He is really going senile and spastic while his son has been telling lies to us. He is adamant that we need young foreign talents who cannot speak English to replace old lady citizens for cleaning our tables.
Oh, btw, 20,000 will be digestible.
Crises can't be overcome with just good governance: Lee Kuan Yew
<b:if cond="data:blog.pageType != "static_page""></b:if>By Victoria Barker
my paper
Thursday, Sep 15, 2011
In times of trouble, good governance alone is not enough to solve problems, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew said last night.
He was responding to a question on how his views on good governance have been shaped by recent developments in the United States and Europe.
Mr Lee said: "All it means is that you have a system in place... In critical times, it might just tip over."
He was speaking at a dialogue at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) University Cultural Centre Hall.
The dialogue, which was moderated by Professor Kishore Mahbubani, was attended by some 600 students, faculty members and guests.
The 50-minute session was part of the seventh-anniversary celebrations of NUS' Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School). Prof Mahbubani is the dean of the school.
Mr Lee said Singapore has no plans to buy bonds from European countries facing a debt crisis as "we are in no position to rescue them".
European leaders will try very hard to prevent the collapse of their currency union as that would be "an admission that their aspiration of one Europe is not achievable", he said.
"I do not see it being saved, but they'll try and keep it going."
Mr Lee fielded questions on diverse topics, from whether the Singapore model would work in a larger nation like India, to his vision for Singapore's future.
When asked about ways to deal with Singapore's ageing population, Mr Lee reiterated that welcoming new immigrants is the best solution.
The fertility rate here has fallen to 1.15, and he does not expect to see it going back to 2.1, the rate of replacement.
He added that Singaporeans currently "just do not want to see so many foreigners in their midst", but he feels certain they will come around.
"The turning point will be reached when they find they're hurt by objecting to immigrants coming to Singapore... Not for the moment, but (in) 20, 30 years," he said.
A major reason Singaporeans have difficulty accepting foreigners is the differences in language, he noted.
"They're discomforted when they see the young migrants working at the kopitiam, cleaning the tables, putting our old ladies out of work and unable to speak English," he said.
It would take a generation for immigrants to "become Singaporean", as the "accents and speech" of current immigrants have "already been set".
Candid and relaxed throughout the dialogue, Mr Lee drew laughter when he pointedly asked why the questions read out by Prof Mahbubani were all from non-Singaporeans.
"I would like to answer what Singaporeans would like to know, because they are my responsibility," he said to loud applause.
"I'm not an expert in the conditions of 50 different countries (from which students at the LKY School hail) and I'm not qualified to give them advice, but I do know something about Singapore," he added.
At the event, Mr Lee unveiled the French editions of his two-volume memoir, L'Histoire De Singapour (The Singapore Story) and Du Tiers-Monde A La Prosperite (From Third World To First).
Oh, btw, 20,000 will be digestible.
Crises can't be overcome with just good governance: Lee Kuan Yew
<b:if cond="data:blog.pageType != "static_page""></b:if>By Victoria Barker
my paper
Thursday, Sep 15, 2011
In times of trouble, good governance alone is not enough to solve problems, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew said last night.
He was responding to a question on how his views on good governance have been shaped by recent developments in the United States and Europe.
Mr Lee said: "All it means is that you have a system in place... In critical times, it might just tip over."
He was speaking at a dialogue at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) University Cultural Centre Hall.
The dialogue, which was moderated by Professor Kishore Mahbubani, was attended by some 600 students, faculty members and guests.
The 50-minute session was part of the seventh-anniversary celebrations of NUS' Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School). Prof Mahbubani is the dean of the school.
Mr Lee said Singapore has no plans to buy bonds from European countries facing a debt crisis as "we are in no position to rescue them".
European leaders will try very hard to prevent the collapse of their currency union as that would be "an admission that their aspiration of one Europe is not achievable", he said.
"I do not see it being saved, but they'll try and keep it going."
Mr Lee fielded questions on diverse topics, from whether the Singapore model would work in a larger nation like India, to his vision for Singapore's future.
When asked about ways to deal with Singapore's ageing population, Mr Lee reiterated that welcoming new immigrants is the best solution.
The fertility rate here has fallen to 1.15, and he does not expect to see it going back to 2.1, the rate of replacement.
He added that Singaporeans currently "just do not want to see so many foreigners in their midst", but he feels certain they will come around.
"The turning point will be reached when they find they're hurt by objecting to immigrants coming to Singapore... Not for the moment, but (in) 20, 30 years," he said.
A major reason Singaporeans have difficulty accepting foreigners is the differences in language, he noted.
"They're discomforted when they see the young migrants working at the kopitiam, cleaning the tables, putting our old ladies out of work and unable to speak English," he said.
It would take a generation for immigrants to "become Singaporean", as the "accents and speech" of current immigrants have "already been set".
Candid and relaxed throughout the dialogue, Mr Lee drew laughter when he pointedly asked why the questions read out by Prof Mahbubani were all from non-Singaporeans.
"I would like to answer what Singaporeans would like to know, because they are my responsibility," he said to loud applause.
"I'm not an expert in the conditions of 50 different countries (from which students at the LKY School hail) and I'm not qualified to give them advice, but I do know something about Singapore," he added.
At the event, Mr Lee unveiled the French editions of his two-volume memoir, L'Histoire De Singapour (The Singapore Story) and Du Tiers-Monde A La Prosperite (From Third World To First).
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