Why do you think Singapore is where it is today? Indeed, many good leaders have helped shape Singapore into where it is today. Everyone has different perspectives on who they believe is a good leader. To me, it is without a doubt that the person who I think is a good leader would be Lee Kuan Yew. Lee Kuan Yew once said: “I have no regrets. I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There’s nothing more that I need to do. At the end of the day, what have I got? A successful Singapore. What have I given up? My life”.
We cannot deny that it was Lee Kuan Yew who transformed Singapore from a third world country into a first world country which it is today. His clear vision is one of the many leadership qualities we should learn. When Singapore separated from Malaysia, he did not waste time mopping over the separation but instead drew strength from it to create his vision of a Singapore that is ‘better and stronger’ than Malaysia. A first world country, as defined by Investopedia, is a developed and industrialized country characterized by political stability, democracy, the rule of law, a capitalist economy, economic stability, and a high standard of living. The Singapore River used to be the place where trade and many social activities took place, resulting in water pollution. Thus, to improve Singapore’s standard of living, Lee Kuan Yew set up the machinery that would help clean up the Singapore River. In addition, it was also Lee Kuan Yew who launched the ‘Keep Singapore Clean’ campaign. This serves to make Singapore the most hygienic and lush city in the region as it addressed the problem of littering. Compared to the past, Singapore has indeed become a cleaner country with a high standard of living. Doing this will allow Singaporeans to have a higher standard of living. Moreover, to lead Singapore to become a first world country, Lee Kuan Yew established the Housing Development Board (HDB) and introduced the Home Ownership Scheme to encourage people to own their HDB flats. The scheme was well received when the use of the Central Provident Fund (CPF) for the purchase of the flats is allowed. This, in turn, increased the ownership of houses by Singaporeans. Furthermore, he continued improving the older estates so that they will meet the desire of Singaporeans as the nation advanced. This helped the country with overall economic, social, as well as political stability. Thus, all of these was how he managed to transform Singapore into where it is today.
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Furthermore, another leadership quality Lee Kuan Yew has demonstrated would be his ability to bring people together and live harmoniously. Lee Kuan Yew wanted a united society regardless of race, language, or religion. Compared to the past, racial and religious harmony has improved in Singapore. People of different races and religions have become more accepting of each other. In the past, English was the language used in school as it would be fair to everyone. However, it was Lee Kuan Yew who made the study of the ‘mother tongue’ compulsory. Through this policy of bilingualism, he wanted to ensure Singapore could preserve its ‘cultural ballast’ while being able to have a united society. Due to the policy of bilingualism, in the course of our study in primary, secondary school, and junior college, we can learn both English and our mother tongue, which has enabled us to be able to communicate with each other and even people from other countries using the common language, English, while still able to know our own mother tongue.
Lastly, the leadership quality which Lee Kuan Yew has demonstrated would be his incorrupt nature which helped shape Singapore into the least corrupt country in the world. Under Singapore Corruption Rank, Singapore is the top 3 least corrupt nation out of 175 countries. Lee Kuan Yew and his group knew the importance of a clean state with no corruption. White shirts and trousers were worn at the first swearing-in and were made the uniform of the People’s Action Party (PAP). This showed their determination to keep the government clean and free of corruption. Thus, he introduced legislation whereby the Corruption Investigation Bureau (CPIB), which is a government agency in Singapore under the Prime Minister's Office, has the power to investigate any acts or forms in the public and private sectors. This shaped Singapore to become a less corrupt country.
In conclusion, Lee Kuan Yew is someone whom I strongly believe is a good leader because he had a clear vision that led Singapore from a third world country to a first world country. Also, he is able to bring people together to live harmoniously and to maintain Singapore’s corruption rate.
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