Lee Kuan Yew’s 3 key decisions that made Singapore rich - Tony Blair

Full Episode: • Tony Blair - Constrain...
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[@hiroyukishinichi9873]

Spot on for all 3. 1. English as working language is a master stroke - no fight amongst the races, not the mother language of the Chinese, Malays, Indians. Keep their own mother tongue, but use English commonly. ALSO, it allows us to plug in to the World! 2. Bring in Big Corporations - enact our own laws, respect and enforce our own laws (which umbilically links to point 3 on corruption), the powerful and wealthy corporations wun have that much power over us even though back then, MNCs were very powerful. 3. Pay civil servants and ministers FAIRLY based on market rate - no perks like the US president (how much just to feed the secret service? And the two air force ones?), just a base yet competitive salary (fixed component + variable component depending on performance of the country). Coupled with tough stance on corruption, we have the most efficient and clean public service in the whole world.

[@supersaiyanblue44]

But how did you guys battle that big population. Singapore is literally one of the densely populated countries. How 6 million live in tiny island?

[@wf645]

@@supersaiyanblue44 You will be surprise ! Buildings does not need to be expanded sideways, it can be built up and through careful planning.

[@supersaiyanblue44]

@@wf645 isn't it dangerous to live in those tall buildings and skyscrapers. Won't they fall during earthquakes?

[@wf645]

@@supersaiyanblue44 Singapore does NOT have any natural disaster ! As I know all skyscrapers are safe and no such issues as you spoke of !

[@rajindarsingh1417]

I’m a Singaporean & many of us complain a lot. However when I look at the alternative , I’m truly appreciative & grateful. Singapore is forward thinking, always building & enticing the best to set up shop here. When you see the larger picture… you will see it clearly.

[@lienlaopei5682]

Blair literally cringed when the question if he could advise LKY was asked.

[@IA100KPDT]

yep, one of the most stupid question ever asked.

[@hoifeikwok7457]

There are more to these. He made sure everyone in Singapore is first and foremost Singaporean. You can be ethnic Malay, Chinese, Indian or Eurasian but first you are a Singaporean. Through the housing policy, he made sure all ethnicities live alongside each other. There is no Malay, Chinese or Indian area, unlike parts of UK where you find ghettos for a particular ethnic or religious group. Singapore also did not pursue affirmation policy for a particular ethnic group (unlike in Malaysia). Importantly, he decided not to pursue the same welfare system as in UK (despite having supported Labour Party in his youth).

[@SG_1fan]

Then why is Singapore just about the only govt in the world which tracks race off its population and enforces it on the national ID card?

[@SohaiKia]

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[@impopquiz]

@@SG_1fanwhy not? Can’t u be proud of your heritage? 😅

[@edwinpoon]

​@@SG_1fanif u r SGean, how come u don't know it is to enforce mixing of race by policy? U sound like a HIS from another country.

[@lamdao1242]

RE: not pursuing affirmative action. Not exactly true. My understanding is that Malay Singaporeans do not have to pay university fees, unlike the Chinese Singaporeans. Quite honestly to help uplift a group of people who are finding it more difficult to fit into & thrive in the modern world is the RIGHT thing to do. There is nothing wrong with affirmative action per se. It’s all about its execution I think Singapore gets affirmative action right. For whatever reasons Malay Singaporeans have struggled to get into the upper echelons of singaporean society. For example: if you look at the university enrolment overall and especially for the STEMS faculties or even the business and Law faculty, you will find that Malays enrolment are below their population percentages in singapore. I believe there are a social cultural impediments and I believe it’s right to give the Malays an extra helping hand. This can take a several forms including:. Lower university fees Admission to some of these faculties at 5% lower marks. Why? Because sometimes the lower marks is NOT the fault of the student but the overall system. Just like rich parents can pay for the best tutoring, and poorer parents are finding out that this sort of extra tutoring and enrichment classes matter. Are the children of rich parents really deserving of gaining places in the most sought after faculties like medicine, law because of special coaching and all the advantages bought by the wealth of their parents and grandparents? Nope So financial background should be taken into account Similarly socio cultural backgrounds as a separate consideration shoud also be taken into account in giving affirmative action for a particular group. Sometimes you can’t dream of becoming something until you see someone in your own group achieve it. Then it’s like a barrier is broken When so few Malays are doctors, lawyers, engineers, computer scientists, CFOs etc. I think it’s difficult for a young Malay boy or girl to even aspire or dream of becoming one. So it is important to give them a boost if we can.

[@rabbitwooden2184]

LKY, the legend. He led the development of a tiny island without resources into a mega global player.

