Letters | Unlike Singapore, Hong Kong still suffers from foreign interference

Singapore was fortunate to have a visionary leader who decolonised the country. Meanwhile, Hongkongers are unable to see that Western countries are trying to use their city to destabilise China

Singapore

Letters

Published: 6:40am, 2 Sep 2020

Why you can trust SCMP

I refer to the letter, “Will Beijing succeed in Singapore-ising Hong Kong?” (August 24). As Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew suggested, given China’s long history and culture, China knows what suits China.

Circumstances in Singapore produced a leader who was creative and used independent thinking. He knew the needs of a country – stability and a strong economy. Hence, he suppressed foreign interference by decolonising Singapore. He focused on the economy and social order. He united people with core values while promoting the different cultural traditions of the various ethnic groups. Anything interfering with Singapore’s progress was suppressed, sometimes harshly. It is because of leadership with a vision that Singapore is as successful as it is.

Circumstances in Hong Kong did not produce a creative leader, but an obedient one who followed the path paved by Britain. How well do foreign judges know indigenous Chinese culture? Obedient Hongkongers never question if having foreign judges on the city’s courts is an extension of British colonialism.

Britain and the United States have a track record of destabilising other countries to control their resources. Obedient Hongkongers are following the foreigners’ agenda to destroy Hong Kong and destabilise China.

02:18

Rally in Hong Kong to thank US for supporting the Human Rights and Democracy Act

Today China is the second-largest economy in the world and has the third-largest military. Democracy is not an efficient system when China needs to fast catch up with the US militarily. Discarding a system that has made the country strong does not make sense. Only people who serve foreign interests would recommend this.

Lee Kuan Yew was proof autocratic government can be good

Singapore will continue to prosper because, with the benefit of independent thinking, Singaporean value practicality over ideology, and national stability over democracy. Hong Kong is the opposite.

Even if there is Western-style universal suffrage in Hong Kong, the city will never have peace, because foreign countries will want to use Hong Kong to destabilise China.

There will be many protests. We have seen foreign countries stirring up unrest to overturn democratically elected governments that do not obey them. Hong Kong will remain divided. Fake news that generates hate and fear towards the Hong Kong government, police and the mainland will drown the city. Hongkongers will be influenced to exercise their freedom to throw tantrums, with verbal and physical violence becoming the norm.

P.Y. Chan, Ontario

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