From the Third World to the First

Few observers expected tiny Singapore to have much chance of survival when it gained independence in 1965. How, then, did a remote trading post and former colony become a thriving global metropolis with not only the world‘s most successful airline, the best airport, and the busiest seaport, but also the world‘s fourth-ranked real per capita income? Delving into the minute details of his notes, diaries, and papers, as well as government documents and official records, Lee Kuan Yew describes the tireless efforts and strenuous endeavors the Southeast Asian city-state required to survive at the time. Lee Kuan Yew provides a comprehensive account of the methods and approaches he and his fellow rulers used to eliminate the communist threat to the island‘s fragile security and embark on the laborious and arduous process of nation-building: paving infrastructure roads through swampy lands, creating an army from an ethnically and ideologically divided population, eliminating the scourge of corruption left over from the colonial era, providing public housing for the masses, establishing a national airline, and constructing a modern, well-equipped airport. In this descriptive, illustrative, and enlightening account, Lee Kuan Yew writes candidly about his skillful and effective approach to his political opponents and his radical, unconventional views on human rights, democracy, and inherited intelligence, aiming to "always stick to the right path in life, not in politics." There is nothing in Singapore that his keen eye has not observed or watched: from the selection of plants and seedlings to transform Singapore into a lush green oasis, to the romantic renovation of the Raffles Hotel, to his blatant, frank, and bold encouragement of young men to marry women of their own cultural level. Today, clean and tidy Singapore bears the unmistakable imprint of Lee Kuan Yew, and he makes no apologies for his profound influence on his country: "If Singapore is a nanny state, I am proud to have nurtured and nurtured it." Although Lee Kuan Yew‘s domestic arena was small, his energy and vitality ensured a broad field and an influential position on the international stage. With his unique, witty style, he brings history to life through his compelling analyses of some of the most important strategic issues of our modern era. He reveals how, over the years, he has skillfully navigated the turbulent waves that have swept across relations between America, China, and Taiwan, sometimes acting as a trusted advisor, sometimes as a tester of the validity of ideas and opinions, and often as a messenger. He adds candid, even stark, portraits of his contemporaries, politicians, and leaders, such as the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher; the tough, indomitable President Ronald Reagan; the poetry-composing Chinese leader, Jiang Zemin; and the (dogmatic) Presidents George Bush and Deng Xiaoping. Lee Kuan Yew was born in Singapore on September 16, 1923, to a family belonging to the third generation of Chinese immigrants from Guangdong Province. He studied law at Cambridge University in England, and in 1954, he founded the People‘s Action Party, which won Singapore‘s first elections in 1959. He then became Singapore‘s first Prime Minister at the age of 35. In November 1990, he resigned from his position to remain a minister in the Singaporean government.