Question raised as Lee dynasty grips Singapore

Amando Doronila Philippine Daily Inquirer Asia News Network Manila

Singapore, Southeast Asia's most dynamic economy, had a transfer of power on Thursday last week, when Lee Hsien Loong took his oath as the country's third prime minister in 39 years. His take-over from Go Chok Tong, who formally announced that he was stepping down on Singapore's National Day last Aug. 9, raised the issue of dynastic rule, since the new prime minister is the son of the first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who is widely regarded as the father of modern Singapore. He took office 14 years after his father stepped down.

Lee Hsien Loong, 52, like his father, was educated at Cambridge University, and had been groomed for the top leadership by his father, serving in the wings as a finance minister in the Cabinet of Goh Chok Tong, who is also a protigi of the elder Lee. The well-paved succession arrangement raises questions in Southeast Asia, where dynastic rule is common, whether nepotism is compatible with the meritocratic culture fostered by Lee Kuan Yew as the formula for the building of Singapore into a modern economy.

The younger Lee had held the rank of brigadier in the Singapore military. The troika of Lee, Goh and the new prime minister has been irreverently referred to as "The Trinity -- father, son and the Holy Goh." The question that looms in the horizon is whether Lee's accession foreshadows a return of his father's autocratic rule or a reversal of the more laid back and consensus style of administration of Goh who, as a sign of his popularity, was given a standing ovation by 60,000 cheering Singaporean citizens during their National Day parade.

Southeast Asia is known for long-serving leaders, among whom were President Soeharto of Indonesia, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad of Malaysia and President Ferdinand Marcos. Nepotism and dynasty-building are not uncommon in the region. President Megawati Soekarnoputri of Indonesia is the daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, and is seeking reelection. President Macapagal-Arroyo is the daughter of President Diosdado Macapagal, a contemporary of Sukarno. The network of political dynasties in the Philippines is quite extensive, and the last Philippine elections saw a number of members of political families running for Congress and provincial and other local offices.

The Filipino political families are less anchored on technocratic values than Singapore's, although the meritocracy- based Singaporean culture spells the difference in political and administrative outcomes. Lee Kuan Yew has left a legacy of careful preparation of succession to ensure two things: A smooth transfer of power and to provide an oversight of the economic infrastructure built by his government of 25 years, among which is the provident fund which is a financial well-spring for public works and socialized housing.

The political control exercised by the People's Action Party has ensured the succession arrangements set up by Lee Kuan Yew as well as Singapore's political stability. His legacy of fashioning a system of custodianship to see to it that the fund is not squandered is reflected in the succession of structure. Goh slides into the position of senior minister, held by Lee Kuan Yew since he stepped down in 1990, while Lee walks into the newly created position of "minister mentor," with wings hovering over Goh and his son.

The Think Center, an independent political non-government organization in Singapore, said, "The main challenge for Lee would be to step out of senior minister's shadow and have his own mandate. " The center says Singapore does not want a dynasty, a concept that is at odds with a modern and global society such as Singapore.

The Lee family dismisses talk about a dynasty, emphasizing the technocratic framework in which the succession has been prepared. A poll conducted by the government-controlled Straits Times showed about 47 percent of Singaporeans believed that being the senior minister's son "is one reason" the younger Lee became prime minister. However, the poll also showed that 83 percent thought he was the best man for the job.

Lee's assumption of the top post had long been anticipated, and it would have shocked Singaporeans if he did not become prime minister. He takes office at a time when unemployment is high (at 4.5 percent), although growth this year is forecast at 9 percent. Lee is more in the mold of his father than Goh. He is seen as a brusque autocrat from a privileged background, with a reputation for having a short temper.

In an interview in 2000, when he was being prepared for succession, Lee Hsien Loong addressed the question of dynastic privilege. He said: "I don't think it's a coincidence. We happen to have a family. I mean, everybody is competitive and has tried to do well. But are you there because of your family connection or are you there because you are the best man for the job and the system has thrown you up? That's what people have to decide and I don't think anybody seriously believes that in Singapore, because of me and my wife or my brother, therefore, that nepotism prevails in Singapore."

During his administration, Goh relaxed a number of disciplinary restrictions clamped by Lee Kuan Yew, including the ban on sticking chewing gum on public toilets.

William Case, associate professor of business at Griffith University, in Queensland, Australia, said: "No one doubts Lee's technocratic and managerial skills, his resilience and his understanding of finance. He has the capacity to lead in a technocratic way, but he will not mobilize the support of the population."