Patron Former Minister Mentor, Singapore
Mr Lee Kuan Yew
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Democracy for China? Look within the party
The Straits Times
2010-07-13
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CHINA has to develop its own system of democracy, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew told a forum on China's future last night.

A participant had asked whether China would ever develop an "Eastern" democratic tradition of its own that is on a par with Western liberal democracy.

Mr Lee replied, in Mandarin: "Going by Western terms and perspectives, of course China can't develop a democracy."

According to Western standards, he said, democracy means holding elections to change one's government completely every four to five years.

The Chinese government and Chinese democracy function differently from the West, he said.

"Chinese democracy is different. If they have elections... their country is so big, with 1.3 billion people, they will have to scrutinise their candidates' backgrounds carefully."
It would not be possible to have a system in China like that in the United States, where a candidate can canvas for votes from town to town and state to state.

"In the United States, you can say, I am Jimmy Carter, I want to become President. After a few months, he became President! China can't have a system like that," he said.

He said intra-party democracy is probably the system most feasible for China, where candidates vie for important positions within the ruling party.

"If you have three or four dependable people there, you give notice that it is important to attract the support of the public.

"If I am the adviser to China, I will say this. But China has its own way," he said.

 
Courtesy of The Straits Times, 13 July 2010.
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