Mahathir attacks Lee once again. Temasek Review:
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed has poured scorn on the oratory skills of Singapore’s former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in a documentary – “Mahathir” shown on the Starhub History Channel last Sunday at 8pm. …
The elder statesman was no fan of Lee and had several heated arguments with him in the Dewan Rakyat when Singapore was part of Malaysia in the period 1963 – 65.
In the documentary, Dr Mahathir criticized Lee for his propensity to give long speeches. He claimed that Lee became flustered after he interjected his speech repeatedly with sharp questions which he could not answer.
Both parties almost come to blows with each other in a heated exchange on 25 September 1964 when Dr Mahathir (then MP for Alor Star) made the following stinging remark towards Lee in the Dewan Rakyat:
“They (Singaporean Chinese) have never known Malay rule and cannot bear the idea that the people they have so long kept under their heels should now be in a position to rule them.”
Lee Kuan Yew shot back:
“Of course there are Chinese millionaires in big cars and big houses. Is it the answer to make a few Malay millionaires with big cars and big houses? … If we delude people into believing that they are poor because there are no Malay rights or because opposition members oppose Malay rights, where are we going to end up?”
Article about the documentary at The Star. Second part of the documentary airs this Sunday Nov 22 at 8 PM on the History Channel.
Filed under: Advance notice, Quotes, Television | Leave a Comment
Tags: chinese, lee kuan yew, mahathir mohamed, malay, race relations
Facing yet another defeat in Singapore courts, Dow Jones finally gives up its appeal in the FEER defamation case, cuts its losses and agrees to pay damages. Asia Sentinel, including Dow Jones’ own statement:
Dow Jones Corporation, the owner of the soon-to- be-defunct Far Eastern Economic Review, has capitulated and agreed to pay US$175,000 in damages and costs rather than appeal a ruling that the magazine defamed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, in a 2006 interview with Chee Soon Juan, the secretary-general of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party.
In a judgment handed down Tuesday by Singapore’s Court of Appeal, the defendants – Review Publishing co. and Hugo Restall, the editor – were ordered to pay US$150,000 to the Lees and US$25,000 to their lawyers by Nov. 20 or face paying US$230,000 in total if they appeal the case, which they would almost certainly lose. No publication has ever won a lawsuit against the Lees in their own courts. …
In agreeing to the settlement rather than continue to fight the case, Dow Jones issued the following statement:
“Dow Jones strongly disagrees with the decision of the Singapore Court of Appeal upholding the ruling against the Far Eastern Economic Review in the defamation case brought by Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Kuan Yew. The Court casts significant doubt as to whether Singapore will ever recognize the fair and honest reporting privilege accorded to responsible journalism — a privilege available in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries with diverse histories and cultures.
“The Court ruled that even if the privilege were to apply in Singapore, it does not apply to the foreign press – based on the misguided notion that non-Singaporeans have no vested interest in Singapore society. Having waged this battle for press freedom to Singapore’s highest court, we are now resolving this case rather than engaging in a protracted damages process. But make no mistake, Dow Jones does not believe it defamed Lee Hsien Loong or Lee Kuan Yew, and this decision will not deter us from our core mission, which is to provide fair and timely reporting and commentary on matters of importance from around the world, including in Singapore.”
Filed under: Press release | 2 Comments
Tags: appeal, dow jones, far eastern economic review, feer, lee hsien loong, lee kuan yew, press freedom, singapore
Lee Kuan Yew at the APEC CEO Summit. The respected, the insightful, the quick-witted and the candid at CNA:
Mr Lee was addressing delegates at the APEC CEO Summit in Singapore on Friday evening. The dialogue lasted just under an hour and touched on wide-ranging issues.
Businessmen, academics and government officials gathered at the dialogue to tap the brains of a respected statesman, and Minister Mentor Lee did not disappoint with his candid answers.
Asked if the US was a declining power in Asia, Mr Lee noted the contest today is an economic one.
He said that if the US Congress does not realise it has to get out of its protectionist mode, then America will have huge problems ahead, especially with an emerging China which has strategically forged several Free Trade Agreements with Asian economies including India and Singapore.
“In the 21st century, the big countries will cancel each other out with their nuclear weapons, so they will not fight militarily. I see the Chinese understanding that, and seeing the strength in their high-quality manpower four times the size of America, they are hungry, they are willing to change their lives.
“If it goes on like that, after eight years – assuming that President Obama goes for a second term – anti-free trade, you are out of the economic race. And if you are out of the economic race, you will lose in the long run… If they don’t get the economy going, there will be a shift in Congress and maybe some in the Senate in the mid-term elections and then the penny will drop,” said Mr Lee. …
To illustrate China’s strengths, Mr Lee gave a personal insight into his meeting with former leader Deng Xiaoping.
He said: “When I first met Deng Xiaoping in 1978 in Singapore, he said, ‘I congratulate you’. I said, ‘What for?’ He said, ‘You have made this a garden city and everybody owns their own homes’. And I said, ‘Well, it’s a small place. Whatever we can do, you can do better. We are the descendants of the lenders, peasants of South China. You have the literati, you have the top brains, you have the poise, the artists’. He did not answer me, he just looked at me and went back to his food.”
It was a dialogue peppered with many personal insights from Minister Mentor Lee who delighted the audience with his quick wit and candour.
