Lee Kuan Yew: Meritocracy As Basic Principles

This is the story of Singapore as written by the founding father Lee Kuan Yew who brought the tiny island, poor and disorder to a city of the future.

With deep and meticulous notes, Lee detailed the extraordinary efforts chronologically in explaining how Singapore transformed from the third world to the first. He wrote every word clearly, every sentence structured systematically to build the story alive. Lee was indeed an excellent storyteller.

In Lee’s hand, Singapore –the former British colony, devastated by the 2nd World War– rose from nothing to the Asian metropolis with not only the world’s number one airline, best airport, and busiest port of trade, but also the top 5 countries of GDP per capita.

Lee built the Singapore people through a good education, kept the government clean, managed the media, upheld the rule of law, taught people about code of conduct and ethics, and transformed the society’s way of life and work through the digital revolution. With the integration of technology into the business, government and homes, Lee reshaped Singapore to be a technology-powered country.

In the international relation, Lee led Singapore to be the strategic partner of trade and economy and respected in the political stage.

In the last chapter after Lee talked about his political journey, he closed the book with a story about his family. One thing that is very insightful is about his son, Lee Hsien Loong, whom he groomed in the political arena patiently. Lee was very strict about meritocracy. He didn’t want his son to take the opportunity just because he inherited privilege from the son of the Prime Minister, but rather based on capabilities, experiences, effort, and achievement. Lee Hsien Loong waited for 14 years before he took the seat from Goh Chok Tong as Prime Minister.

Lee Kuan Yew was a man of vision. He was not only a brilliant leader in politics, but also a man who understood the time by when he had to stop, by when he said enough. He passed the baton to his successor when he was at the top, when he was still the strongman.

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Serpong, 27 May 2026

Titus J.

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