[@forgetmyname5166]

In an interview, during his old age when lky say he got no regrets during his governing of Singapore, I am thinking to myself, sir how true is that statement. I miss you 🙏

[@ultimateteacher]

LKY was never a dictator - we are free to vote out the government any time. But we choose not to do so. Thanks to LKY and his system of government, we have a strong SGD dollar so we can travel and work anywhere we want in the world. The city is safe, kids get a strong education, we enjoy an excellent public health system and good transporation network. Almost everyone has access to an excellent public housing system. The system requires us to be prepared to work to get access to these benefits and the welfare system is improving to help those who cant help themselves. We are happy.

[@Callsign-Blade_RunnerSG]

😂😂😂😂… “We are free to vote out the government anytime”… Yes sure, very unlikely with the GERRYMANDERING of the electoral boundaries after every elections by your one party state. 😏

[@gohkr5062]

The above commenter @ultimateteacher is part of the Internet Battalion (IB), which is similar to the Wu Mao Army of CCP. PAP pays IBs, using tax money, to scour the internet and spread pro-PAP views online like this. This closed-door operation has been going on since 2007. FYI, PAP is the rulling party of Singapore which locks up and sue capable opposition members during elections and have a totalitarian majority in parliament for 60 years. As a middle class Singaporean, I find it a lie that Singapore is the richest country. Its so not, I still have to hustle like mad, housing is still extremely expensive which is about 5x average annual income. Cost of living is high and is impossible for lower/middle class to retire. GDP figures are probably artifical figures and inflated by billionaires and millionaires who run their own business and pay themselves. Citizenship given away like free gifts to foreigners. Ironically, the biggest beneficiaries of Singapore's economic success are PRs, especially Malaysian PRs who are able to take advantage of the exchange rate. National Service (Military Service) is compulsory for Singaporeans which takes away 2 years of the prime life of all local males at pathetic pay, while government gives jobs and scholarships to foreigners. Lee Hsien Loong is committing treason. Trying to brand up Singapore in order to sell it. You don't brand something you don't want to sell.

[@___Danny___]

Singapore is so small that no matter how you gerrymandered it as long as 50+% or more want them out , they are still out.

[@gohkr5062]

@___Danny___ LOL, not true. Please go and do the math... you can even Gerrymander a group with 10 people. There's an infinite number of ways for you to Gerrymander when you have the ability to draw up boundaries as and when you like. The game, Mafia, also known as Werewolf, is a Russian social deduction game created by Dimitry Davidoff in 1986. The game models a conflict between two groups: an informed minority (Werewolves) and an uninformed majority (villagers). The conclusion is the informed minority will always win against the uninformed. Please go Google the social engagement game called Mafia or Werewolf.

[@ultimateteacher]

To all the commentators who responded to my post - to clarify I am not part of the government nor indoctrinated. I have lived n worked in SE Asia, Europe and elsewhere and i truly appreciate what a great place Singapore is. As far as I am concerned we have as best a country to live in - no where is perfect but this is as perfect as it will get. No point for so called "democracy" n free uncontrolled speech that hurts the feelings of others and makes the streets unsafe. Singapore has rule of law and my rights are protected in the courts and by the police. I enjoy good medical care and have a job. I can buy a car if i want or take the train. Its up to me and my abilities to earn. There is no free ride anywhere in the world or free handouts. If you want a free ride, u suffer the consequences.

[@SV-wu2my]

We moved in recently. Singapore is a great country. Very safe place to live. Excellent transportation system and laguage is English everywhere.

[@Gorgor9651]

Small but convenient place !!

[@SohaiKia]

FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS FAKE NEWS

[@pauladams1211]

Tony Blair should be in jail for war crimes. Don't ask him for advice

[@yao052]

What are you even doing here if you have nothing useful to say?

[@klim4385]

Loved how Tony Blair laughed at the question. Dwarkesh do some research please.

[@zyzhang1130]

Bro needs to get humbled

[@ignatiuschua5268]

The best trait of LKY was that he will see the ideas through. If the idea bore fruit, well and good. If not, he will scrap it.

[@clementihammock7572]

Oh yes, esp. the Strategic Water Resource and the island wide greenery.

[@barriolimbas]

Political will

[@Lee.Hsien-Yung]

Singapore is a multicultural and safest country in the world

[@A.L.765]

His decisions are worthy of appreciation. However, they were customised for Singapore's unique conditions. We can't directly transplant what worked for Singapore and apply those principles elsewhere. South Korea for example achieved incredible economic growth but it had much higher levels of corruption. When America caught up to the UK and left it behind, America had much higher levels of corruption. Similarly, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan were able to achieve phenomenal growth despite not adopting English. Bringing in intellectual capital however is common in all these cases. But in some cases like Singapore, it involved bringing in people who embodied that intellectual capital, while countries like South Korea, Taiwan and Japan focused more on the education and knowledge transfer (not saying they didn't bring in talented people from abroad, they just did it on a lesser scale than Singapore).

