youmightchangethecultureofafewwhomyounowappoint.ThoseHispanicsthatObamahasappointedto thecabinetorClintonappointedto thecabinetorGeorgeBushappointed to thecabinet, thoseareexceptionalHispanics,but thetotalHispanicculturewillremainwhatit is.So,youwill loseyourdynamism,and if you continuewith one-man, one-vote, theywill set the agenda becausetheyarethemajority.”

Idonotbelievethatone-man,one-vote,ineithertheU.S.formatortheBritishformatortheFrenchformat,isthefinalposition.Imean,humansocietywillchangeovertheyears...

I think it is fair to say thatLeewouldnotwin any election in anydistrictdominatedbyLatinos,nottomentionbyUighursorSinhalese.Here,thedeeply

embeddedAmerican penchant for optimismmight come in handy for dealingwith what is probably inevitable: continuing waves of immigration into acountrywhose spectacular successhasbeenbuilt on thebrains, aswell as thebacks,ofimmigrants,fewofwhomcameherewithPhDs,MDsorlawdegrees.Buttheirkidsandthentheirkidshavethemindroves.

LeeofArabia

NEARTHEOPENINGofLawrenceofArabia,theepicfilmbySirDavidLean,averyelderlySirLawrencehopsontohismotorbikeforanearlymorningspin.Determined and uncaring as a teenager, he slams on the accelerator and roarsdownthecountryroadliketheproverbialbatoutofhell.Thisistheendofhislife,butthebeginningofthefilm.AnovernightstormhasfelledatreeacrosstheroadthatonthisfatefulmorningistotakeLawrencetohislastviolentrun-in:adeadlycollisionwithastonewall.

PerhapsthisbikerorracecarimageryworksasreasonablywellforHarryasforLawrence,withonefootnote:LKY,unlikeLawrence,alwaysworriesaboutpotentialdisaster.

Driver Lee has always pushed the Singapore accelerator as fast as hereasonablycan,thoughallthetimeworryingaboutanaccidentorupset.Likeaseasonedrace-cardriveratLeMans,heworriesnotwhathewilldotowintheraceasmuchaswhathewilldotosavethedayiftheunexpectedweresuddenlytohappen,asitoftendoes.

LKY is very good at worrying. He might agree that it’s one of his besttalents. He was worrying about the Islamic world long before September 11,2001.Thatwas the datewhenAmericans, glidingwithout a care in theworldalongthecountryroad,smashedintotheirstonewall.

It’snosurprise thatLKYhasgiventheIslamicchallengemuchthought.Inadditiontohisdeep-seatedaversiontosurprises,hedoesliveinacountrywithsprawling Indonesia all but surrounding it—and with the rest of the mostlyMuslimMalaysianpeninsula above it.This iswhereverymanyMuslims live.Indonesia is home to more Muslims than any other country. (You may besurprised,though,thatIndia,usuallyviewedasaHinduculture,hastheglobe’ssecondlargestconcentration,withneighboringPakistanthird.)

So I suggest that the resurgence of the Islamic world could also have adramaticeffectontheworldagenda,notjusttheAmericanone.ThelateSamuelHuntington, a storied Harvard professor, coined the phrase ‘The Clash ofCivilizations’ to title his most famous book. Huntington was fascinated by

LKY’sSingapore,butoncepredicted that thecountrywouldnot survive in itspresent,uncorrupted formuponLee’sdeparture fromearth.Huntingtonwas tochangethatviewafterawide-rangingconversation,perhapsnotunlikethisone,withLee.

Leerecallsvividly:“WeusedtomeetattheAsiaSocietyandsoon,hecamehere and Iwent there; and one day, he sentme a piece hewaswriting in theForeignAffairs called the ‘ClashofCivilizations’.Then I sawhimand I said,look, I agree with you only where the Muslims are concerned, only there. Ishould havewritten it in a piece or in a letter to him,my thought turned outprophetic. I said, Hinduism, Chinese Confucianism or Communism, JapaneseShintoism,theyaresecularreally.Theyknowthattoprogress,youmustmasterscienceandtechnology,andthat’swheretheyaregoingtocompetewithyouintheend.But theMuslimsbelieve that if theymastered theQuranand theyarepreparedtodoallthatMuhammadhasprescribed,theywillsucceed.So,wecanexpecttroublefromthemandso,ithappened.”

“Andherewearetoday.”“Yeah.WhydidIcometothatconclusion?BecauseIsawtheMalayswith

whom I went to school; they were quite eclectic and secular during Britishtimes.”

Iampuzzled:“Quitewhat?”“Eclectic.Youknow,Iwilleatpork,[theywilleat]whatevertheyeat,their

halalfood,and,incollege,we’llsitdownthesametable.Womenwillnothavescarvesandsoon.Butwiththeriseofoilmoney,theSaudisandothersinvitedthemtoconferencesandsaid,look,yoursisadilutedvoiceofIslam.Wearethegold standard, pray five times a day, do that, women should not show theirlimbs, cover up to the sleeves and the ankles, and gradually, now you see somanyofthewomenwithheadscarves.Areyoumad?”

IlookatLeeandwebothcannothelpchortling.Wemeannodisrespect toany religion. Still, any religion that requires you to dress like Eskimos in allkinds of weather, including dense humid tropical heat, perhapsmightmerit asartorialaswellasecclesiasticalreviewbycommonsense.

Hecontinues:“So,thenoneday, theprimeministerofMauritiuscomesbyonhiswaytoAustraliaforsomeconference.Hesaid,areyourMalayshereinSingapore, are your Muslims becoming different? So, [Senior Minister] GohChokTong says,whydoyou ask?He says, ourMus [they call themMus forMuslims] have suddenly changed. The Saudis have built a mosque, beautiful

mosque,andsentthempreachers.Now,theyhavesegregatedthemselves.”Lee rollshisblackeyes: “And Iwas listening toBBC, the reporter saying

thatwas happening inAfrica too. So, I see the oilmoney and the [hard-core]WahabisrallyingaMuslimworldtotheirside.Now,intheyearsbeforetheoilboom,whenyougoonaHaj,yougotoaThirdWorldcountry.Now,yougoonaHaj,youareinasuperFirstWorldcountry;youseebrand-newgreatbuildings,motorways,air-conditioned,everything.So, theyareoverwhelmedby this. It’slike,ifyoubehavelikeaproperMuslim,Allahwillgiveyouoil!”

“Sotheywererightallalong!”“Yeah!Now,yousee,IslamcametoSoutheastAsianotbyconquestbutby

tradersfromYemen,andbecauseitcamewithsailingships,sailingboats,therewasdistanceand,therefore,itdevelopedinadifferent,milderway,especiallyinIndonesia where they had an under-layer of animism, Javanese superstition,Hinduism, Buddhism. So, even today, I believe the average Javanese is lesspronetoextremism.So,thepeopleinIndonesiawhoarepushingaharderviewareArabs,ofArabdescent,likeAbuBakarBashir,whoisapureArab.”

I interjected: “You mean the reputed ideological godfather of JemaahIslamiyah, the militant Islamic movement based in Indonesia, the group thatwouldliketoconflateIndonesia,Malaysia,southernIslamicPhilippines,BruneiandevenSingaporeintoonevastorthodoxIslamicstate?”

Leenods:“Ofcourse, theyhavesucceeded ingetting thepoor Javanese tofollowthemandsacrificethemselves.”

Such good friends, Saudi Arabia and the United States: “So, instead ofinvadingIraq,weshouldhaveinvadedSaudiArabia?”

Sometimesmyso-calledinterviewingtechniqueinvolvesdeliberatelyabsurdsuggestions.

“Noway!”“But10,15,25years fromnow, this Islamthing,abiggerproblemor is it

goingtobealesserproblem?”“Depends on what happens in the oil states, particularly Saudi Arabia.

EspeciallyifSaudiArabiawantstomodernize,whichIthinksomeoftheprinceswanttodo,likePrinceAbdullahnow,althoughhe’sgoingaboutitslowlyandheisanoldman.So,itdependsonwhosucceedshim.Thenthey’vegottomoveawayfromthiscompactbywhichtheypleadwiththeWahabis:yousupportmyroyal family and I will give you the resources to spread yourWahabism. So,now,womencannotdrivecars,etcetera,butbehindthesehighwallsofall the

royalprincesandprincesses, they takeoff theirveilsandputon theirParisianclothes; and themengot thebars and clubs togo to and soon. Imean, it’s ahypocriticalsociety.So,forweekends,theygotoDubai.”

Lee is clearly no fan of this world, but has respect for cosmopolitanMuslims, especiallyAbdullah: “He’s nowopened aKingAbdullahUniversityforScienceandTechnology,andwithinthatuniversity,allrulesareoff.Womencanstudywithmen,noscarves,youcandrinkwhatyoulike,etcetera,butthemoment you leave, you’ve got to comply. If that side succeeds in gatheringmomentum,thenIthinkSaudiArabiawillchange,butiftheygobackto,iftheyregressandyougetayoungergenerationofprinceskeepingupthesamebargainwiththeWahabis,Idon’tknowwhatwillhappen.”

“So, if there is one key to this ‘clash of civilizations’ business, it’s SaudiArabia?”

“Yes,and theyhave theoil.So,areyougoing to invadeand takeover theoil?”

Ijoke:“Gobacktobicycles!”“Andthen,youcannotflytoSingaporeanymore!”“OnSingaporeAirlines!”“Well,ofcourse.”

YearsofLivingDangerously(WithIndonesia)

LEEISLAUGHING,butwithdeepunderstandablepride.Sometimes it seemsthat the famous flagship national carrier wins almost as many internationalawardsasthenation’smathandsciencestudents.ButSingaporeAirlinesdidn’tjusthappentobecomeoneoftheworld’sbestairlines.Ittakeshardworkandacommitment to excellence—andmaybe anLKYbreathing down your neck tomakesureyoudon’tscrewup.

Some years ago, the airline pilots threatened to strike for higher wages.Managementwouldn’tbackdown.AstrikewouldhaveblemishedSingapore’scontroversial image fororderover law.Therewasno strike.LKYbrought thetwowarring sides into his office separately for a long intense chat. SingaporeAirlinesstillhasn’tsufferedastrike.

Strongmen have their uses, weak leaders have their excuses. Virtuallywithout ideology, LKY admires people who get results. He admires foreignleaders who got things done for their country under themost quarrelsome ofparliamentarydemocraciesaswellastakeovergeneralswhogotthingsdonefortheirpeopledespitethecavilsofnarrow-visionWesternhumanrightsgroups.Hefavorsnooneformofgovernmentexcepttheonethatworks.Heautomaticallyopposesonlyoneformofgovernmentnotoutofideology,butoutofdisbeliefofiteverworkingeffectively—Communism.

His repulsion to Communism comes more from their severe LeninistmethodsthantheirMarxistideals.Hecantolerateideologyifitprovidespositiveresults;aregimethat’samilitaryjuntaisnotnecessarilytobecondemnedifitspeoplearebenefiting.

HisquarrelwithMyanmar’s[Burma’s]generals,forinstance,isnotthattheyare strongmen but that they are such ‘stupid’ strongmen, as he put it in aninterview with me and Professor Jeffrey Cole of the University of SouthernCalifornia in 2007. They so badly mismanage the resource-rich MyanmareconomythatyoucanalmostfeelLeewantingtogethishandsonittoshowthestupididiotsinmilitarydress-uphowtodoit.Theycouldremindhimofanotherincompetent general who shouldn’t be running so much as a corner grocery

store,Muammaral-GaddafiofLibya,acountrywithmoreoilthanMobilandasmallpopulation.Theplaceisstillmostlydirtpoor.

I stareacrossat the famousmanwith thehaironce soblackandeyes thatstillare.Overhis31yearsasprimeminister(andthentwodecadesafterthatinputativebackseatpositions),thoseeyeshaveseensomuchthatisbothgoodandbadinman,andgoodandbadinhimself.

Inhisgeneralneighborhood,fordecadesthestrongestofthestrongmenhadbeenIndonesia’sGeneralSuharto.OnJanuary27,2008,onatypicallyhotandhumid day in Jakarta, the 86-year-old strongman died. His body had barelygottencoldwhentheWesternmediabeganrevvinguptherecycledclichésaboutthecruelandcorruptdictator.

The accounts almost forgot to mention that the three-decade rule of thisJavanesemilitarymanwasremarkablenot just forhumanrightscontroversies,but for determined and stoic nation-building. Thrown together more out ofcriminalnegligencethangeopoliticallogicbytheDutch,whovanishedasifinthemiddleof thenight so eagerwere they to leave, Indonesiawas a coherentnation only in the thrown-together, claptrap manner of, say, the formerYugoslavia.

WhatdidstrongmanLeethinkofstrongmanSuharto?So I ask: “I remember when Suharto died, almost everyone said, thank

goodness, the good dear old fogy’s dead and the family is corrupt and goodriddanceandgoodbye,andyoustoodupandsaid,hey,waitaminute.Andyouhadgood things to sayabouthimand I thought thiswasverymuchyou.Youcouldhavejustsaidnothing,butyoustoodupandsaidyourpiece.”

Leefiddlesagainwithhisheatpad;hejustcan’tseemtoget it thewayhewantsit:“Well,becauseyou’vegottojudgeamanfromwherehestoodinhissociety andwhere he had come from andwhat his ambitionswere.Hewas afarmer’s child who had joined the Japanese territorial force as a private andbecame a corporal or something. Then during the fight for independence, heemerged as a leader of one of the forces fighting the returningDutch and hebecamepartof thearmy.Now,heneverhadanysecondaryeducation,andhisviewofhimselfandofIndonesiawasthathewasthebiggestsultanofallsultansandthatwashisviewofhisposition,andasthebiggestsultanofallsultans,he’sentitledtogivehisfamilyandfriendsthepatronagethattheyneeded.”

‘Sultan’—just when you think it’s an ancient term consigned to history’sdustbin or some animated Disney film—it gets resurrected to explain the

contoursofatraditionalpoliticalcultureinawayeveryonecanunderstand.Hegoeson:“Butinspiteofallthat,inspiteofthegraftandtheinefficient

administrationheinheritedfromtheDutchwhoneverbuiltitup,hehadtosortofimproviseashewentalong,andeachministersortofbuiltuphisownlittleadministrationorempire,buthemadeprogress.Itwaspatchy,itwasmainlyinJavaandsomecitieslikeMedanorMakassarorBali,butoutofthechaosandhyperinflation of Sukarno [his communist predecessor], he brought the placedowntoearth.”

Ipointout:“Andhestoppedthecommunistsfromtakingover.Inyourview,that’sabigdeal.”

Lee vigorously agreeing: “Or itwould have gone the otherway and therewouldhavebeenalotoftroubleforthisentireregion.Theyweregoingtocarveupthisarchipelagoofperhaps17,000islandsbetweenChinaandSukarno.Thatwaspartofthedeal,butintheend,theChinesecouldnotintervene;theydidnothavethecapacitytohelp,comparedtowhattheAmericansdidforSuharto.So,hetriumphed.”

Survival.Whenyourfateistoliveonasmallislandoffour-plusmillion,inthe shadow of a sometimes unstable goliath of 17,000 islands holding 241million people, you tend to get your facts down and your history straight. SoLKYwillnotbothertoquarrelwithyouifyouinsistoncallingattentiontothehumanrightsabusesduringthethreedecadesofSuharto.HewouldjustaskyoutoimaginewhatIndonesia’shumanrightsrecordwouldhavebeenlikewith,say,KimJong-ilofNorthKoreaincharge.

InLee’seyes,Americawas smart to standbySuharto. Itwasa lesser evilthan letting Indonesia go to the wicked embrace of the communists. And, asmentioned before, he believes U.S. intervention in Vietnam, which weAmericans almost universally bewail, gave Southeast Asia valuable time tocatchitsbreathandgetitsanti-communistpoliticalacttogether.

LeebelievesAmericadoessomeverygoodthings,then,inexplicably,forgetsithasdonethem,andthen—worseyet—sometimespositivelyuprootsthem!Sosometimes it’s hard to tell whether the senior statesman ismore amused thanirritatedbyAmericandiplomaticincompetence.

Helooksbackto1997,totheClintonadministration:“Istronglybelievethat[formerU.S.SecretaryofState]MadeleineAlbrightand[formerClintonDeputyTreasurySecretary]LarrySummersknewnothingaboutthehistoryofIndonesiaandwerewrong inwanting touse the[Asianfinancialcrisisof1997]crisis to

oustSuharto.”Lee recounts how the International Monetary Fund, backed by the U.S.

Treasury, forced on General Suharto onerous fiscal-tightening conditions—inreturnforIMFaid—thatcouldonlyhastenthecollapseofthegeneral’srule.HealsovividlyrecountsSummers’blusteryperformancethatatonepointtriggeredagiganticfoodpanicinJakarta.

“So, I toldmy primeminister, Goh Chok Tong, you’d better ring up BillClintonandsay,look,thiscarelessremarkhasledtoaverypanickysituationinIndonesia;bettersendsomebodyouttoreassurethepublicthatit’snotasbadasit is. So, they sent [IMF head Michel] Camdessus and Larry Summers, andbeforetheywentthere,LarrySummerscameheretoSingaporebecausewehadalertedthem;heknowsnothingaboutIndonesia.”

I jump in: “It doesn’t stop them; just becausewe don’t knowwhat we’retalkingabout,itdoesn’tstopAmericafromtellingpeoplewhattodo.”

Heagainshakeshisheadsadly:“That’sright.So,Summerswashereforonenight. I spoke tohim forabout twoandahalfhours, togetherwithGohChokTong,andfinally,hesaid,wemusthavediscontinuity[ingovernment—thatis,Suhartomust go now]! I said, youmust be bonkers; youwant discontinuity?Whatyouneednowiscontinuity!Suhartoisjustanoldmanrunninghislastfewlaps,gettingtoputagooddeputyincharge,avice-president,whowilltakeoverandslowlyunwindalltheseknotsthathehascreated.

“ButSummersdidnot thinkso.So,hewent thereand they imposed termsandSuhartodecidedtoignoretheterms,andthentheWesternbankersandthefund managers pulled their money out and that debacle led to a collapsedeconomy.TheyareunscramblingIndonesianowfortenyears.”

Hecontinues,withsomeheat:“AndnowtheU.S.saysIndonesiaisthethirdgreatestdemocracyintheworld.So,theyareallpuffedupandtheterroristshitbackand theneveryone isbackdownon theearth. Ifyouare the third largestdemocracy like Indonesia,whycan’tyoucollect these terroristsandstop themfrompropagatingmoreyoungterroristswiththemadrasas?”

Helaughsandshakeshishead:“So,Suhartohadhisheartattack,asusual,aseveryoneexpected.Hewasoldandhiswifehaddied,andhewasabitdowncastbecausehe’sgotnobodytotalktoandconfidein.Hewouldhavegonedown,ashedid[withouttheU.S.pushing],andthevice-presidentwouldhavetakenover,the system would have been gradually altered. As it was, the entire systemcollapsedundertheU.S./IMFpush.SuccessorHabibiemadeamessofit.Then

GusDurmadeabiggermess.Megawaticalmed itdown.SBY[the initials forthecurrentIndonesianpresident]hasimproveditslightly,butthere’salongwaytogo.”

Thatwasquiteabreathtakingrecounting.And,oddlyenough,Leethinksofhimself(andshouldbesothought)aspro-American.

Isay:“AreweAmericansbasicallyhopeless?”“No,thesearemavericksintheAmericanadministration.WhenIdealwith

the people in power, even Bill Clinton in the end came around [after all thetroubles withMichael Fay in 1995] and he launched the U.S.-Singapore freetrade agreement which the Bush administration completed with the presentpresidentoftheWorldBank.”

Iadd:“Clintongotbetteraspresidenteveryyear.Bytheendofthesecondterm,hewasdoingalotofgoodthings,particularlyintheinternationalrealm.Maybeweshouldgetridof thatdealwhereyoucanonlybepresidentfor twoterms.”

“That’sforAmericanstodecide.Idon’tknowAmericans.”Americandemocracy,inhisview,isgoodbecauseithasworked—notthatit

works because it is good. Look at it this way: Singapore has lower infantmortality rates and higher life expectancy; it spends 4 percent of its nation’swealthonhealthcare,theUnitedStates17percent.Maybe,Isuggest,AmericanswouldbebetteroffiftheirsystemweremoreSingaporeanthanAmerican.

