From Third World to First: Der Erfolg von Singapore

Lee Kuan Yew beantwortete 1974 die Frage zum Erfolg von Singapore gegenüber dem französischen Präsidenten Giscard d’Estaing wie folgt: “Why did Singapore develop and not the others, what was missing in the others? I could only tell him what I thought were three primary reasons: first, stability and cohesion in society; second, a cultural drive to achieve and a thrifty, hardworking people always investing in the future, with high savings for a rainy day and for the next generation; third, a great reverence for education and knowledge.”

In seinen Memoiren beschreibt Lee beim Vergleich mit der Entwicklung und Positionierung Hongkongs den Erfolg von Singapore wie folgt: “We had to be a nation or we would cease to exist. We had to subsidize education, health, and housing even though I tried to avoid the debilitating effects of welfarism.”