As Singapore's prime minister announced his retirement from I thought it would be best to just quote what I wrote about him 5 years ago (with a few updates, reflecting the situation as of 2023):
I often read negative comments about the sitting PM and am even under the impression that if he ran in the next elections the party would not produce a great result. He already suffered one blow (at least by Singaporean standards) when PAP secured barely 60% of the public vote in 2011, while the relatively high result in 2015 can largely be attributed to patriotic sentiments after LKY's passing. Back in 2020, the party was back down to 61%, despite competent handling of the pandemic.
There are many opinions people have about him - that he was just daddy's boy, groomed to inherit leadership of Singapore (establishing some sort of a dynasty of the Lee family), another paper general, a mere figurehead, while the old guard kept control from the back seat, and that PAP under his leadership is nothing like the PAP of old (whatever it means).
Whether people approve of him or not, it's safe to say that his popularity is nowhere near that of Lee Kuan Yew.
Obviously, LKY is considered the father of the nation, who took it from unwanted independence to world-class prosperity but I think it is quite unfair to diminish his son's achievements. And since I'm particularly sensitive to ingratitude - especially when it's blended with whining - I've decided to do a little review of what happened in the past 20 years.
I did not live in Singapore in 2004 but it's really easy to track the extent of transformation the city has undergone since that time - as evidenced by this photo of Marina Bay taken exactly that year:
- No MBS in sight
- No ArtScience Museum
- No Gardens by the Bay
- No Float
- No Flyer
- No Formula 1 track
- No automated port at Tuas
- No Cruise Centre
- No Jewel
- No MCE
or the Marina Barrage, which transformed what you see in the picture into another freshwater reservoir.
All of the above were built in subsequent years, under LHL. But there's quite a bit more.
Think of the Circle MRT Line, Downtown Line or Thomson-EC Line built today. Think of flagship Terminal 3 and the modern test-bed of Terminal 4 at Changi Airport, while the works on Terminal 5 are progressing.
Speaking about Changi - it has won the Airport of the Year award by Skytrax nearly every year since 2013 - surely a position it's going to keep for many years more with the addition of the Jewel.
On the opposite end of the island a modern, automated mega port in Tuas is taking shape, while the land taken up by terminals closer to the city is going to be redeveloped into more people-friendly areas as a part of the Greater Southern Waterfront project.
Don't forget the redevelopment of Sentosa and opening to gambling and entertainment industries which have brought Marina Bay Sands to Singapore - and are now going to grow their operations with the addition of the fourth tower to MBS as well as multi-billion expansion by Resorts World.
In current USD terms Singapore's GDP per capita has increased by over 200% since 2004. From $27,600 to over $88,000.
In the same period Hong Kong's GDP has grown by 100%, US GDP by 92%, German by 54%, while British by just 21%.I don't have the data for the entire period but in the past decade alone median income per person has grown by over 50% in nominal and over 30% in real terms - from S$2900 to about S$4500 per month.
Overall rates for physical crimes (excluding digital scams) have fallen from 735 / 100,000 in 2004 to 337 / 100,000 in 2023 - a drop of over 55%.
Yes, GST was increased to 9% and conditions of CPF withdrawal are gradually modified - but you've gotten Medishield Life and CPF Life, providing coverage from catastrophic medical bills and a retirement annuity until you die (regardless of whether you have enough in your retirement account to pay for yourself). Laws are adapted to a changing, ageing society.
Until mid-2000s Singapore had been focused on building solid economic foundations based on traditional business - industry, finance, trade.
But the past 20 years have catapulted it from a dull, boring business town to a lively metropolis and a breeding ground for technology companies. I have a friend who left Singapore around that time and whenever she's back to visit, she reminisces that there wasn't really much to do here. Today it's full of bars, restaurants, a growing number of cultural shows and concerts, ever more amazing modern architecture. It has become a place to visit, to see and experience.
I can already hear some naysayers talking - "oh, but it wasn't thanks to LHL, he's just a front for the old guard" - and maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Your guess is as good as mine. But governance is never about a single person anyway - it's always a group effort. LKY wouldn't have achieved nearly as much if he didn't have - and didn't pick - the right people to help him. Similarly, LHL helmed a team that achieved all of the above, aided by the seniors.
That's also one of the most impressive achievements of Singaporean politics.
Unlike in the West, where retired politicians often end up in the private sector acting as lobbyists, making big bucks to bankroll a jet set life, former leaders in Singapore remain in service, even if in a diminished role, using their experience and network to help the current leadership.
You can try to claim that the old guard were better but remember that they selected and groomed the leaders of today - and passed them the baton.
Whether you like or hate Lee Hsien Loong, whether you respect him as a leader or mock him as a puppet, it's hard not to acknowledge the vast progress Singapore has experienced under his premiership. And since that's the case, can you really argue he wasn't the right man in the right place?
Don't take my word for it - just look around.