Ibreakthesilence:“Don’twanttogointothat,okay.”He says this: “Americanswill not change their Constitution because other

peoplewanttohaveacrackatit.TheybelieveachapwiththreeorfourtermslikeRooseveltwouldbeuncontrollable.”

NottomentionachaplikeJimmyCarter,whomLeewouldpresumablyfindunbearable.

IalmostforgottomentionthatwhileGeneralSuhartowasdyinginhospital,fewforeigndignitariescame to Indonesia tobeathisbedside.The firstone—and almost the only one—was Lee Kuan Yew, visiting two weeks before hiscolleague was to pass away. Lee explained afterwards that it’s not a perfectworldbutthatrespecthadtobepaid.ThisseemsveryConfucian.

TheGodfather(Parts1and2)

LKYDOESNOTseehowitispossibletoruleverywiselyifonedoesnotrulevery firmly.Strong leadersmakeharddecisions that stick.Weak leadersmakebadsituationsworsebydecidingpoorlyornotdecidingatall.Thisiswhattheoft-quotedNiccolòMachiavelliwaspreachinginThePrince.Atsomelengthhisfabledanalysiswentlikethis:

“Aprince ... oughtnot tomind the reproachof cruelty;becausewithafew examples he will be more merciful than those who, through toomuch mercy, allow disorders to arise, from which follow murders orrobberies; for these are wont to injure the whole people, whilst thoseexecutions which originate with a prince offend the individual only....Uponthisaquestionarises:whetheritbebettertobelovedthanfearedor feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to beboth,but,because it isdifficult tounite them inoneperson, it ismuchsafertobefearedthanloved,when,ofthetwo,eithermustbedispensedwith....Neverthelessaprinceoughttoinspirefearinsuchawaythat,ifhedoesnotwinlove,heavoidshatred;becausehecanendureverywellbeingfearedwhilstheisnothated.”

LKYknows(andhaselsewhereineffectsuggested)thatMachiavelliwasonto something. He has often worried about the risk of meaninglessness andineffectivenessifasrulernoonefearedhim.

Culturesofcoursediffer,buthumannatureacrosstheboardreflectsobviousand enduring species characteristics. Except in rare cases, perhaps usuallywartime, slavishly excessive popularity is too often a reflection of mediocregovernance.Greatgovernancesometimestakesdifficultdecisions.Noonelikesto suffer pain even in the public interest.What populace is actually going toinsist thatvehiclesbe taxed for rush-hourusage,even though the resultwouldclearlybeinthepublicinterest?Liketherestofus,LKYlikestobeliked,butnotatthecostofwhathebelieveswouldleadtomis-governance.ThisiswhyhisMachiavellianism is so often misunderstood (and, indeed, why Machiavelli’s

own original Machiavellianism is invariably misunderstood). It is driven formaximumeffect;thereisnothingatallaboutitthatisinsincere.Itisastrongandusefultoolofpropergovernance,aspartofarangeoftoolsandpriorities.

ThisleadsustolookatSingapore’sgreatrivalintheOver-AchievingWorldBantamDivision: HongKong. They sharemany distinctions, including beingmainlyChinese,verysuccessfulandwellobservedbyChina.IthinkofitsfirstChinesegovernorinthepostBritishcolonialera,amannamedTungChee-hwa.Heisoneofthemostgentlemanlyofpoliticians.

IsaytoLKY:“BeforecominghereIhadachatwithTungChee-hwa,averyniceman, a jovialman. I like himverymuch. I think he’s got a bad press inHongKongandarawdeal,butIthinkhistorywilltreathimwell.Anyway,hesaid,whatareyouworkingon?Isaid,well,IthinkIwillbedoingthisbookonMinisterMentorLKYandhegoes,oh,he’sagreatman.”

LKY, true to form, does not smile. He always makes a point of seemingimpervioustoflattery.Maybeheevenis.IknowI’mnot.

Hesays:“Letmetellyoumyrelationshipwithhim.TungChee-hwa,IknewasasonofagreatshippingmagnateinHongKong.So,whenthesonwasabouttobecomethechiefexecutive,IwasinHongKong.Isaidtohim,youknow,themost important thing you can do is to get your education right because theBritish left you—deliberately left your people—with Cantonese as yourlanguage, and a bit ofEnglish for the upper classes to be useful to them. If Iwereyou, IwouldconcentrateonMandarinandEnglish;Englishbecauseyouneedtoconnectwiththeworld.”

Lee shakes his head sadly: “Whatever the reasons, under pressure, hedecidedtogoforEnglish,inallschoolswhichhavebeentaughtinCantonese,toCantoneseandEnglish;andtheresultisEnglishwentdown,Cantonesebecamemore pronounced and now, they’ve got to learn Mandarin because theircustomersarefromChina.Anditisfromourexperienceweknowthatifyoutryto speak Cantonese all the time, and learnMandarin at the same time, that’spossible; to speak Cantonese and learn Mandarin and learn English, that’simpossiblefortheaverageperson.Well,fortheelitewhocangotoAmericaandimmersethemselvesfouryears,sixyearswithaPhD,yes,ofcourse.”

“Soyouseethatasastrategicproblem?”“Itwasagravemistake,andnowtheirprincipalsarecomingdownhere to

studyus,buthowatthispointtochange?”I have always rather liked Tung and so I put this good word in for him:

“Well,hehada toughjob.Imean,he’shalfwaybetweenthebosses inBeijingandthenhispoliticalactivityinHongKong.”

“No, his problemwashe’s toomuchof a gentleman.He’s not a politicianandhegotpushedaround,thatisall.”

Whathemeans,ofcourse,isthatTungwasonlyagentleman.IdaresayLeewouldnottakeitasacriticismifsomeonesaidhewereonlyabitofone.Overlynicegentlementendtogetrunoverbytheoverlyun-nice.

Maybe it’s time we call it a day. We had agreed to two late afternoonsessions.Maybethefirstoneisabouttocometoitsnaturalend.Iambeginningto feel abit fatigued.What aboutLKY,now just a fewdays shortof86?Notonlyhaven’tIfallenoffanexercisebikeinyears,Iamactuallymuchyounger.

Suddenlyheturnstome.Iamcertainhehasreadmymind,andIamcertainitisnotthefirsttime.Hesays:“Howoldareyounow?”

Iamactuallycaughtoffguardbythequery.Whywouldheask?“Well,I’veretiredfromUCLA,butIhaven’tretiredfromlife.Ijustgotboredwithit.”

“No,buthowoldareyou?”Stillsurprised,Iask:“Whatdoyouthink?Howolddidyouthink?”“68?”“Wow.Iamdevastated.”“Why?”“Iam55!”“It’syourwhitehair.”“Idyeittolookdistinguished.”(Laughterinroom)So we call it a day. Tomorrow I am going to try to get off the global

geopoliticalandgetbeneaththeskinwithsomepersonalquestions.Iwantmoretime with this outspoken, brilliant, egotistical, haughty and successful—i.e.fascinating—figure.

TheNextAfternoonattheIstana

TOMORROWCOMESQUICKLYandbringswithitadramaticchangeintheweather. Stunning sun is stroking into Singapore and rain-clouds are nowherevisible.Butbythetimeweleavethehotelat4:45p.m.,theoutsidetemperaturehas lowered to maybe 88° F (31° C). Somehow that seems an almosthumanitariangesturebyMotherNature.

Attheapproachtothemain-entrancegates,theguardsreactasifIamanoldfriend.Onesays:“So,youareback!”Theotherguardactuallysmiles—amazing,and a nice smile too. After speeded-up security formalities, we are wavedthroughtoEdinburghRoad.

AtleastIseemtohaveimpressedthegateguards.

IamintheIstanawaitingroomagain,seconddayinarow,thepeaceandquietsoothingme.Iamalittletensesimplybecausethisisthesecondandfinalactofthe extended conversation. Maybe I could rent out for a month or two SriTemasek,theyummyguestquarters,duringthedownmonths?

IamnotevendisappointedwhenLKYisrunninglateagain.Mdm.YY,thehyper-energeticpresssecretary,emailedearlierinthedaythattheywouldn’tbelate this time,butnow theyare running45minutes late.The interview, in thesamesectioned-offspotoftheStateRoom,isnottostartuntil6p.m.I’mokaywiththat.What’stherush?Thedelaygivesmetimetoreconsidermyinterviewstrategy.MaybeI’mgoingtoosoft(DavidFrostwassimilarlyworriedhalfwaythroughhis historic andmemorable interviewswith the latePresidentRichardNixon). But you push too hard at these phenomenally self-confident (andsometimes all-too-easily irritated) figures, and the interview blows up in yourface, serving no one’s interest. A frigid atmosphere is no incubator of hotrevelation. Besides, LKY knows exactly what he’s doing; in fact, he knowsexactlywhatI’mdoing.

There’s a rustle outside the door, time to go. I’m pretty surewe’re on therighttrack.

TroubleinParadise

SESSIONTWOOPENSwithasartorialsurprise:thereisadressreversal!Thistime Lee is up-dressed while I am down-dressed—me informally in BeverlyHills street chic: jeans, dress shirt and casual loafers. Perhaps psyched for thelittle photo shoot that the press secretary has organized for the break halfwaythrough,MMarrives inasmart-lookingmandarincollar jacket,dressshirtandmatching dress trousers. This, of course, is public-appearance outfit of theSeriousChineseMan.

He looksmore comfortable in these up-market clothes than in yesterday’sgarage-sale outfit. In fact, he looks sharp ... but not fit. He still seems to bewrestling with pain, and perhaps a bit with age, as well. I stare at the presssecretaryandhisprincipalprivatesecretary,alsonowseated,andwonderifheishavingtotakepainkillers.Youcannothelpbuthaveaphysicalempathyfortheultra-strongmanasheglaresatapairofrehabstafferslurkingoverthedoor.Hecomplainsthattheheatpadsneedtobereplacedorstokedupagainorwhatever,astheyarenotdoingthejob.Heseemsprettymiserable.

Beforestartingdowntheconversationroad,Mdm.YYremindsusall—butespeciallytheboss—thatatroughlythehalfwaypointphotoscouldbetakeninthegarden.Heisokaywiththat.

It may have been only my paranoid imagination, but at the start theatmosphere seems uptight this afternoon. The press secretary, I imagine, isglaringatmefromoutofthesideofhereyeasifwantingtospeedtheprocessupandgetitoverwith.Iwantittolastaslongaspossibleandevengobeyondthescheduledtwohours.

Thereistension.LKY explains that the delay to our start is due to the visit of the vice-

presidentofIndonesia(whomIlaterwastodiscoverwashaving‘issues’withhispresidentbackhomeandwasthusinSingaporeseekingsolaceandtenderlovingcare from Minister Mentor). In part because of its convenient location inSoutheastAsia,andinpartbecauselotsofpeoplelooktotheSageofSingaporefor counseling and perspective, his modest office is something of a drop-in

geopoliticaloutpatientclinic forVIPpoliticos fromallover,butespecially theregion.

MMsitsdownand sighs. I avoid lookingover atMdm.YYanddecide tobreaktheicebylaughingatmyself,whichisnothardtodo,ofcourse.Istartbyremindinghimthatyesterdayhehadaskedaboutmyageandmyresponsewasprettyshifty.Helaughedatthisopeningfromme.ItoldhimIwouldneverlietohimagain.

I say:“Youknow,yesterday,outofnowhere,youaskedaboutmyageandyouguesseditas68andthatwasunnervinglyclose.I’myoungerthanthat,65[bigdeal,eh?],butIbelieveemotionallyI’mabout27;butyourjoustremindedmethatIhavetoloseweight.ButthereasonIraisethis,though,isIthoughtyoumightbeinterestedinonereasonwhyI’vegainedsomuchweight.It’smainlyduetomedicationI’vebeentaking,andthemedicationisalowlevelofProzacforthediagnosisIhadafewyearsagoofanxietydepression.InAmerica,asyouknow,we have amedicine for everything and so, since I had alleged anxietydepression,whichcouldbecalled‘normallife’,theyprescribedthemeds.Theysayit’saverylowlevelofProzac(about20mgdaily),butit’sstillProzac.”

“You’vehadtotakeitconstantly?”“Yes,Itookitconstantlyforthelastfouryearsandonesideeffectwasthatit

hasbeenalmostimpossibleformetoloseweightbecauseIamusedtohavingthemetabolismofahummingbird.Youknow,IwouldeatalmostanythingandIwouldprettymuchstaythesameweight,butnow,it’sbecometheopposite;thedrughas loweredmymetabolism. I think itmight have improvedmywriting,actually; it’s just so easy to focus on one thing instead of my going in threedirectionsatonce.[Ahalfyearago,Igaveitup,completely.]...ButIwasjustthinking that yesterday, you were talking about how strongly you felt aboutillegaldrugsanddrugtrafficking,andIwasjustthinking,inAmerica,wehavethat problem, but the other problem in theU.S. is the legal drugs.You know,we’realmostgoinginthedirectionofasocietythatisover-medicated.Youdon’thavethatinSingapore,doyou?”

Heistalkingnowbetweeneruptionsofthenearincessantcoughing;itseemshecannotget it to stop:“Well, increasingly,we’vegot thehighlyeducatedonthe Internet and they think there’s a cure for everything and they’ve got themoney.So,theygoseetheirdoctorandsayhowaboutgivingmethis.Doctorssometimessay,no, it isnotnecessaryand try todissuade them.But I supposeeverynowandagain,thedoctorsays,ifyouwanttotry,hereyouare.”

“ButImean,anotherdoctorsaidtome,butTom,gettingdepressedispartof

life. Imean, sometimes, you get depressed, but sometimes, you get up in themorningandyou’renotonehundredpercent, right? Imean, sometimesyou’redepressed,right?”

“Yeah.”“Whatdoyoudowhenyou’redepressed?Youtakemedicine?Haveyouever

takendrugs?”SomeauthorshavemadetheclaimofLee’sextensiveprescriptiondrug use, both sedatives and stimulants, particularly during themid-60swhenthe tense and tentative federationwithMalaysia began to crumble.Those twoyears between 1963, when Singapore was merged into Malaysia, until 1965,when itwas in effect expelled, had to have been among themost stressful inLKY’s life: more or less constant acrimony between Singapore and KualaLumpur,Malaysia’scapital,afull-blownraceriotin1964,andforcedseparationayearlater.

One thing was overwhelmingly clear and one was not: it was clear thatMalaysia’s leadersdeeplydistrustedLee forhis ambitions, overt orotherwise;and itwas extremely unclearwhether tiny Singapore had enough of a criticalmasstosurviveasaseparate,independentstate.HadIawokenthemorningafterAugust9,1965,thedateofSingapore’sindependenceandovernightisolation,Iwouldhaveprobablysoughtsolaceinanti-anxietymedicationmyself.

However,overthedecadesnoconclusiveevidenceonewayortheotherhassurfaced,andinmyback-and-forthwithLee’sstaffattheIstana,itwasobvioustherewasnointerestinfollowingitup.

“No, I used tomeditate. I startedmeditation about 1992whenmy friend,whowasspeakerofParliament,retired,andwasdyingoflungcancer.Hedidn’tknowwhy he was getting lung cancer; he was so angry because he’s a non-smoker.Anotherdoctorfriend,aBuddhist,camealongtohelphimsoothedown,calm down, taught him to calm down with meditation. I’m not sure if hesucceededbecausehe’shighlystrung.

“Atthattime,myson[thecurrentPMofSingapore]hadlymphoma;hewasunderchemotherapy.SoItoldhim,whynotteachmysonhowtomeditate?Sohedid,andIsaid,whynotyoucomealongandteachmetoo?Sohecamealongandspentsome time teachingme. I tried tosit lotus-fashion,butyouknow,atmyage...1992,Iwasnearly70,mylefthipgaveway.So,hesaid,no,no,youcandoitjustsittingdown.Justcloseyoureyes...”

“Focusingonyourbreathing?”“Yeah,focusonmybreathing.”

“Yeah,that’sagoodone.Itworksformetoo,sometimes.”“So,afterfive,sixtimeswithhimsittingnexttome,justknowingthathe’s

thereandhesays,breatheslowly, inout inout.Youcanhaveamantra ifyoulike, or you don’t like. I found my breathing slows down and I think myheartbeatgoesdownandmybloodpressuregoesdown.So,Iusethatasakindofescapefromstress.”

I am happywith his candor; it seems to getme closer to the real person:“That’s a very healthy way. I’ve been working on that. I’ve been using thebreathingexerciseaswell.”

Headds:“That’sonewayIreducestress,butIreadsomewherethat,oh,I’veread inmanyplaces, thatChurchillwould sink into thispanic-depressive stateand thenhewouldbecomevery imaginativeandactiveand startwritingwell.It’s akindof,youknow, thebrain thencrystallized inhim ideasand thoughtswhichhavebeenunformulated.So?I’venottakenProzac.MydaughtergavemywifeProzaconce,butshedidnotrespondtoit;shejuststoppedit.”

“Andshedidn’ttryanythingelse?”“No.”Lee,byallaccounts(includingandespeciallyhis),hasbeenfarclosertohis

wifeChoothan toanyone.Heclaims—andothersagree—thatshewasat leasthisintellectualequal.Imagine:he’sbeeninpowersincethelate50sandstillaformidablepresenceinSingaporeandnevereventheslightestwhiffofaTigerWoods or Bill Clinton-like dalliance! Nothing. And even his worst criticsconcedethat,financially,heiscleanasawhistle.DoIheartheword‘unusual’here?

His wife had been recently moved, at this writing, to hospital from theirmodest townhouse where she had been very gravely ill and unresponsive forsometime.Evenso,whenoutofthecountry,hewouldSkypeintotheroomtocheckinonher.Ifindthisverymoving.

Forasecondmyinstinct tellsme to raise therelationship issue,but Istop.Whatishegoingtosay?Ijustcannotdothetackytabloid-magazinedrillonthisissue. Let’s keep this book dignified (and therefore unusual for modernjournalismthesedays!).

Sowemoveinsteadtowritingstyles,howhiswifehadhelpedhim,andhisrelatedadmirationofHenryKissinger.

I say this:“Super-K isalmost incapableof regeneratinga sentence that’sacliché.Imean,hereallyhasanoriginalmind,andIhavetosay,Idon’twantto

beoverlycomplimentary,butonethingIlikeaboutyourwritingishowsimpleanddirectitis.Itcomesacrossasnotdonebyaspeechwriter,butwrittenbyyouand it’s almost... I was talking to KishoreMahbubani [Singapore’s extremelyable former UN ambassador who’s now dean of the LKY School of PublicPolicy]aboutthistheotherday,talkingabouthowyouwrite,andIsaidyoursisalmostahalfway-therenonfictionHemingway.Youknow,Hemingwaywantedaprosestylethatwasalmostminimalist.YouknowwhatI’msaying?Itwasshornofanythingthatwasn’tnecessaryandIgetthatfeelingwhenyouwrite,you’retryingtogettotheessenceofitandgetridofeverythingelse.”

I could have added that you often get this intensity of focus in an oralinterviewwithhim.

“Well, my purpose in writing my books is to get the average ‘O’ levelgraduates,whichisGrade10graduates,toreaditandunderstandit.So,mywifewasmyscrubber.”

Yes,Iknewthis—sothistackisgoingtoworkafterall.Hecontinues: “Youknow, I’manorator, or at least I try tobe.So, I have

[oratorical]flourisheswhenIspeak.Youmusthaveflourishesbecausethenyoucapturepeople’sattentionandyouexpandonit;thenyou’reabletogobackandrepeat it,butnot inwords.So,she tellsme, look—andshe’sadraftsman;asalawyer,shedidallthedraftingofagreements,contracts,conveyancesandsoon;so sheuseswordsprecisely—she says,whydoyouwant towrite it like this?The‘O’levelboywillnotunderstandthis.Whynotuseasimplewordinsteadofthis polysyllable word? So, I said, okay, I agree with you and I think in thecourseofthetwo,threeyearsthatshecorrectedmydrafts,afterthefirstyear,Ibegantowritesimple,clear,crisp,Imean,noconvoluted,sentences.”

