From Third World to First by Lee Kuan Yew

Just wrapped up another fascinating book by Lee Kuan Yew.  The first half of the book told the 2nd leg of the story of Singapore, from independence in 1965 to 1990 when LKY stepped down from office.

The second half of the book, equally fascinating, was a country by country account of his involvement with, and his perspective on, each of the major countries across Asia.  His accounts and perspective are fascinating and vast.  He is probably the most travelled person I've ever read about, enduring literally hundreds of overseas trips during his life.  Virtually every page in the book mentions another trip to meet with leaders in government, business and academia.

His international travel was part and parcel of his success in leading Singapore to the first world so quickly.  His strategy was to leap-frog his fellow nations of Southeast Asia, instead establishing relationships and partnerships with Europe, the United States and the major powers in Asia (most notably Japan and China).  While nearby Indonesia and Malaysia positioned their countries as low-cost, low skill competitors with Japan and China, Singapore moved quicker to acquire mid-level technology, finance and service sector prowess.

I have had a difficult time reconciling one of his world-views with that of another great political leader, Thomas Jefferson.  Although LKY is clearly an advocate of freedom, democracy and liberty, concepts on which Jefferson made his reputation, he clearly states that democracy is not a panacea.  He highlights the case of the Philippines and a few other nations as rich examples of states that implemented American style democracy, only to fail.  LKY points out that a society must be sufficiently developed, willing and able to accept democracy in order to exceed.

This seems to clash with what I though was Jefferson's belief that all nations should implement a free, democratic constitution.  Or so I thought, until a read a quote of Jefferson's this morning.  In a letter to Lafayette, written in February of 1815, just as Napoleon was about to escape Elba and once again march on Paris, Jefferson wrote:

"Instead of that liberty which takes root and growth in the progress of reason, if recovered by mere force or accident, it becomes, with an unprepared people, a tyranny still, of the many, the few or the one."  

It seems that Thomas Jefferson and Lee Kuan Yew were more aligned than I thought.

LKY's story is amazing.  A great man and leader and I only hope that I can visit Singapore in the future.