Daily Lessons from Life 29 October 2009

"MM calls on US to retain key role in East Asia
America is needed in any new framework, to strike a balance in the region. -Thu, Oct 29, 2009 The Straits Times

WASHINGTON - The United States must be an important part of any new East Asian framework, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said yesterday, cautioning against defining the region in closed or racial terms.


At a gala dinner where he was conferred a lifetime achievement award for fostering US-Asean ties, he said that the US would remain the sole superpower for two or three more decades despite the fallout from last year's global crisis.

While China may be rapidly gaining economic and geopolitical clout, Beijing is neither willing nor ready to take on equal responsibility for managing the international system. Therefore, the US should not be shut out of any new East Asian architecture, Mr Lee said.

COMPETITION between the United States and a rising China is inevitable, but conflict between the two powers is not, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said yesterday.


'Unlike US-Soviet relations during the Cold War, there is no bitter, irreconcilable ideological conflict between the US and a China that has enthusiastically embraced the market,' he noted in his keynote address at the US-Asean Business Council's 25th anniversary gala dinner.

'(The Chinese leaders) have concluded that their best strategy is to build a strong and prosperous future and use their huge and increasingly highly skilled and educated workers to out-sell and out-build all others.' "

First of all I will give credit where it is due. MM Lee has done a lot of great things thus far. This award is deserving though I don't think he cares too much about it as he has said he is not in this for fame or to win popularity contest!

Lessons for me are:

1. awards are created by people for people. So, we can accept it for what it is. Recognition by people. The people who created that award. We need to think about the people who are not part of the award. What do they think? Of course, if they are deemed inconsequential, then don't sweat the details;

2. USA is still the sole superpower - at least for now. If we looked purely on commerce, then China will be up there with the biggest economies. The softer side of progress will take much longer, if allowed to continue given the threat of widening gap between the rich and the poor in China. Singapore is good at creating economic miracle during MM Lee as PM. Even up to now, we are still considered as good in economic achievements but not so in other softer measurements. So, we still have lots of work to do;

3. As a 7e leader one needs to constantly remind oneself on: why do one want to be a leader? If must be, to create a greater good for a lot of people and that good is not just economic achievement! That will be the challenge. Can we ask for less? Sure. But then, we won't as we are Singapore!!

Congratulation MM Lee. After the champagne and the cheering subsided, will we work on helping Singaporeans be competitive in their own country against foreign workers and foreign talents?