“Butalso,youhavesomethingtosay.Thusyoudon’thavetohideitbehindasmokescreenoflanguage.”

Henods.I ask: “You know, referring to our Prozac discussion before, you wonder

whetherdrugsaregoing to leveloneup,orare theygoing tosqueezeout that‘Winston-Churchill’creativitythatyoutalkedabout?”

“I think there is in every person a natural psychological or neurologicalcycle.Stresssometimesbringsoutgreatideasfromyou.”

LeecouldhavebeenalludingtotheremarkbytheFrenchpoetRimbaudtothe effect thatmadness can be a spur to creativity. I can relate to that: at theoppositespectrumofpoetryisjournalism,whichoffersitsfullshareofmadness.

Mesaying:“Injournalism,wecallit[stress]thedeadline.Thatisourstress,that’sour[creative]stressperiod.I’llbestressedoutthenextmonthswritingthislittlebookandtryingtogetittothepublisherontime.”

Lee,forhispart,confirmswhatI’dthoughtaboutthattoughstretchofyearsinthe60s:“Mymoststressfulperiodwas,one,workingtowardsseparationfromMalaysiaandknowingthatI’mgoingtoabandon,atthattime,fiveorsixmillionnon-Malayswhohad trustedusand joined themovement,and it’snotaneasything to do because once we leave, the leadership is gone, the numbers, thedemographic balance will be different and they [the Chinese we left behind]werecaptive.Ontheotherhand,theTunku[ofMalaysia]toldme,ifyoustayon[withus],therewillbebloodshed[inthecountry];Icannotstopit,Iamtoooldandtooweak[hetoldme].Maybehewastooold,ormaybehewasjustwantingtogetridofme!”

“Maybetheythoughtyouwantedtoruntheplaceeventually?”“Well,theyalwaysthoughtthatandItoldthemit’snotpossibleforthenext

20,30years.”“Becauseofthedemographics?Maybetheythoughtyouweresomepolitical

geniusandwouldfigureouthowtodoit,youknow,thatyouweregoingtogetalotofvotessomehow.”

Leenodding,butnotspecificallydignifyingthatcomment:“AndafterIhavedoneit[agreedtopullSingaporeoutofMalaysia],depressionsetsin,youknow.I’dletalotofpeopledownandtheanxietyofhowdoIgetthisplacegoing.Ibrought thisabout.So, Iused towakeup in themiddleof thenightandmakenotes.”

“Becauseyoufeltitwasallonyou?”“Yes,ofcourse.Some[ofmylate-nightjottings]madenosenseinthelight

ofthemorning,butsomemadesense.Ipursuedit,askedmysecretarytochasethisoneoutandintheend,wemadeit.That’sall.Imean,itwasthepressureofhavingtodoit. Imean, ifIhadtakensomesedative,oh,I justcarryon,don’tworryaboutit.Iwon’t.”

Mymoststressfulperiodwas...workingtowardsseparationfromMalaysiaandknowingthatI’mgoingtoabandon,atthattime,fiveorsixmillionnon-Malayswhohadtrustedusandjoinedthemovement...

Ilaugh:“Insomeways,maybemyshort-termmemoryisn’t thatgreatasitusedtobe,butmylong-termmemory...IseemtoremembermorestuffnowasIamgettingolder.”

“No,thatisanormalcourseofagingandthereisanexplanationforitfromtheneurologist.Mydaughterisoneofthem.Yourshort-termmemoryiskeptinadifferentpartofthebrainandasyougrowold,thatbecomeslessefficient,thatpartofthebrain.Butyourlong-termmemoryisembeddedinadifferentpartofthe brain and that stays for years, almost forever until, of course, you getdementiaorAlzheimer’s.So,what Idoas Igetolder is tohaveanotebook. Itakeanoteand I say,okay, theseare the things I’vegot todo.Otherwise, I’llforgetit.”

“Yes,Ifindmyselfdoingthattoo.”“So,now Ikeepa tape recorder inmypocket, adigital one, and I say,do

this,dothat.Attheendoftheday,whatdidIwanttodo?Thereitwas.”ArehabaidewhisksinandgivesLKYanewheatpadforhisleg.“IfImayask,doesthatreducetheswelling?”“No, it increases the blood flow and it helps the healing.”He turns to his

right toward the rehab assistant standing by the far door, and says somethinglike,warmitupagain,it’sgonecold.

Hewearilyturnsbacktome:“Itcomfortsyou.”

There’sSomethingAboutHarry

YOURLOYAL JOURNALIST, catching his intellectual breath, takes anothermomentortwotosizeupLKY.Theconversationhasstartedoffmerrilyenough.

Asheisre-wrappingtheheatpadyetagain,Iremindmyselftoremindyouthatintheolddayssomeclosefriendsandcolleaguesusedtocallhim‘Harry’,reflecting, in part, his British fine-school education. Sources tell me that inrecentyearshiswifeChoousedtocallhimthat.

I stick toMinisterMentororMr.LeeorLeeKuanYew. I amcomfortablewith that. I probably could get awaywithKuanYew.ButHarry, Iwould notventureinto.

SometimesLKYhasalookofsomeonewhocouldbiteyourheadoff.Butatothertimeshewearsthisslightlywaryifnotwanesmilethatmakeshimappearasthreateningasahappycatsunningitselfinthegardenwindow.WhenIfirstinterviewedhimyearsago,hewasabout70orso,butlookedlikehemightliveforever;nowIamnotsosure.Hemaynotproveimmortalafterall.

ForalongtimeinAmerica,notoneestablishmentnewspapercolumnisteveroffered a nice word about him. Not that many had ever actually visitedSingapore,muchlessmetorinterviewedLKY.

HisworstAmericannewspapercriticadecadeagowasWilliamSafire.TheoddestthinginhisattacksinhisNewYorkTimescolumnon‘Harry’Lee(ashisAnglicizedgivennamewouldhaveit)wasthatBillwasnotonlyagreatadmirerofRichardNixon,aswasLKY,butforagoodperiodoftimeservedasthelatepresident’sacespeechwriter.Theirpoliticswerehardlydissimilar.MaybeBill’sattacks on Lee’s social-policy harshness were driven by the need to distancehimselffromWatergatebytakingitouton“TheLittleHitlerofSoutheastAsia”,whichwasoneofthetitlesofacolumnintheNewYorkTimes.

SoIask:“Andarethereanyparticularpeopleinthecourseofyourlifethathavemadeyoudepressed,likeBillSafire?”

Leestaresatme,thenlaughslightly:“No,no,no.Theyaregadflies.Imean,theyarenotgoingtoaffectmywork,theyarenotgoingtoaffectSingapore,andmarginally he will turn off a few who are anyway not friendly towards

Singapore,say,thereyouare,itwasalousyplace.So?”“You mean, you didn’t get at least irritated over being called ‘The Little

HitlerofSoutheastAsia’?”“Thewhat?”“TheLittleHitlerofSoutheastAsia?”“No,it’sallsillytalk.WhyshouldIbeirritatedwiththat?Youknow,whena

manisreducedtousingabusetomakehispoint,he’slosttheargument.That’sthefirstthingIlearntasalawyer;nevergodowntoashoutingmatchbecausethenyou’velosttheargument.”

“Youknow,whenIstartedmycolumnintheLosAngelesTimes in1995, IaskedBilltogivemesomeadviceandhesaid,thetrickis,makesuretodoalotofreporting.Hesaidthatpeopleareonlyinterestedinanopinioncolumntotheextent that your opinion is informed and inspiredby reporting, that youknowsomething that’s really important that they don’t. So, after awhile, noting hisfierceantipathytoyou,Iaskedhim,Bill,howmanytimeshaveyoumetLKY?Andhe said,well, I never have. I said, so howmany times have youbeen toSingapore?Hesaid,well,Ineverhave.Isaid,butBill,you’veviolatedyourowncardinalruleofgoodjournalism.”

LKYsaidnothing,gazedatme,waitingforthenextquestion.“Butthenafewyearsafterthatattack,youtwoactuallymet,right?”“Yeah.”“Howdidthatgo?”“IwasinDavos,andhesaid,wouldyoumeetme?Isaid,yes,ofcourse.He

said,wouldyoumindifwetape-recordedit?Isay,no,notatall.So,wehadthisconversationandheputitontheWebandhepublishedit.Well,itdidn’tdomeharm.”

“Right,didn’tdoyouharmatall!”“Iheldmyground,hekeptonpushinghis.It’salright,that’sthewaylifeis.I

mean,I’maccustomedtohecklersandpeoplewhotrytoputyouoff-balance.”“But who has criticized you or criticized Singapore and, in your opinion,

madethemostinterestingcasethatyoufeltyouhadtolistento?”“AfewHarvardprofessors,Ican’tremember.”Ilikethat.Howdismissive.OnlyHarvardprofessorswouldbecited,evenas

theywerenotsignificanttomeritnon-anonymity!ButIletitgo.IwenttoPrincetonandAmherst,notHarvard.Ithoughtthat

wasprettygood,no?

Me saying: “Safire was neither a Harvard professor nor a big-timecheerleaderforhumanrightsgroups.Soit’salittleweird,Ithink.Butasyousay,heenvisionedhimselfasagadfly.Maybeitwasalljustfunforhim.Buttakethemost conventionally, widely-known criticism of Singapore’s from the humanrights crowd, thatyouhave runadeeply repressivegovernment,Godknows Iwouldn’twanttobeinyouropposition!DoyouthinkthebestanswertothemistheAsianValuesanswer(whoyouare)orisittheutilitariananswer(whatwe’veaccomplished)?Orisitsomemixedfusionofthetwo?”

Iheldmyground,he[WilliamSafire]keptonpushinghis.It’salright,that’sthewaylifeis.Imean,I’maccustomedtohecklersandpeoplewhotrytoputyouoff-balance.

“No,Ithinkmyanswertothemis,weinSingaporehaveadifferentstartingpoint.Youroutlookontheworldandmyoutlookontheworldaredifferent,andmyaimsandyoursaredifferent.”

Not a sliver of evasiveness appears in his eyes, the answer comes backstraight and unapologetic. All the hard-worked years notwithstanding, at themomentheisfreshandunabashed.

But at the same time, it seems as if hismind is clicking back through thedecadeslikeareversetimemachine.HelooksbackatbabySingaporeasifheanditwerestillsufferingfromsomeresidualpost-traumaticstresssyndrome.

Lookatitfromhisperspective:hestartsoffasachildundertheflagoftheBritishwhoseruleissodeftitseemslikeitscolonialtenurewilllastaneternity.(Few outsiders realize it was the Englishwho handed down to Singapore thepracticeofcaningtoenforcesocialcontrol.)AndthenonedayyouwakeupandJapanese forces are sweeping southdown theMalayPeninsula like a volcanicforce. LKY is now 19, but one smart-as-hell teenager soaking it all in. Hisprevious world order—an English one—has suddenly been upended by aJapaneseonewhoseauthoritarianmannerisfarlesssubtlethantheformer’s.TheJapanesedon’tbotherwithcaning,that’sfortheEnglishsissies.Stepoutoflineandtheyhangyou.TheyoungLKYtakesnotes,carefulmentalnotesthathewillneverforget.

Onecannothelpbutberemindedofthecomparableconditionsatthetimeofthe birth in 1588 of the massively influential English philosopher, ThomasHobbes.Hewasbornapreemie.HismotherfellintoprematurelaborasEngland

cringed in fearof the invadingSpanisharmada thatwasmassedoffshore.ThewholeofEnglandwas seizedwith fright.Forever after, her sonwas famouslyforthright as a stern law and orderman, social peace enforced by the biggestconceivablecoparound.Nohalfwaymeasuresforhim:subjectsofthestatehadto accept their leader as a maximum ruler or (he famously predicted) chaoswouldfollowassureasdarknightafterthebrightestday;andtheaveragecitizenwould be enduring life as the average hunted animal seeking to avoid instantdeath.Lifewould be “nasty, brutish and short” in awarlike society of “everymanagainsteveryman”,unlesseveryoneconsentedtoempowertheBigCoponthe Beat—Lt. Law-and-Order being labeled unforgettably by Hobbes as the“Leviathan”.

If ThomasHobbeswere alive today, his namemight just possibly be LeeKuanYew,especiallyifhewereactuallyrunningacountry.Thishyper-articulateChineseSingaporeanwhospeakswithall theverveandprecisionofabrilliantEnglishmanis,asastartingpoint—butonlyasastartingpoint—ThomasHobbesupdated. It is precisely because of his fear ofHobbesian-kind of deteriorationthattheprogressivestatebecomesthenecessaryantidotetochaos.Nofearisanydeeperthanthefearsofamandippedintothedeependoffrightatayoungage.

But his fears today are, in his pragmatic, data-driven mind, real, notphantasmal.HismodernHobbesianismseekstoupendobstaclesandenemiesasifonestepaheadofthedelugeofdisorder.Herunsscaredsoasnottoeverbescared. In his heart he believes a crisis is always lurking around the bend, orcomingupfrombehind;youjusthavetobealertforit.It’salmostasifhe’dbedynamicallydeadinthewaterwithoutsomecrisistoconfront.

NothingbetterillustratestheHobbesianinstinctinhimthantheproblemofnarcotics traffickingandconsequentdrugabuse.He isnopaper-thinAmericanpoliticiancampaigningforvotesonaplatformofbeingtoughoncrime.HeisaChinesegang-leader-intellectualwhoisoutforblood.Forhim,mereexecutionofthetrulybadguysisalmosttoocivilized.

Consider theplainandobvioushistory inhisancestors’background.In the19thcentury,theEuropeans,especiallytheBritish,literallyforcedopiumupthenosesof theChinesemainlanders.Byand largeChina’sauthorities,when theywere not corrupted by the Europeans, fought the narcotics invasion. But theylost.

...weinSingaporehaveadifferentstartingpoint.Your

outlookontheworldandmyoutlookontheworldaredifferent,andmyaimsandyoursaredifferent.

ThatwascalledtheOpiumWar.FewAmericanshaveheardofit.Europeanhistory textbooks tend not to dwell on it. But unpleasant history sticks in thebackofLKY’smindliketherecurrenttick,orcoughhecannotseemtoshake.Onhiswatch,at least,Singaporewillsuffernosuchrepetitionofhistory.Big-timedrugdealerswillnotbecaned; theywillbehung.Someof themheonlywishescouldbehungmorethanonce—forpubliceffectandretribution.

He could not care less thatAmerican human rights critics are appalled bythis official policy. He believes they are not aware of how the British oncepushedopiumonChina,andhehasscantrespect forhowtheAmericanshavemassivelymismanagedtheirowndrugaddictionproblem.

Helooksatmeandsmiles,solemnly:“Imean,hereinSingapore,anymanlooking as if he has been taking drugs is taken to the police station, whichextractsthreesamplesofhisurine.Onehekeeps,onethepolicekeeps,onegoesto the laboratory, and if he is found to be an addict, he can be forced intorehabilitation, if necessary, cold turkey. Right? Not in America, no, no, no,you’renotallowedtodothis.So,theresultisyou’vegotallkindsofproblemswhichyoucannotsolve.

“So,insteadofsettlingyourdrugprobleminAmerica,forexample,yougoto Panama and capture the president because allegedly he’s a drug trafficker.[Lee allows himself a well-contained chuckle.] I can’t go to Malaysia andcapturetheprimeministerbecauseheallowsdrugpeddlerstobeinJohorBaru[Malaysia’s southernmost city on the Singapore border] and allows my drugaddicts to go there, where they are used as mules and bring the drugs intoSingapore.Butwecontrolitbycontrollingwhatisinthecountry.Imean...”

Idecidedtostirhimupalittle(sometimesmyquestionsareactuallydumbbydesign):“Byreducingdemand.”

LKY admits to everyone that he was impressed (from a social-orderstandpoint)aswellasappalled(fromahumanitarianstandpoint)whenJapaneseoccupiers hungupChinese shoplifters to die in aSingapore squareduring thewartimeoccupation.HefeelsIshouldunderstand,bynow,howseminalcertainexperienceswereforhim:beingheldbyhisearsoverawell,seeingtheBritishadministerthecane,wakingupandseeingshopliftershunginthetownsquare.Sohesmilespolitelytocoverhismomentary(andunderstandable)irritation:

“No.Supply.Here iswhatwe say to them: suppliers, you are amenace tosociety,youareamenacetoyourfamily.Youbecomeathief,youbecomealiar.You need drugs andwe’ve just got to stop it, and if you are caught bringingdrugsinbeyondacertainlimitand,obviously,youareatrafficker,wehangyou.Thatisthat.Imean,AmnestyInternationalsayswehavethehighestnumberofexecutionsperthousandofpopulation,butwehaveacleanersociety,moredrug-free,andwearenotinterestedinAmnesty.Weareinterestedinwhetherwhatwearedoinghasthesupportofourpeople,andtheydo[supportthepolicy].Imean,if itgoesagainstthegrainofthepeople, theoppositionwouldhavesaid, look,thisisacruel,brutalsociety.Buttheydon’t.”

Hey, LKY—hold on a second! Amnesty has its own obvious agenda andcertainly couldn’t care less about Singapore in and of itself. But, at the sametime, silence is not the same thing as consent. People may not agree, butnonethelessfeartospeakup.

ButifLeeisdeeplytroubledbythispossibility,hehasgivenscantevidenceofit.Aslongashe’ssureinhisownmindthathe’sdoingtherightthing,hewilltakeconsenthoweverhecangetit.Electionseveryfourtofiveyearsthatmoreor lessroutinelykeephisPeople’sActionParty in thedriver’sseatareenoughforhim.

Withorwithoutparliamentaryelections—andSingaporedoeshave them—hecertainlywouldn’tletlackofconsentdeterhimfromdoingwhathebelievesistherightthing,ifhecouldhelpit.Atthesametime,heacceptsthatmotivatingpeopletomoveforwardintherightdirectionistheleader’sjob.Heisclearonthat.Insomeway,shapeorform—whateverthesystem,votingornovoting—atrueleadertakespeoplewithhim,anddoesn’ttrytobeatthemback.

The fact of the matter is that Singapore’s zero-tolerance policy for drugtrafficking, consumption and manufacturing has considerable public support.Onceanindividualisidentifiedasadruguser,heorsheissubjecttoahierarchyof increasingly punitivemeasures and longer periods of enforced detention iffurther drug use is detected. Corporal punishment in the form of caning isroutinely administered and capital punishment is a mandatory sentence forcertainoffenses.Between1991and2004,forexample,Singaporeexecuted400people; the majority were convicted of drug trafficking. If there had been apublic outcry over this alleged barbarity, the government would have surelymuffled it. But that wasn’t necessary. Singapore has a low crime rate and anadmirable public safety record.Sometimes facts speak for themselves, leavingthecommentsofLKY,not tomentionunctuous concernedU.S. rightsgroups,

superfluous.

...wearenotinterestedinAmnesty[International].Weareinterestedinwhetherwhatwearedoinghasthesupportofourpeople...

CitizenLee

ASTHESECONVERSATIONStakeplace,Leeisturning86andthoughIamyounger, both of us are facedwith the reality that our lives are comprised ofmanymoreyesterdaysthantomorrows.

Themaniscertainlynotpoliticallyun-self-aware.In1990,after31yearsasprimeminister,hemovedgracefullyoutoftheprimeminister’sofficetomakeway for a successor (Goh Chok Tong, who held the job for 14 years beforegivingwaytoLee’sson).Leeisproudofthat,rightlyso.HistoricalgiantslikeNehruofIndiaandMaoofChinastayedinpowertoolongandgummedupthesuccessionprocessandtheircountry’sprospectsbigtime.

Thiswasnot tobe theSingaporeway,notLee’sway.Butwhilesidelininghimself,hehasbeenanythingbutsidelinedfrompower.Hestillattendscabinetmeetingsregularly.Surelyheenjoysmore influenceoverSingapore’sdirectionthanCarter,Clintonand the twoBushesoverAmerica’son theirbestdaysputtogether.

Wetalkaboutaginggracefully:“Ilovedyourrecentspeechonaging,bytheway. You said, keep on working and don’t retire. I love it, one of your bestspeeches.”

“No,onceyoustopworkingyouaredonefor.”A small joke: “I have this joke-theory,MinisterMentor. It’s about people

whoretire.Didyouknowthatthere’sahighcorrelationbetweenretirementanddeath?Also,thatthereisahighcorrelationbetweenplayinggolftoomuchanddeath?Golfisakiller.”

