The man connects, with empathy
AUG 23, 2004The man connects, with empathy
By Chua Lee Hoong
OKAY, first a few moments to blow my own trumpet. In an article published on Jan 5 this year, I said: 'A question I am often asked is, 'When will Mr Lee take over?' I have no idea but my guess is some time between late June and early August. The reason is simple: If I were him, I would want a major platform from which to address the nation soon after taking over and that, without doubt, is the National Day Rally, which is held traditionally in the second half of August.'
No inside knowledge, no clairvoyance, just brute political logic.
Well, there he was. Mr Lee Hsien Loong, born on Chap Goh Mei (the 15th day of the Chinese New Year) in a Year of the Dragon, a date which my elders tell me is very auspicious, made his first extended public appearance as Prime Minister last night.
How did he fare? In this limited space, three observations:
First, he certainly gave people who had thought he was just a nerdy 'ace policy wonk' something to think about. There was no doubt that he connected with the audience - he connected through empathy, he connected through honesty and candour, and he connected through great good humour, his expressive eyes gleaming and glinting kaleidoscopically behind those glasses throughout. And yes, that ever-ready grin.
Like when he recalled a newspaper survey of people in Orchard Road, many of whom couldn't name the present PM. 'What to do?' was his philosophical shrug.
Or when talking about the option of casinos opening in Singapore: 'Many people told me, 'Don't mention this subject', but I'm going to do it anyway.' (A remark which incidentally also betrayed a relish for controversy.)
Second, Singapore's new PM has demonstrated a clear ability to inspire, not unlike that which his father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, used to demonstrate. It came not just from his natural ebullience or forceful personality but also from the sense that he genuinely enjoyed challenges, solving problems and making Singapore better.
But where Mr Lee Kuan Yew conveyed a do-or-die sense of mission, Mr Lee Hsien Loong brings with him an upbeat view of the future, making nation-building sound fun and exciting. Lee Hsien Loong is Lee Kuan Yew with a grin.
Says a colleague who turned 26 yesterday, and who used to contemplate migration: 'Whether it's sincere or he's just more politically savvy on how to get buy-in from the younger generation, I haven't felt this optimistic about this country in quite a while.'
The third observation: Mr Lee connects with and inspires people but he also has clear and strong views of his own. Where policies have been changed, they have been changed not necessarily because the new PM's personal preferences are in that direction but because brute political logic dictates that that is the way to go.
He has allowed medical benefits to be equalised between men and women in the public sector, for instance, but his outlook, I wager, remains patriarchal at heart.
Similarly for the five-day week in the public sector: This is no weakening of the work ethic but a re-ordering of work time. E-mail means that civil servants can get quite a lot of work done from home nowadays. And, of course, they are to produce babies in between those e-mail messages. Indeed, Mr Lee's premiership will probably be marked by a great leap online, with more and more interaction and policy discussion taking place via the personal computer.
This brings efficiencies but it can also bring pitfalls.
The Net is an ascetic place; there aren't the sights and smells that come with living in an HDB flat in close proximity to sweltering humanity. There also remain many Singaporeans who have never gone near a keyboard, let alone composed an e-mail, whether in English, Malay, Chinese or Tamil. Cyberspace can be a complement to, but can never be a substitute for, the hustle and bustle of politics on the ground.
Fortunately, Mr Lee appears to have been aware of that danger: He promised that his grassroots workers - at least those who got to enjoy the new five-day work week - would spend the remaining two days giving more time to constituency work.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
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