TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER: LEE KUAN YEW Introduction
Lee Kuan Yew was born on 16 September 1923 in Singapore1. His father including his family was influenced by British culture because his father obtained first education in English School. He was enforced by his father to take education at Singapore’s Premier Raffles College2. He flew to the United Kingdom for further studies in Law at the Cambridge University. He successfully graduated with Double Starred First Class Honours3. Then, he returned to Singapore and he practiced law as an a n advisor for trade unions before starting a career in politics. In World War II, Japanese was took over Singapore and ruled in brutal way. He tried to survive as a trader in the black market. He believed that no one had the right to rule Singapore except Singaporeans. He promised his people that Singapore would remain a free country from foreign rule and colonial domination. He was strongly campaigned the cooperation plan with Malayan Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman to merge the countries of Malaysia and Brunei together to form a Federation in order to end British Colonial Rule in 19614. However, in 1964, the union was short lived due to highly tension because of a race riot broke out between the Malays and Chinese5. This affects both parties and result in skyrocketing prices of food and transport disruption. He appealed to the public to end the riot and decide to sever ties with Malaysia. The riot ended with 23 died and hundreds injured6. He believed that the Federation with Malaysia was crucial for Singapore and because of a race riot, he ended the Federation that no bloodshed occurred. Lee Kuan Yew was referred to as ‘expert power’ through his skills and knowledge that has excellent command in English Language and also his presence in a political arena. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 19557. He was able to gain trust because there was a mutual understanding between him and his party members. They had same objectives, mission and vision to achieve their common goals until he was elected as Prime Minister in 1959. He was not only had expert power but legitimate power to rule Singapore. 1
Terry McCarthy. (n.d.).From sleepy colonial outpost to prosperous high-tech enclave, Singapore owes its rise to the stern, stubborn lawyer who virtually invented the place. Retrieved 5 March 2014 from http://madeinthoughts.com/pdf/LeeKuanYew.pdf. 2 Diane K. Mauzy, R.S Milne. (2002). Singapore Politics Under the People’s Action Par ty. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. Retrieved 5 March 2014 from http://www.untag-smd.ac.id/files/Perpustakaan_Digital_2/POLITICS %20AND%20GOVERNMENT%20Singapore%20Politics%20Under%20the%20People%92s%20Action%20Party. pdf. 3 Simon Chesterman. (5 June 2013). The lawyer and his vision for S’pore. The Straits Times. Retrieved 5 March 2014 from http://law.nus.edu.sg/about_us/news/2013/ST050613.pdf. 4 Kevin YL Tan. (2011). International Law, History & Policy: Singapore in the Early Years. Center for International Law, National University of Singapore. Retrieved 5 March 2014 from http://cil.nus.edu.sg/wp/wpcontent/uploads/2011/02/KevinTan-Monograph-1.pdf. 5 Netina Tan. (17 November 2012). Constitutional Engineering and Regulating Ethnic Politics in Singapore. Constitutional Design and Ethnic Conflict Conference, New York University. U niversity. Retrieved 5 March 2014 from http://www.law.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/ECM_PRO_074075.pdf. 6 Sanjeev Sanyal. (14 July 2010). The art of public housing. Business Standard. Retrieved 7 March 2014 from http://www.urbanlandmark.org.za/downloads/clipping_bs_jul2010.pdf. 7 Ibid.