Somehow he laughed. LKY has of course been coughing on and off andworking theheatpads regularly.He still seemsuncomfortablebut soldierson;now, however, laughter overcomes the cough like awave of defiance and hisdarkeyesseemreignitedwithlife:“[Laughing]No,no,Idonotbelieveinthat.ItisjustthatIhavebeendoingthiswork[ofgovernance]allmylife.IfIstoppedit,thestimuliisgone,I’lljustfadeaway.”

ItisexplainedtohimthatacertainLosAngeles-basedjournalistisoften—toooften—asked:“Whenareyougoing tostopwritingyourstupidcolumns?”

Andtheresponsealwaysis:“Whenstupidnewspapersstopstupidlypublishingthem.”

Leelaughsagain.Ikeepgoing; I amona roll (forme): “As longas theypublish, then I am

goingtowritethem.Whystop?Butit’sdifficultnottomissasteportwoastimegoesby.”

Leenods,confidingthatstayinginclosetouchwiththepeopleofSingaporegets very hardwith age: “As I told them in cabinet, as primeminister, I wasphysically active in going around meeting people. I don’t have to ask forfeedbackonwhatthemoodis.IgoaboutonmyownandImakedecisionsbasedonhowIhavereadthevibes.

“Now, I seldom meet many people in the old way. I make half-a-dozenmeetingsayearwhenIgodowntomyconstituency.Iusedtogotoeverynewtowntoseehowtheirsuccessfulchildrenweresettinguphomesseparatefromtheirparents,what theyweredoing,how theydecorate theirhomes,how theyimprove their lifestyles,what they have in the refrigerator, and so on.Now, Idon’tdoasfrequently.

“Occasionally, I visitmyconstituency.So, I said tomycolleagues, look, IhavelosttouchwiththegroundandIgetmyinfofromreading,seeingvideos,TVandminingtheirimpressions.WhenJeanMonnetbecameoldandcouldnottravel around Europe, he stayed in close touch with people who did, and hewould mine their information. That is what I am doing. But the info issecondhand.Iusedtogobymygutfeeling.NowitisbasedonwhatIhaveread,seenandheard,butnotdirectlyexperienced.”

Time-outforanhistoricalnote:Monnet(1888–1979),asstudentsofmodernEuropeanhistoryknow,wasthepost-WorldWarIprophetofEuropeanunity.Agigantically important statesman, the famous French economist, in both wordand deed, campaigned for a sense of common purpose and mutual interestamong the fractured and oft-warring states of Europe. His intellectual andpoliticalleadershiphelpedpavethewayfortheCommonMarketinEuropeand,bylogicalextension,today’sEuropeanUnion.

ThatLKYwouldinvokethemasterMonnetinthisoranyothercontexttellsyouwherehisheadis.Youmayperhapssuggestitisintheclouds—fine.Butonthe other hand it sure isn’t lollygagging about in the bottom of the prestigebarrel.Fortheleaderofasmallcountry,Leethinksbig,andSingaporehasbeenhisoyster.

Mesaying:“Butdon’tyouactuallymissthat,ordoyousay,oh,Ihadmorethanenoughofthatgettingoutandabout,thankGod,it’sover.”

“Yes, but I haven’t got the physical energy to do what I did. My physio[physiotherapy]justnowtooktwohours.Becauseofaging,youlosetouchwhenyouareunabletomeetpeopleface-to-face.Ihadabetter‘feel’ofpeoplewhenIwasactiveandmeetingpeopleacrossalllevelsofsociety.”

Isay:“Iknow.OnetimeIinterviewedyou,thiswasin2005,andIthinkyouwerejustturning80,andthefirstthingIsaidtoyouwashowwereyoufeelingand you said, I am feeling good, but Tom, when you turn 80, that’s a toughnumber.”

Leeremembersandnodsvigorously:“That’sright,nowIamalmost86.So,what is my purpose now in life? To usemy experience andmy internationalnetworktowidenSingapore’sspace.IhavefriendswhoareleadersinAmerica,Europe,Japan,ChinaandIndiawhodatebacktothe1960s.”

It’s the old saying: live long enough and eventually you get to know justabouteverybody.ThataccumulatedknowledgeandexperiencemakesLee intosomething of an international resource.An agingman can become hopelesslyuselessanddebilitatedwithtoomuchaging.Agingcanrenderaonce-finewinesour,makingitfitfornothingbutthecaskofcondemnedanonymity.ButnotthisChinese gentleman, not at least yet. For LKY, hobnobbing with the world’spoliticalandeconomiceliteisnotjustapersonalegotrip,thoughitisthat,too.He is a roving resource of well-considered ideas and perspectives, a ChineseMaster,valuabletousevenwhenheiswrong,whichhecanbe,ascanweall.

Whenhemet for45minutes last fallwithBarackHusseinObamaprior tothelatter’sfirsttriptotheChinesemainlandaspresidentoftheUnitedStates,itwasn’tjustacourtesycall.TheAmericanpresidentwantedtoknowthethoughtsoftheSingaporelegendconcerningChina.

...Iamalmost86.So,whatismypurposenowinlife?TousemyexperienceandmyinternationalnetworktowidenSingapore’sspace.

In that regard, Obama was following in the tradition of his predecessors,goingbacktoRichardM.Nixon.And,knowingLee’sways,theyoungObamareceivedanearful.OnthequestionandriddleofChina,fewworldleadershavehadmoretosay...andindeed,havesaidit!

Some critics thinkLKYhas toomany opinions and shares themwantonlywithoutevenbeingasked.Idon’tknowaboutthis.Perhapsfatherdoesn’talwaysknowbest;but this isonefatherfigurewhoknowsa lot.TheysayinAmericathatthosewhodo,do;andthosewhocan’t,teach.Buthedoesboth.Hehasthecountrytoproveit.

FathersandSons

LEE STILL JET-SETS all over the globe, making speeches and acceptingawards and generally giving Singapore an image of cosmopolitan polish.Interestingly,thequestionsheisaskedtoanswerrarelyrelatetodomesticissuesbutworldconcernsinstead,especiallyChina.Sohescarcelyneedstolivehislifethrough theeyesandearsofhis son,HsienLoong, thecurrentprimeminister.Hehashisownlife.

Iamnotsurehowtoraisetheissueoftheperceivednepotism.Iknowthisisadelicatematter.What’smore,asanAmerican,Ihavetoreflectthatfamilyisapowerfulforceinallpolitics,includingours.OurRockefellersdidquitewellinelectedpolitics.Thepresidencyof theveryqualifiedGeorgeH.W.Bush,whohad only one term, gave birth to the presidency of the much less qualifiedGeorgeW.BushJr.Itmightnotbetoomuchofanexaggerationtosuggestthatcompared to the latter, the current primeminister of Singapore can seem likeAlbertEinstein.

I plunge on anyway: “Well, it’s inevitably a tricky business. When JohnKennedywas president, as you know, he appointed his brother, Bobby, to beattorney general, and at the first press conference after the appointment,reporters raised the question of whether the young Bobby wasn’t ratherinexperienced to be head of the Justice Department. But Jack [his oft-usednickname]Kennedy deflected the issue, fencing off serious criticismwith hisgreat sense of humor, replying, well, I just thought I would give my brotherBobbyalittlelegalexperiencebeforehegoesintoprivatepractice.Butnow,youknow,hey,yoursonisprimeministerofSingapore.Don’tpeoplesometimessay,ahhah,thereyougoagain,Chineseshogunsystem.”

Onceagain,yourinterviewerismakingaweakjoke.TheshogunconceptisJapan-specific, of course, butwe are playingwith the idea of aChinese-stylefamilysuccessionritual.

VeryquicklyIfeel,comingatmelikelittlewaves,differentemotionsinsideLee even as the coughing continues.Maybe anger, defensiveness, butmost ofall,pride—powerfulprideforhisson.

Immensely proud, obviously, but then a little defensively, perhaps: “But Ikepthimout[ofthejobwhenGohChokTongwasPM]for14yearsandhewasondisplayfor20-plusyears.So,everybodyhasachance,includingtheMPsinparliament,tojudgehimforwhatheis.Everyministerknowsthatwhateverhedoes,whatevertheydo,heimprovesonit,inthepresentation,queriesandpointswhen hewas not primeminister. Imean, he has a very comprehensivemind.Haveyoumethim?”

“Yes.”“Howmanytimes?”“Three,Ithink,twoorthree.”“Where?”“Here. I’ve interviewedhimtwoor three times.No, twice.Oncebeforehe

was prime minister and then after he’s prime minister, and Goh Chok Tongonce.” I decide not tomention a column a few years ago—published, amongotherplaces,inSingapore’sStraitsTimes—thatcoinedaphrasetodescribePMJr: ‘Prime Minister Google.’ You punch in any question, and in a matter ofnanosecondsoutpopstherelevantfactsandfigures.

Lee has forgotten this and mulls over whether to insist that I take anextensioncourseabouthisson,thenletsthematterdrop,saying:“Mywifeonceaskedmeaboutsomething.Mygranddaughterwasthere.Isaid,Idon’tknowtheanswer.Shesaidmyfather[nowthePM]willknow,andhedoes.”

Hepausestoseeifthestoryhasaneffectonme.He continues: “I had a friend in LA, whowas a real estateman. He is a

HarvardgraduateinEnglishliteratureandwenttoCambridgeinEnglandtodoaDPhilorBPhil,andheranauniversitypapercalledGrantorsomething.”

“Granta,IknowGranta.Terrificmagazine,actually.”“So, we became friends.When I did an official tour of the U.S. in 1967

October,Iaskedtoseehim.HehadmovedtoLAandIsawhim.Thenmysondidatour—hedidaspellinFortWorth,hewasinartillery—andmyfriendsaid,comestaywithme,youngman.So,mysonstayedwithhim.Hethenwrotetome.Hesaid,myGod,thischapisreallycomprehensive,heisamathematician,buthisknowledgeofEnglishissuperb.Andthis isanEnglishscholarmakingthejudgment.So,oneday,myfriendcomeshereandIgavehimdinnerandheputoutariddle,whatwordisitthatmeanssoandso,soandso,soandso.MywifeChooknowsalotofwords,shecouldn’tthinkofit.Idon’tknowasmanywordsasmywife,soIdidn’teventry.Mysoncameupwiththerightword.It

justflooredhim.Itwasnothisspecialty.Imean,thecapacitywas,Idon’tknow,whatisthelatesthardcomputerdiskaround?Whatcanithold?Whatever,he’sgotthatkindofaharddisk[inhishead].”

Isay,honestly:“Well,Iwilltellyou.IfIhadbeenfoundingprimeministerofacountry,whichIhaven’tbeenandneverwouldbe,andthenmysonatsomepointtookoverandwasdoingwell,IwouldbeGoddamnedproud.”

Heconsidersthis:“Yeah,butatthesametime,Imustbeverycarefulthatheisnotgoingtosmudgetherecord.”

“Well,whatisthesurveillancesystemthere?”“No,Ithinkheisokay,heismeasuringuptothejob.”“ButitisatoughtimenowforSingaporeandforeverybodyelse.”“Well, he has got a tough time, but he has gotmore resources than I had

whenIstarted.”Leeisreferringtotherelativelybarecupboardlefthimandhisgovernment

when the British left. Now, despite the global economic downturn, SingaporemaybethewealthiestcountrypercitizeninAsia—andoneofthewealthiestintheworld.Peopleherearethankfulfortheirblessings,butsometimeswonderifthey have the happiness formula right. It is almost as if they are thinking:Singapore is the little country that has a lot of everything, but is everythingenough?

FathersandDaughters

ONECITIZENWHOworries is none other thanLee’s daughter,Dr.LeeWeiLing, the well-respected neurologist. I have never met her, but I want to,especiallyafterreadingherstatementbelow—anyonewould.

Hereisanexcerptofayear-endmessageshewrotein2007forstaffat theNational Neuroscience Institute of which she is director and which wassubsequentlypublishedinTheSundayTimesofSingaporeinJanuary2009.Shegave it this lead-in: “My house is shabby, but it is comfortable.” It went onthusly:

“While I worry about the poorer Singaporeans who will be hit hard,perhapsthisrecessionhascomeatanopportunetimeformanyofus.Itwillgiveusanincentivetoreconsiderourprioritiesinlife.

Decadesofthegoodlifehavemadeussoft.Thewealthyespecially,butalsothemiddleclassinSingapore,havehaditsogoodforsolong,whattheyonceconsideredluxuries,theynowthinkofasnecessities....

Amobilephone,forinstance,isnowastatementaboutwhoyouare,not just a piece of equipment for communication. The same attitudeinfluences the choice of attire and accessories. I still find it hard tobelievethattherearepeoplecarryinghandbagsthatcostmorethanthricethemonthly income of a bus driver, andmanymore times that of theforeignworkerlaboringinthehotsun,riskinghislifetoconstructluxurycondominiums he will never have a chance to live in. The mediaencouragesandamplifiesthisostentatiousconsumption....

Myfamilyisnotpoor,butwehavebeenbroughtuptobefrugal.Myparentsand I live in the samehouse thatmypaternalgrandparentsandtheirchildrenmovedintoafterWorldWarIIin1945.Itisabighousebytoday’sstandards,but it issimple—infact,almost to thepointofbeingshabby.Thosewhosee it for the first timeareastonished thatMinisterMentorLKY’shomeissohumble.Butitisacomfortablehouse,ahomewehavegotused to.Though itdoes lookshabbycompared to thenewmansionsonourstreet,wearenotbotheredbythecomparison.

MostoftheworldandmuchofSingaporewilllamenttheeconomicdownturn.Wehavebeentoldtotightenourbelts.Therewillundoubtedlybesuffering,whichwemusttryourbesttoameliorate.ButIpersonallythink the hard timeswill hold a timely lesson formany Singaporeans,especially thosebornafter1970whohavenever lived throughdifficulttimes. No matter how poor you are in Singapore, the authorities andsocialgroupsdotrytoensureyouhaveshelterandfood.NobodystarvesinSingapore....

Being wealthy is not a sin. It cannot be in a capitalist marketeconomy. Enjoying the fruits of one’s own labour is one’s prerogativeandIhavenorighttochastisethosewhochoosetoliveluxuriously.Butifoneisblindedbymaterialism, therewouldbenoendtowantingandhankering.

After the Ferrari, what next? An AstonMartin? After the HermèsBirkinhandbag,whatcanoneupgradeto?NeitheranAstonMartinnoraHermèsBirkincanmakeustrulyhappyorcontented.Theyarelikedust,afogobscuringthetruemeaningof life,andcanbeblownawayinthetwinklingofaneye.

When the end approaches and we look back on our lives, will weregretthelatestmobilephoneorluxurycarthatwedidnotacquire?Orwouldwe prefer to die at peacewith ourselves, knowing thatwe havelivedlivesfilledwithlove,friendshipandgoodwill,thatwehavehelpedsomeofour fellowvoyagers along thewayand thatwehave triedourbesttoleavethisworldaslightlybetterplacethanhowwefoundit?

Weknowwhichisthecorrectchoice—anditiswithinourpowertomakethatchoice....Weshouldnotfollowtheherdblindly.”

Ilikethematuresensibilityofthesethoughts,don’tyou?Dr.Leespeakswellof,andwithevidentpridefor,her father,but there isalsoaclearundertoneofworry about the values-hegemony ofmaterialism in Singapore that her fatherreceives suchpropercredit forhelping imbed. Inher statement, another subtlepoint ismade: thatwhatwe have in the present is not necessarily superior towhatwashadinthepast,simplybecauseitiscontemporary.

SoIask:“Yourdaughter,thedoctor,whoisnoslouchintheIQdepartment,asiswidelyknown,wrotewhatIthoughtwasapenetratingcommentaryinthecontextof,ohsure,Singaporehastroublesandthegrowthrateisdownandsoon,butshewrotethatitwastimetostopjudgingeverythingsomaterialistically,

raisingtheissueofSingapore’scorevalues.Didthatstrikeachordwithyouatall?”

Reflectingaflickerofcoldemotion,Leelooksoff intospaceforaminute,thenturns,andquickly—speakinginamorerapidcadencethanbefore,almostas if adismissive lecture—says: “Iwould say that that’sonlyhalf-true, that ifyouarenotmakingprogressmateriallyandyou talkonly thespiritualand theaesthetic sideof life, arts, culture,youwill fail becausearts andculture is theresultofaleveloflifethatenablessuchpeopletodevelopthoseskills—leisurelyskills,music,ballet,drawing,etcetera.

“So,youmusthave,youknow,Maslow’shierarchyofneeds;youmusthaveyourbasicneedsmetbeforeyoucanfulfillyourself,andthewriters,theartists,Iamnotsureaboutwriters,writerslikeSolzhenitsyn,themorethehardship,thegreaterhisworks.Imean,hewentbacktotheSovietUnionafterthefightwasoveragainst thecommunists;hedidn’twritegreatworks.Maybehewasolderbut.... But if you look at all the countries that produced art, literature, danceforms,artforms,theyareallcountrieswheretheyhavereachedacertainlevelofmaterialcomfort.”

Butthatisn’therwholepoint.There’snodenyingtheneedtohaveagoodsolidroofoveryourheadbefore

youtrygettingfancyaboutmuchelse.TheLeeWeiLingcritiquecutsdeeper:itgoes to the heart—if there is one—of any culture that calibrates its sense ofaccomplishment almost entirely with economic indicators and measurablestandards. Statistics can mislead. Heck, Europe could jump-start its grossdomestic product number simply by abandoning its tradition of lengthyvacations andconfining its holidays to amaximumof twoweeks.Butwho inEuropewantstodothat?

Just like my own home country, Singapore can give the impression ofdesiring little more, in sum, than more of what it already has got. Dr. Leeproposes(asdoothers, inSingaporeandaroundtheworld)acalibrationofthegoodmeaningfullifethattakesinmorethanjusttheadditionofanewcarorabetterrooforagranderhome.

There is an urge to find deeper meaning in any country or culture thatsuperficiallywould appear to have almost everything—and then is still askingitself:butis‘everything’enough?

It’sinteresting.AvisitortoSingaporein2007wouldnoticeattheverytopofthenonfictionbestsellerlistpublishedbytheauthoritativeStraitsTimesabook

titledTheMonkWho SoldHis Ferrari. The title tells the story.One reviewerpraised author Robin Sharma for capturing the persistent angst of the white-collarprofessionalwhowonders, amongall herorhismaterial acquisitions, ifthisisallthereistolife.ThatseemedtoparallelDr.Lee’sconcern.(Atthesametime, to keep some perspective, the number three book on the nonfictionbestsellerlistthatverysameweekwasSecretsofSelf-MadeMillionaires.)

Itisthefashiontodayforgovernmentsandotherstoassessanation’splaceintheworldbyreferringtocommon,competitivemeasurements:grossdomesticproduct,per-capitaincome,etcetera.Butlifeshouldbesoeasytocalibrate!Itisnot.

Asmuch if notmore than any public figure I have personally interviewedover the decades, LKY knows that money is far from everything. Hisunwaveringappointmentandpromotionphilosophyemphasizesintelligenceandpersonalachievementoverwealthandacquisition.Fordecadeshehas lived inthe same relatively humble abode. Decades ago he spoke eloquently andcreatively about the need for ‘cultural ballast’ to keep Singapore’s souls fromdriftingoffontoadangerousseaofmassculturalanonymity.

To this end,he emphasized the inculcationoforiginal language, especiallyChinese,evenasthepopulaceacquiredorimproveditsEnglish,theinternationallanguage of business.Notmany national leaders thinkmore deeply about theroleofcultureinthefateofanation.

But I’m not sure Father was listening to daughter this time with all hisintellectualmight.Maybenotenoughofusolderfolksarelistening(asmyowndaughter, now 23, has said this sometimes of me). Too often, we are overlydefensive whenever the younger generation says something. Of course, weelderscan’thelpit.Wewanttohaveeverythingperfectforourchildren.Itistheutopianinstinctinus.

Dr. Lee’s worry was about the damage inflicted on our humanity bymaterialisticherd-likebehavior.Itisaprofoundandalsosubtlepoint,andsheisundoubtedly right.Singapore is thecountry thathas (almost)everything. In itsownway,soisAmerica.Butmaybe‘everything’isn’treallyenough...oreveneverything.

