In spite of some structural flaws in the book’s writing, Lee Kuan Yew’s governance philosophy is revealed clearly throughout the multi-day interview conducted by journalist Tom Plate. Yew’s firm, paternalistic approach to building a nation (that is, managing Singapore in the way a strict parent may manage an unruly child) was precisely what the young and fragmented nation needed after years of colonial subjugation, and the results speak loudly for themselves: Singapore’s striking stability and prosperity validate his reasoning and methods about prioritising collective development over individual freedoms.
Yew’s advocacy for a meritocracy over populist democracy serves to prove a particularly compelling lesson, one—as understood by LKY himself—democratic idealists often ignore, such as the fact that the average voter lacks the knowledge base to make informed decisions on complex policy matters, instead relying on gut feelings, superficial assessments of incumbent performance, and personal attitude towards the official. A system that elevates people through demonstrated competence and dedication offers a more rational foundation for the “managed democracy” governance than one that panders to uninformed public sentiment.
Unfortunately, the book’s execution undermines its subject matter. Plate’s writing is maddeningly repetitive and verbose, taking enormous amounts of space to make simple points, and worse still, his commentary typically adds little meaningful analysis to LKY’s thoughts (apparently I didn’t write specific examples in my notes while reading); Plate seems to have been more interested in bulking out a book that really should have been a long essay, rather than providing genuine insight or analysis (granted, he was a journalist, not a political analyst). This is a painfully missed opportunity. One in which he could have mined a unique and brilliant brain. Rather than letting LKY speak extensively through direct interviews, Plate consistently interposes himself, which creates a frustrating barrier between the reader and the subject. And so, what should have been structured as an interview-based essay that prioritised LKY’s voice, became the author’s meandering, sometimes irrelevant, observations.
One praise-worthy contribution within the book, however, lies in its neutrality. Despite having his own views, Plate allows readers to encounter aspects of LKY that Western media has historically marginalised or distorted, and this provides a valuable counterweight to the often superficial or ideologically-drive portrayals that have dominated the media surrounding Singapore’s founding leader. For readers genuinely interested in understanding how LKY’s mind works—his strategic thinking, decision-making processes, long term vision, and so on—the book offers more than glimpses of his brilliance. That said, you’ll have to dig through considerable editorial debris to find them.