What makes us ready for a Singapore beyond Lee Kuan Yew

What makes us ready for a Singapore beyond Lee Kuan Yew

Sound values ingrained in system

SINGAPORE'S model of good governance, built on the principles of meritocracy, fairness and efficiency, has propelled it to great success.

Future leaders from my generation will have to ensure that this system continues to work well. Fortunately, we have what it takes due to the education we have received that is better than our parents'. That allows us to make the present system work even better.

Values such as industriousness, sensitivity towards cultural differences and strong community spirit continue to be embraced by this generation and are fundamentally ingrained into the Singapore system.

Because of this, Singapore will continue to thrive even after Lee Kuan Yew.

Ephraim Loy, 27, is a final-year social science student at Singapore Management University.

The dangers of playing it safe

MM LEE'S no-nonsense leadership has had an extremely profound impact on the psyche of Singaporeans, and this will not disappear over time. He will never 'leave' Singapore even after he has passed on.

However, many youth from my generation are now extremely deferential and respectful towards authority, and dependent on the Government to settle many aspects of life, such as the provision of jobs, educational opportunities and even life partners.

We have become so conditioned to following the tried-and-tested route in Singapore's secure and predictable environment that we might not be able to adapt quickly should global conditions change drastically or a sudden crisis strike this country, like the current economic crisis.

In these cases, Singapore runs the danger of losing much of what the previous generation has painstakingly built up.

Jonathan Kwok, 24, is an honours student in economics at the National University of Singapore.

Able to think global, but act local

SINGAPORE'S youth are more worldly today compared to our predecessors. We live in a time of affordable and accessible travel, with ample opportunities to broaden our horizons.

Some of my friends and I are fortunate to be able to travel and experience different cultures, politics and means of governance. This allows us to weigh the pros and cons of different systems, making us less narrow-minded and instead, capable of lateral thinking. At the same time, many of us realise that the grass is not always greener on the other side. Home is still where our hearts are, so we will embrace our overseas lessons with a mind to returning home to contribute to Singapore's future progress.

With these life experiences and outward-looking attitudes, I am confident my generation will continue MM Lee's good work and produce future leaders.

Tabitha Mok, 22, is a fifth-year medical student at the University of Western Australia.

Idealistic with dose of pragmatism

I AM confident that Singapore will not just 'survive' past MM Lee, or to quote Mr Ho Kwon Ping ('Singapore beyond Lee Kuan Yew', ST, April 22), 'muddle its way through' if the People's Action Party's leadership renewal goes awry.

Years of world-class education have given us the worldliness and vision to imagine bold change for Singapore - for the better. Hence, our constant thirst for success, desire for greater civil liberties, and courage to ask hard questions of those in power.

But we are not consumed entirely by our own idealism. It is tempered by a good dose of pragmatism. We know where our limits lie, and we know too much is at stake to start a riot. Instead, we try creative ways to work around the restrictions. We share ideas on blogs and Facebook. We set up campaigns to raise awareness about issues such as environmentalism.

I believe for every youth lost to apathy or emigration, there is one here willing to stand up and be counted when push comes to shove.

Eisen Teo, 24, is an honours student in history at NUS.

Material comforts spur us on

A LEGACY of MM Lee is the creation of a society that places economic progress at the fore of its priorities.

It is a system that emphasises a rigorous education, hard work, perseverance and developing intellect.

My generation has grown up in this environment and we cherish the material comforts this system engenders: stellar careers, nice houses and a beautiful, prosperous and peaceful city. We have come to expect these as the minimal standard of living, from which we constantly push for higher ground.

We want to earn bigger bucks, have nicer houses, get promotion at work and have a city that ranks higher year-on-year on the 'Best Cities' list. We are trained to be competitive and reap what we sow. We don't want to jeopardise our material comforts by backsliding on our work ethic.

This is what will compel us to continue striving hard to move Singapore forward - beyond MM Lee or any political party.

Jason Zhou, 23, is a third-year economics student from SMU. He is currently on exchange at Wirtschärftsuniversität Wien in Vienna.

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