KuanYew’sWay

CHINA’S LEADERS ARE impressed by Singapore’s sure-handed system ofsocialcontrol.Singapore,afterall,isasolidlystablesociety,perhapstoafault:WesterncriticsregardLeeandhissuccessorsaslittlemorerefinedthanagangof high-IQ control freaks, if not worse. But for the Chinese government inBeijing(andindeedmanyothersinAsia,notallofwhomwishtobeonpublicrecord), Singapore’s system of social control adds immense credibility to itspolicy recommendations to others. The Chinese place social order overeverything else, a priority not too hard to understand with 1.3 billion peoplemillingabout;sodoWesterncorporationsandinvestorslookingforsafeharborstodockandinvestforthelongterm.

FormuchofAsia,what’smore,theSingaporegovernmentgetshighmarksfor aggressively engineering exceptional economic development withoutpermittingoptionsformessydisorderor,worse,bloodyrevolution.AskAsiansto vote for either the messy democracy of the Philippines, or for thecomparativelynoncompetitivedemocracyofSingapore,andthelatter’scomfort,securityandtheotherquality-of-lifeamenitieswouldprobablywin—especiallyifitwereasecretvote.

ManyAsianswereskepticalofthesuperficiallyidealisticTiananmenSquareuprising in1989, for it couldhave led toacompleteunravelingofChinaasacountry.AlmosteveryoneintheregionknewthataChinathatcameapartwouldbeatragicconvulsion.Fromthisperspective,thegovernment’scrackdownwasadefensibleoption.UnderlyingalltheseAsianperspectivesisageneralpoliticalphilosophy that Lee not only articulates better than anyone else alive in theregion, but can brag that he has underlain economic and standard-of-livingresultsthataretheregion’senvy.

Here we ask him to weigh the relative impact of domestic policy andphilosophyoninternationalpolicyoptions.

Isay:“BeforeIforgettoaskyou,whenIwasayoungfellow,therewasthisphilosopher,FrederickHayek,whowrote abookcalledTheRoad toSerfdom,anditwasascathingcritiqueofCommunismandsocialismanditwastrounced

bytheAmericanliberalestablishmentasbeingevilandwrong,butyouthinkofitfavorably.”

“Yes,ofcourse.”“Becausehewasright?”“I believeHayekwas a very clear thinker and that he hit upon the eternal

truth,explainingthatthefreemarketisnecessarytogettheeconomyright.”Ithinkwearegettingtosomethingherethat’sbeyondtheanecdotal:“Inthat

context, the great Thomas Hobbes, that 16th-century political realist andpessimist,overlapswithyourthinking.Hisrecurringthoughtaboutthedefinitionoflibertywasthatitwastooexpansive;that,infact,itwassoexpansivethatitallowed the citizen to slide into negligence about obligations to family andcommunity and to state on the grounds of ‘liberty’. A famous Americanscreenwriteronceput the issueof libertyor freedom thisway: ‘But take care,freedomisadrug,much likeanyother,and toomuchcanbeabad thing.’Doyouagreewiththat?”

LKY can handle being put on the spot, but his honest answer to thistranscendentissueisonethatirritatesmanyintheWestwhootherwisewouldbemore admiring of thisman and his Singapore: “As I said, I am not bound bytheories, but my upbringing in a three-generation family made me anunconsciousConfucianist.Itseepsintoyou,theConfucianistbeliefthatsocietyworks best where every man aims to be a gentleman. The ideal is a junzi, agentleman.

“Whatdoesthatmean?Thatmeanshedoesnotdoevil,hetriestodogood,he’s loyal to his father andmother, faithful to hiswife, bringsuphis childrenwell,treatshisfriendsproperlyandhe’sagoodloyalcitizenofhisemperor.It’stheFiveRelationships,Wu-Lun.Theunderlyingphilosophyisthatforasocietytoworkwell,youmusthavetheinterestsofthemassofthepeople,thatsocietytakespriorityovertheinterestsoftheindividual.ThisistheprimarydifferencetotheAmericanprinciple,theprimaryrightsoftheindividual.”

I say: “In that connection, the late and much-admired American neo-conservative Irving Kristol was also a modern-day Hobbesian. HisNew YorkTimesobituaryreadinpartlikethis:‘Inhisopinion,hisfellowGIswereinclinedtoloot,rapeandmurder,andonlyArmydisciplineheldthemincheck.Itwasaperception about human nature at itsworst thatwould staywith him.’ This isveryHobbesian.”

He nods: “The Confucianist believes societymust take priority and if the

individualhastolose,thatcannotbehelped.ButAmericansputtherightsoftheindividualabovethatofsociety.Youjustcannotgetsomeproblemsresolved.”

Iamnotboundbytheories,butmyupbringinginathree-generationfamilymademeanunconsciousConfucianist.Itseepsintoyou,theConfucianistbeliefthatsocietyworksbestwhereeverymanaimstobeagentleman.

I mention that Hobbes viewed human beings with more than a pinch ofpessimism.He thought themat thebottomlinesopotentiallyvicious that theyhadtoberestrainedbystateinterventionfromtheirworstinstinctsandactions.

LKYbelieves that thestateneeds toplayaforcefulandpreeminentrole inmaintainingorder.

I look up from my notes and then at Lee: “One way of expressingindividualismpoliticallyisone-man,one-vote.Yousayyouarenotabigfanofone-man,one-vote,andyet,theoutcomeofyourpoliciesinSingaporeishighlyutilitarianinaphilosophicallyrigorousway—tosatisfytheneedsofthegreatestnumberinthebestpossiblemanner.”

HelooksaroundtheStateRoomandanswers,staringstraightatme:“Well,becauseunlessyoudothat,youaregoingtohaveanunderclass.InSingapore,thatunderclassusedtobelargenumbersofMalayswhodonotdowellinschoolespeciallyinmathematicsandscience.Butwe’vetogiveeverybodyachancetomakealiving.”

“But your basic point is that if youhaveone-man, one-vote andyouhavethese lobbiesandyouhave thisdeadlockofdemocracy,youaregoing tohavethat underclass, you are going to have the excessive freedom and it leads todrugsandeverythingelseand,therefore,one-man,one-voteinacertainwayisanimpedimenttoademocraticresult.Isthatright?”

“Yes,Ithinkso.”Ithinktomyself(andnosensetryingtocomplimenthim,wenowknowthat

won’twork):howmanyhighlyintelligentleadersinthisworldwouldhavethegutstoopenlysaythis?

I tell LKY about a former UCLA student who graduated from the eliteWoodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at PrincetonUniversityandgotagreatjobatarespectedtransportation-governmentalagencyinNewYork: “I said toher: ‘I think I’mgoing towrite abookonLee.Now,

don’tgetmadatmebecause Iknowhe is considereda soft authoritarian, andyouknowI’mnotsellingoutoranythinglikethat.It’sgoingtobeanobjectivebook,youknow;it’snotgoingtobeaPRbookoranything.’Therewasapause,andthenshelookedatmeandsaid:‘SometimesIthinkwecouldusesomemoresoftauthoritarianismintheUnitedStates.’”

“Nowsheis25.AndIsay,whateverdoyoumean?Shesaysthatwhenyouseewhat happens to public policy and how it gets churned up by the specialinterestsandthemoneyinterests,goodpublicpolicygetseviscerated.”

Leeispuzzled:“Getswhat?”I cannot believe I have actually used aword unfamiliar to this profoundly

articulateman.Iexplain:“Youknow,getschoppedupanddilutedbythespecialinterests and the lobbies in the process.You say to yourself,we could use anLKYheretosetusstraight.Imean,IthinktherearealotofyoungAmericansthataresayingtheprocessisnotright.”

Those black eyes seemed to shimmer a little: “You have carriedindividualismandthepressingofsectionalintereststobeyondthelimitswherethegoodof themajority isbeingeroded.Every time there isashootingspree,thegunlobbyworkshardandthegunskeepbeingsold.So, there isnoendtothisproblem.Onepsychoticstudentcausestremendouscarnage.Itdoesn’tmakesense. In England, they don’t allow guns. But, now, they’ve got a thuggishgenerationusingknivesinandoutofschool.However,youcannotkillsomanywithaknife.”

I happen to agree: “So that if you look at America right now, I think thesystem is not the answer for everyone;maybe it needs to be revised. So, theAmericanideologyiswehavedonesowellbecauseofoursystem,butnowitisoccurringtoyoungpeoplethatweareintroublebecauseofoursystem.”

“No, any system needs to be revised from time to time. No system lastsforever.Conditionschange,someflawsinthesystemarecarriedtoexcessandyou’vegottorevisethem.Youcannotsaythisisageneralprinciplethat’sgoodforeternity.”

“Right. In fact,Aristotle saidwords such as democracy andmonarchy arenotdefinitionsofanidealtypebutmerely‘describeddifferentwaysofdecidingpracticalquestions’,andthatisyourview,right?”

“Yes.”“WinstonChurchilloncesaid, ifyouwant todevelopseriousdoubtsabout

democracy, try to conduct a five-minute conversation on the issues with the

averagecitizen.”EventheoutspokenLeedidn’twanttotouchthatone.ButIseemtodetect

the trace of a smile. It’s almost as though we came to the same recollectionsubconsciously.Inafamous1947HouseofCommonsdebate,WinstonChurchillwastoremark:“Noonepretendsthatdemocracyisperfectorall-wise.Indeed,ithasbeensaidthatdemocracyis theworstformofgovernmentexceptall thoseother forms that have been tried from time to time.” But after spending anafternoonortwowithLeeKuanYew,youmightbetemptedtoask:arewenowsosure?

TheConfucianistbelievessocietymusttakepriorityandiftheindividualhastolose,thatcannotbehelped.ButAmericansputtherightsoftheindividualabovethatofsociety.Youjustcannotgetsomeproblemsresolved.

By the way, I say to him, the most commonly used Western cliché todescribeLKYisasa‘softauthoritarian’.

Iask:“Areyou reallyso ‘soft’?On theotherhand,areyou reallysuchan‘authoritarian’?Areyou content tobeknown thisway toyourpeople? If not,how?”

TheanswercomesbackfromthecoughingLKYwithoutironyorapology:“‘Authoritarian’meansonehasnotgottheconsentofthepeopletoyourpolicies.Mypolicieshavebeenendorsedbytheelectorateeveryfourtofiveyearsbyaclearmajority,neverbelow60percent.Idonotconsidermyselfauthoritarian.”

Mypolicieshavebeenendorsedbytheelectorateeveryfourtofiveyearsbyaclearmajority,neverbelow60percent.Idonotconsidermyselfauthoritarian.

HewoulddifferentiatehisviewfromthatoftheRussianpoliticalconceptofa ‘sovereigndemocracy’bypointing to results.Youcanpostulate theneed forstrongstatecontrolandtheeliminationoftruepoliticalpluralisminthenameofdevelopmentandstability,ifyouwant.Butthenyouhavetodeliverthegoods.Ifyoudon’t,allyou’vedoneistoseizepower.

THEFIRSTHOURhasgonewell,butLKYisobviouslystillfeelingitfromtheinjurytohislegthatrequiresphysicaltherapyeverydayandtheapplicationofwarmcompressespracticallyeveryotherminute.

Itistimeforabreak.Welookatoneanotherandagree.Wegetuptogetherandwalkoutof

theStateRoom.Immediatelyoutsideisalongcoolcorridorshadedfromthesun;beyond that isa largesun-splashedplazawithasuperviewoftheSingaporeskyline.Wewalkdownthecorridor,chatting,thentooktotheplazaforawell-litphotoshoot.

Theearlyeveningisstillthickwithheat,butthesunlightiswaning.About the same height as me, but thinner andmuch trimmer looking,dressedinthetraditionaldarkChineseMan’sserioussuit,LKYseemstorevive almost spiritually in the equatorial sunburst. As the digitalcameras begin clicking away, by pre-arrangement, for some casualsnapshotsforthebook,westartjoking,abouteverything,aboutnothingin particular, aimlessly—a stress relief from the riveting but intenseQandA.

ThefounderofmodernSingaporeisordinarilyasolemn,evensternman,withglaringeyesthatwithawhipofdisapprovalseeminglycouldchoparubbertreedowntosize.

His lighter side ismuch lessknown,but itownsa sharpnessofwitand mirth, and of course sports an intellect that drills deep into hischaracter, which is sometimes self-deprecating, and bubbles upsometimesinwaysthatareoftenentertaininglyblunt.

SoIdecidetoplayasillycard—averysillycard.Thedigitalvoicerecordersarenotaround,sowhynotplayabit?Iwon’tputallthebanterbackandforthinquotesbecause,unliketherestofourconversations,itisnotontherecord,orrecorded;butitispleasantandevenfunny—andinsightful,notonlyofLKY,butalsoabouttheUnitedNations.

Only half seriously, I say to him, youwould have been selected asUN secretary-general a few years ago, if only you had announcedcandidacy.

In a light way I am testing the waters of his true ambitions. HisachievementinleadingthetransformationofSingaporetointernationally

acclaimedsuccessfromthefloorofadilapidatedformerBritishcolonyand humiliated Japanese wartime outpost is the stuff of legend, to besure.Butthepoliticalcanvasonwhichhepaintedisratherconfining.

Singapore is not greatlymore the territorial size and population of,roughly,thecityofLosAngeles.IneffectLeecouldbeputdownasbutperhapsoneofthesmartest‘mayors’inthe20thcentury.(Wise-crackingAsiansfromlargercountriesputdownSingaporeasthat‘littlereddot’.)That itself is something,but couldhehave run somethinggigantic likeChina?OrevenIndonesia?

OreventheUN?Standing next to me, LKY shakes his head and laughs almost

hysterically at that one.He shakes his head again.The position ofUNsecretary-generalisinitsbasicstructureproblematic,hepointsout,asifdesignedmainly for frustrationand ineffectiveness.Takingsuchapost,thoughadistincthonor(etcetera,etcetera,etcetera),wouldprovelittlemorethanapersonalegotripmountedonthebackofSingaporeans.Thevanity fling would prove a pointless flirtation and obvious self-aggrandizementontheworldstage.

And,he adds frankly, the jobwasnotone for the likesof anLKY.Besides,hesaystheincumbent—formerSouthKoreanForeignMinisterBanKi-moon—iswellqualifiedandisdoingagoodjobunderdifficultcircumstances.

We would surely agree that the position requires of its haplessoccupantapoliteandpatient(andperhapsevenreverent)respectfortheUN’smanyfools,knaves,politicalposeurs,outrightcrooksandnarrow-mindedself-seekers?

Something like that, he laughs, with mirth cracking up a well-organized face otherwise reserved for rectitude, adding that—truth betold—he’dbeanabsolutedisasterinthejob.

Becauseyou’dbetooblunt,tellingeveryoneoffpolitically,rightandleft?

That’sright,herespondswithmerryeyecontact.That,hesuggests,istheonepartofthejobhe’dbegoodat!

Thenhere’smy idea, I respond: just take the job fora fewmonths,during which time you will summon into your 38th floor Secretariat-building office each and every fool, knave, political poseur, outright

crookandnarrow-mindedself-seeker;thensitthemdown,tellthemoff,watch their astonished reaction, and then ask them to leave and neverdarkenyourdooragain.

His crackling face suggests he likes the idea, rather very muchindeed.

Andafteryougothrougheveryonewhoisonyourhitlist,Isuggestyou announce your resignation and escape back to your belovedSingapore!

Hesays(chuckling),threemonthsinthatjob,max,right?Max!Icoulddothat(seriouslylaughing)!You’dbeverygoodatthat,Isaid—infact,exceptional.Ifthat’sthedeal—sayexactlywhat’sonmymind,threemonths,then

out—maybe...heck,sure.Whynot?We both had a good chuckle.We had constructed the perfect job,

outsideofSingapore,forSingapore’sLKY,who’snotthateasytocastinconventional roles.Sowemake theUNjob intoabitofa joke,onlyapart of which was a gross exaggeration requiring a major leap ofimagination.

TheSingaporeanCandidate

ASWE RETURN to the interview table inside the cool and relatively darkinterior of the State Room, Lee, rather suddenly, though quietly, asks to beexcusedforafewminutes,tovisit“theloo”,asheputsit,andtocheckuponafewhotincomingemailsinhisofficedownthecorridorandaroundthebend.

SuddenlyMdm.YYsuggeststhatthesessionendrightnow.“You’vehadthreehours,”shesaysemphatically.I am ungracious and unmoved. I am a pushy, vulgar American journalist,

afterall, and,oddly, somewhatproudof it.So I saysomething like,noway, Iknowyou’retryingtospareyourbossfromover-extendinghimself;heclearlyisnotonlyinconsiderablepainbutrunninglowonoctane.ButtenaciouslyIholdmyground,explainingthatthisinterviewisforhistory(howmanymorelikethiswillhegrant?)andIneedeveryminutewithhimIcanget.Iarguethatthiseffortisforabook,notamagazineornewspaperarticle.ItneedseverythingLKYcangiveit.

Hershadbeenaworthyforay,andshetooktheabruptbutno-kiddingpush-back well. But I think she is not used to being pushed around by merejournalists.Thisis,afterall,Singapore,notLosAngeles.

Sittingnext to her and taking theoral battle inwithoutmaking a sound isCheeHongTat,whohastheactualtitleofPrincipalPrivateSecretarytoMinisterMentorLee.Iamlatertolearnthathehasanexquisitesenseofhumor.DuringtheexchangewithMdm.YY,Ithinkhewastryingveryhardtosuppressalaughwhilenotappearingtosidewitheitheroneofus.

SuddenlyasomehowrefreshedLKYcomesbackintotheroomafterperhapsa15-minuteabsence.Hisenergylevelseemshighernow.Idowonderwhy.And,as if he’d somehow overheard the tussle betweenMdm.YY andmyself overending this second session earlier than scheduled (was there a bug under thetablethathecouldmonitorfromhisoffice?Nah,I’mbeingsilly),helooksatmeandsaysnottoworry,“We’llfinishtoday.”

“I’vegotonlythreeorfourmoremajortopics.”“Goahead.”

“Well,howlongareyougiving?”“We’llfinishtoday.”Hesaysthisemphatically.Iamhappy,butpuzzled.Didhetakeanupperorsomething?Nah,that’sjust

thesillyAmericanheadline-graspingjournalistlettinghistabloidianimaginationgodown-market.

Butthen,beforeIgetgoingagain,hesaystomethathehassomethingtotellmeabouttheUNsecretary-generaljobthat’snotajoke.

Thebackgroundis this:by themiddleofhissecondtermasUNsecretary-general, Kofi Annan was viewed by some of the big powers as a big-timenuisance—ashowboatingThirdWorldblowhard.TheBushadministration, forone,waslookingforasuccessorwhowouldbelessflamboyant.SotheybegansoundingoutSingaporeaboutthepossibleavailabilityofGohChokTong,whohad steppeddown in2004 after 14years as the successful primeminister andsuccessortoLeehimself.AtthatpointGoh,thequiet,hard-working,thoughtfuleconomist,was farandawayAmerica’s firstchoice for theposition to replaceAnnan.

LKY goes on to explain: “So I am in Korea and South Korean foreignminister Ban Ki-moon knew that the Americans were supporting Goh ChokTongforthejob.So,whenGohretired,theywantedhimtotakethisjobon.

“BanKi-moon invitedme to a lunch, gaveme a swank lunch and said, isyourcolleaguerunningforit?Isaid,no.Hesaid,areyousure?Isaid,absolutely.He said, why? I said, it is not a job that he is fitted for. He’s got to pleaseirreconcilable masters, Americans, Chinese, Russians, never mind the BritishandtheFrench.Imean,itistoomuchforhimandheisnotgoingtodoit.Whatgood does it do Singapore, whereas he can do much in Singapore and forSingapore.

“So,Bancame toSingapore to seeGohChokTong.AndGohChokTongconfirmed that he is not running for the UN job. So, he knows that I am astraighttalker.”

“AndthenBanannouncesandheruns.Hegetsthejob.”“He gets the job because the Americans decided to back him, and the

Chinesealsobackedhim,andthatwasthat.”“Thatisright.DoyouthinkBanwillgetasecondterm?”Thelikableformer

SouthKoreanforeignministerwasgettingalotofcriticalheatinNewYorkasthisinterviewisoccurring.

