Lee Kuan Yew’s Singapore

Lee Kuan Yew has been Prime Minister of Singapore for twelve years and has led it to prosperity and order. Western reaction has often implied the thought 'If only there were more Third World leaders like Lee!'

T. J. S. George, however, examines Lee Kuan Yew and his city state from the Asian point of view, and while acknowledging his achievements, makes an alarmingly good case for believing them to weigh light against the disadvantages of dictatorship. He chronicles the Prime Minister's rise and rule in great detail, analyses his personality, aspirations and methods, and argues from well-marshalled facts, without rhetoric, that if Lee's political philosophy had been leftist in- stead of favouring opportunistic capitalism, the West would have greeted his performance with dismay rather than approval.