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Transformational vs. Charismatic
Lee Kuan Yew displays both a charismatic and transformational leader. Charismatic leaders are able to inspire and motivate people but are not usually capable of bringing about huge changes unlike transformational leaders8. He has transformed Singapore drastically towards a new and improved Singapore by appealing to his people’s values and sense of higher purpose. A Servant Leader
He as Prime Minister was a public servant that chosen by majority Singaporean. He displays some aspects of servant leader. Servant leader is someone who places service before self-interest9. He has always been concerned with developing his people’s welfare and socioeconomic status, health and education standards. He will pay attention in order to gain insight to the concerns, requirements and problems in order to decide what course of action to take. As a politician, this is important because he wanted to remain relevance. He built a foundation of trust early of his political career in order to gain supports. He consistently delivered on his policies for example he solved shortage of Singapore’s housing problem by building it on government owned land and more 90% of Singaporean own their own house10. As a Prime Minister, he was responsible for his country with a population of over four million and sometimes, he would be overlooked about his people’s problems but he tried to solve it step by step because his people’s interests were placed first and parallel with three main concerns were national security, economy and social issues. Lee’s Attitudes, Morals and Ethics
In order to be a good leader, one must set a good moral standard for their people to follow. Morals are defined as standards that an individual or group has about what is right and wrong11. Unlike values which are fluid, morals are fundamental. He was a socialist first and foremost and believes in the importance of freedom, better living and peace. This served as the basis for his vision which is the Singapore we know today. He also believes in the importance of multiculturalism and this is reflected in the nation he has created. The country is made up of 75%
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Joan F.Marques. (2007). On Impassioned Leadership: A Comparison Between Leaders from Divergent Walks of Life. International Journal of Leadership Studies, School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship, Regent University. Retrieved 7 March 2014 from http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/ijls/ new/vol3iss1/marques/Marques_IJLS_V3Is1.pdf. 9 Alireza Hejazi.(2011). How Servant Leadership Theory Serves A Biblical Theme. School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship, Regent University. Retrieved 7 March 2014 from http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/ resources/conferences/virtual/pdfs/MoralLeadConf2011_Hejazi_Charity.pdf. 10 Chua Beng Huat. (July 2008). Singapore: Growing and Wealth, Poverty Avoidance and Management. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development. Retrieved 9 March 2014 from http://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BCCF9/%28httpAuxPages%29/3D4314DD55B39876C1257AE8003C3240/$fi le/Singapore%20overview%20paper.pdf. 11 Bruce Jennings, Jeffrey Khan, Anna Mastroianni, Lisa S.Parker. Ethic and Public Health: Model Curriculum. Association Schools of Public Health. Retrieved 9 March 2014 from http://www.asph.org/userfiles/ethicscurriculum.pdf.
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Chinese, 13% Malay, 7% Indian and 5% other minority groups12. This multi races population requires a strict regulation in term of law to avoid any tension between races. Singapore had successful to maintain their harmonies by fairly distributed country wealth and security of living hood. Moreover, the safety of Singapore nation are the upmost important in which Lee enforced the regulation to compulsory all Singaporean citizen to join the Volunteer National Service. Economy
He always placed great importance on developing the economy and his attention to detail on this aspect went even to the extent of connecting it with other facets of Singapore including the country's extensive and meticulous tending of its international image of being a ‘Garden City’ something that has been sustained to this day. Strategic Thinker
As a strategic thinker, he fashioned Singapore economic policies based on four transformational trajectories from labor-intensive import substitution to: a.
labor intensive export-oriented manufacturing.
b.
shift the whole economics towards high end products.
c.
focus extensively to infrastructure, human capital and high technology.
Education Excellences
Lee Kuan Yew sees the importance of discipline and a good education which is why he has provided a world class education system. Singapore’s Ministry of Education states that their education system is recognized throughout the world and provides first class facilities. Singapore educations system continues to impress with very little to work with, they rank in the world’s top 4 in both primary education students scores and could overtake the United Kingdom in the next top 20 poll13. Visionary Leader
He had a high level of cognitive power which was instrumented in picking the right springboard to first world status. He was faced with the question of survival after analysing the existing socio political and economic context of Singapore and an ideal Singapore in the times to come. He put economics development as top priority and embraced free trade and selective state intervention. The plan was to transform Singapore from centre port economy to industrialised manufacturing hub. 12
Chan Sek Keong. (2013). Multiculturalism in Singapore: The way to a Harmonious Society. Singapore Academy of Law journal. Retrieved 9 March 2014 from http://www.sal.org.sg/digitallibrary/Lists/SAL%20Journal/ Attachments/625/%282013%29%2025%20SAcLJ%2084-109%20%28multiculturalism%29.pdf. 13 Its Official Japan has the World Best Education System in 2013.(30 December 2013). World Top 20 Education System. Retrieved 9 March 2014 from http://worldtop20.org/.