[@squamish4244]

They didn't need to either, they had the population base. As one example of how unique Singapore is. Now that Singapore was able to do this as such a small country is incredible, but it is not translatable. Big countries will have corruption, unfortunately, when they progress. Not Russia levels of corruption, though...then then you end up like...Russia.

[@sciencefliestothemoon2305]

Someone spoke English, and brought back all that knowledge

[@user-ms9nh2gw4w]

The environment and context is very different. Singapore fought for independence from British rule and was thrown out of the Malaysia federation. It is a small city state, small in size and population. It is not a homogenous society. It is surrounded at that time by hostile countries and all are Muslims and Singapore is a multi-cultural society. Totally different from Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.

[@Callsign-Blade_RunnerSG]

@A.L.765 I disagree on the Part that English is “not neccessary” to achieve phenomenal growth. These three countries you’ve mentioned has or are already hitting a plateau soon precisely because their average citizens couldn’t communicate well in English enough to tap on Talents and ideas from different Parts of the World.

[@squamish4244]

@@Callsign-Blade_RunnerSG Japan has hit a plateau because it has the oldest population in the world. That's why the Japanese government became the first one to start pouring money into anti-aging research. It has to.

[@sunny96789]

LKY is a legend! Man was a genius and also key to China opening up and learning from the success in Singapore.

[@kelvinkj7074]

Singapore is a multiracial meritocracy. 😊

[@AvengeBasketball]

“If ure advising LKY” - How did he come up with such a stewpeeeeed question. 🤦

[@sebastianniqvist3144]

Indeed respect to what Singapore has achieved. In 2024 Singapore is the 3rd most important financial center in the world after Wall Street (New York) and London I am certain that bank in 1965 nobody thought Singapore could achieve that.

[@DonkiDonkey]

Discussing the reasons for Singapore's success is admirable. But the philosophy behind it is pragmatism. The functional mix of capitalism and socialism. The relentless effort to attract capital mixed with a public housing program, ensures the workers are invested in the country success.

[@tanchye1720]

Agreed. These 3 ideologies made Singapore what it is today. Hmm..for other countries today, it’s quite any impossible tasks to do likewise. 1. You need to have a good leader like LKY. 2. Corruptions are already embedded in most countries and it will be very difficult to eradicate. 3. A country must not be a ‘puppet’ of another and their choices made are controlled by another dominant country. Their balls are squeezed so to speak.

[@swordfireguy5869]

Lee Kuan Yew didn’t get his country into stupid wars like Tony Blair did. When the US asked him to send troops to Vietnam, Lee Kuan Yew rejected that proposal outright. Saying the US did not consult with Southeast Asia before invading Vietnam, so why should Southeast Asia help the US in Vietnam.

[@Hs5687]

Yes , bcz he was busy Marginalising & Oppressing SG Muslims and Looting & Plundering ARAB Properties … Consolation is Only After LKY was Caught Red Handed and Paraded like a Common Street Criminal at SG’s Sikh Police Temple, is SG now taking steps to Correct LKY’s Predatory Bad Habits & Racist Policies 😂

[@timrice9444]

There was absolutely no need to bring this up. The fact Blair took the UK into Iraq and Afghanistan alongside the Americans has very little to do with what we can learn from LKY. People like you always miss the big picture.

[@gohkr5062]

"Singaporean leaders had encouraged the American involvement in the Vietnam War because of the perceived threat of Communism to Singapore's survival. The Singapore government had also offered military repair support for the American warships and aircrafts that were fighting in Vietnam because it aimed to establish an American military presence in Singapore, which could contribute to the stability for the country. These refitting assistances had stimulated the growth of Singapore's ship repair and aerospace industries. The Singapore government sought to earn economic revenues when it supplied refined oil for the American military efforts in South Vietnam. " - Chow, Chia Yung (Research Paper: Vietnam war and its influence on Singapore, 2016)

[@PopChampa-hj5gn]

Talking without fact checking, typical bots. Go read up www.mindef.gov.sg/web/portal/mindef/news-and-events/latest-releases/article-detail/2022/December/04dec22_speech

[@PopChampa-hj5gn]

Who should we believe? A nobody in youtube comments or Singapore's minister of defence? Directly from Singapore's minister of defence, you can find kt from mindef's website. Singapore, we have to give credit to Mr Lee Kuan Yew for, decided very early on that we would support US presence in ASEAN and even during difficult periods of Vietnam War, we openly stated that we believe that the US presence was a stabilising force. One of the first acts was to allow US soldiers that were posted to Vietnam to do their Rest and Recreation (R&R) in Singapore. And in 1967, when there were questions about US presence in our region, Mr Lee made it clear that the US presence was important. This was before US, as post world war two victors, and its Western allies were creating a global system, whether it was Bretton Woods, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organisation, finance and trade.