One case in point – when he was asked to comment on a magazine article which outlined five things the US can learn from China, Mr Lee said: “I haven’t read it yet. I saw it on my desk, you tell me what are the five things you have in mind and I will tell you whether I agree with them.”
Filed under: Conference, Quotes | 2 Comments
Tags: apec ceo summit, china, deng xiaoping, economy, lee kuan yew, united states
Lee Kuan Yew meets Chinese president Hu. Virtually content-free Xinhua article:
Lee congratulated Hu on the great achievements China has made, saying China’s maintaining stability and continuity in its development is of great significance for the region.
Singapore welcomes China to make greater economic achievements and is pleased to see China playing important roles in regional and international affairs, said Lee.
Enhancing the Singapore-China bilateral cooperation conforms to the common interests of both sides and Singapore will fully develop cooperation with China in various sectors, he added.
As China is one of the largest trade partners of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), strengthening ASEAN-China ties in an all-round way will contribute to peace, stability and prosperity of the whole region, said Lee.
Filed under: Conference, Quotes | 1 Comment
Tags: lee kuan yew, singapore, hu jintao, apec
Temasek Review unearths an interesting quote from last Sunday:
In his speech at a grassroots event at Tanjong Pagar, MM Lee used the examples of Law Minister K. Shanmugam, an MP of Sembawang GRC, and Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Indranee Rajah to drive home his point.
Mr Shanmugam, Mr Lee said, could make $6 million a year while in private practice, but now makes $1.5 million a year as a minister.
‘(Opposition MP) Low Thia Khiang says, ‘Oh, so much money.’ I tell you honestly, if I am not a minister, I myself could make two or three times what I am making now. Every time I talk to foreign companies, they offer me $100,000. What do I do with the money? I give it (away) for scholarships, donate to it schools,’ he added.
MM Lee did not reveal the identities of the foreign companies which offer him the sum. MM Lee sits on the board of many international companies including Citigroup before he step down last year.
Filed under: Event, Quotes | 5 Comments
Tags: lee kuan yew, shanmugam, tanjong pagar
3% growth in 2010: MM
Lee Kuan Yew’s next economic prognostication. ST:
SINGAPORE’S economy may grow by 3 per cent next year and Singaporeans must be prepared for slower growth for several years, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday.
In a speech at the Tanjong Pagar GRC Tree Planting Day at Henderson Heights, he said Singapore will not resume high growth until the major economies in the world have recovered, which could take years.
But slower growth in Singapore and other countries in Asia ‘will still be higher than other regions of the world’, MM said. Singapore is placed at the junction of three big economies – China, India and Indonesia – which are not export dependent and have been able to grow on the strength of their domestic consumption and investments.
Filed under: Quotes | Leave a Comment
Tags: economy, gdp, lee kuan yew
Lee Kuan Yew at another business forum. CNA:
“I don’t think the world’s future will be decided by either Islamic fundamentalism or Christian reaction to it,” he said.
“The big countries do not fight each other because they all have got nuclear bombs. Your contest in the future will be an economic one – who has the best technology, the best products, who commands the largest market share.
“Today, (it) is the US, despite its difficulties. Japan is not doing badly, although its domestic economy is still sluggish. But as I see it, the next 20 years, the rise of China and India is inexorable.”
India, Mr Lee said, will not be able to move as fast as China because of its poor infrastructure and different languages. …
Mr Lee said: “In business leadership, all you’ve got to do is to get a good organisation and get market share, in other words, get customers to buy your products or buy your services.
“In politics, you’ve got to get the people to vote for you and support you. That’s a completely different kind or set of qualities you require.”
Filed under: Conference, Quotes | 1 Comment
Tags: china, economy, india, leadership, lee kuan yew, The Future of Global Business, visa payments forum
Recent Entries
- Thank you MM Lee, for showing the way
- Dr Mahathir pours scorn on Lee Kuan Yew’s oratory skills in documentary about him
- Dow Jones to Pay Singapore Yet Again
- Lee meets Medvedev, Hu
- MM Lee cautions US against anti-free trade stance
- Chinese president meets with Singaporean Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew
- MM Lee: I can make more money if I am not a minister
- 3% growth in 2010: MM
- Greater acclaim lies abroad for Minister Mentor
- MM Lee says future challenges will focus on economic issues
- Chinese netizens dissatisfied over speech by Lee Kuan Yew
Categories
- Advance notice (15)
- Audio (1)
- Book review (3)
- Commentary (50)
- Conference (14)
- Editorial (10)
- Event (36)
- Interview (10)
- Movie (1)
- Newspaper (104)
- Press release (11)
- Question (2)
- Quotes (63)
- Report (3)
- Rumor (1)
- Speech (25)
- Spotted (6)
- Television (8)
- Television interview (4)
- Transcript (16)
- Uncategorized (7)
- Video (29)
Thank you MM Lee, for showing the way
A lovely example of that Straits Times trademark, the utterly sycophantic reader letter:
I HAVE always been impressed with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew for his vision and passion. But my respect for him has gone up a few more notches after his recent speech to encourage the study of Chinese language differently.
Having believed earlier that every child can master two languages equally well, he admitted his mistake. He said he did not realise that a child’s intelligence and language ability were two different things.
These are the lessons I have learnt from MM Lee:
Thank you, MM Lee, for teaching me how to lead.
Filed under: Commentary, Newspaper | Leave a Comment
Tags: bilingual education, lee kuan yew, mistakes, sycophancy