Interesting commentary in The Star:

FEARED for his destruction of political foes, Lee Kuan Yew once predicted that when he quit, a new breed of quality politicians would come out to challenge his party.

Today Lee remains very influential in the Cabinet, but his prophecy is prematurely coming to pass.

At 87, the Minister Mentor is seeing the emergence of a rising number of Singaporeans with good academic credentials to take on his successors. At the peak of tough – but effective – rule, none but the bravest would have dared to venture without preparing to pay a price.

There are several reasons for the change. First, years of stepped-up investment on education has given birth to a highly-expecting, worldly-wise population.

Second, Lee has mellowed and his charisma of power perceivably declined because of age; a counter-trend is taking place that could eventually end Singapore’s predominant one-party structure.

Lee has predicted the PAP could retain power for two more terms – or 10 years – but after that it would depend on its leadership capabilities.

(He confirmed his increasing passive role in a recent interview when he said he was not doing much work these days “except forecasting”.)

The public fear of Lee, once a dominant feature that influenced many aspects of society, has significantly decreased.