"If at the core centre quality goes down, then in all the subsidiary organisations quality will also go down. You will no longer inspire. Because no man can judge a person accurately if that person is superior than he is. So we never ask somebody who’s inferior to judge. Very seldom does an inferior "
"He recounted commenting to his Australian hosts in 1988 after a visit to New Zealand, that “I could come back here in 100 years and I’d be sure to find this place, still green grass, still sheep and cows and wheat and fruit trees… When I project myself forward 100 years for Singapore, I cannot tell "
"That is how rational and pragmatic countries operate. We don’t have to love each other to work with each other. A convergence of interests does not erase emotions but can temper them."
"Two years ago, Gallup did an analysis of what made a country grow. They decided it is talent. They noted that in the 1980s, economists projected that Japan and Germany would overtake America. They did not. The reason? America was attracting talent from all over the world. So whether China will be th"
"We started out with the British-made constitution and we had to amend it in several aspects to suit ourselves. The key features we have kept are, first, separation between the bureaucracy and Parliament and the political leadership. Second, every five years, there’s a free vote. So if any party come"
"By nature I’m not a person who’s tied to theories. Theories should evolve from practice. A theory has to be tested. I don’t believe that democracy is the best form of government for all countries and will spread throughout the world. If it is, why are the Western countries so keen to force it down p"
"We just want straightforward reporting of the hard facts as the news happens. And if you want to crusade there’s the editorial and the commentary, which are clearly different from the news reports. I think there’s value in that."
"A successful professional would naturally gravitate towards a lucrative private sector career. Why take a chance on the political stage, when every move is subject to public scrutiny and criticism? Why, for that matter, take a pay cut to join a ministry?"
The English in this book is so different but so familiar, and his way of seeing the growing China reflected in the people he made doing business with China during 2020s. There are a few things that bothered me about Singapore before, and this book clarified all. I was so dumb to read it now but so lucky that I read it.
INDIA: in the grip of caste.First, the great diversity of languages makes it impossible for the gov. to work as a centralized system. the Indians will not try to make the rules, let alone enforce it. India as a nation is still more of an aspiration than a reality. Another key factor that holds back development in the country is the caste system.