Quotes from Cherian George

The leaders' adherence to the principle of collective cabinet responsibility makes it difficult to ascertain the respective contributions of each, but enough is known from public statements to suggest that the three men at the top of the pyramid complemented each other in a way that helped the PAP maintain its political dominance and deliver on its promise of More Good Years

Perhaps, like bureaucracies everywhere, government officials in Singapore are uncomfortable with groups who appeal successfully to the public's sense of idealism, and whose work cannot be easily quantified in economic terms. Officials can handle individuals and organisations who are in it for the money, but seem not to know how to deal with people who seek and promote more intangible and selfless rewards.

Under Goh, the government continued to be suspicious of prevailing popular opinion and special interests, and focused instead on what it saw as Singapore's long-term needs

And, if even a polished, professional communicator like Catherine Lim misfired in her attempt, what chance did most Singaporeans have? That affair remained a prominent reference point, making Singaporeans conclude that, for all the government's explanations and clarifications, engaging in political debate was an extremely risky and unpredictable business, and that it was wisest to stay out

Of all the attempts to propel Singapore faster along the path of political liberalisation, few have backfired as badly as the West's push for democracy and human rights

The Singapore School of Thought, as some began to call it, emphasised the lack of universality of many Western political norms...Singapore's own view emphasised economic and social rights which tended to be downplayed by some advocates of political ad civil liberties.

Singaporeans wanted the benefits of PAP government nationally, but locally, they were prepared to elect opposition candidate to check on the ruling party in parliamnet

But the habit of framing issues in terms of Asian and Western values did distort Singapore's view of its own challenges. Policy-makers looking through the filters of the Asian values debate tend to be unsympathetic to appeals for state welfare from down-and-out Singaporeans - since Asians are supposed to believe in self-reliance - rather than viewing them as the inevitable victims of capitalist industrialization and urbanization.

We are told that the main risk factors threatening Singapore's peace and prosperity are, first, our own unreliability as citizens (we may succumb to the temptation of welfarism, communalism, individualism or emigration) and, second, our location in an unpredictable region.