“BanKi-moon?Possibly,becausewhoelsecantheAmericansback?”

“Yes, that is right, andwho canAmericans andChinese agree on?Well, Idon’tknow.Ilikehimverymuchandhavegottentoknowhimalittlebit.”

“No,heis,Iwouldsay,qualifiedforthejob.He’sbeenforeignministerofSouthKorea.Heknows the frustrationofworkingonproblems thatcannotbesolved because you’ve got to try and make the effort and placate yourconstituency, in thiscase, theSecurityCounciland theGeneralAssembly,andhedoes that.And so,who can they findbetter?Can they find aKofiAnnan?Eveniftheycould,theAmericanswillsay,no.”

Atthetimeoftheinterview,Lee’sviewsparalleledallthatIhadbeenabletofindoutaboutBanandtheUNandtheroilingandoftenuglyinternational—andUNheadquarters—politicsbehindthathorriblejob.

RushHour(SingaporeStyle)

LEEISVERYclearinhismindaboutthemeaningofpublicpolicy.Hedefinesit in theclassicutilitariansense: thegreatestgoodfor thegreatestnumber.Hisorientationistowardresults,notprocess.Heisadamantaboutshowingresults.

His view on aggregate national wealth emphasizes its capacity for bothunderminingpoliticalstabilityaswellasbolsteringit.Iaskwhetherincreasingwealthisalwaysagoodthing.

“Thebiggeranaggregatewealth, thebetter foracountry. Increasedwealthandrevenuecansolvemanyeconomic,socialandotherproblems.”

But what about the growing gap between rich and poor, a worldwidephenomenonthat’shitSingapore,too.

“If inequalities are too great, it will lead to discontent of the lower socialgroups.”

Great inequality is feared not as a moral wrong but as entailing negativesocietalconsequences.

Hecontinues:“So,theSingaporegovernmentnarrowsthegrowingdisparityasaresultofglobalization(high-endjobsbeingpaidhigherbecausetheyareinshort supply), and low-end jobs, unskilled and semi-skilled, have been keptdownbecauseofcompetitionfromhundredsofmillionsofworkersfromChina,IndiaandtheformercommunistcountriesofEasternEuropeandRussia.”

This nugget of a thought is interesting: income inequality isn’t wrongbecauseallpeoplehavesomebirthright toequalityof livingstandards.That isnothisviewatall.Inequalityisaseriousdangerbecauseitbreedsdiscontentandthepotentialfordangerousinstability.Itistheconsequencesoftheincomegapratherthanitsmereexistencethatmotivatecorrection.Tobesure,themanwiththeFerraribenefitsfrompoliticalstabilityasmuchasthemanscratchingoutaliving. The task of good governance is to reduce that inequality while notderailingthelocomotivesofeconomicgrowth.

Thisispurepragmatism.Soyoumustfight,fiercely,anyprocessoranydoctrinethatencumbersthe

velocity of progress.Good governance is the ally of progress.Optimal public

policy is often both knowable and achievable, he believes, but the bestmethodologyfordiscoveringwhatisthebestwayforwardisusuallythroughaprocessofeithercomparativeshopping(howothersdoit)and/ortrial-and-errorimplementationathome.

Probablytheriskiestwayoftryingtoachievethebestofallpossibleworldsisthroughasimplisticorrigiddemocraticprocessthatleavesblockingoratleastmucking-up powers in the hands of narrow-interested lobbies, often in leaguewitheitherdemagogicpoliticiansorbackroomhacks.Leewillhavenopartofthat. And perhaps nothing better illustrates the paradoxical paradigm ofdemocracy-sabotagedoptimalpublicpolicythantheclassiccaseof‘congestionpricing’.

I chance a glance at the top aides at the table’s other end, offer a friendlywinktohispersonalprivatesecretary,whoseemstobesnoozingbutwhoIknowisasawareandawakeasthecontroltoweratChangiAirport,andwadeintothedilemmaofdemocracythisway:“Youknow,awhimsicalcommentthatImakewhenIamgivingtalksinAmericaandtheissueofSingaporecomesupisthatIsay the averagepublicpolicy schoolusually startswith a curriculumand thentheydeveloplaboratoriesforadministrationofsomeoftheideas.ButSingaporestartedwith the implementationof ideas and then it organizeda formalpublicpolicyschool!Imean,inacertainwaySingaporehasbeenonebigpublicpolicylaboratory—forrealissues,inrealtime.Asyousay,formanyproblems,thereisa solution, there is a public policy solution and it’s your job to find thatsolution.”

Thistimeout,Iwasjustbeingjournalistic,Ithought,buthetiltshisheadasifbrushingoffacompliment:“Yeah,anditisnotthatwearenotgoingtobethefirstthatfacethisproblemorthatproblem.Weareasocietylikeothersocieties.”

Learningfromothersaswellastryingtoteachthemisalwaysanhonorableoptionforpublic-policynerds:“Yeah,youSingaporeansarenotMartians.”

Henods,smiling:“So,letusfindoutwhofacesthisproblem,whohasfacedthisproblem,whohassucceeded,whohasfailedandfindoutallthedetails,andthenwecomebackandlookatourcaseandsay,nowwhatisthedifferenceinourcaseandthenfindasolution.”

Thisisthefull-blownFoxinLeetalkingnow,theTechnocraticLeaderofaThousandDetails.

At the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, theesteemed scene of my graduate work in policy studies, fellow students

unanimouslyagreedthatimagininganoptimalpublicpolicysolutionwasalwayseasier than envisioning actual implementation by the craven political sector.Politics and public policy were anything but synonymous. In Lee’s mind, Ibelieve, politics of the ordinary kind is an obstacle to extraordinary publicpolicy.

IturntoLee:“Tome,theclassicexample,theonethatalwaysstrikesme,isso-calledcongestionpricing.Howdoyoudealwithrushhour,whichofcourseistheworsttimeintheworldtobeontheroadifyouareinarush!Butyousolvedthe problem with congestion pricing. Well, why don’t we do that in LosAngeles?Becauseyoucan’tgetitthrough,youcannotgetitimplemented.”

“No,peoplewillrevolt.”“But until it is implemented, they won’t be able to see that it’s in their

interestandthatitworks.”Leeclearshisthroat.It’soddbecausehe’snotasmokerandasfarasIknow

isn’t a drinker. Singapore, at least today, is not polluted. It seems as clear asdesertair.Nowhecoughs,andit’safitofcoughing.Ilookovertothetwoaidesbutthey’veseenitbeforeandactasifnothingishappening.IamalmostreadytocallinEmergencyService,seriously.Leealmostcoughsthehousedown.

He finally stops, looks at me and breaks into a big smile: for people inSingaporenotonlyhavetopayatolltotraveldowntownduringrushhour,theyhavetoforkoverahugelicensingfeejusttoownacar.

“IknewthatoncepeopleinSingaporecouldhaveacar,they’dnevergiveitup.So,beforeitgotoutofcontrol,IsaidyouneedaCertificateOfEntitlement[note:costsabundle!]beforeacarisyours;andthepermittedup-tickinnumberofcarsdependsonwhat theroadcapacityis.Thatwasthefirstmove.So,youbid for it. If you issuemore entitlement certificates than is prudent, roads arejammed. Then a younger generation took over and says, well, why not havemore cars and we charge them by the usage on the roads instead of justpurchase?Itoldthem,okay,okay,haveacar,havemorecars!Butonceyou’vegotacar,youwillnevergiveitup.”

I remindhim that Ihail fromLosAngeles,wherepeoplesay:“Nobus forme!”

ButhereLeeadmitshewisheshehadresistedtheyoungergenerationofeliteleaderswiththeirlustfortheindividualandfamilycar.Butoneman—evenonewiththecolossalegoanddeterminationandwillpowerofLKY—canonlydosomuch in one lifetime. Too many cars, he knows, ruin a utopia. A true urban

utopiawouldbeamarvelofinterlacedmasstransit.“I was moved on policy-thinking about transit by psychology. They are

moved by maximizing road space. Okay, then you would antagonize moremotorists. I would rather have less cars and get everybody to use the publictransport,butayoungergenerationthinksthisisthewaytogoandyou[i.e.,nolongermeLKY]areincharge,thengoformorecars.”

“Butatleastyou’vegotcongestionpricingin.”“Oh,yes,ofcourse.”“Wedon’thaveanythinglikethat.”Under this sensible system, you pay a toll to drive downtown during rush

hour.Theeconomicincentive,therefore,istoavoidrushhourifyoucan.Leesmiles.Ireallydon’tblamehim.MaybehecouldcometoLosAngeles

forayearorsoandstraightensomeofourproblemsout?

TheEndoftheAffair

ITISGETTING tobe about that time.A soft-greenpre-eveningnightshade isbeginningtocoloroverSingapore.Webothrealizetheendofthisconversationalmarathonisathand.

LKYstartstogetup.“Iamnotaback-slappingtype,”hesays,shakinghishead, as Imove toward him for a final question or two. “On the other hand,whenImakefriends,theyareusuallytobelife-longfriendships.”

Thisissomehowmoving—bothawkwardandelegant,simultaneously.SorryAmnesty and other critics. This guy is historic and important, and I

don’tknowhowlongeitheroneofusisgoingtolivebefore“wegotoMarx”,asthe old commie atheists joke about the hereafter,which they believe does notexist. But one has to take stands in life, and I am convinced Lee stands forsomethinghistoricallyimportant.ItmaybesomethingwemisswhenweputonourWesternhuman-rightssunglasses.

He is more like some important nuanced nexus point where Plato (in hissearchforUtopiaonearth)meetsMachiavelli (whowants to teachPlatosomereal-life lessons about getting his programs implemented and his enemiesneutralized...andsaytothegreatmaster:darnitPlato,don’tbesonaïve!).

Leethenconfidesinme,asrecountedintheveryfirststoryofthisbook,thatheexpectsanAmericanjournalisttoachieveobjectivityandcredibilitybylacingthisaccountwithnon-flatteringelementsaswell.

Neitherahatch-jobjournonorasuck-upbe,Ialwayssay.ItellhimIhavethreelastquestions,forgottoask.Henodshishead,standing,sayinggoahead.God?Isthereoneinyourlife?No,no,hereplies,shakinghishead:“Iamanagnostic.IacceptDarwinism.”

Thegreatgodofevolution,ofcourse.Thenhesmiles:“Thereligiousrightdoesnotacceptit.Butnobodyhascome

backfromthehereaftertotelluswhichisright!”That’saprettygoodone,Ithink.

Thenheliftsatiredbutdeterminedeyebrow.Whataretheotherquestions?Why do you care so much about governance? I mean, you look at

governmentasanartaswellasascience,andyoutakeitsoveryseriously.“Yes.Youaredealingwithpeople’slives.”Yes,oneis.Finalquestion.Imumblesomethingtotheeffectthatafteryou’ve“goneto

Marx”,willSingaporefinallyloosenup,asmanyhaveconjectured?Hepauses.“Itisforthepresentandfuturegenerationofleaderstomodifyandadjustthe

systemassocietyandtechnologychanges.”Ismile.I’venowspentmoreaggregativetimewithLKYthananyWestern

journalistIknow.InthisrarifiedsettingIthinkIcanrecognizea‘yes’.Thatwasa‘yes’.

I lungeforwarda littlebit. IsaythehellwithitandIgivethismanwhomeveryonesizesupasawinterfrostasemi-flamboyanthug.

Tomysurprise,hehugssomewhatback.Itwasn’tabackslap,mindyou.Anditsureashellwasn’tcaning.Itwas,infact,kindoftouching.

I say: “All this talk about your growing older, I am growing olderunfortunately.”

“Everybodydoes.”Thereisaserioussilenceofsomelongseconds.

ModernTimes

HETURNSANDLEAVES.Imakemygoodbyestohistwohard-workingandloyalaidesandrunintoasecurityguardinthehallway.HeistowhiskmeoutofIstanaandintothehotelcar.

Thistakesalloffiveminutes.IstanaiseitherthebiggestsmallgovernmentbuildingI’vebeenin,orthesmallestbigone.

But Istana is air-conditioned big-time, and so is the waiting car. Air-conditioning; it’s everywhere in Singapore, thank you, Minister Mentor. Onewonderswhat’snext: outdoor air-conditioning? It is oneof the first things theMasterfulMindhimselfdecreedhad tobe added togovernmentoffices,manydecadesago,whenalmostallofSoutheastAsiawassweatingfromtheperfervidemissions of the region’s swamps, undulating deserts andLawrence ofArabiasun.

Smart, very smart. Before long, government workers were staying late,especially if theirhomesweren’tyet sooutfitted.Working for thegovernmentbecame,well,thecoolthingtodo!

You slide gratefully into the back seat and feel the welcoming waft ofrefurbishedairhityoulikeawettowelofchippedice.ThecarpullsoutofthemansionarchwayandrollsdownbackEdinburghRoadfortheshortridebacktotheShangri-la. Iwave to the same twoguards still at the entrance compound.Theywaveback.We’refriends.

Iallowaresidualreserveoftrapped,pre-usedStateRoomairtoescapemyinsides.ThetwoafternoonswithLeearecomplete,ontape,inthebook.Thisisdone. It is alldone.Hegaveofhimself asgoodashewasable, Idohonestlybelievethat.

Butapartofmewishesitwerenotover.ThisguyistheClintEastwoodofAsia,adefinitestraightshooter.Butnow,

howcanIputitalltogether?Howcanitpossiblybegatheredalltogether?There is only one way. One last time, we will return to the Isaiah Berlin

theme of the great man/woman with many ideas for survival (The Fox), ascontrastedtothegreatman/womanwithonecolossallysmartideaoroverriding

linkedsetofideasforsurvival(TheHedgehog).Whichoneishe?OristhereyetathirdcategorythatBerlinmissed:Beyond

theFoxortheBorderlineHedgehog?Here’s where we can come down on this: Lee Kuan Yew’s unswerving

oppositiontohavinganygrandideologyorphilosophypinnedonhisforeheadisononelevelunderstandable,butonanother,rathersuspicious.

Regarding the former, consider this: that in the last century so manycountlesslivesandsoulshavebeenruined,andinmanycasesbroughttoacruelend,becauseofblindobeisancetosomeOneTrueIdea.LKYwantsnopartofbeingthatkindofstrongleader.

Rather, it is the dance of brilliant ideas that mesmerizes him, not somegoofball, goose-stepdanceof thedevil.Not remotely is he somecrackpotPolPot,norsomehair-brained‘LittleHitler’.

ButheisoneStrongMan,that’salsoforsure.Themosthe’llletmeandthelateBerlindo tohim—or, arguably, forhim—is toallowus to stick the ‘Fox’label on his forehead. That, you notice, he did give us. But he perhapsunwittinglygaveusnomorethanthat.

Yes, on one level, Lee is the original political street fighter, the Foxysurvivalist,who,likethegreatMuhammadAli,floatslikeabutterfly(wordsandspeeches,invariablyfirstrate)andstingslikeabee(don’tgetonhisSeriousBadListorhe’llmaneuveryou into a corner, sueyourbrainsout andyou’redonefor).

Thisistheobviouspartoftheman;thisiswhatyouseeatwork.IgiveyouLeeKuanYew,theFoxofallFoxes.

Butonanotherlevel,that’sjustnotenough,atleastforme.Look—toomany ambitious, intellectually overarching speeches have been

delivered,oftentriggeringaweandoftenenoughstandingovations.And—gosh!—consider that his own autobiography (two immense volumes) is almost aslengthyasWinstonChurchill’s.Thinkaboutthat.

AndhowmanymeretacticalFoxesbathecomfortablyinthepagesofPlato,Toynbee,Huntington,etcetera?—thewaymanyoftherestofusreadthesportspagesofthedailynewspaper?

SolvingthemysteryofLKYisimportantnotsimplybecauseLeeKuanYewmay be the second coming of ThomasHobbes (Leviathan)meets St. ThomasMore(Utopia)—thoughthat’snotabadwayoflookingathim.

No, we must push on with our inquiry because his notable personality—

brilliant, abrasive, tempestuous, successful, short-tempered, daring, evendangerous—may tell us something valuable about the nature of politicalman/woman, about the nature of political leadership, and about the nature ofwhatwearegoingtoneedtosurvivethechallengesahead.

Pushingonfurther,deeper:supposingwelikenLeeandhisoriginalPeople’sActionPartyteamtoanAsianversionofAmerica’sownfoundingfathers.Theirmotive, in each instance, was to establish the best possible governmentalstructure and environment for their new country. But talk the democratic talkthoughtheysurelydid,moreorlesssincerely(justdon’tasktoomanyquestionsaboutJefferson’sslaves,etcetera,etcetera),theircredentialswereelitistintheextreme:Washington,Jefferson,Madison,FranklinandMonroe(andetcetera,etcetera)wereright-off-the-streetcommoners,right?

Sure, just like Nelson Mandela is just another run-of-the-mill Xhosatribesman.

So what do America’s founding fathers have in common with modernSingapore’sfoundingfather?

Theyareallelitistswithademocraticcause:toimprovethelotofasmanyoftheirpeopleaspossible.

So therehas tobeabigHedghogian idea lurking insideLee’shead thathewantstokeepprivate.Thereis,anditisthis:sustainedandsustainableprogressis possible only when a gifted, empowered elite is in more or less completecontrol of policy.The complete corollary to that is his belief that politics thatincludes significant decision-making by the unqualified—or by the well-organizednarrowinterests,thelobbies—istheenemyofsuperiorpublicpolicy.This leads to the third forbidden thought: thatdemocracy,at itsone-man,one-votepurest, isalmostalways theenemyofapractical,here-and-now,best-we-can-getutopia.

Please note: these thoughts are my extrapolations, not Lee’s own words.Everywordinthisbookthatisdirectlyattributabletohim,henotonlysaid,healsoreviewedlaterontomakesureitwasdownexactlyinthestylehewanted.He took only a few things out, notwanting to embarrass Singapore. I had noproblemwiththat.

But you and I have a right to takewhat a great leader says and use it toimproveourownunderstandinganddrawourownconclusions.Leewill,couldandprobablyshoulddenywhatIhavesaidabove.Ialsowillhavenoproblemwiththat.Hemayevenberightabouthimself.

ButIdoubtit.Here’s why. Lee’s sole motive was never just power, never only political

dominationofhiscountry.Thatwouldnothavebeenenough;theConfucianinhimwouldhaveknownofhis shortfall of character, forhe isnot an insincerehumanbeing.

His motive was to SHOW THE WORLD—and let me say it again, foremphasis: for all the world to see—that a Chinese leader and his Confucianpeoplecould inaunitedspiritdo thegovernance jobaswellasanyone,betterthanmost,andmaybe,somehow,betterthananybody!

Suchanassertionwouldseemlikequiteastretch toanyoneexamining theinferiorlevelofgovernanceintheworld’slargestChinesecountry,right?That’sthe whole point; that’s why, when giant China’s maximum leader visitedSoutheastAsiain1978,whichSoutheastAsiancountryhadthemostimpressiveset of achievements to show Chairman Deng? It sure wasn’t mostly MalayMalaysia!

What’s more, Lee and his elite and his people, reflecting Confucianacceptanceof ‘FatherKnowsBest’, didnot stop there; theydecided to take itonephenomenalstep further.NothavingaShanghai—not tomentionan Indiaor,indeed,aChina—tohavetogovern(who,afterall,wasuptothatimpossibletask?), theycould imagineSingaporebecomingaverymodelofcontemporarygovernance at its best: using only the ‘best practices’, achieving maximumequity for all, constant striving for progress, all but electrocuting corruption(period),andmaintainingthethreatofHobbesianlawandorderoneinchbelowa cosmopolitan surface (all the while trying to give the impression thatSingaporewasjustaChineseSydney).

So here was the post-modern Confucian Utopian dream: Singapore couldindeedbecome likea (political)gardenof Istana.Youplantdifferentvarieties,givethemproperobservationandcare,weedouttheonesthatjustwon’tgrownomatterhowhardyoutry,andovertimegivebirthtoagloriousgarden-varietyof all kinds of public policy ideas and programs, from the celestial to themundane(citizensarebilingual,congestionpricing,nogumsticking,we-cane-your-butt-if-you-get-out-of-line, everyone-gets-good-health-proper-education-home-ownership,etcetera,etcetera).

