Unfortunately if those “smartest of individuals” that you refer to can be turned into a raging mob by some “well voiced opinions”, then they cannot be so smart after all, even if they happen to belong to tertiary institutions.
These supposedly “smartest of individuals” are impatient and immature activists, with a rebel spirit of youth, and are easy prey to political activists to capitalize on.
They are found in Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and even in Malaysia – if one read the involvement of tertiary students in the political upheavals of these countries over the last twenty years.
Unfortunately (or fortunately), Singapore's tertiary students absence in political activism is not so much due to the maturity of its student, but is due more to the watchful eye of the Internal Security Department "embedded" in the tertiary institutions.
Some of these agitations have resulted in the fall of the governments – as was seen in Indonesia with the fall of Suharto, Philippines with the fall of Marcos, Thailand with a change of military rule to parliamentary democracy, Korea with the change from one man rule to a elected Presidency, and Taiwan witnessing the change of an entrenched Political Party for the last forty years.
Unfortunately, some agitations have witnessed complete disaster as in ChinaÂ’s experience with the Tian An Men Square bloodshed, Myanmar with a bloody military suppression, and Malaysia having a short lived uprising in support of a prosecuted Deputy Prime Minister.
These people cuts across different societies – from a multi-ethnic community such as in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand; to a single ethnic group such as in Korea, Japan, and perhaps Taiwan and China.
Much depends on the nature and characteristics of the society from which these people come from.
The Thais are mostly Buddhist and accommodating by nature (?), although some can be quite hot tempered when agitated.
The Burmese are quiet or soft spoken, and subservient by character, but can also turn violent at the flip of a switch in the mind.
The Malays (this term will cover the multi-facetted Indonesian communities covering the ethnic groups of the Javanese, Bugis, Sumatrans and others in the Indonesian Archipelago) are by nature also very accommodating and subservient too, as most in the rural farming communities are; but can also be fiery in their outburst when agitated.
The Chinese and Koreans can be hospitable and accommodating in most instance, but up to a point, and can be very energetic and militant in pushing for their turf.
With such diverse people coming from diverse communities, and all bearing the same human traits of compassion, accommodation, hospitality, with varying degree of militancy in confrontation – one has to look deeper into the character of each society before attempting to transplant the success from one society to apply the same policy to another (that have a totally different make-up).
While Singapore has a majority of Chinese in the make-up of its multi-racial population, with most being successful in economic and non-economic activities, it is able to accommodate and assist the other non-Chinese communities to share in its economic success.
However, in Indonesia, the majority of the population is of the “Malay” stock that is not as economically active, and with the main economic activities being in the hands of the minority ethnic Chinese. With its economic strength, the Chinese Community in Indonesia was able to gain political leverage.
This was the main cause of the problems that ignited the racial sensitivities in Indonesia – (as it also did in Malaysia-Singapore during the 1960s and 1970s).
While the major Chinese Community controlled the economic pie in Singapore, the pie was big enough to be shared with a smaller group from the other races that make up the Singapore Population.
Unfortunately, it is the Minority Chinese Community in Indonesia that controlled a relatively "small" economic pie of an undeveloped Indonesian economy, that is insufficient to be shared by the over burgeoning population of Indonesia, which can only result in economic envy that leads to further racial difficulties.
Indonesia has to address their own problems with solutions that suit the character of its people, its cultures, its own unique situation.
President Megawati has made a good start by instilling the confidence of the Chinese Community, in recognizing the lawful existence of the Chinese Community in Indonesian Life.
In so doing, President Megawati has kindled the flame of confidence in the Chinese to continue its successes in Indonesian economic activities, so as to rekindle business confidence within Indonesia that can only result in more investments, that leads to job creation, and to political stability.
The “Singapore Way” may not necessarily be the best way for Indonesia, due to the different set of circumstances, and the different nature of the peoples.
However, I would think that LKY's Political Philosophy maybe most applicable for Indonesia, that is -
"Fill the Stomach, and dull the Mind".