[@josephyeo6966]

Mr. Blair is totally right in identifying the three key elements of Singapore's success with LKY. There is a fourth element which is more important and it ensured Singapore's continuity in maintaining their success. That is, LKY's doctrine of meritocracy, and a nation built on justice and equality regardless of race, language or religion. Once you mix religion with government or a government based on religion (theocracy), then you will trouble with success. Once you mix race, language and religion under the guise of multiculturism and diversity, you will have disunity.

[@isamuldn]

The UK needs a LKY type leader now

[@cleanenergyinside1921]

But Tony Blair didnt learn a thing from LKY. He made Britain poor during his time 😂

[@tohweecheng]

I will like to hear what Chris Patten has to say about LKY........ Patten got a lesson on democracy the last time both of them were on the same stage.

[@xxxcool2565]

But sadly a handful Singaporeans are still ungrateful for the sucess and prosperous city state it has become and has sought to create discontent and rile up the population with their ulterior agenda.

[@Mochi_animals]

Maybe because we are we can't actually offered to alot of the stuff you can say we are ungrateful but we do struggle with the fast pace of the economy

[@raj.yadav007]

We are grateful to Lee Kuan Yew, but that doesn’t mean we have no criticism of the current leaders, or differing views on policies that affect the public

[@xxxcool2565]

Singapore thrives, turning from 3rd world to first in 1 generation because it has great leadership and citizens that are made of sterner stuff. Not some pussy who are weak and feeble like some of today generation.

[@xxxcool2565]

Back in the days everyone wanted Singapore and Singaporeans to fail. From Malaysia to Indonesia to China. Nobody gave us a chance nobody even thought we would survive let alone become 1 world in 1 generation. The citizens then were made of sterner stuff. Today we live with a bunch of puss that can't take the heat coz they are too pampered by the previous gen

[@lil----lil]

Singapore is a tiny pint sized nation. IT was DO or DIE for them. The extremely heavy handed approach was the correct and ONLY way and it shows.

[@Rubicon365]

LKY is a sage ❤

[@hsheuw]

FYI... LKY chose right and picked a Albertus Winsemius, a Dutchman as his trusted advisor. Had he picked American / American-leaning advisors, like Indonesia did thru the so-called Berkley-mafia clique, Singapore would have ended in economic quagmire like 1997-1998 Indonesia during the Asian economic crisis. It must pain the Indons so much that they've been occupied the Dutch for no less than 3 centuries and yet still trails so far behind of Singapore. Lol

[@forgetmyname5166]

I may not like the government policy but I trust them👍, look around yourself in Singapore, look at the trees 🌴 is so comforting, if the day they stop taking care of the trees I may change my opinion on the government ☺️

[@skanthaadsigns]

Hey its WMD-Tony🎉

[@AusterlitzDavout-uk9ou]

Lky knew how implement his visions ! Walked his talked, not just talk the talk...like many other politicians did & still do...! ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER, than WORDS ! EXACTLY..!!! AMEN !

[@atlas9001]

Singapore is one of the few countries that surpasses its colonial host (UK) economically, thanks to Lee Kuang Yeu

[@timrice9444]

Many former UK colonies have surpassed the UK in terms of GDP per capita, including Australia, Canada, HK, Singapore. It’s something the Brits can be proud of to this day.

[@hotmzc1977]

Religious harmony is also a key.

[@TheRealMcCoyAndChipsAhoy]

Smart answer...you dont give advise to LKY...especially no one from the West in its current state..

[@PGHEngineer]

Singapore GDP per capita $83,000. London GDP per capita $73,000 per capita. UK GDP per capita $46,000.

[@santusanturohit4832]

How will Singapore deal with Nicobar port project by India?

[@glennnielsen8054]

Decentralization, accountability and the right incentives are central to success.

[@steventay5834]

There are many poor Singaporeans and cars are damn expensive. Also a stressful place to work. Otherwise, Sg is a good country

[@littledrummerboy9080]

Personally, I think two of LKY's best decisions were joining Malaysia although Singapore got kicked out by Malaysia. Secondly, he placed a limit on the number of people from the same racial group who can stay in the same housing estate to prevent racial enclaves building up. This keeps the country which is made up of people from several races and religions united.

