Singapore's Lee sees human rights conspiracy

Agence France-Presse - 7/12/2008 5:10 AM GMT


Singapore's Lee sees human rights conspiracy


Singapore is the target of a conspiracy by human rights groups which criticise the country's governance, founding father Lee Kuan Yew said in a newspaper report Saturday.

"There is a conspiracy to do us in. Why?... They see us as a threat," Lee, 84, was quoted as saying in The Straits Times.

The perceived threat arises because Russians and Chinese have been coming to Singapore to study the small country's success, he said in a dialogue with the Economic Society.

Lee's comments came after an association of global lawyers last week said that, despite its impressive economic development, Singapore fails to meet international standards for political and human rights, and there are concerns about the independence of its judiciary.

"Who are they? Have they ever run a country, created jobs for community and given them a life? We have and we know what it requires," Lee said, without specifically referring to the report by the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute.

But during his dialogue, Lee was asked whether Singapore needed a Western-style liberal democracy to succeed.

"Different people have different cultures and forge different consensus and seek different solutions to their problems," said Lee, who holds the influential rank of Minister Mentor in the cabinet of his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Singapore's leaders say the country's tough laws against dissent and other political activity are necessary to ensure the stability which has helped it achieve economic success.




NissanViP>> The arrogant LKY has foreseen that his long throne will be over soon, and now he is calling "all out war" strategy.

Minister Mentor’s Office clarifies Mr Lee’s comments on NGOs

<cite class="auth">Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, July 15</cite>

SINGAPORE: The Minister Mentor’s Office has issued a statement to clarify comments made by Mr Lee Kuan Yew during a dialogue session organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Economic Society of Singapore last Friday.

It said that Mr Lee was somewhat tired at the end of the lengthy dialogue and did not speak clearly enough on his views about human rights groups, non—government organisations and the Western media, in response to a question on liberal democracy.
These groups, the statement said, are not really concerned about Singapore as the city—state is not significant enough. And they have more pressing human rights issues to tackle in countries like Zimbabwe in Africa and Myanmar in Asia.
It added that the Western groups consider Singapore’s success as contrary to "liberal" democracy.
Therefore, they root for candidates who want to dismantle the Singapore’s system and disapprove of opposition MPs like Chiam See Tong and Low Thia Khiang who work within the system.
The statement said that Singapore’s political system will continue to evolve, but it cannot do so to satisfy the preconceptions of human rights groups, NGOs and Western journalists.
Instead, it must develop according to the needs of a changing world and fulfil the aspirations of a new generation.
— CNA/ir

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ya lah, he old man liao, give him chance to catch his breath, dont tekan him too much

crankybaby said:

ya lah, he old man liao, give him chance to catch his breath, dont tekan him too much

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Who dares to tekan him??

You know, I've always suspected that some powerful person must've made fun of or looked down on Lee Kuan Yew because of his Peranaken heritage and British education. His reaction was to transform Harry Lee into Lee Kuan Yew, "the world's foremost expert on Confucionism". In other words, make himself as Chinese as possible. Thus Singapore changed along with him. I can understand from a certain point of view why he wishes to resist "Western-style" politics. However, one should know that Confucionism and communism did not make China strong either. It seems that he wants to be as successful as Western countries by using some of their principles yet trying not to be like them, and at the same time he wants to be as "Chinese" as possible but without sufferring any of China's great past failures.

123456787654321 said:

You know, I've always suspected that some powerful person must've made fun of or looked down on Lee Kuan Yew because of his Peranaken heritage and British education. His reaction was to transform Harry Lee into Lee Kuan Yew, "the world's foremost expert on Confucionism". In other words, make himself as Chinese as possible. Thus Singapore changed along with him. I can understand from a certain point of view why he wishes to resist "Western-style" politics. However, one should know that Confucionism and communism did not make China strong either. It seems that he wants to be as successful as Western countries by using some of their principles yet trying not to be like them, and at the same time he wants to be as "Chinese" as possible but without sufferring any of China's great past failures.

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wayang u also believe?talk so grand for MM LKY some more!

"Absolutely. This guy(mm lky) has an agenda behind every speech, comment and word that he expresses. If you look hard enough, you will find it." quoted Scroobal.