ST: How Singapore achieved success

Oct 11, 2008

How Singapore achieved success

By Kor Kian Beng

FOUR key factors are behind the Singapore success story, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who led the team that laid the foundation for the country's development after independence. They are: a capable and incorrupt government, meritocracy, equal opportunities for all and making every Singaporean a stakeholder in the country. He identified these factors when he replied to a participant at a dialogue with around 500 people at the Global Indian Diaspora Conference. The man had asked what lies behind Singapore's development into one of the world's cleanest cities with some of the best infrastructure. Before replying, Mr Lee said he was aware of the vast difference between a small city state and a vast continent, like India. 'But when you come to compare cities, it's exactly the same,' said Mr Lee, who was prime minister from 1959 to 1990. First, Mr Lee said he was not involved in a solo effort as he had a very good team of very able ministers, whose integrity and ability were beyond doubt. He said: 'Yes, I captained the team and made decisive moves but I had people who understood what had to be done to get there.' It was important to have a completely incorruptible government in place, he added. 'Once you have a corrupt government, you're in deep trouble...the whole system is skewed, including decision making.' Another crucial factor was to set out a level playing field for everyone. 'You get a job not on the basis of your connections - your father, your friends or whatever - but on the basis of your performance. We have equal opportunities for schooling, health, and I would say, life. 'Regardless of race, language or religion...Who's the best man? You do it.' As for making every Singaporean a stakeholder in the country, Mr Lee noted that many Singaporeans own property. 'So, today you can ask any taxi driver, any hawker, he owns a flat, he owns his home, the smallest of which is worth about $150,000 even in today's depressed prices. And the biggest of them will be about $600,000, $700,000. 'So he's a little stakeholder.' This means Singaporeans understand that voting-in a bad government could lead to a plunge in property values and a loss of jobs, Mr Lee added. 'They may say this is authoritarianism, that's how we get re-elected,' he said. 'They don't know the economic rationale behind it. Everybody has a stake, everybody has to perform.'