[@riser7795]

I can't stress how important your second point is. Unfortunately this will be a no go in today's political climate, all the major western news outlets will be writing hit piece about you if one dares to implement such policy. The west usually shape the global narrative, no political leader will undertake such risk as it goes against what the west believe in

[@___Danny___]

Next is NS , cos no matter what colour your skin is , only one colour matters and that is green.

[@wtan1851]

LKY made only one decisive decision, and that is to follow the Japanese development model, with some modifications. The alternatives at that time were the neoliberal model (e.g. US) or socialist model (e.g. China). S. Korea and Taiwan also did the same thing; that's why they are the Asian Tigers of the 1970s and 1980s. The institutional innovations were based on this model.

[@nopenonein]

And what is this Japanese development model, with some modifications 😅?

[@impopquiz]

He pulled from many countries’ models which he thought will work for SG. Eg. HDB was from UK.

[@chosk80]

@@impopquiz HDB was actually looking at both the UK ( Council Housing Concept ) but most importantly using Hong Kong ( Then a British Colony) as an example.

[@ccerrato147]

That last one is hard to implement.

[@prabak7739]

It's 4. You forgot Singapore's adopting the meritocracy system. Anyway, I can clearly see why their bigger neighbours are trailing far behind bcoz they took the exact opposite approach to all these, namely, quota system, rampant corruption, dropping English language as the medium of instruction in schools and in official correspondence and brain-drain. On the contrary, Singapore followed all the praiseworthy 4 principles devotedly to become a rich, fully developed and respected first-world country. There is no shortcut to success.

[@haha4581]

When a war crime speaks, 99% are B.S. England itself speaks English and have a lot of big cooperation but they are only middle income country in Europe. What makes Singapore very successful us because of meritocracy system, harsh punishments for corruptions and hard working Singaporean. Compare to laziness of British, you can't achieve what Singapore has achieved.

[@SWandG]

Tony Blair makes money now talking about LKY.

[@sktang7145]

He is utter garbage and a liar. As are current western leaders judging from the present state of affairs over there.

[@ravichanana3148]

Central control can work well in small population.

[@cckave3]

LKY didnt teach his children to be united

[@taipangwong356]

Just give residence to super rich foreigners...

[@nicholaswoof88]

Please be respectful. Right now, UK needs to set things right on the current situation in UK. Otherwise, the future of UK is dead. So don't talk about Singapore, handle your own affairs first

[@desmondchee9976]

LKY was the longest serving Prime Minister at that time. He entered politics at a young age and his experience far outweighs all the shots of bigger countries. But these big shots are too big to want to learn from LKY. I mean the west has always been ones to think that they are far superior.

[@andrewngai7185]

Its funny why he chose Tony Blair to ask these questions? More to the thought, if Uk are to make 3 key decisions in this very moment in time. I wonder what it would be?

[@harrisonhuanglin]

天佑新加坡🇸🇬

[@andrewlee1275]

There are more than 3 brilliant decisions. A lot more.

[@Kompak-eq3bt]

And what did Blair do?

[@vincentchapa2086]

It's crazy to have war criminals go around and give retrospective interviews.

[@davidwee1975]

Haha most Singaporeans will strongly disagree. The few exceptions are those who lost elections and those who are foreigners and can't tolerate a Singapore who does not develop based on western model.

[@Charlie43348]

Empirically, these decisions made Singapore incredibly successful. There is nothing to disagree on lol

[@Mochi_animals]

also if our country is that Great why let the foreigners take our livelihoods is it because they bring green bags and we don't and calls us lazy? Like what? And because we love complain sometimes we complain because theres a reason to it not for fun.. almost all Singaporeans are doing food deliverys/ insurance and others while foreigners become ceo/ engineers and etc literally high paying jobs

[@jer2911.L]

RUBBISH

[@richardhare1734]

His best decision was to operate a proper small government free market... something Blair never did.

[@kelvin.008]

But education is still not free in Singapore. Very affordable yes it is for the majority. Must be free as the citizens is the only asset.

[@___Danny___]

We don’t believe in free lunch.

[@user-nl9kg8cl6m]

While all malaysian keep saying save palestine and ended up in bankruptcy

[@johnyjsl9219]

When I lived there I found it much too hot and humid and somewhat boring.

