Rest on laurels? I wish I could do that. No, you rest when you're dead Lee Kuan Yew More Quotes by Lee Kuan Yew More Quotes From Lee Kuan Yew Most libels, and I have taken about 30 actions, take place at election time. It has not stuck because I am prepared to go before a court, stand in the witness box and face the most aggressive of lawyers who can cross-examine me on my personal history. Lee Kuan Yew election-time taken faces If, for instance, you put in a Malay officer who's very religious and who has family ties in Malaysia in charge of a machine gun unit, that's a very tricky business. We've got to know his background... I'm saying these things because they are real, and if I don't think that, and I think even if today the Prime Minister doesn't think carefully about this, we could have a tragedy. Lee Kuan Yew real religious thinking The big nest was in Afghanistan, thats not quite cleared, then there are nests in the Philippines, there are nests in Indonesia, the Malaysians are clearing up their nests. Lee Kuan Yew indonesia philippines nests I knew that my niece was working nearby with some bank, so my wife rang up the mother and the mother called back to say that shes just called up to say she was alright. Lee Kuan Yew niece wife mother To straddle the middle ground and win elections, we have to be in charge of the political agenda. This can only be done by not being beaten in the argument with our critics. They complain that I come down too hard on their arguments. But wrong ideas have to be challenged before they influence public opinion and make for problems. Those who try to be clever at the expense of the government should not complain if my replies are as sharp as their criticisms. Lee Kuan Yew government clever winning Supposing Catherine Lim was writing about me and not the prime minister... She would not dare, right? Because my posture, my response has been such that nobody doubts that if you take me on, I will put on knuckle-dusters and catch you in a cul de sac... Anybody who decides to take me on needs to put on knuckle dusters. If you think you can hurt me more than I can hurt you, try. There is no other way you can govern a Chinese society. Lee Kuan Yew hurt writing thinking It used to be a top-down government, often quite heavy-handed, it's no longer that way ... Strong leadership is listening, engaging, moving with people. Lee Kuan Yew world Soon I will be calling elections to ask for your mandate, to take Singapore into this next phase of our nation building. Lee Kuan Yew world He fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none and made us proud to be Singaporeans. Lee Kuan Yew world I had some very powerful minds working with me. Lee Kuan Yew minds some me powerful The problem is to keep the monkey mind from running off into all kinds of thoughts. Lee Kuan Yew monkey thoughts problem mind You need a certain standard of literacy, moral and ethical values, to be able to run a one man, one vote system. Lee Kuan Yew you man vote moral The acid test of any legal system is not the greatness or the grandeur of its ideal concepts, but whether, in fact, it is able to produce order and justice. Lee Kuan Yew test legal greatness justice The original communitarianism of Chinese Confucian society has degenerated into nepotism, a system of family linkages, and corruption, on the mainland. And remnants of the evils of the original system are still found in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and even Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew singapore family corruption society As an East Asian looking at America, I find attractive and unattractive features. I like, for example, the free, easy and open relations between people regardless of social status, ethnicity or religion. Lee Kuan Yew looking easy people religion Freedom of the news media must be subordinated to the overriding needs of Singapore, and to the primacy of purpose of an elected government. Lee Kuan Yew freedom media government purpose The ultimate test of the value of a political system is whether it helps that society to establish conditions which improve the standard of living for the majority of its people. Lee Kuan Yew value society political people From 1945 to 1991, China was engaged in a series of wars that nearly broke them. This generation has been through hell: the Great Leap Forward, hunger, starvation, near collision with the Russians - the Cultural Revolution gone mad. I have no doubt that this generation wants a peaceful rise. Lee Kuan Yew generation great hell mad We are pragmatists. We don't stick to any ideology. Does it work? Let's try it, and if it does work, fine, let's continue it. If it doesn't work, toss it out, try another one. We are not enamored with any ideology. Lee Kuan Yew try fine ideology work China itself is now in the process of sloughing off not only the communist system, but also those outdated parts of Confucianism that prevent the rapid acquisition of knowledge needed to adjust to new ways of life and work. Lee Kuan Yew new work life knowledge
