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MM Lee says good governance is having a good
system to ensure Singapore survives
Good governance is having a good system that will ensure the country
survives, so that citizens have secure lives.
That is according to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who spoke at
the Raffles Forum.
Some 250 bankers and CEOs listened in on a dialogue between Singapore's
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and former US Treasury Secretary, Lawrence
Summers.
Mr Lee recounted when he was studying in Britain, he learned something
fundamental - govern the country for the benefit of the people.
"And I also decided, watching them, that there's nothing they
can do which I cannot do for myself when I came back here. How can
these British officers, with no knowledge of this place run the
place better than us?" said Mr Lee.
Since then, Singapore has put the systems in place to ensure stability,
provide good housing and education for its citizens and attract
foreign investments.
Mr Lee said Singapore has been able to attract some 9000 multi-national
companies because it offers 1st world conditions in a 3rd world
region.
These include having a good infrastructure and security.
An example Mr Lee cited was that Singapore, a country with no oil,
is home to the largest and most efficient oil-refining and petrochemical
complex in the region.
Looking ahead, Mr Summers asked Mr Lee what he would like to see
of Singapore in 40 years.
"My hope is that there'll be a government that's equal to
the job as the PAP was. We've structured the system such that the
competent group that gets in will find a machine that works, don't
tinker with it, run the system properly on the basis of merit, not
nepotism and you'll always find a way out of a problem. My ambition
is not to preserve the PAP. My ambition, having created this Singapore,
is to preserve the system that produces the answers that we must
have as a society to survive," said Mr Lee.
During the hour-long dialogue, Professor Summers also outlined
crucial requisites for successful governance, such as maintaining
order and a competent government.
"The leverage that comes from successful governance is that
much greater; conversely the ability of unsuccessful governance
to destroy societies is that much greater. The enemies of order
can do far more damage than they ever could before, the failure
to achieve competence can generate far greater mobility than ever
before. So the first lesson of globalisation is to make successful
governance more important than it's ever been," said Professor
Summers.
The two-day Raffles Forum, held in conjunction with the IMF-World
Bank Meeting will be an annual event. - CNA
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MM Lee on Good Governance (Part One)
