Rating: 
Summary: Reader from USA
Review: This is a good book. States how with good management a country can be transformed for the better
Rating: 
Summary: An unpleasant character revealed
Review: This is a very interesting book that can be read on and off. Obviously it says a lot about how Singapore developed over the past 30-odd years. Indeed, just go to Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta and you can see Singapore's achievement - much of it due to Lee Kuan Yew. In a way, it would be nice to applaud LKY, but his conceit is so great that's just not possible. He has a ludicrously inflated view of himself, not least as a world statesman sought after by other leaders for advice. He doesn't have a solitary ounce of humility. He dwells on trivialities too much, while his response to criticism - including that from the media and opponents - shows he's incapable of dealing with it, except through twisted legal or authoritarian means. One achievement he forgets to mention is that Singapore has achieved the seemingly impossible: it's made Chinese people lose their entrepreneurial spirit. I haven't got there yet, but the gist of last page will be something like: "And when the final curtain comes down and I depart from the Garden City up into the even greater Garden City in the neverworld above - the one with an even taller hotel, bigger fountain of wealth and busier container port - I hope I'm remembered as a humble man who knew his strengths - many - and recognised his weaknesses - none whatsoever. I've had a happy life, apart from the last ten years with that imposter Mr Goh in charge. Who does he think he is? He is but a caretaker manager, to use that old British footballing term (ah, England... that green and pleasant land, where name-dropping meant something and I was regular and welcome guest at the highest tables [Top Table: "Lee Kwan who?"]), keeping the hot seat hot for my son. And when I say "hot," I mean "warm." If I hear a word about those good-looking bodyguards who go jogging in the dewy dawn with my boy, I'll be onto my lawyers immediately. And by strange coincidence, just as my son is clearly the most able and uniquely qualified candidate to be PM, so the judge at court will have not doubt worked at my law firm. Aaargh... I already feel more damages on the way. I leave as my legacy a few words of compassion for my foes - "rot in hell" - and a new shopping mall for my friends - one that's close to where they're building an MRT station and some property I own. Farewell."
Rating:
Summary: A bit too Detailed/ Shifting
Review: To begin with: This book does not need to be read from cover to cover. One can selectively abstract the parts of interest, and a very good index/ thematic organization is helpful in so doing. What strikes me about this book is not the flashing brilliance of the author as opposed to his affinity for finding historical precedent for things. It is well known about the Paternalistic character of Asian societies, and this book is still more evidence of that. One has to read what he writes very carefully. He is trained to deliver information in the way of politicians (read: obfuscated), and that is clear. Take two small examples: He thinks that Singapore is the most successful CHINESE society in the last 5,000 years (by including a statement made by another author to that effect). Lots of hidden things there. There has been a functioning state in China for about half that time. But why bother with detail? Another thing that he tends to downplay in his rush toward self-aggrandizement is the fact that the country had a something like a functioning government there to begin with (the British), and that they had gone a long way toward getting the country stabilized and getting people into the habit of living under a government (unlike, say, Indonesia). He also quotes the work of "R.H.Herrnstein," and identifies him as a support. It just so happens that that is the co-author of THE BELL CURVE. He is very cautious in containing the traditional Chinese chauvinism, but that and his program to ensure reproduction of "survival of the fittest" smacks of eugenics. This is interesting in light of the fact that he used historical examples from different parts of the world where output was higher or lower based on ecnomic policies. He is so vague about coming out and saying that that is what he was insinuating, one wonders what other things could one have missed in the other 700 pages. On the good side: This book deals in AUTHENTICATED knowledge. During his discourse on creating a "fair" society (as opposed to a "welfare" socity), he does not draw on silly academic theories. Instead he looks at the same thing that happened in another place (Britain and many other parts of Western Europe), and makes his decision based on the mistakes of others. His narrative of things that he has observed in various countries and explanation of WHY they are they way they are would be very good for people who like to imagine that economic data/ mathematics can explain everything.* A lot of people have written books about the problems encountered in doing business in China (to which he devoted much space). He did not talk about the specific numbers associated with Chinese growth, but he did talk about the fundamental problems that the Singaporeans had doing business, which were (among others): Weak/ non-existent enforcement of contracts and excessive bureaucratic inertia. Interesting how on one hand hints at his restrained (typically Chinese) sense of superiority. But in the chapters about China he (in the careful way that a politician can) blowtorches many of the faults/ missteps of the country. He gives a good detailed explanation of the way Singapore's economic system works. For example: How can a country with such a high GDP Percapita have such low salaries? Because of the siphoning off of the citizens salaries by the CPF. This also explains the large trade surplus (because high domestic savings will promote a large trade surplus). How did he manage to foster national unity between people who apparently had nothing in common? And why is the government so nervous to control EVERYTHING there? Other than that, if you want to get an idea of what Singapore is like, this is a good (if long) start. The heart of the book is the chapter on "Creating a fair, not a welfare society."
Rating:
Summary: Bravo
Review: Well done. Good book. Shows what one could do with courage determination and foresight.
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