If you seek his monument, look around Singapore. Wealthy, orderly, efficient, and honestly governed, it is not the work of Lee Kuan Yew alone. But even his severest critics would agree that Mr. Lee, who died this week at the age of 91, played an enormous part. Singapore's leader before "self-government" from Britain in 1959, he was prime minister until 1990, leaving the cabinet only in 2011. Under him, Singapore, with no natural resources, was transformed from a tiny struggling island into one of the world's richest countries.

Admirers look to Singapore as a model and Mr. Lee as a sage. Part of his influence stemmed from his role as a clear-eyed, blunt-speaking geostrategist. He was an astute observer of the defining contest of the times-China's emergence and how America reacts to it. More than that, though, the admirers look to Singapore's combination of prosperity and one-party rule. They see flaws in "Western-style democracy": its short-termism; its disregard for non-voters such as children and foreigners; and its habit of throwing up unqualified leaders. Mr. Lee's "meritocracy" promises a solution.

China's leaders, especially, are fascinated by Mr. Lee's firm grip on power: it is no accident that the second-most-powerful man in the Chinese hierarchy is not running the economy or the interior ministry, but is President Xi Jinping's enforcer, Wang Qishan. Others, including Rwanda's authoritarian president, Paul Kagame, who is seeking to rewrite the constitution to allow himself a third term, enthusiastically compare themselves to Singapore's founding father. Mr. Lee does indeed have much to teach the world; but when his admirers conclude that Singapore proves authoritarianism works, they are drawing the wrong lesson.

SYNOPSIS: Authoritarians draw the wrong lessons from Lee Kuan Yew's success in Singapore.

QUESTION: 

Why do Lee Kuan Yew's admirers conclude that Singapore proves authoritarianism works? 

Why does the author of this article argue that "they are drawing the wrong lesson?"

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Heres the breakdown of why Lee Kuan Yews admirers see Singapore as a model for authoritarianism and why the author disagrees Admirers Conclusion Singa... View the full answer