Goh has made his own mark

Seah Chiang Nee The Star Asia News Network Selangor, Malaysia

For years, an elderly lady who lives in the constituency of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong would present him with a red rose every time he made his rounds. Sometimes the flower came with nyonya cakes.

One of his grassroots leaders said he was touched when Goh took time off from his schedule to visit him in hospital when he had a heart attack, and later at his home.

A third person, a newspaper editor, said he once attended an Istana function and, as Goh was about to speak, he noticed the first two rows were almost empty.

"Instead of simply asking people to move to the front, the PM walked down to the crowd, shook hands and guided some people to the front seats," said the journalist.

Tales like these are pouring out as the mild, kindly 63-year- old, who was once rejected by Lee Kuan Yew as being "too soft" to lead Singapore, moves close to his Last Hurrah!

The senior minister had wanted Tony Tan to succeed him, telling Goh that leadership was not just about "kissing babies".

In reply, Goh said he could not be compared to Lee: "He is he and I am myself."

As he steps down after 14 years at the helm, no one is comparing achievements but there is no doubt that Goh will leave behind his own imprint on Singapore.

Citizens are bidding him farewell with a surprisingly strong show of emotions that have surprised many people. It reflects a deep and widespread sense of fondness.

The accolade in the media and the Internet (even in some anti- PAP websites) is largely spontaneous and comes from within the ruling party and its grassroots -- as well as citizens of all ages and races.

"He struck me as a sincere leader who was really keen to hear your viewpoint, even when it is against his own," said an American businessman who had met him.

A TV technician related a story over a radio forum how, several years ago, he had watched in horror as the studio light above PM Goh began to crackle just before an interview.

"My stomach churned. I realized it was going to explode any minute. My soundman quickly got the PM to move away.

"Sure enough, it blew up. There were pieces of glass everywhere. Luckily no one was hurt," said the petrified technician who then apologized to Goh.

"Instead of being annoyed, he put his arm over my shoulder, guided me to a chair and motioned me to sit down. He told me: "Don't worry. These electrical accidents happen."

Goh then brought him a cup of coffee.

Singapore is a small city and such acts of kindness are not easily forgotten. They explain why his successor, Lee Hsien Loong, is keen to retain Goh in his Cabinet.

It is not his experience; his popularity will be a vote-getter for the PAP.

The outpouring is also seen as a message to the new premier, who is 12 years younger, that the people want not only a strong, capable leader but also a more tolerant one who will listen to them.

Lee has to cope with the public perception of a tough, less approachable person.

One PAP grassroots leader said: "When people meet Hsien Loong, they are nervous and watch what they say -- the same with his father. But with Goh, they are more at ease."

Many Singaporeans and foreigners here consider Kuan Yew's son as a stronger, faster thinking leader compared to Goh who is, however, more likeable and popular.

Singapore would have a bright future under Hsien Loong if he "retains his strong character coupled with Goh's patience and compassion", said a US-trained engineer.

An Internet message put it more succinctly: "Goh has done well these 14 years but it's time to make way for a real man."

During the past couple of weeks, two events have added to the leadership discussions here.

First is China's harsh reaction to Lee's private visit to Taiwan. It has raised his image at home for standing up to superpower "bullying" to protect Singapore's interests.

The more Beijing attacks, the more people rally around him as a "strong" leader.

Secondly, Manila's giving in to Iraqi terrorists. Singaporeans who were interviewed at random described President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as weak for "surrendering" to the terrorists' demand to pull out of Iraq.

She had allowed the life of one person to change the country's foreign policy.

Most Singaporeans said that by doing so, Arroyo had ensured more foreigners would be kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq and probably caused her own civilians to suffer in rebel-torn Southern Philippines.

In different ways, Beijing and Manila have helped citizens here to clarify what they want in their leader.

In the past, Singaporeans -- struggling and ill-educated -- had little interest in foreign policies. They were apathetic even when the city-state was under attack from outsiders.

They preferred to leave such matters to the government.

Now, with more than 60% of its youths having tertiary education, a rising number of them in foreign institutions, the trend has been changing.

More citizens are speaking out through Internet forums and their own web-logs, a new phenomenon of thousands of individually-run sites that talk about almost anything they fancy.

This public participation will gradually exert a strong impact on how Singapore conducts its internal and foreign affairs and prevent any prospect of a one-man rule.

For now, it is benefiting Lee by rallying public opinion behind him (no one likes to be told his interests must give way to a big power's) but in the future, it may be a constraining factor.

Hsien Loong's generation has high expectations and would ask more out of him than what Kuan Yew and Goh had achieved.

He has to carry the ground with him if Singapore were to continue to prosper in this more dangerous world.