"...
I have lived through many economic and political crises in the region and the world. These have crystallised some fundamental truths for me that we forget or ignore at our peril." - Lee Kuan Yew, 2010.
Lee Kuan Yew's name is nearly synonymous with modern Singapore. Prime Minister for 31 years from 1959 to 1990, he remains in the Cabinet as Minister Mentor, a post created for him.
He has been in the public eye for 60 years, as a revolutionary leader who steered Singapore to independence, as a determined Prime Minister who transformed the country, and finally as an elder statesman.
Younger Singaporeans have all heard of him. But to them he is something of a mythical figure - a Founding Father, detached and distant and revered and feared all at once.
Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going (2011) picks up from his memoirs of 2000 as Lee engages a group of journalists over issues that a younger, more critical population has raised in the intervening years.
Each chapter is presented in a question-and-answer format preceded by an introduction. From Singapore's geopolitical realities and the nature of leadership and the ruling party, to the contentious issues of race and religion, Lee fields them all in his inimitable style, blunt, often politically incorrect.
Readers will hear from Lee, the unapologetic believer in strong government, in genes as destiny, and in the view that economics trumps freedom.
They will also meet Lee the private man, the devoted caregiver to an ailing wife and proud father and grandfather.
Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going is a close-up look at Lee as he argues his views, drawing from a lifetime's worth of experience and insight.
Some of the questions posed to Lee are: Why is he so hard on his political opponents? Will Singapore become a democracy? Could the People's Action Party ever lose its grip on power? Are younger leaders up to the mark? Will growing religiosity change Singapore for the better or worse? How will rising giants China and India affect its fortunes?
The writers:
Han Fook Kwang is Editor of
The Straits Times. He joined the paper in 1989 after a stint in the Singapore Government Administrative Service. He is co-author of the book
Lee Kuan Yew: The Man And His Ideas (1998).
Zuraidah Ibrahim is Deputy Editor of
The Straits Times. She oversees the coverage of Singapore news, supervising the News, Political and Money Desks. She is previously the Foreign Editor.
Chua Mui Hoong is Deputy Review Editor of
The Straits Times. She is the author of
Pioneers Once More: The Singapore Public Service 1959-2000 (2010) and
A Defining Moment: How Singapore Beat Sars (2004).
Lydia Lim is Deputy Political Editor of
The Straits Times, where she has worked since 1999. Previously, she was a current affairs producer and broadcast journalist.
Ignatius Low is Sunday Times Editor and supervising editor of the Money Desk of
The Straits Times. He served in the Singapore Government Administrative Service from 1996 to 1999.
Rachel Lin is a Singapore Press Holdings scholar. She has been with
The Straits Times for three years and is with the Political Desk.
Robin Chan is a Singapore Press Holdings scholar. He has been with
The Straits Times for two years and is with the Money Desk. Robin Chan grew up in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Stephanie Yeow is Deputy Picture Editor of
The Straits Times. She led the visual team for this book.
I purchased this book (priced at RM85) from mph bookstore during my travels in Malaysia. It is currently unavailable on Amazon.co.uk or any of the major bookstores in the UK.