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Combating the Corruption
Like many countries, Singapore had problems with political corruption. He introduced legislation giving the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) greater power to conduct arrests, search, call up witnesses and investigate bank accounts and income-tax returns of suspected persons and their families. He believed that ministers should be well paid in order to maintain a clean and honest government. In 1994, he proposed to link the salaries of ministers, judges and top civil servants to the salaries of top professionals in the private sector, arguing that this would help recruit and retain talent to serve in the public sector 14. Family Planning
In the late 1960s, fearing that Singapore's growing population might overburden the developing economy, He started a vigorous Stop at Two family planning campaign15. Couples were urged to undergo sterilisation after their second child. Third or fourth children were given lower priorities in education and such families received fewer economic rebates. In 1983, he sparked the 'Great Marriage Debate' when he encouraged Singapore men to choose highly-educated women as wives16. He was concerned that a large number of graduate women were unmarried. Some sections of the population including graduate women were upset by his views. Nevertheless, a match-making agency Social Development Unit (SDU) was set up to promote socialising among men and women graduates. In the Graduate Mothers Scheme, he also introduced incentives such as tax rebates, schooling and housing priorities for graduate mothers who had three or four children in a reversal of the over-successful 'Stop-at-Two' family planning campaign in the 1960s and 1970s. By the late 1990s, the birth rate had fallen so low that his successor Goh Chok Tong extended these incentives to all married women and gave even more incentives such as the 'baby bonus' scheme17. Corporal Punishment
Lee Kuan Yew as a disciplinarian and this comes from his strict childhood where he was subject to corporal punishment and this is reflected in the laws and penalties he has set out for Singapore today. He believes that there is no harm in corporal punishment and credits it to the contribution of his success. He did not approve of the, ‘ bead-jangling, hirsute, pot-smoking, guitar-strumming hippies’ so he banned from entering the country so that they couldn’t influence others and it help to maintain a virtually crime-free country.
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Abdillah Noh, Makmor tumin. (July 2008). Remaking Public Participation: The Case of Singapore. Asian Social Science Journal. Retrieved 9 March 2014 from www.researchgate.net/publication/41846268_Remaking_Public_ Participation_The_Case_of_Singapore/file/d912f50756cdd8f16b.pdf. 15 Ibid. 16 Ibid. 17 Ibid.
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Lee’s Strengths and Weaknesses
It is hard to fault him which is why he is such an outstanding leader. He has a strong presence, the knowledge and experience and an excellent communicator. The top five leadership behaviours or skills identified were18: a. b. c. d. e.
Performance Character Persistence Adaptability Flexibility
His performance record speaks for itself and he displays excellent character and this is shown through his integrity. His insistence on replicating his integrity was recognised when the Institute for National Development voted Singapore the least corrupt country in Asia and the fifth least corrupt worldwide 19. He is persistent and this is shown through his forty years of service to Singapore. He is also very adaptable as demonstrated through his strength through hard times during the Japanese Occupation of Japan. Arguably, one of his flaws is his lack of flexibility. Many have argued that his government regime is autocratic. He has tough laws including ones on censorship. Conclusion
In the present political scenario, when big ticket corruption is the order of the day between politicians, businessmen, bureaucrats and criminals. We really need transformational leader at different organisation level be it at executive, political, judiciary or at civil society level. Mr Lee Kuan Yew was perhaps a successful leader is someone who can communicate with the people and identify with their aspirations. Lee also be trustworthy and demonstrate a track record of good judgment. His accomplishment and forty year reign in Singapore’s political scene speaks for himself. He is highly regarded by others, he displays many traits of an exceptional leader. He is testimony to show what hard work, perseverance and discipline can achieve. Lee Kuan Yew has achieved what many world leaders dream of and accomplished this without violence. He is an example of an exemplary of transformational leader.
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Jessica Collison. (2002). Global Leadership Survey. Society for Human Resource Management. Retrieved 11 March 2014 from http://www.shrm.org/research/surveyfindings/documents/global%20leadership%20survey.pdf. 19 The Top Most Corrupt and Least Corrupt Countries in the World. (3 December 2013). Reuters. Retrieved 11 March 2014 from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/03/idUS95815491020131203.
