When LKY Wept: Some Leadership Lessons. Part 1

1. In 1963 when Singapore was ejected from Malaysia, Harry Lee cried uncontrollably.

2. That was a cry of anguish and agony. He never expected Malaysia was so mean to apply a scorched earth policy on Singapore.

3. The cry masked a steely resolve to disprove Malaysia which has committed an unpardonable faux pas. The best form of revenge was to make Singapore a roaring success.

4. Right off the bat, Lee decided to do the opposite of every major policies carried out by Malaysia.

5. What is the recipe for Singapore's success?

6. When we talk of recipe there are a few ingredients. Some are undeniably universal by nature.

7. First of all, there must be an overriding and consuming sense of noblesse oblige. Its meaning no longer confined to the nobility with a sense of duty of doing the common good to the people.

8. It must now mean any person of position and authority with a sense of duty to do a common good to the people. It's an awareness that people trust and depend on you to elevate themselves out of any forms of misery.

9. The man of position, carries on his shoulders the dependence, trust and hope of the people. These provide the driving force for the man and I suspect, the cause for settling scores with a bullying overlord.

10. In Lee's case it was Malaysia and to us, the Malay bourgeoisie, aristocrats reactioners and their compradores. For us, its also against an incompetent and corrupt government holding us all back.

11. First of all, there must be zero tolerance on corruption. Public office holders must be squeaky honest. And if anti corruption is enforced, it must be enforced against the big fish first.

12. Corruption robs society of vital and scarce resources. We get not our money's worth of public good.

13. Corruption is exceedingly injurious to society. It diverts resources from public good to private interests. We overpay to satisfy personal private interests. That is wrong because it satisfies the interests of one instead of the community.

14. It results in an economic 'Dutch Disease' where the rise in corruption leads to sub optimum development. That's why it's important to have the right leadership. Najib, Muhyiddin and even harmful benevolent Mahathir, are wrong leadership for Malaysia.

15. When Najib stole from SRC, from 1MDB, from Felda etc., he should not be adulated but must be condemned all round. The mothereffer is not a hero. He's a zero.

16. When defence ministers overpaid for substandard assets they are putting the lives of our soldiers in danger. When we overpay but get substandard infrastructure, our country is destroyed. When judges are corrupt, justice disrupts. When Najib stole he enriches himself but victimises millions. Think about that.

17. Corruption must be repulsed as a matter of principal. It represents a wrong reward system. Its unearned income. You get rewards money, sex etc because of your powerful position. It ought to be regarded the same as the Muslim riba.

18. But here, we find some religious clerics, once regarded as fundamentalist firebrands but get rotund with food and sex trying strenuously finding something in our holy book that can justify corruption.

19. How can a Kind God reminded always in the utterance Bismillah hirRahmani Rahim, countenance such inequity and atrocity? Think about that.