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Quote by Lee Kuan Yew

“If Aljunied decides to go that way, well Aljunied has five years to live and repent.”

Quote by Lee Kuan Yew

Author

Lee Kuan Yew was the founding father of Singapore, a politician, lawyer, and statesman. Born on September 16, 1923, in Singapore, he played a crucial role in transforming the city-state from a small fishing village into a global financial hub and trading center. He served as the first Prime Minister of Singapore after its independence in 1965 and continued in the role until his retirement in 1990. Lee Kuan Yew passed away on March 23, 2015. more

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“But we either believe in democracy or we don't. If we do, then, we must say categorically, without qualification, that no restraint from the any democratic processes, other than by the ordinary law of the land, should be allowed. If you believe in democracy, you must believe in it unconditionally. If you believe that men should be free, then, they should have the right of free association, of free speech, of free publication. Then, no law should permit those democratic processes to be set at nought.”

“What are our priorities? First, the welfare, the survival of the people. Then, democratic norms and processes which from time to time we have to suspend.”

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“I’m not intellectually convinced that one-man, one-vote is the best. We practise it because that’s what the British bequeathed us”

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“I was raised in an atmosphere of 'everything's fine.' But as I got older, I was like, 'Well no, everything's not fine. There is stuff that's sad.' I am a really sensitive person. I think I am too sensitive sometimes.”

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“I feel sanguine enough to say that there has never been a better set of conditions for open democratic politics because there is no need for unified front politics.”

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“There is nothing to prevent you from pushing your propaganda, to push your programme out to the students or with the public at large…and if you can carry the ground, if you are right, you win. That’s democracy.”

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“Anybody who decides to take me on needs to put on knuckle-dusters. If you think you can hurt me more than I can hurt you, try. There is no way you can govern a Chinese society.”

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