Singaporeans wonder whether new leader signals new era
Singaporeans wonder whether new leader signals new era
Agencies, Singapore
As Singaporeans prepare for this week's handover of power to a new prime minister, many are wondering whether their future leader's rule will echo that of his authoritarian father - the founder of modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.
On Thursday, Lee Hsien Loong, 52, will take over from Goh Chok Tong, who has led Singapore since 1990, when the elder Lee stepped down. His inauguration comes just days after the 39th anniversary of Singapore's independence on Monday.
Like his father, who led Singapore from 1965 until 1990, observers expect the younger Lee to focus on improving the economy.
And he has promised "openness" and a gentler, more consultative government. Lee has even suggested he'll be more flexible on topics that are currently considered taboo.
Authorities have been known to arrest those who publicly address divisive issues such as race and religion.
But critics say Lee is not ready to stomach more substantive change.
"We are not making any progress forward ... this (handover) is not going to promote greater democracy," said veteran opposition politician Joshua "J.B." Jeyaretnam.
"Nothing is going to change, there is going to be a triumvirate with Lee Kuan Yew as the adviser, Lee Hsien Loong as prime minister and Goh as No. 2," he added.
Goh acknowledged last year that handing power to the younger Lee may appear to be a dynastic succession, but he insisted it wasn't.
Being the son of Singapore's founding father is one reason why Lee will become the next prime minister according to 47 percent of Singaporeans, a Straits Times survey showed on Saturday.
Those who cited Lee's father Lee Kuan Yew as a factor did not think any less of the incoming leader ahead of the city-state's second transition of power on Thursday, the poll found.
Fifty-three percent disagreed with those considering Lee's parentage as a factor and 6 percent "strongly" disagreed.
Jeyaretnam is not alone in his reservations about Singapore's new leader.
"There has been some kind of concern among Singaporeans that (the younger Lee) will revert back to the iron grip of Lee senior," said Ho Khai Leong, a political scientist at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Singapore.
The elder Lee is credited with transforming Singapore from a colonial backwater into an efficient, modern country, but critics called his rule authoritarian.
"It will not offer much comfort to those seeking more openness," Ho said. "His speeches very much resemble his father's."
The outgoing prime minister, however, contends that Lee will make his own mark on the country of four million people.
Goh's populist style of leadership helped the affluent country cushion economic downturns and became synonymous with a gradual opening up.
From bar-top dancing, bungee jumping, broadcasts of the racy U.S. television series Sex and the City and a partial end to the chewing gum ban, the affable Goh presided over an era of gradual easing of some of the strict controls.
Criticism of Singapore's conservative leadership has come from abroad as well.
The U.S. State Department and human rights group Amnesty International have slammed the PAP's practice of suing opposition politicians in costly libel lawsuits, saying the practice is designed to cripple the opposition by bankrupting them. Singapore law bars bankrupt people from being lawmakers.
Lee, Goh and other party stalwarts say they sue to defend their reputations.
Jeyaretnam, 78, became bankrupt after repeated lawsuits by ruling party politicians.
He told The AP he had doled out around S$1.6 million Singapore (US$930,000) in legal costs, fees and fines over the years.
"Singaporeans want to see regime change but they are too afraid to stick their head above the parapet. I was prepared to ... but look at me," said Jeyaretnam, who has resorted to hawking books on street corners to settle his debts.