KRMF

I was at a recent KRMF - stands for Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum, where MM Lee shared his 'insights' from the questions that were being asked.

Frankly, I didn't learn anything much, as the questions felt 'standard' - asking about how the financial crisis affected global balance of power, how negotiations in Copenhagen could proceed, and general threats of national identity arising from immigration and so on... He did mention several worries about demographics and the work ethic, but more importantly, the forum informed me about his frame of mind.

Assuming that the answers reflected his frame of mind, I am led to the conclusion that MM Lee is still in his immediate-post-65 mindset, where the main concern was the immediate struggle to survive, to get an economy up and going, a military force ready, to feed and house what, 2M Singaporeans back then, and so on. He did a fabulous job, and generations of Singaporeans should be grateful for what he did back then, as he laid the foundations of the country. Here, it is important to note that I DO NOT DENY that he did a wonderful job for this country, and that he does deserve respect, adoration, and so on. However, my personal intuition is that the context of development has changed in the generations after him, and that it is necessary to look back, as well as look ahead to see where the future of Singapore might go, especially without him.

I would like to mention his mindset regarding 'work'. In his answer to 'the kind of values required for Singapore's future' - he mentioned 'WORK', and he goes back to talk about opening up SG to MNCs, and getting them to set up factories and so on. He almost seemed to romanticise that past, in emphasizing the social discipline and the sense of control that made for a 'compliant' workforce that was ready to 'obey' to the MNCs and made for optimal conditions for MNCs to work in. That was then.

Things have changed now. The nature of the economy is different - in particular the manufacturing industries now take a lesser share although they are still important jobs-wise. I would question if the manufacturing industries can remain the same source of growth in light of industrialising China and India, not to mention regional neighbours in how they can compete in terms of sheer numbers and cheap surplus labour. What about the recent drives towards the 'new economy' - is that empty rhetoric? But SG has invested millions in the design, creative industries, no? Those industries have a different work ethic, one that thrives on openness, creativity, spontaneous, hardly the things that call for social discipline and control.

Again, I do not deny that MM Lee has done a good job in this country, but in the present day, there is a need to look beyond the past that has been done, and look onward to the future. Surely he has created a good system that can be passed down to generations, but there must be room of improvements, no? And it is up to every generation examine the machinery that he has built - to replace the parts that are necessary but wearing down; to take down unnecessary parts; to put in new parts...

Well, he does not have to wait until after his death for historians to revise his history. For a better future for SG, we have to start thinking of life byond him.

A footnote of sorts: what is his influence in government? How much of that mindset is still percolated through the government?