Remembering Lee Kuan Yew

Channel News Asia ran a full day programme on LKY and many people related many encounters with him to show the different aspects of him as a leader and as a man. Under his watch, it was all about Singaporeans, jobs for Singaporeans, homes for Singaporeans. He was obsessed with creating not just jobs, but good jobs, and not just homes but good homes for Singaporeans. There are still many good jobs being created today, and many good homes built. Somehow they are not going to Singaporeans but foreigners, especially those CEO positions. Whenever one is vacant, the joker’s first response was to look around the world for a foreigner. And many good homes are now the homes of foreigners, practically whole condo or development could be bought over and occupied by foreigners and become foreign enclaves. You would not believe you are in Singapore when you stepped into them.

Briefly I saw this clip on TV about LKY saying that he expected every button that he pushed to work. And if any button did not work, then someone would be in serious trouble or would lose his job. That was the kind of demanding and high standards he set for the whole govt. He did not go around saying he was unhappy about jobs badly done and hoped that they would improve or be done better. Wimps would say such things. Can’t imagine what he would do if he is still in the seat and seeing the deplorable state of the mrt. Just cannot imagine.

What kind of standard are we setting today? Or was there any standard expected? I remember those days in Mindef. LKY was one of the consumers of our reports, in fact the most important consumer. And our reports going out to the cabinet, with him on top of the list, must be as perfect as they could be. No mistakes, not even a missing comma or a full stop. Don’t ever dare to put out any report with typo or factual errors. It was unforgiveable. That was the kind of professionalism expected and that was the standard kept, to please him.

There was one of those days, our reports, after being vetted and vetted and cleared for print and delivery, were on their way to the cabinet ministers. The phone rang and an anxious voice came over. ‘Stop the report, there was a comma missing!’ His voice was shaking. Too late, the reports would have reached the ministries by then, and the Istana as well, and could be on the desk of the ministers and the desk of LKY. All the staff was ordered to call the minister’s PAs to intercept the report. A few minutes went past and several frantic calls made in quick succession.

Phew, we made it. The reports were stopped at the PAs and the drivers were despatched with a new set of reports, error amended, and to retrieve the earlier reports on the way. It might seem obsessive, but it was a very high standard demanded and to be maintained at all times with no compromise. Not only LKY was reading it, Goh Keng Swee too would not tolerate sloppiness. Everyone lived up to that kind of task masters. He demanded perfection, we delivered perfection. 

That was my close encounter with the man, and my fingers could have been burnt. There were many trips to the Istana and every time a tense moment, making sure every small detail was in order. Fortunately nothing untoward happened during my watch.

What is happening today is unbelieveable. Everything is like a friendly game with little or no consequence. Mistake, never mind, try to do it better the second time, or the third time or the fourth time. Making mistakes is human for human. Not then, when human are expected to be perfect human or inhuman. There was no room for error dealing with this man if you want to keep your job.

It is happy times today, happy hours all round. A new normal has taken over. Maybe that is the reason why foreigners are needed to do a better job when Singaporeans no longer able to.