SohowdowebestdescribeordepictthisGardenofPoliticalIstana?Weallknowthatclassicheavenlyutopiasdonotreallyexistonthispolluted

planet. And some alleged utopias are nothing but flaw-ridden. The Soviet

renditionof heaven-on-earthwasmost often a hell-on-earth.FidelCastromayhavehadthebestof intentions50-plusyearsagowhenhisbandof ideologicalcommunistssweptdownfromthemountainandseizedCuba;butinduecoursetheirutopianideologyandStalinistgovernancemadeeveryone(exceptthepartyelite)moreorlessequally...poor.AndwhateverwemightsayofMaoZedongand hisWorker’s Paradise perhaps, well, at this point, it is better left unsaid.Thenthere’sPolPot’shellholeCambodia...andonandon.

Bycontrast,LeeKuanYewwalkedthewalkofutopian-inspiredgovernancebetter thansomanyothers.Withenormouseffort,hepieced together, layerbylayer, a skilled governing elite (like a Plato, but advised by Machiavelli)—encompassingalltheimportantprofessions,notjustgovernmental—thatpushedhis country to the globe’s top league of accomplished economies. And withremarkableself-awarenesshesought toavoidthepoisonofpuristpoliticalandeconomic ideology thatundidotherwisegreatmen like India’sNehru,withoutdescendingintothecreepycronyismandcripplingcorruptioncharacteristicofsomanyotheregomaniacalregimesaroundtheworld.

He, his inner elite and his people did all this while hewing in an almostintimatewaytotwopoliticalideas.OnewasthevisionofPlato,elevatedtothescale of a nation-state, and the other was the hard-nosed methodology ofMachiavelli.

ItseemstomethatLeeKuanYewiswherePlatomeetsMachiavelli—inthespecial landofConfucius.Butdid itwork?Itmostlyhas,and is.Hadhebeennothing more remarkable than a Machiavellian thug, his country would havedescendedintomerecynicismandmanipulation;justtheformer,andthewholeambitiousneo-utopianprojectwouldneverhavegottenoff thedrawingboard.But using (when available!) scientific methods of policy and governance,maneuveringintopowerahighlyeducatedandmotivatedelite,andscaringthelivinghelloutofanyonewhostood inhisway, including,potentially,amediathatmight get into trouble-making or agenda-setting,LeeKuanYewachievedprettymuchwhathesetouttodo.

Think about that: for all the hot air of politicians, for all the complexmodelingandintellectualposturingofacademics,forallthehigh-mindedmoralstatementsofthemoralistsandactivists,Singaporetookitallin,workeditselftothebone,andgotawholelotofitdone.

Utopia of course comes fromaGreekword and it canmean ‘no place’ or‘doesn’texist’.Theadjective‘utopian’isoftenusedtosuggestimplausibility,ifnot impossibility. The plural ‘utopians’ can be used to mean ‘starry-eyed

dreamers’.Andsurelyonecitizen’sutopiaisanothercitizen’shell.Singaporeiscertainlynoutopiafordrugdealersordrugusers;it’sanything

but heaven on earth for opponents of the governing party and government.Among other privileged acolytes you find preening in theWest, criminal triallawyers are given a much less rope in Lee’s Singapore. First Amendmentabsolutistswillfindnoutopianjoyinthegenerallysubtlebutclearlylimitingredlinesplacedaroundthenewsmedia.

So,onewayortheother,weagree,earthhasnoutopia.Singaporeresidesontheplanetearth.Therefore,Singaporeisnoperfectutopia.

Sowhatisthenextbestthing?Andwhatshouldwecallit?The thing itselfmaywellbeSingapore itself, faults andall. It is this era’s

Neo-Utopia, a living example of getting a place into as utopian a shape as ishumanelypossible.

That is Lee’s achievement. Lee is a Pragmatic Confucian Neo-Utopian.That’stheverybigidea:Singaporeasaverysmallplacethatbecameaverybigdeal.

Yes, it’s not perfect.No real-worldUtopia is.Butmaybewe need to startbeingmore realistic aboutwhatwe should expect fromourneo-utopias, ifwewant to recognize them for what they have to offer. For what was done inSingapore,overamerehalfdozendecades,hadtohavebeentheworkofsomekindofHedgehog.

Absolutely.

Afterword:JudgmentatSingapore

ITISHARDTOBELIEVE.ItisnowlittlemorethanthreeyearsaftertheIstanaconversations,andLee

Kuan Yew is no longer in the cabinet of Singapore. The explosive nationalelectionsof2011seemedtocutthelong-dominantPeople’sActionPartydowntosize,evenwhileitretainedalockonparliament.Thevoters’cautionaryrebufftothePAPheraldedanewchapter.GeorgeYeo,thebrainyforeignminister,losthisseat,andbothMinisterMentorLeeandSeniorMinisterGohChokTonghadto accept that this was the political end of their extraordinary run. By U.S.standards, the PAP’s winning margin was a landslide. But by Singaporestandards,itwasalmostabjectrejection.

Andwhilethetinycountrywaschurningpolitically,itwastryingtobecomehip.Therewerealluringcasinos(mainlyfortourists),anewvibrantartsscene,andasensethatayoungergenerationwaspushingupfrombelowtochallengethestatusquo.MassiveandintenseinteractivityontheInternet(anintrinsicallyanti-authoritariantechnologyspawnedinfactbyofficialembraceyearsbefore)seemed to infusedebatewithnewopenness.Singapore’s hierarchies seemed abitmorehorizontalthanvertical.

And there was no doubt that modern Singapore’s founder was himself achangedman.Whilenotquiteatotalrecluse,theheretofore-nonstopLeethrewinhiscardsandkickedback.Thedeathin2010ofhisbelovedwife,KwaGeokChoo, after a long illness, had already rocked him. And his departure fromgovernmenthadsignaledthebeginningofthefinalchapter.

Three years before that, in an Istana office interview, I asked himhowhewasfeeling.

“Ageing rather fitfully aswe all do, butwhen you’re past 80, it’s a prettysteepclimb.Ithinkifyouretire,theideaofjustreadingbooksandplayinggolf...youjustdisintegrate.”

Me adding (as usual trying to lighten things up): “There’s such a high

correlationbetweenpeoplewhoretireandplaygolf,anddie,right?Ifyoudon’tplaygolfanddon’tretire...followthelogic!”

Henoddedwithawansmile:“Youhavetohavesomethingmorethanthat.Youhavegottowakeupeverymorningfeelingthere’ssomethingworthdoingand you’re not just lying back and coasting along.Once you coast along, it’sfinished.”

Heverywellknewthis.Evenso,nowin2013,rumorhaditthatsomeofLee’safternoonswouldbe

spent reclusively, sometimes resting in a hotel’s poolside cabana, overlookingdowntown.Tobesure,thisproudmanwasstillcapableofdeliveringaspeech,andwasmore than capable of huffily ambling out, under his own steel, on adebateinparliamentwhosesubstantivecontenthefoundwanting.ButLKYwasat ease now and knew his incredible run as Singapore’smodern founder waswellover.

Alas,theInternet,whichbroughtun-Singapore-likemessinesstothepoliticaldebate, seemedalmost tobeghoulish about it. ItwasTuesday7August 2012and theblogs andTwitter rumormillswere spewingout the spectacular sparkthathehadbeenadmittedtohospitalorevenhaddied.Manydidnotbuythat,ofcourse, myself included, especially whenmy home fax machine was arousedaround3a.m.thenextday,8August.Itwasfromhim.

I had asked for it. Though respecting his desire for the solace of his owncompany,andbelievingthatwehadrolledovermanyvastlandscapesofissuesandeventsinourconversations,Inonethelesswantedhimtohavethelastsayifhewished—thefinalconversation,asitwere.Iinvitedhimtohaveonemoregoatit,ifonlyviaemail.

Hisanswerwastruetothecoreofhisbeing—blunt,final,sensible,andevenoff-handwitty. The fax, in his own handwriting, read simply: “Tom:Nothingnewtoadd.LKY.8Aug2012.”

Ihadtolaugh.Hewasright.After all, what elsewas there to say? Formore than five decades in high

positions,speakingnotjusttohisfellowcitizensathomebutofferingwisdomsatinternationaleventseverywhere,Leehadmorethansaidhispiece.Andthensome!

Sometimes,intruth,manySingaporeansfelthehadsaidtoomuch,andwererelieved that he had stopped lecturing them on almost everything under theequatorialsun.Heseemedtohaveinstockananswerforeverything.Fromthe

ideal size of families to the proper supply of physicians for the nation, thereseemednoendtowhathehadtosay.AndSingaporehadtolisten.Itwasasifheregarded limitations on his expertise as challenges to the authority of hisgovernance.Hisoutspokenviewsdidnotalwaysplaywell internationally.HisnegativecommentsabouttherapidgrowthoftheLatinopopulationintheU.S.,expressed earlier in this book, might well be judged as prejudiced. My firstinterview with him, in 1996, ended with the thought that the reason Asianstudents tend to do better in math and science had something to do with the“slightlydifferentbalanceintheAsianbrain,morenumeratethanliterate”.

The journalist inmeadores theoutspokenness.Butweareacravenbreed.Thehumanbeinginmerecoilsatthegeneralizations.Butnomatter.Nomore.Itwasallover.Fornowthetimehadcomeforhistorytobegintohaveitssay.

Leeisabetterlistenerthangenerallyacknowledged.Asyouhavejustwitnessedinthisbook,he’sapersonwithwhomonecanhaveanactualconversation.Infact, if you are not readily intimidated, he is as easy to talk to as, say, BillClinton.

Communicationofmanykinds—verbalaswellassymbolic—isrequiredtogovernwell.Masspolitics requiresa leader’spersuasion tomaximizepoliticaleffectiveness. He knew what he wanted for his Singapore, but a drivenutilitarian,Leejudgedhimself,almostideologically,bystandardsthatcouldbescientificallymeasured.

He was almost always in a deliberate rush to achieve. Per-capita income.International competitiveness. Scholastic scores. Low inflation. Highemployment. He wanted nothing to stand in the way of measurableachievements. He hated unnecessary delays, such as from uninformed debate,which of course is the essence ofmass democracy. But unless hewere to doawaywithelectionsaltogether,hehadtoknowwhathispeoplethought,evenifmuchofitseemedtohimthoughtless—orinanyevent,uninformed.Theleaderalwayshastocarrythepeoplewithhim,ashe’dsay.

The ancient Greek thinkers understood the core problem. One perceptivemodern-day interpreterwasMichel Foucault, the late French philosopherwhousedtolectureaboutGreekthoughtattheCollegedeFrance.Heacceptedtheirinsights about the severe contradiction at the heart of the very concept ofdemocracy.

AndtheGreekshadawordforthat.Twowords,actually.The firstwasparrhesia, which sort ofmeans ‘truth-telling’ or ‘free, frank

speech’inaprofoundway.Thetheoreticalsinequanonofsuperiorgovernancemeansthebestdecisionsareproducedbythebestthoughtandinformationanddiscussion. Not everyone can do that. So ongoing tension exists betweenparrhesiaanditsopposite,isegoria.Thislattermeans(sortof)‘everyonehasanequal and absolute right to speak in public debate, whatever the truth value’.(Thisistosay:nomatterhowuninformedor,arguably,evenstupid.)

The first speaks toMaximum Truth, political correctness notwithstanding,people’s feelingsnotwithstanding;andsaidparrhesia speechmustbepureandwiseand,aboveall,anythingbutself-seeking.

The second speaks to accepting that everyone is speech-equal and everycitizenneedstohaveherorhissayandshouldbeequallyinvolvedinthepublicdebate,nomatterhow little theymayknoworhowever self-seeking theymaybe.

Everyone and anyone can do their isegoria. That’s easy enough. Butparrhesia—this is something else entirely. The two are in opposition: Truth-tellingandspeech-equalityareanythingbutthesame.

Foucault used to suggest that democracy could either affirm equality ofpublicspeechattheexpenseofparrhesiaoraffirmqualityofpublicdiscourseattheexpenseofisegoria.MyhypothesisisthatLKY,whodidnotsufferfoolsorfoolishcommentreadily,wasaferventadmirerofparrhesiaandnotofisegoria.He thought the latter, if left unchecked by proper educated authority, woulddegradeSingapore’spolityandhandicapitsrateofprogress.

To extrapolate, Lee followed in the footsteps of Plato, who describes hismentor Socrates as sometimes distrusting the utility of truth-telling to themasses. Wrote Foucault by way of explanation: “The powerlessness of truediscourseindemocracyisnotdue,ofcourse,totruediscourse,thatis,tothefactthatdiscourseistrue.Itisduetotheverystructureofdemocracy.”

BringLeebackintothisdiscussion.Remember,hehonestlyadmittedtous(withaplain-spokendirectnessIhad

notseenelsewherebefore,andhavenotheardfromhimsince)thattheideologyofdemocracylefthimcold.AndIhavetotellyouthat,whenhesaidittowardthe end of our first day of conversations—with absolutely no apologywhatsoever—the comment seemed tome breathtaking in its utter disregard ofpoliticalcorrectnessorpolitequalification.SaidLeetous:“Idonotbelievethatone-man,one-vote,ineithertheU.S.formatortheBritishformatortheFrenchformat,isthefinalposition.”

Public truth-tellingandreal-worldpoliticsmakesforaveryroughfitwhentryingtoco-existinapoliticalsystem.Thisisnotsomethingpoliticalleaderssaypublicly. But the difference between the individual speaking the truth andwantingthetruthtopredominate,ontheonehand,andtheequalrightofalltospeakincomparablevolumeevenifitrunstheriskofadvancinguntruthfulness—thisistoughone.

Lee of course was no Old Testament prophet but a modern Machiavellianpoliticalleaderwithastrategicvision—perhapsevenofaPlato.Asautilitarianpragmatistwhomainlywantedtogetgoodthingsdoneproperlyand,ifpossible,rapidly, hewas not a sainted ideologue about this, or about anything else.Heknewwhathecouldget awaywithandwasamasterof rhetoricalnuance.Hewasoftenaccusedofcontrollingthecourtsbut—whateverthetruthofthat—infact,asacloseassociateputittome,“everythinghedidorsaidhadtobelegallydefensible”.Hecouldrouseacrowdwiththebestofthem.

Hisgoalwasnot to stay inpower for itsownsakeand loot, aswith someThirdWorlddespot,buttodeploythatpowertoimproveSingaporedramaticallyandimpressonneighborshowitcanbedone.Hewasofteninarush.Failuresslammed progress into reverse. So what he could not tolerate wasineffectiveness, especially cloaked in ideological purity. Ideological argumentswereforprofessorsoftheacademicandarcane.

“Singaporeisnota4,000-yearculture,”hetoldmeinaninterviewin2007.“This is an immigrant community that started in 1819. It’s an immigrantcommunity that left its moorings and therefore, knowing it’s sailing touncharteredseas,isguidedbythestars.Isaylet’sfollowthestarsandtheysaidokay, let’s try. Andwe’ve succeeded and herewe are, but has it really takenroot?No. It’s justworked for the timebeing. If it doesn’t [continue to]work,again, we say let’s try something else. This [Singapore’s current way] is notentrenched.Thisisnota4,000-yearsociety.”

ThougheducatedinEngland,hesaidhewasnotmuchthestudentofoneofthegreatEuropeanpoliticalintellectualsofthe20thcentury—thelateSirIsaiahBerlin,whoseshortbookTheHedgehogand theFox (1953)helped frameourconversationsforthisbook.WehadalighttussleovermyproposalthathewasaHedgehog(abigideasman),buthetooktheviewthat,ifanythingbetweenthetwo, he was a Fox (a man of hundreds of practical ideas, not just a fewoverridingones).

AttheendofthelastsessionIhandedhimacopyofthebook.Heseemed

surprisedandsaid,“Thisisforme?”Ilaughedandsaidthatyes,itwasagift.IalsosaidthatasfarasIknew,Berlin(whotaughtatOxford)wasinhisthinkingaboutthe‘Fox’philosophyascloseasanyonetoLeeKuanYew(whostudiedatCambridge).ThisisevidentinalongerbookbyBerlinthatIlatermailedtoLee.Personal Impressions is a string of short pearls of personality profiles strungtogetherintoa1981volumestarringfamousthinkerswhomBerlinadmired.

Berlin, who died in 1997, was not writing of Lee in these richly wovenpassages,ofcourse;butasyouwillsee,hemightwellhavebeen.

Take,forexample,thisabouttheaustereJ.L.Austin,theOxfordphilosopher.Berlinwrote:“Hewasnotdoctrinaire.Hedidnotholdwithprogrammes....Hetreated problems piecemeal as they came, not as part of a systematicreinterpretation.”

Or about the famed British historian Richard Pares: “His distaste forphilosophy...developedindistrustofallgeneralideas.Hedislikedspeculationand preoccupation with questions capable of no clear answers.... Attempts toraisefundamentalissues,whetherpersonalorhistorical,werestoppedbyafewdrywords,withgrowingimpatienceandevenirritation.Hehadalwaysdetestedromanticrhetoric,ostentation,journalism.”

Now,whomdoesthatsoundlike?OrabouthisOxfordcolleagueandpoliticaltheoristJohnPetrovPlamenatz,

encouraged by his tutor W.G. Maclagan in the realistic tradition of moralphilosophy:“Heoccupiednorecognizablepositionandfoundednoschool....Hedidnotmodifyorshapehisthoughttomakeitfitintoasystem,hedidnotlookforaunifyinghistoricalormetaphysicalstructure...sothatthosewholookedfora system, an entire edifice of thought to attach themselves to, went awaydissatisfied....”

Leealwaysemphasizedhisad-hocpragmatism.Ifoughthimonthispoint,atbest to a draw. But I may have been wrong. In Berlin’s terminology, Lee isindeedaFox,notaHedgehog.ImayhaveunderestimatedtheoverallimpactofthetremendousatmosphericpressureofempiricismatCambridge,wherehereadlawandgraduatedwithdoubleFirstClassHonours.Thissuccessfulexperienceatsuchahallowed institutionwouldhave leftadeep impressiononanyone. ItmighthavemademealmostreligiousaboutwhatIhadlearned,mademeevenunyieldinglyHedgehogianaboutmyBritishpragmatism.

Foxornot,LeewasasteeliconforwhatweAmericanswouldlabelthelawand order thing.Hewas stricter than the sternest father.His insistence on the

virtuesofdiscipline,hardworkandrespectforauthorityputthefilialpietyofanationtothetest.

Ajokeathisexpense.AndsotwodogsareswimminginthewatersbetweenSingapore and Borneo—but in opposite directions. They pause halfway toexchange greetings. The dog headed towardBorneo asked the other dogwhyhe’s swimming toSingapore.Theanswer: “Ah, the shopping, thehousing, theairconditioning,thehealthcare,theschools.SowhyareyougoingtoBorneo?”SaysthedogfromSingapore:“Oh,Ijustwanttobark.”

The hurry-up offense of the Lee Kuan Yew ambition to First-WorldSingapore was competing against the ticking clock of competition andglobalization. The rush to build and grow was understandable and theperformance exceptional. But it was predicated on a political system that inquieting the news media put enormous pressure on the government and thePeople’sActionPartytomonitorcorruptionandinferiorperformance.Thiswasthesystem’sAchillesheel.Inevitablysomebadstuffhadtohavebeenkeptfrompublicview.Butintimeitwillcomeout—andforallanyoneknows,theremaybeagooddealofit.

ThesystemofcontrolLeeclampedonthesmallislandcity-statewassomewhatsuffocating. Arts and literature were slow to develop even as the scientific,mathematicalandengineeringskills soared toexceed theachievement levelofalmost all nations. Singapore’s per capita income level, greater than even theU.S.andprobablyJapan,werea testament to theeconomicsuccess,brilliantlyachievedintheflashofafewdecades.Buttherewasadownside,acost,asthereiswithalmosteverything.HisdaughterWeiLinghintsatit inthisbookinhercritiqueofmerematerialismas ameasureof exemplarynational achievement.Butaskedabout it,herfather(wholikeallofusfathersalwaysknowsbest) isdefensiveanddismissive.

