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[R.I.P.] Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91[W:13]

donsutherland1

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From Reuters:

Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister and architect of the tiny city-state's rapid rise from British military outpost to global trade and financial center, died on Monday aged 91.

Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91 | Reuters

I don't think one can understate what Prime Minister Lee did in transforming Singapore into a vibrant, prosperous, and modern state. May he rest in peace.
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

He was a brutal dictator. Calling him Prime Minister is laughable.
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

RIP.
And I would agree with Lee Kuan Yew, that many places, including those having 'Arab Spring,' (and Africa) need a benevolent brain for at least 20 years.
They simply aren't ready for democracy, but will have continual revolution/riots.
The Miracle that is Singapore, however, Can now loosen it's grip and become a more liberal democracy.

Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore
Wall Street Journal
By CHUN HAN WONG And P.R. VENKAT
Updated March 22, 2015 7:41 p.m. ET
Lee Kuan Yew, who dominated Singapore politics for more than half a century and transformed the former British outpost into a global trade and finance powerhouse, setting a Template for emerging markets around the world, died Monday. He was 91 years old.

Mr. Lee’s core principles - including a focus on clean and efficient government, business-friendly economic policies, and social order—helped attract massive investment and many of the world’s biggest companies to Singapore after he became prime minister in 1959, catapulting living standards to First World status from Third World levels in hardly more than a generation.

Leaders of other countries rushed to copy his model, with some success, though they often fell short because they didn’t rein in corruption or were governing states too big to manage as easily.

Along the way, Singapore, now one of the world’s richest nations, drew criticism from rights groups that said it attained its developed-world living standards without adopting full Western-style democracy or some of the freedoms taken for granted in Western societies.
[.......]
“Lee Kuan Yew’s tremendous role in Singapore’s economic development is beyond doubt, but it also came at a significant cost for human rights,” said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch. “Today’s restricted freedom of expression, self-censorship and stunted multiparty democracy is also a part of his legacy that Singapore now needs to overcome.”

Mr. Lee argued that Western-style democracy just wasn’t suitable for all nations, and that young countries needed stability and economic development before they could afford the luxuries of democracy and personal liberty in a Western mold.
[.......]
 
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Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

FYI, in my first message, "understate" should be "overstate." I greatly regret the typo.
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

He was a brutal dictator. Calling him Prime Minister is laughable.

Singapore is many things, have you ever been there?
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

He was a mixed bag at best.
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

Singapore is many things, have you ever been there?

Dude.. the man was in power, aka "Prime Minister" for over 40 years.. how is he not a dictator?
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

Dude.. the man was in power, aka "Prime Minister" for over 40 years.. how is he not a dictator?

You only h8 cause singapore is a capitalist success story. Besides, the real power is in the hands of the industrislists.
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

You only h8 cause singapore is a capitalist success story. Besides, the real power is in the hands of the industrislists.

LOL so you got no problem with the fact that the place is a dictatorship run by rich industrialists? Guess you got no problem with Nazi Germany either then.. that too was a capitalist success story till they pissed away with wars.
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

LOL so you got no problem with the fact that the place is a dictatorship run by rich industrialists? Guess you got no problem with Nazi Germany either then.. that too was a capitalist success story till they pissed away with wars.

Godwin to the thread cause you had nothing left. I'll take that as a white flag of surrender. Good day there Pete.
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

FYI, in my first message, "understate" should be "overstate." I greatly regret the typo.

Too late, Pete already threw some smack.
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

LOL so you got no problem with the fact that the place is a dictatorship run by rich industrialists? Guess you got no problem with Nazi Germany either then.. that too was a capitalist success story till they pissed away with wars.

Ah yes, there's always those ole Nazis.
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

Moderator's Warning:
Back to the topic at hand, which, is tagged with [RIP]. Threads tagged with RIP are under this guideline:
It is a thread for members to express their grief or condolences and to speak about the dead or the family of the dead in a respectful way, free of mud slinging. The same story that is used in a R.I.P thread may be used to create a standard thread about the matter as well (and vise versa).

So please keep it civil and don't discuss other posters. Thank you.
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

Singapore is a wonderful city state, it shows that you dont need democracy to create a vibrant thriving country.
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

Be more respectful on a leader's demise. He devoted his whole life turning swampy land into a modern metropolis.
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

Below is a link to an op-ed by former Secretary of State Kissinger that describes Lee as a person and leader:

Henry A. Kissinger: The world will miss Lee Kuan Yew - The Washington Post

I already started a thread on Kissinger and Lee. It's not an RIP thread, so if people wish to really debate the subject they should go here:

http://www.debatepolitics.com/asia/220039-war-criminal-praises-dictator-theres-surprise.html
 
Re: Modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, dies at 91

Singapore is a wonderful city state, it shows that you dont need democracy to create a vibrant thriving country.

That's really funny dude!!!
 
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