[@lamdao1242]

Hot? Correct. Humid? Correct. Boring? Correct But frankly, boring is good in singapore. I like that the most drama thing in the last 6 months was the 6 Taylor Swift concerts and Singapore neighbours getting angry that she didn’t hold a concert outside of Singapore because allegedly, Singapore government negotiated an exclusivity with Taylor’s management team. The state is well run, the buses and MRT are regular and frequent, the streets are clean and green, and life is predictable. My phone doesn’t get snatched from my hands, my handbag snatched from my shoulders, the lights & water turn on when I flick the switch. People by and large obey traffic rules so that incidence of road rage is very rare. There are few guns, we don’t need them. Out dollar is strong and stable. Employment is high. Etc etc. Boring is good. I can always travel to America if I want a change. 😅

[@johnyjsl9219]

@@lamdao1242 are you correct? Correct lah !

[@patriciastamaria9619]

singapore is rich because Malaysian First Prime Minister gave Lee Kuan Yew THE PORT

[@MDroid-bn6eb]

Singapore will be rich no matter what. It was already a thriving city state with a bustling port in the 50s. Not some backwater fishing village as claimed by the great man. For comparison, it is equivalent in economic progress to the state of Penang in Malaysia but without the Buniputera policy to hinder them. 😂😂

[@KKohl]

Obviously u dont know SG well enough to make such misleading statements. Lky didnt claim SG to be a fishing village but the Brits did. N while SG did grow to be a thriving port under the Brits from the 1800s , the conditions after WW2 were a different situation as SG recovered from the war. The Chinese communists set in to influence a portion of the population to go against the colonial rulers to fight for independence by having an armed struggle against the Brits n creating chaos n havoc . Hence the economy suffered n struggled n SG suffered a high unemployment rate of 9% with crimes rife n more than half of the population living in squatters n huts. My dad worked in SG in the 50s to the 80s n he witnessed the transformation of SG under the great man.

[@chosk80]

cope more

[@xxxcool2565]

What utter rubbish. Singapore was a port, yes but it was not a thriving port like it is today.

[@ianstreet5724]

Please don't forget the extremely expensive infrastructure left behind by the colonialists - roads, electricity generation, a nascent public housing project, military hardware including airbases and dry docks, schools, a university, a legal and health system etc etc etc. Singapore’s earthquake- free location on the Malacca Straits and extremely clement weather are the inexhaustible natural resources it was also blessed with. Sad to say, you'll have to sift through all the nonsense written by butthurt Singaporean exceptionalists who feel that no-one else could have managed to make Singapore successful other than LKY and themselves.

[@KKohl]

@@ianstreet5724obviously u do not know SG well enough as Sg was a poor country after the war. My father saw the rebuilding of SG from the 1950s where majority lived in shacks n huts to the 1980s when the majority got to live in public housing till today.

[@richardchee2454]

Tony Blair just showed how much ignorant he is about Singapore. The first thing that LKY did when SG became independent was to get up in front of National TV and make this statement..."...I have 2 million people under my charge, I am not here to play anybody's game. Singapore will survive.." LKY was a nationalist numero uno. He puts Singaporeans first, front and centre in all he did. Not like the globalists politicians of the Tories and Labour today that hawk the streets of London. He had no one quarreling with him about using English as the language of commerce. It was inherited from the British in the laws and commerce. It make perfect sense to all at large to adopt English as the working language. LKY encouraged each ethnic community to learn their own ethnic language and designate 4 official languages - Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English. Malay is actually the National Language. SG's national anthem is in Malay. LKY welcome global investments that created jobs for the locals but he did not open up the borders so wide and let into SG all and sundry like what the British govt had done in the last 14 years. He was selective. He ensured there was actually tech and know how transfers that benefitted the locals and not had the locals replaced by cheap foreigners. That is how SIA and the Singapore Girls became the "greatest way to fly". Tony Blair may have learn many things from LKY, one thing he has not is learn to take care of his own people and not impose a globalist agenda on every nation state.

[@disciplinefreedom3083]

War crimes criminal right there.

[@CheMatTokJanggut]

An unconvicted war criminal

[@phoneyaccount]

The interviewer is the typical problem with the generic British commentary media that can not grow out of the deeply seated unconscious British mindset of talking down and "advising others". They are after all a colonial power for 100s of years and once ruled Singapore. How can Singapore be doing better than the Brits, hence the pointed question of "How would Blair have advised Lee" because clearly Lee would have done even better under Brit advice. Thankfully Blair was intelligent enough and humble enough to fix the immature interviewer's question and rerouted the question with an answer that would not have made him look the fool which the interviewer would have made him so. Come on. Let's be real. If Brits were really that politically and economically savvy, would Brexit have happened? Would they gone thru so many Prime Ministers since Blair? The United States has only had 3 presidential changes since 2009 vs 5 prime ministers since 2007 for the Brits!