Consider those striking (but in my mind silly) opinion polls findingSingaporeanstobetheleasthappypeopleontheplanet(andthoseinPanamathehappiest—canyoubelieve??);orthattheyaretheleastemotionalofanypeople(and those in the Philippines the most emotional—well, that one can bebelieved!).Wedon’thavetobuyintoallthatpollbaloneytoknowthatmaterialsuccesscannotofferallthatwewanttobe.WeinAmericaareparticularlywellaware that happiness and a truly rounded culture cannot simply be gauged indollarsigns.

Lee was all but blind to that because he was hell-bent to see his country

escapefromThirdWorldpoverty.Andthathedid.Buttherewastunnelvisiontothe route of the canal he burrowed. He felt that if he took his eye off theeconomic ball, the juggernaut that was Singapore would slow down, losemomentumandslideintoreverse.Everydayhewokeup,hewouldlookfornewcoaltofireintotheengine.

And in the endhegothisway. InSingaporepolitics it usuallywentLee’sway—andthatofhisPAPparty,whichhedominated.Iemphasizethisbecausethe lateEarlLatham,whowaschairmanof thepolitical sciencedepartmentatAmherst College when I was an undergraduate, always proposed definingpolitics thusly: “Politics is gettingyourownway.Nothingmore.” It is gettingyourownwayasmuchasyoucan.

And that rather nicely characterized Singapore politics for decades—LeeKuanYewgettinghisownway.Right,enemiesmightfacejailtimeifnecessary,critics faced costly litigation in the courts, and themere sight or voiceofLeecouldscare.

Buttherewasapayofftothepublic:SingaporegottothelandthatLeehadpromised—to be a first class First World nation. It was almost a textbooksuccess,excepthewastheonewritingthebook,andwritingitashewentalong,ashe’dbethefirsttoadmit.

The achievement was not always pretty. Leaving aside the relentlessdrumbeat of criticism from foreign human rights groups, mostly those in theU.S.(asiftheU.S.hasn’titsownissuesinthatregard),itistrueSingaporehadless“freedom”thanclassicallydefined.Yes,ithasmoremoney,morestability,moresocialcohesion,moreinternationalclout—butnotmorefreedomto...well...bark.

Leewaswell awareofwhat hewasdoing.Effective leadersusuallydo.Theywilldowhattheyhavetodo.Inclassicalpoliticalphilosophy,the“DoctrineofDirty Hands” postulates that all leaders will have to do things that otherwisewouldbemorally(andprobablylegally)unacceptableinlessauthorizedhands.Letusnotemild-mannered,professorialPresidentObama—the former lecturerfromHarvard Law School—keeps a hit list of possible terrorist targets at hisWhiteHousedesk.Andsoonaroundtheglobe.

Power is not pretty.Whether it comes from the barrel of a gun, from thegavel of a judge, or from themouth of authority, it is inherently forceful andcoercive. People tend not to understand power. Even when used for a goodcause,itisnotanicething.

Lee earlier in the book denies hewas a soft authoritarian, as that term ofpoliticalartgoes,onthegroundsthathisPAPpartyhadputitselfbeforevotersand had been repeatedly validated. But without the decades of dazzlingeconomic success, what would have happened? The suspicion is that by andlargevoterswouldhavebeen too intimidated to vote otherwise.Butweneverhadtoseetheworst.Leedelivered.Heusedpower—absoluteandpersuasive—effectively.Hegotthejobdonethathesetouttodo.

ByfaxonceIonceaskedhimtooffersomeself-criticism.HereferredmetoCatherineLim.Thisfinewriter,perhapshismostpersistentlyperceptivecritic,attheendofalonglectureinthesummerof2012thatcontainedquitealistingofhisallegederrorsandfoibles,nonethelesswasforcedtoconcludethisway:

“We are indeed in the midst of one of the most exciting times inSingapore’shistory,a timefraughtwithparadoxes,perilsandpromises,brought about a general election [2011] that has been described as awatershed,aseachange,atransformation,notleastbecauseitendedtheeraofLeeKuanYew.MrLee’slegacyissomixedthatatoneendofthespectrum of response, there will be adulation, and at the other,undisguised opprobrium and distaste. But whatever the emotions heelicits, whatever the controversies that swirl around him, it will begenerally agreed that for a man of his stature and impact, neither thepresentnorthefutureholdsanequal.”

No definitive, measured assessment of the Lee Kuan Yew era is possiblerightnow.Historyneeds tosort through thebasicmetricsandgive themsomeranking.Considerthedauntingquestionofthetruevalueofelectoraldemocracy—onecitizen,onevote.Isthissystemamoralimperative?Aswehaveseen,Leethinksnot.ManypeopleadmiretheU.S.but theyalsogiveenormouscredit toChina, despite its authoritarian system. Is any kind of political system thatdelivers very good governance and economic development, as did Lee’s, amanifest social good?And is ademocracy that fails todo that still justifiable,simplybecauseitisademocracy?

ThemysteryofLeeKuanYewandwhathissuccessfulSingaporerepresentsisnotforthesimple-mindedorthoseimpatientforquickanswers.Itisprofound.But at the end of his story, he stood as the longest serving primeminister inworld history.Howevermuchwe admired his governance policies,we cannotignorehispolitics.Atthesametime,howeverharshtheywere,theyworked.He

usuallyknewwhathewasdoing.He also understood that modernism driven by relentless technological

advancesforcesgovernmentsintomakingmajordecisionsmorequicklythaniswise.Thismeant leadershave less freedomofmovement inhaving tobend tothe stormof technology.Hewas surelyold-fashioned.At first he instinctivelyopposedthelicensingandbuildingofcasinos,andwouldlaughwhenhelookedbackathishopelesslyineffectiveantipathytothedominanceoftheautomobileasthemainmodeoftransportationincrampedSingapore.Ifhecouldhavehadhisway,hewouldhavetrickedupthecity-state’smasstransitsystemstomakemovementmucheasierandmadeautomobilepossessionevenmoredifficultandexpensivethanitinfactbecame.

Another regret cameup in 1996 duringmy first interviewwith him at theIstana. It concerned the economic and professional advancement of women,which Singapore, in its rush for economic development,went all out to push.The country quickly almost doubled the size of its adultworkforce.But therewereotherconsequences,hesaid:

“Thedangerforatraditionalsocietyiseithertheyeducatetheirwomenthe way the West has done, which means they become equally welleducated,or theydo it like theJapanese,wherewomenarenotaswelleducatedand jobs forwomenare temporary. Itwas adeliberate choicemadebytheeldersofJapan.TheystudiedAmericabutdecidedtokeepwomenintheirtraditionalroles—aswives,mothersandcustodiansofthenextgeneration.And [evenwith that], Japanhasbeenable to catchupwiththerestoftheworld....”

At the time of this interview, Japan’s economy was the world’s secondlargest.Hecontinued:

“Wewent theway of theWest;we knocked down all the barriers andallowedourwomentocompete.Nowweareinveryseriousdifficulties,because our men won’t marry their educational equals. It’s againsttraditionalculture.We’renotAmericans, that’s theproblem....Wehaveupsetage-oldtraditionstoofast,especiallytheattitudesofmothers.”

OneofLee’squalitiesthatanewspapercolumnorevenabookcannoteasilycapture ishis refinedmannerofenunciation.But it is socontent-driven that itdoesnotcomeacrossasaffected.Overthedecadesmyearencounteredlittlelike

it,notevenfromTonyBlairorJohnMajor,bothofwhomIhaveinterviewed.Leeconcluded:

“Thebasicrelationshipshavebeendisrupted.Ifwehadtakenmoretime,wewouldhavehadfewerproblems....TheJapaneseareverydeterminedtoavoidchangingthefundamentalrelationshipwithinthefamily.Butweopenedthefloodgatesandfindourselvesdeluged.”

Thewholepointofthe‘GiantsofAsia’series,ofwhichthiswastheinauguralvolume,wastogetbehindofficialveneer.Afterthebookwasreleasedin2010,IreceivedanotefromanintimateofhiswhosaidhelearnedthingsfromiteventhoughhehadworkedwithLee for decades.Thiswas nice to knowbut I amaware there is muchmore to his story and that of the other ‘Giants of Asia’figureswhofollowed.

Youdothebestyoucanwithwhatyouareabletoworkwith.It’struethatLeeofferedmelesstimethandidthethreesubjectswhofollowed—Malaysia’sMahathir, Thailand’s Thaksin and South Korea’s Ban Ki-moon, the UNSecretary General. But with Lee, you require less time because he packs somuchwallop into each sentence and paragraph.There is little fooling around.Thesecondin the‘Giants’chorus line,Mahathir—soeager tooutdoLee inallthings—doubleddownonthetimecommitmentforourconversations.Numberthree was the irrepressible Thaksin, Thailand’s primeminister from 2001–06,unceremoniously ejected from elective office by an illegal military/politicalcoup. The feisty and quietly furious billionaire politicianwas eager to get hissideofthestorypaintedonabroadinternationalcanvas;henotonlysignedupformore hours than the goodMalaysian doctor but also threw in a long last-minute Skype as, later, did his sister Yingluck, just prior to her triumphantelectionasThailand’sfirstladyprimeminister.

But perhaps most surprisingly of all, there was Ban Ki-moon, who evenwhile perched on the deeply tricky if worthy cliff of secretary general of theUnited Nations, graciously proposedmore sessions than anyone—on his owndown time. This commitment was admirable. The trio of Lee, Mahathir andThaksinwerelookingbackontheirtimeinthesun.ButBanwasstillinthehotseat. We met on Saturday mornings or after work for two-hour sessions.Occasionally,withhisdeeply intuitivewifeSoon-Taekathisside,he talked tomeinrestaurantsandasupperclubortwotowhichIhadmoreorlessdraggedthem.Bynaturecautiousandshy,thisKoreanover-achievernonethelesssought

to reveal as much as he could without tipping over into verbal behavior orrevelationunbecomingoftheworld’stopdiplomat.HewascommittedtoqualityandIadmiredthatbuthewasnoeasyinterview.

NeitherwereMahathirorThaksin,butoutofoffice theyhada fewscorestheywanted to settleandaclutchedhandfulof secrets to reveal.Dr.MahathirwouldletoutaludicrousbombastthatIhadtotryhardtotakeseriously(withoutmuchsuccess).Thaksinwouldsometimesplaytheroleoftheinnocentwhich,ofcourse,wasimpossibletotakeseriously.Butboth,likeBan,werecommittedtotrying tohelpmake thebookaseriousandusefulone for today’s readersand,perhapsaswell,forfuturegenerations.

ButasforLee,letusputitthisway:inhismannerofhisarticulationhewasmoresuccinct than these threeput together. Idoubt ifanyof theabovewouldbegrudgemysayingthis,muchlessdisagreewithit.InfactIamnotsureanyofthethreewouldhaveconsentedtothesebookshadLeenotagreedtohavegonefirst.Allpoliticsandpersonalitiesaside,theygreatlyrespectedhisachievementsand, to some extent, his unique style. They figured that if ‘Giants’ was goodenough for Lee—hardly notorious for being anyone’s fool—it was probablygoodenoughforthem.

Lee’sapproachonpolicyandpoliticalissues,especiallyinsemi-retirement,was to get to the point without taking prisoners along the way. But on thepersonalside,thebigrevealingbookonLeethepersonwillbetoughtodo.Asarticulate as he was about his beloved Singapore, he kept an interior side tohimselfthatperhapsonlyhislatewife—orsurvivingdaughter—everfullysaw.Thetoughguytriedtohideanyhumanvulnerabilityandformypart,Itriedonthesepagestocutthroughsomeoftheaura.I’dventureasillyjokeorajoltingjosh here and there, knowing in advance that every move in the reporter’sunofficialbookoftrickshadbeentriedonhim.ButItriedanyway.I’dbecomeabsurdly confessional (who really cared aboutmy story, right?), chattering onaboutmyselfregardingthisandthat,tryingtogethimtolaughatmesoastogethimtoreflectandtalkmoreabouthimself.Butmuchthatliesbeneaththeglacialsmoothsurfaceof thiseloquentworld figure isyet tobeexcavated.Thisbookwasbutastart.

IntheshortstoryMasterson,SomersetMaughamwritesofacertainmanhemet while on a steamer to Malaysia: “He was a tall, dark fellow with ...aloofnessofmanner....Menlikethisarealittlerestlessinthecompanyofothersandthoughinthesmoking-roomofashiporat theclubtheymaybetalkativeand convivial, telling their story with the rest, joking and glad sometimes to

narrate their unusual experiences, they seem always to hold something back.Theyhavealifeinthemselvesthattheykeepapart,andthereisalookintheireyes,asitwereturnedinwards,thatinformsyouthatthishiddenlifeistheonlyonethatsignifiestothem....Theythenseemtolongforthemonotonoussolitudeofsomeplaceoftheirpredilectionwheretheycanbeoncemorealonewiththerealitytheyhavefound.”

IliketoimaginethatMaugham—athisliteraryheightinthe1930s—hadmetLee insomeprior timeandplace,because thatdescriptionofMasterson is themanIhavemetandknown,howeverepisodically,overtheyears.Andnow,infact,heismorealonethaneverwiththerealityhehelpedcreate:theSingaporeofhisdreams.

Milestones

WorksConsulted

Barr,MichaelD.LeeKuanYew:TheBeliefsBehindtheMan.GeorgetownUniversityPress:Washington,D.C.,2000.

Berlin,Isaiah.PersonalImpressions.TheVikingPress:NewYork,1981(originallypublishedin1949).

_______.TheHedgehogandtheFox.Simon&Schuster:NewYork,1953.

Bhaskaran,Manu.Re-InventingtheAsianModel:TheCaseofSingapore.EasternUniversitiesPress:Singapore,2003.

Church,Peter,ed.AShortHistoryofSouth-EastAsia.JohnWiley&Sons:Singapore,2009.

Datta-Ray,SunandaK.LookingEasttoLookWest.ISEASPublishing:InstituteofSoutheastAsianStudies,Singapore,2009.

HanFookKwang,etal.LeeKuanYew,TheManandHisIdeas.TimesEditions:Singapore,1998.

Lai,AhEng,ed.BeyondRitualsandRiots,EthnicPluralismandSocialCohesioninSingapore.EasternUniversitiesPress:Singapore,2004.

Lee,KuanYew.TheSingaporeStory.Simon&Schuster:NewYork,1998.

_______.FromThirdWorldtoFirst,TheSingaporeStory:1965–2000.HarperCollins:NewYork,2000

Minchin,James.NoManIsanIsland:AStudyofSingapore’sLeeKuanYew.Allen&Unwin:Australia,1986

Schuman,Michael.TheMiracle:TheEpicStoryofAsia’sQuestforWealth.HarperCollins:NewYork,2009.

Tan,WeeKiat,etal.GardensoftheIstana.NationalParksBoard:Singapore,2003,2008.

Trocki,CarlA.Singapore:Wealth,PowerandtheCultureofControl.Routledge:NewYork,2006.

Yap,Sonny,etal.MenInWhite:TheUntoldStoryofSingapore’sRulingParty.SingaporePressHoldings/MarshallCavendishEditions:Singapore,2009.

Thankingthosewhohelpedmakethisbookpossible

MinisterMentorLeeKuanYew,Singapore’sfounderandsubjectof thisbook,neveronceaskedtoreviewthemanuscript,ofcourse,buthedidaskto look over all direct quotes for accuracy, content and style. I happilyagreed, and sincerely appreciated his effort to improve accuracy andarticulation,aswellashispatientandpreciseresponsestotheemailsoverthesepastmonths,not tomention theexclusivehourson27and28 July,2009attheIstana,andhisinterviewswithmeovertheyears.

ChrisNewson, the forward-lookinggeneralmanagerandpublisherofMarshall Cavendish, never stopped thinking about how tomake a bit ofhistorywiththisbook;Ilikedthat!VioletPhoon,formermanagingeditorofMarshallCavendish,and the lateTheronRaines, ofRaines&Raines,my career-long literary agent, were invaluable, absolutely essential,thoroughly professional, relentlessly demanding and mutuallyincomparable.MyLu,FletcherSchoolofLawandDiplomacy’09,wasthebook’ssenior researcherandcontributedsignificantly to it inanumberofways,asshehastomanyofmyeffortsovertheyears.AndLeeMeiLin,senioreditorofMarshallCavendish,keptmyfeet to the flamesofproperusage,grammarandtaste;andIdoindeedthankher.

DavidArmstrong,thewell-knowncareerjournalistandchiefeditoratnewspapers from Sydney to Hong Kong, read an early draft and madevaluablesuggestions.ProfessorBinWong,UCLA’s pre-eminentChinesehistorian and Director of the UCLA Asia Institute, kindly read andcommentedontheoriginalmanuscript.Hisviewsweredeeplythoughtful.Evenso,neitherhenorDavidArmstrongareresponsibleforitscontentsinanyway,excepttotheextentthatpartsofitmaybeexcellent.

Reading and improving earlier drafts were Nicole Riggs, a formerUCLA student, former column-checker and graduate of the WoodrowWilsonSchoolofPublicandInternationalAffairsatPrincetonUniversity,my own alma mater; and Anya Zabolotnaya, a former UCLA courseassistant,workingactress (AnyaBenton)andcolumn-editorat thePacific

PerspectivesMedia Center. Finally, appreciation for wise input go toD.Katharine Lee of the Georgetown University School of Medicine inWashington,DC.

AbouttheAuthor

TOMPLATE, author of the ongoing ‘Giants of Asia’ series, is an AmericanjournalistwithaninternationalcareeratmediainstitutionsfromLondontoLosAngeles.Born inNewYork,hecompletedhis studiesatAmherstCollegeandPrinceton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and InternationalAffairs,whereheearnedhismaster’sdegreeinpublicandinternationalaffairs.HissyndicatedcolumnsfocusingonAsiaandAmerica,begunin1996,haveruninmajornewspapersinAsiaandAmerica.

Hehas receivedawards from theAmericanSocietyofNewspaperEditors,theCaliforniaNewspaperPublishersAssociation and theGreaterLosAngelesPressClub.WhenhewasEditorofEditorialPagesoftheLosAngelesTimes,thenewspapergarneredthePulitzerPrizeforitscoverageoftheLosAngelesriots.

From 1994 to 2008, he taught in the communication and policy studiesprograms at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has been aMediaFellow at Stanford University and a fellow in Tokyo at the Japanese ForeignPress Center’s annual Asia-Pacific Media Conference. He is currentlyDistinguished Scholar of Asian and Pacific Studies at Loyola MarymountUniversity,LosAngeles,aswellasaVisitingProfessoratUnitedArabEmiratesUniversityinAlAin,UAE.

Hewasthefounderofthenon-profitAsiaPacificMediaNetwork(APMN),whose webpage resurfaced asAsiaMedia at LoyolaMarymount University inLos Angeles (lmu.edu/asiamedia). He also founded the Pacific PerspectivesMediaCenterinBeverlyHills,California,anon-profitorganizationnowunderAsiaMedia.

OntheWestCoast,heisaboardmemberofthePacificCenturyInstituteandaSeniorFellowattheUSCCenterfortheDigitalFuture;ontheEastCoastheisa long-standingmember of thePrincetonClub ofNewYork and thePhiBeta

Kappa Society. For years he was a participant at the retreats of the WorldEconomicForuminDavos,Switzerland.

Professor Plate is the author of ten books, including the bestsellersConfessionsofanAmericanMediaMan (2007),ConversationswithLeeKuanYew(2010),ConversationswithMahathirMohamad(2011),ConversationswithThaksin (2011) andConversationswithBanKi-moon (2012), all published byMarshallCavendishEditions.Underapseudonym,heistheauthorofthenovelThe Only Way to Go. He resides in Beverly Hills with his wife Andrea, alicensedclinicalsocialworker,andtheirtwocats.

Otherbooksinthe‘GiantsofAsia’series

ConversationswithBanKi-moonWhattheUnitedNationsIsReallyLike:TheViewFromtheTopISBN:9789814302043240pp

ConversationswithThaksinFromExiletoDeliverance:Thailand’sPopulistTycoonTellsHisStoryISBN:9789814328685252pp

ConversationswithMahathirMohamadDoctorM:OperationMalaysia

ISBN:9789814276634248pp