问答题
Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀) embodies a uniquely Asian
approach to governance that has often been at odds with the Western democratic
principles. {{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}} {{/U}}{{U}}For decades, he has
spoken in favor of "Asian values", a political philosophy that might be loosely
summed up as respect for authority and order, while putting the good of society
above that of the individual.{{/U}} His criticisms have focused on the excesses of
democracy, particularly freedom of speech, and the impact they have on the
search for economic growth. {{U}} {{U}} 12
{{/U}} {{/U}}{{U}}In the past, Lee has not been shy about singling out those
nations in which an excess of democracy's messiness has tempered steady economic
progress and the betterment of the life chances of ordinary folk.{{/U}} But the
strength of his argument does not rest only on other nations' failures. For as
any visitor can attest, the scale of what Lee and his colleagues have achieved
by applying his principles is simply astonishing. It is an
almost miraculous achievement, and one in which Lee and his colleagues take
justifiable pride. It is, moreover, something that has been much admired, to the
point of imitation, around the region. {{U}} {{U}} 13 {{/U}}
{{/U}}{{U}}Asian leaders like Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir and Indonesia's
President Suharto may rarely have chosen to admit it, but their "economy first"
strategy owes much to the intelligence of this Cambridge-educated lawyer{{/U}}.
Above all China's leaders have for three decades come to Singapore to listen, to
learn, and to admire. Yet for all Singapore's success, there
remains a feeling that it has come at a price. Lee's methods have found plenty
of critics at home and abroad. {{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}}
{{/U}}{{U}}Ordinary Singaporeans when questioned about tics of Lee and his family,
without quite knowing it, they often instinctively lower their voices and glance
over their shoulders.{{/U}} "People are still too frightened to talk about the
taboo subjects," wrote Catherine Lim. There are few voices prepared to speak out
in favor of wider democratic debate. {{U}} {{U}}
15 {{/U}} {{/U}}{{U}}For his part, Lee Kuan Yew acknowledges that there is
a need to make Singaporeans less dependent on the government and to encourage
more open debate{{/U}}. He insists that the ruling Party can absorb and benefit
from dissenting voices. But he is determined that Singaporeans are not yet ready
for the vociferous free market of ideas that typifies, for example, politics in
the U.S. "I see the marketplace of ideas, as in the Philippines, and I see
chaos," he says, while adding: "Gradually, we will loosen up."