[@timrice9444]

The interviewer is clearly not British. He’s speaking with a Canadian or American accent. You write a long comment bashing the Brits, and haven’t even realised the interviewer isn’t British. Oh, and well done for bringing up Brexit, which has absolutely nothing to do with the interview.

[@phoneyaccount]

@@timrice9444 Sounds like you would need brushing up on English language if it is your first language. No where did I state he is a Brit. Calling something a typical British commentary media piece is different from calling someone a Brit. Brexit was voted a done deal by the Brits themselves, an example of stellar economic choices made by the British public who last I checked as still a democracy, and in English, context is everything, being that it was brought up to show how Brits aren't that good with THEIR choices. Maybe you ought to do some brushing up on your English knowledge? I mean, if you are a Brit, you would be the perfect specimen piece for my write up. The whole you know... hearing your own voice and the talking down and "advising others", and er... yea "you know nothing about brexit!!!!xyz"

[@timrice9444]

@@phoneyaccount okay mate, whatever. You say “British mindset” from the interviewer? And then bring Brexit into it, which isn’t even relevant. Maybe you need to check your own mindset. This interview is excellent. I enjoy listening to Tony Blair despite his shortcomings. The interviewer does a good job steering the interview. Where are you from by the way? Is your country squeaky clean?

[@Awarene613]

Giving this man a platform to talk and promoting his narcism. He should be in prison! Since Blair has been in power in UK,the country has gone down...

[@Callsign-Blade_RunnerSG]

Lol… He speaks of LKY as if he’s a genius the level of a saint. Meanwhile, Singapore has one of the LOWEST fertility rates in the world MADE WORST by his initial policies for couples to stop at two… 😂

[@denisechan5992]

Yes, LKY administration brought in the best talent around the world but his son brought in talents from third world country. LKY had zero tolerance for corruption but the son has great tolerance for corruption, like the Keppel case and Iswaran case still pending after more than a year

[@Mochi_animals]

And the milk powder too

[@peterq6598]

No corruption but LEEgal CORRUPTION ACCEPTED

[@Mochi_animals]

I feel like that when lky changed our 😮mother tongue to English it was a good choice and at the same time a really bad choice too as we have certainly lost our mother tongue plus our ethnicity/ culture and forced to learn British/ American language which it isn't our native language our native language are Cantonese/hainanese/hokkien/ teochew and Chinese etc we all have lost that touch to our own cultures. Ever since then Singapore isnt really Singapore anymore. We don't even know how to speak Chinese or even matter if fact speak proper English our schools aren't as world class as it seems we got the other end of the stick while the rich people get ( better teachers and better education for q very high price point) we keep mixing English Chinese and hokkien or English and malay or English and hindu etc basically singenglish which i doubt thats what lky wanted tbh. We all are bloody stressed and money driven to be very frank because our starting salary isn't high ($2-5k) after college which includes the cpf that our government takes from us to use for housing and medical and other stuff but whatever is in the cpf cant be used at all not even when ur retired and old unless ur died or move to a different country then yes all could be taken out. Even with 1 million can't survive in this country tbh all the bills will suck you dry up! HDB/ BTO "supposed" to be cheap for Singaporeans if actually anyone looked up average price is $400k -$1 2 million depending on how many rooms and location too theres one room as either bomb shelter/ study room/ Storage room bedrooms are 3-5 rooms which includes the stuff i just said you can't rent your house for 5 -10 years out at all. Don't forget all the loans mortgages house bills you gotta pay for. Its really not Worth it staying here unless you're an expat then yeah go ahead sure. We aren't crazy rich Asians at all. We are very poor actually.

[@jer2911.L]

Rakhine State is a good place to stay.

[@Voy2378]

it was capitalism and selective immigration... too bad Blair is playing dumb...

[@yongxiongdai4733]

There are many poor people in Singapore. Tony doesn't know what he is talking about. The part about importing foreign talent instead of standing on our 2 feet is awfully shortsighted. Look at Taiwan, it is their locals that are powering their advancement in it and ai.

[@xxxcool2565]

BS from another opposition IB funded by foreign agent to create chaos in SG. You don't know what you are talking about. Nobody starves in SG unlike many countries yet these foreign black ops trying to spew false news

[@morbid747]

There's poor people but not to the extent of having homeless in the streets , food banks everywhere , massive government expenditure on welfare , food stamps , slums etc.

[@chosk80]

There is poor people in all advance nations. Poor But not in poverty. At please don't bring Taiwan in. It is a backwards country ruled by corrupted politicians , triads. You obviously haven't travel and experience enough when it comes to the real world..sadly like a lot of Singaporeans who are living in a bubble. Let me know how many Singaporean girls work as KTV girls as compared to Taiwanese girls before you compare their shitty IT and AI.

