Mr Lee said meritocracy is a fundamental principle of the PAP, and that it is the reason why the party fought for a Malaysian Malaysia and left Malaysia in 1965.
meritocracy remains the best way of allocating scarce resources (eg "good" schools). but the government needs to recognize, and temper the effects of this fundamental principle.
coupled with the inherent kiasu and kiasi nature of singaporeans, meritocracy sets off a dangerous "arms race" amongst singaporeans to grab a share of those scarce resources.
there is a belief amongst parents, that without a place in these "good" schools their kids will not be able to succeed in life.
and the end point of this meritocratic arms race is a generation of burnt out adults. 1 in 10 singaporean adults will be stricken by mental illness in their lifetimes.