The Benevolent Dictator

He joined our school when I was in the 6^th grade. He stood out with his long “hippie” hair and Chinese features. Obviously; the head master could not allow such “rebellious” hair styles and asked him to cut his hair short. Three days later he was at the head master’s office to receive his “caning” for not having obeyed his instructions. He came back to class with tears in his eyes – his head sporting a crew cut. I asked him what happened. “He is Lee Kuan Yew’s brother dressed as a Priest” he told me. At that time I had no clue as to who was he referring to and on enquiry was told that he was the Singaporean Prime Minister. I also learnt that my new friend’s mother was Chinese Singaporean and that his father had moved back to India to set up a trading office in Bombay to export goods and commodities to China via Singapore.  The tryst with the headmaster did my friend good even though he hated the head master from that day on.

Mentally, I too came to think of Singapore as a terrible place to visit with the image of our mean looking head master as the PM of that Country caning anyone for littering, spitting, jay walking, traffic violation or being a general nuisance; refusing people with longish hair into the Country; and publicly shaming people who committed crimes against the State to the point of some of them taking their own lives. So, when that opportunity came for me to visit Singapore on a School trip; I refused. One of my many regrets. I did not get to visit Singapore until 1989. My first impression – I was in love with this island nation. It was clean, people obeyed traffic lights, taxi cab drivers were honest, and unlike Hong Kong then – Indians were welcome. I met up with my school friend and my first comment to him “Hey! You are living in paradise”. His retort “Yes, welcome to this open jail called paradise”. Our head masters brother from another mother; LKY was still the Prime Minister. “Can you believe it, he is now suggesting that chewing gum be banned in the Country” he laughed. This time; I did not share my disgust of this Man but started appreciating his thinking. Singapore was a disgusting stinky swampy marsh when it separated from Malaysia; populated with undesirables and a mix from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, as also Dutch, English and settlers from  the Western world. It was famous around the world as a haven for smugglers. I don’t think there was much of a choice in how this island Nation had to be governed if it had to be transformed in to the one that LKY had envisioned. Within 20 years, the vision was a reality. Not everyone was pleased; but not everyone ever is. It came at a price which some call repression of human rights; but I think I would be a supporter of such repression for the greater good; specially when I see what's happening in my own Country. 

Today, the word business integrity is synonymous with Singapore; one of the richest and most respected nations in the world. Everything it does becomes a world standard; be it its airport, airline, port, roadways, public transportation system, private and low cost public housing, education model, health facilities, recreational and entertainment facilities – I can keep going on. But; all is not well in paradise and the last three decades have got the people more critical of the policies initiated by the benevolent dictator LKY and then practiced by his successors. 

From an India perspective; there are many who believe that it deserves a benevolent dictator to make it a super power by 2020 or 2030 even. The danger always is that benevolence slipping into malevolence with the amount of power that gets vested into an individual. There are not many people who can be counted as selfless leaders. Mahatma Gandhi was one and he "made" India; but post independence; we needed someone like LKY to “Make India”. Sadly; the leader who could have become one was relegated to playing second fiddle by the father of our nation himself. LKY himself admitted that changing India would be several times more difficult than Singapore and he was right. India is much more complex; but I wish we could have a LKY that could change Mumbai to achieve even half of what Singapore is - except of course the unimaginably high real estate rates and growing economic disparity between the various population segments - where it beats the island Nation hands down.  

Headmaster of Singapore - Mr. Lee Kuan Yew – Rest In Peace.