Excerpts from an interview with Lee Kuan Yew - The New York Times (1)英文学习材料.pdfVIP

The following are excerpts from an interview with Lee Kuan Yew, who served as prime minister of Singapore from 1959, when it gained partial independence from Britain, until he stepped down in 1990. He is currently minister mentor. The interview took place at the Istana, where the Singapore president and prime minister work, on Aug. 24, 2 7. Lee was questioned by Leonard M. Apcar, deputy managing editor of the International Herald Tribune, Wayne Arnold, a Singapore correspondent, and Seth Mydans, Southeast Asia bureau chief. IHT: First, we wanted to talk to you about Singapores extraordinary growth. Wed also like your assessment of the broader political landscape, China, Southeast Asia, Japan and the United States. Lets begin, if we could, with the Singapore model. How do you see it evolving in the next several years economically and politically? And what do you think are the challenges and opportunities and even threats for the next generation of leaders? Lee Kuan Yew: First, to understand Singapore, youve got to start o with an improbable story. It should not exist . . . We havent got the base, the space, the wherewithal. This is not Jamaica or Bahamas or Fiji. This is a little island strategically placed at the southernmost end of Asia connecting the sea routes between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Suddenly, were on our own. (After being ejected in 1965 from Malaysia which followed the end of British colonial rule.) We have to defend ourselves. We have to make a living without a hinterland. Weve got to have a Foreign Ministry. Its one thing running Hong Kong under British or Chinese protection; its another matter governing tiny Singapore. You have to build an army, navy, air force, control and command systems, early warning, AWACs in the sky and so on. So, can we survive? The question is still unanswered. We have survived so far, 42 years. Will we survive for another 42? It depends upon world conditions. It doesnt depend on us