[@jer2911.L]

Taiwan without importing Morris Chang, an American citizen would not have TMSC today. Taiwanese by themselves do not power their advancement in IT and AI. Many many foreign talents are in TSMC.

[@vapourkl5324]

no welfare state and no subsidies.

[@deschan2246]

To those who truly knows, Lky is highly overrated

[@chosk80]

dude, you have LKY derangement syndrome. I have seen you talk shit at almost every imaginable LKY video there is on youtube. Seriously, you need medication for your obsession.

[@PopChampa-hj5gn]

Yes, you would have done a better job than him. You would have led Singapore to colonize the solar system. All hail god emperor mr nobody

[@deschan2246]

@PopChampa-hj5gn wat do u know?🤣😂 how long hv u live in Singapore or u just another brainless parrot echoing propaganda? 🤣😂

[@jer2911.L]

@deschan2246 Of course you, a second class Malaysian citizen can do better. That is why Malaysia is what it is today.

[@paulr1125]

Blair knows nothing about Singapore ,

[@bobstone826]

blairs evil as caught up with face he is haggard,

[@mohammadmotiurrahman]

War criminal

[@chua2237]

Ky was peranakan he joined SCBA SCBA loyal to the queen, language was used as the number 1 weapon of colonization,if Malay Muslims as wicked as Anglo-Saxon we can't be successful.

[@bjarke7886]

Tony blair is the morally bankrupt version of LKY.

[@lightgatha]

Never ask the imperialist coloniser how to develop your country.

[@feliz2892]

This Guy is saying nonsense.

[@jimbojimbo6873]

People forget how bad singapore is for those at the bottom Judge a country by how it treats it’s lowest of the social hierarchy. Their penal system is atrocious, but no one sees it.

[@squamish4244]

Yes, they have a brutal medieval penal system, but even Singapore's 'slums' aren't slums, they're more like army barracks. Not great, but nobody lying in the streets and open sewage running through etc.

[@ferrarialim]

This guy obviously havent gone anywhere out of singapore.

[@squamish4244]

@@ferrarialim I've obviously educated myself on the subject.

[@aaronwee5956]

I would rather be in Singapore if I was at the bottom. There’s has food, shelter, clean drinking water, healthcare, and full access to public amenities(which are top notch). Sure i can’t buy the latest iPhone, but I’d rather be broke in Singapore than anywhere else

[@Buttercookies0]

Can confirm you have not been in Sg nor interact with those at the bottom. Those people get support, whether from the govt agencies or charity groups. You don't see people sleeping on the streets, do you?

[@indirakrishnan4496]

We Singaporeans think country first.We do not waste our time fighting my GOD is the greatest.We practise religion in our homes and place of worship in a civil manner.we respect each other as citizen and not on race,religion.

[@liowpohhuat9107]

Many.intelectual books encyclopedia in English to gain wide knowledge no doubt English very important language especially invoveld science ,maths and business

[@bassrooten2217]

Yeah okay let’s all use a dictator as a example

[@RahimRahmat]

Ok, if you feel this is not correct, then use the British, American or any other leaders. I'm sure they are much better examples. Let's analyse how well the leader's country has progressed under this leader's direction. So, please direct me to a video or even put up your own. I actually would be interested to study other leaders to see better ways of handling the country. (Oh... yeah... note - I'm actually not being sarcastic here.... I'm actually serious and interested).

[@SchmelvinMoyville]

Who is Leak-On-You?

[@emectar1773]

quite a few people think the most effective/rational leader of all time

[@bassrooten2217]

@@emectar1773 yeah if your a extremist into totalitarianism. He was just another run of the mill dictator who thought he had all the answers by using a iron fist like them all, nothing specifically special, just a bunch of misinformed people flock to him because he was well spoken in English, but he generally seemed like he meddled way too much in the personal lives of Singaporeans, I’d agree, don’t let the sweet talkers fool you

[@bassrooten2217]

Singapores former dictator

[@khtay8731]

BASS, are you a sugarBeet or Beetroot?

[@A.L.765]

@@bassrooten2217 Descendants of colonisers have no say in how formerly colonised nations lift themselves out of poverty, achieve massive growth and become superior in many respects to the former colonisers.

[@johnboon4731]

INDEED ONCE YOU WORSHIP MONEY EVERYTHING YOU DO MUST BE FOR MONEY THEN YOU WOULD HAVE MONEY. SLEEP AND WAKE UP MUST ALSO THINK OF HOW TO EARN MORE MONEY EVEN SICK OR DYING MUST FOCUSS ON MONEY.👍👍👍