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References Internet
Terry McCarthy. (n.d.).From sleepy colonial outpost to prosperous high-tech enclave, Singapore owes its rise to the stern, stubborn lawyer who virtually invented the place. Retrieved 5 March 2014 from http://madeinthoughts.com/pdf/LeeKuanYew.pdf. Diane K. Mauzy, R.S Milne. (2002). Singapore Politics Under the People’s Action Party. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. Retrieved 5 March 2014 from http://www.untagsmd.ac.id/files/Perpustakaan_Digital_2/POLITICS%20AND%20GOVERNMENT%20Singapor e%20Politics%20Under%20the%20People%92s%20Action%20Party.pdf. Simon Chesterman. (5 June 2013). The lawyer and his vision for S’pore. The Straits Times. Retrieved 5 March 2014 from http://law.nus.edu.sg/about_us/news/2013/ST050613.pdf.
Kevin YL Tan. (2011). International Law, History & Policy: Singapore in the Early Years. Center for International Law, National University of Singapore. Retrieved 5 March 2014 from http://cil.nus.edu.sg/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/KevinTan-Monograph-1.pdf. Netina Tan. (17 November 2012). Constitutional Engineering and Regulating Ethnic Politics in Singapore. Constitutional Design and Ethnic Conflict Conference, New York University. Retrieved 5 March 2014 from http://www.law.nyu.edu/sites/default/files /ECM_PRO_074075.pdf. Sanjeev Sanyal. (14 July 2010). The art of public housing. Business Standard. Retrieved 7 March 2014 from http://www.urbanlandmark.org.za/downloads/clipping_bs_jul2010.pdf. Joan F.Marques. (2007). On Impassioned Leadership: A Comparison Between Leaders from Divergent Walks of Life. International Journal of Leadership Studies, School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship, Regent University. Retrieved 7 March 2014 from http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/ijls/new/vol3iss1/marques/Marques_IJLS_V3Is1 .pdf. Alireza Hejazi.(2011). How Servant Leadership Theory Serves A Biblical Theme. School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship, Regent University. Retrieved 7 March 2014 from http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/resources/conferences/virtual/pdfs/MoralLeadConf2011_Heja zi_Charity.pdf. Chua Beng Huat. (July 2008). Singapore: Growing and Wealth, Poverty Avoidance and Management. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development. Retrieved 9 March 2014 from http://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BCCF9/%28httpAuxPages%29/3D4314DD55 B39876C1257AE8003C3240/$file/Singapore%20overview%20paper.pdf.
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Bruce Jennings, Jeffrey Khan, Anna Mastroianni, Lisa S.Parker. Ethic and Public Health: Model Curriculum. Association Schools of Public Health. Retrieved 9 March 2014 from http://www.asph.org/userfiles/ethicscurriculum.pdf. Chan Sek Keong. (2013). Multiculturalism in Singapore: The way to a Harmonious Society. Singapore Academy of Law journal. Retrieved 9 March 2014 from http://www.sal.org.sg/digitallibrary/Lists/SAL%20Journal/Attachments/625/%282013%29%202 5%20SAcLJ%2084-109%20%28multiculturalism%29.pdf. Its Official Japan has the World Best Education System in 2013.(30 December 2013). World Top 20 Education System. Retrieved 9 March 2014 from http://worldtop20.org/. Abdillah Noh, Makmor tumin. (July 2008). Remaking Public Participation: The Case of Singapore. Asian Social Science Journal. Retrieved 9 March 2014 from www.researchgate.net/publication/41846268_Remaking_Public_Participation_The_Case_of_Sin gapore/file/d912f50756cdd8f16b.pdf. Jessica Collison. (2002). Global Leadership Survey. Society for Human Resource Management. Retrieved 11 March 2014 from http://www.shrm.org/research/surveyfindings/ documents/global%20leadership%20survey.pdf. The Top Most Corrupt and Least Corrupt Countries in the World. (3 December 2013). Reuters. Retrieved 11 March 2014 from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/03/ idUS95815491020131203.
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