Singapore ‘not yet a nation’: MM Lee
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For all its gleaming skyscrapers and successful transformation from a tiny fishing village to one of Asia’s — if not the world’s — most modern cities, Singapore is not yet the finished product.
That’s the frank, honest and brutal assessment of none other than Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the 87-year-old founding father of the city-state.
“We are a nation in the making. Will we make it? Am I certain we’ll get there? No, I cannot say that. Something can go wrong somewhere and we’ll fall apart,” said the Minister Mentor at the launch of his new book at St Regis Hotel on Friday.
Speaking in front of an audience of over 160 people, comprising of diplomats, Members of Parliaments and academics, MM Lee went on to assess Singapore’s chances of becoming a true nation.
“If you believe it’s a reality, then I think you’re making a mistake. It’s an aspiration, it’s something we must make into reality probably in another 20,30, 40, 50 years.”
At what stage would he consider Singapore a true “nation”?
When its people were willing to make sacrifices and “die for one another”, he said.
He gave the example of China and Japan as nations having been ravaged and demolished but whose ”people have come together to rebuild it”.
But if the same thing were to happen to Singapore, it may “simply fall apart”, said MM Lee.
“I do not deceive myself for one moment that our differences of race, culture and religion will disappear,” he said, before urging the current and future generations of Singaporean leaders to “nurture, strengthen and build upon” the current Singapore.
WIDE-RANGING BOOK
The 458-page book, entitled Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going, also reveals MM Lee’s views on topics ranging his personal interpretations of love, family, homosexuality and even fengshui.
When asked if he believes in fengshui for instance, he laughed and said it was “utter rubbish” that people think he does.
“I’m a pragmatic, practical fella. I do not believe in horoscopes, I do not believe in fengshui, and I’m not superstitious about numbers,” he said.
MM Lee also calls love at first sight “a grave mistake” that one will regret. He advised Singaporeans to choose “somebody who will raise your standard”, joking that it was exactly what he did.
The 87-year-old also keeps an open mind about homosexuality.
“It’s not a lifestyle,” MM Lee said. “There’s a genetic difference, they’re born that way and that’s that.”
“So if two men and two women’re that way, just leave them alone,” he reiterated.
In the new book, Mr Lee also revealed his wish to have the family home torn down for redevelopment after he dies, even though many would probably wish to have the memorable place conserved.
“I’ve seen other houses, Nehru‘s, Shakespeare‘s. They become a shambles after a while.”
“Because of my house, the neighbouring houses cannot build high. Now demolish my house and change the planning rules, go up, the land value will go up,” he added.
After more than half a century in the public eye, fans and critics alike, MM Lee says he remains driven by the two things he holds closest to his heart – his family and his country.
“I did some sharp things to get things right,” he admitted. “Maybe they disapprove of it, (found it) too harsh, but a lot was at stake.”
“At the end of the day, what have I got? Just a successful Singapore.”
-- Yahoo! News
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LKY keep saying this kind of garbage to bullshit to people we have to accept PAP rule and we have to accept low wages.........
imagine how much the salaries of those ministers will be if LKY say S'pore is the finished product............10million dollars !
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You have low wages doesn't mean everyone has low wages. So shut up and stop bashing LKY. Why don't you run for the office for free?
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Originally posted by nfshp253:
You have low wages doesn't mean everyone has low wages. So shut up and stop bashing LKY. Why don't you run for the office for free?
life is about anger n greed? -
so what the fuck have children been singing all these years?
We built a nation, strong and free, reaching out together......We’ve come so far together, our common destiny.....Singapore forever, a nation strong and free.
One people, one nation, one Singapore. That’s the way that we will be forevermore.
What's his motive? Saying we are not a nation after all these years of sovereignty.
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so he is admitting that he has failed?
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the next generation of leaders need the global debacle exposure in order to weather against the varied powerful external onslaughts....if they cannot withstand and hold on and stay firm in such circumstances, Singapore will be taken over eventually...
it is not the foreign influx that is fearsome, but rather external political influences....
we have all the great infrastructure now....dun let it fall into the hands of our neighbouring countries
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$inkapore is only Level 45 after so many decades...... haven't reach Max Level lah......wait for another 54 years more to attain Level 99, THEN it'll become a nation.......
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The crescent in Singapore flag symbolises a upcoming nation.
When it becomes a full moon, then only Singapore would have achieve nationhood.
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Originally posted by mancha:
The crescent in Singapore flag symbolises a upcoming nation.
When it becomes a full moon, then only Singapore would have achieve nationhood.
yup when manhood comes -
with a little bit of help from the Fillipinos, the Banglas, the Indians and the PRCs.
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the system really needs more EQ ministers....... and that doesn't mean looking mild mannered and gentle.......managing public sentiments is really not easy
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not at all, all the PAP ministers are nothing but useless farts that are LKY lackeys only !
they'll suck the old man's dick and lick his wife's cunt to get promoted.
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I think he still hasn't gotten over the 1960's phase yet.
Die for one another? I wonder if he or any other rational person with no emotional attachment to that "another person" is able to do that? It's like meeting a stranger on the streets and professing that you would die for that person, it's a bit too radical for me.
I think age has taken a toil on the part of his hemisphere that deals in logic.
The ultimate instinct of humanity or any other creature is self preservation.
人ä¸�为己，天诛地ç�
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Now that all his nation building efforts all failed, he is changing his tune and coming up with bullshit filth like Singapore is not a nation.
Singapore is a nation with 75% chinese.
You Harry Lee Kuan Yew is an anglo dog, a peranakan who denies his own peranakan status and pretends to be a fake chinese.
That is why all the nation building efforts failed.
The problem lies with you Harry Lee Kuan Yew.
You are the reason why nation building failed, you fucking anglo dog.
Cultureless bastard with no identity wants to build nation out of dialect southern chinese?
See I also want to laugh.
Of course everything fail lah.
How on earth to succeed?
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Fuck, you even collaborated with the japanese fuckers who killed over 50,000 chinese in WWII.
A worst candidate to lead the nation building effort is hard to find.
Why you never use WWII as propaganda for nationalist patriotic nation building efforts?
Fucking scared to death that people will find out you were fucking japanese collaborator.
How to nation build like that, you mother fucker harry lee kuan yew?
How?
How to build? you japanese cock sucker.
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Will he sell Singapore to China?
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if he can, he would !
to the old bastard and family, S'pore is all about money and power FOR them