The Singapore Story by Lee Kuan Yew

As part of my recent "pivot east" I chose this first volume of Lee Kuan Yew's autobiography, which covers his youth through Singapore's declaration of independence in 1965.  The author and Singapore both fascinate me and this book provided great insight into the foundations of the man and his country.

Singapore's fight for independence involved violence, but centers much more on politics than that of America's own revolution.  The young politician in Lee walked a dreadfully tight line to counterbalance the demands of disparate parties including Great Britain, communist forces, and both the Chinese and Malay communities of Singapore and Malaysia.

Lee worked closely with the leadership of Great Britain, quite ironically, in his quest to free Singapore from it's colonial bondage.  His vision was for an independent, multi-racial, non-communist existence for his country.  No other party aligned with this vision, and Lee encountered years of political, diplomatic and criminal resistance.

One thing that surprised me was the level of political activism throughout Singapore society.  The story includes dozens, if not hundreds, of organizations representing all aspects of society, confronting the reader with a dizzying multitude of acronyms.  The PAP, MCA, UMNO, MCP, MIC and countless others all fought for political supremacy.  One potent example was the Chinese middle-school union, a communist force of actual children that loomed large in the story.  It seems everyone was involved in this struggle.

And these parties battled it out in a multitude of elections at the local, regional and national levels.  These people were hugely active in their political movements, forever signing petitions, attending rallies, canvassing neighborhoods, aligning and re-aligning their sentiments as the story evolves.

Contrast this with the American Revolution, also the story of a new nation born from colonial rule by Great Britain.  Rather than war, however, the people of Singapore and Malaysia fought it out in contentious elections.  Not always peaceful, civil or within the full bounds of the law, but stopping far short of a state of war.

The book ends with Singapore's new, and dubious, state of independence.  I can't wait to read the next volume to learn how the country rose from the third-world to the first in just one generation.