Singaporean statesman Lee Kuan Yew dies at age 91

[M. Montaigne]

Lee Kuan Yew was a man of complex values. On one hand, he helped transform the tiny island port city-state of Singapore into an independent economic superpower, whilst juggling to keep the state independent from many of its nearby neighbors (notably China, India, Japan, and Malaysia after being expelled from British Malaya in 1965).

On the other hand, he was also not a big fan of free speech as espoused by western-styled democracies, and was notorious for his iron grip on political institutions and the press.

I had the honor of meeting Mr. Yew over a decade ago, and he wasn't the man I had read about. At that time, he said that his biggest achievement was the Singaporean educational system. His pride was that he helped create an intelligent workforce in an island state that lacked any natural resources. From polytechnics to universities such as the National University of Singapore and Nanyang, Singapore has a skilled workforce that's disproportionately high relative to its population.

One of my favorite economists, Amartya Sen, is often credited with bringing a moral and ethical perspective to economics. He talks about the Lee thesis in his book Development for Freedom:

"Many people in different countries of the world are systematically denied political liberty and basic civil rights. It is sometimes claimed that the denial of these rights helps to stimulate economic growth and is ‘‘good’’ for economic development. Some have even championed harsher political systems – with denial of basic civil and political rights – for their alleged advantage in promoting economic development. This thesis (often called ‘‘the Lee thesis’’) is sometimes backed by some fairly rudimentary empirical evidence."

I do not know what drove Mr. Yew to the values that built modern day Singapore. Was it the fear of being annexed by its much more powerful neighbors? After all, Japan had invaded parts of British Malaya, including Singapore, during WWII. Was it the drive to demonstrate that the dearth of natural resources is no bar to success? Was it to build a developed society that squarely contradicted many of the Pax Colonia ideals (i.e., free speech, democracy, and liberalism)?

We may never know. We cannot deny the quality of life that modern Singaporeans enjoy, not to mention the independence. However, free speech continues to be restricted in Singapore, which ranks 150 in the Reports Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, below countries like Russia and Myanmar.

Either way, Mr. Yew was a statesman who helped build a great nation state, and he will always be remembered as such.