Lee Kuan Yew

Singapore has lost its founding father on 23rd March 2015, 3.18am.  I have not studied his work in detail, so I do not have much to say. Even though Mr. Lee is being viewed as being oppressive by foreigners, foreign leaders nevertheless flew to Singapore to pay their respects to him. It makes me wonder if these foreign leaders really believed in democracy themselves. Even if they do, it still makes sense that they're paying respect to him as a nation-builder. It must not be easy to lead and build a nation.

Democracy has been over-hyped. Though a good system, and probably better than dictatorship, it has its flaws. There had been prosperous and powerful empires in the past that did not have democracy. I do not buy the idea that the population as a whole knows what is ultimately good for the nation. Democracy will ultimately degrade into deep divisions among the populace. The founding fathers of US studied Greek democracy and decided that it is unsustainable. That was why the US was created as a republic.

That said, nothing lasts forever. I do not know what the best system of governance is. If there is a great leader who truly wants to build a prosperous nation, as I've been increasingly convinced that Mr. Lee was doing, democracy may not be the best system. That said, we do not want a Kim Jong Il either.

While libertarians like myself may not agree with certain policies of Mr. Lee, I am inspired by his hard work and dedication. I always appreciate hard work. This is what I always try to instil in my students. Hard work may not necessarily lead to results, but there is no substitute for hard work.

In the spirit of motivating ourselves, I ask the question: He built a nation. What have we built?