Singapore tries to imagine a future without Lee Kuan Yew – BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News | Largest English Daily In Borneo

After becoming the Southeast Asian island's first prime minister in 1959, Lee oversaw its independence from Britain and Malaysia, then used a far-sighted economic vision and an iron fist to transform Singapore from a third-world colonial trading post into a glittering, multicultural commercial hub.

This was done by encouraging business with easy regulations and low taxes, and by using big government to look after citizens.

But progress was made at the expense of civil liberties, with the media stifled — often through libel suits — and political dissent barely tolerated.

Although his three-decade reign as prime minister ended in 1990, he held advisory positions until four years ago and has continued to exert his influence both through his son, who became prime minister in 2004, and his People's Action Party, which has a stranglehold on the parliament.

"Just like all the great men who built Southeast Asia in the postcolonial period, Lee Kuan Yew is a presence for as long as he breathes," said Ernest Z Bower, an expert on Southeast Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"Singapore is now looking for change and evolution," Bower said, "but they're not sure. I think there's a little bit of fear and anxiety about all of this."

http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/03/20/singapore-tries-to-imagine-a-future-without-lee-kuan-yew/