6 Highlights of Lee Kuan Yew’s Governance Style that the Next-Generation Leaders Can Emulate

Maria Gloria Adan
Apr 19, 2020
7 min read

Updated: Nov 12

Nation-building is no easy mission. Every leader who sets out to reform a nation faces hardships—from building political alliances to enduring criticism and opposition. Yet behind every great transformation lies a set of guiding principles worth studying.

One man who mastered that art was Lee Kuan Yew, the founding Prime Minister of Singapore. His vision, persistence, and leadership turned a small, resource-poor island into one of the most advanced nations in the world within just three decades.

For young Filipinos—students, teachers, and parents alike—his story is more than a history lesson. It’s a roadmap for transformation. It reminds us that a painful past doesn’t have to define a nation’s destiny, and that modernity begins with the courage to think differently.

The Man Who Encouraged Learning from Others

Lee Kuan Yew was not only a leader but a teacher of nation-building. In his book From Third World to First, he compared his work to the art of building ships—except that his version teaches us how to build nations.

He documented Singapore’s rise not to boast, but to guide future leaders, both in Singapore and abroad. In 1992, when Vietnam sought his advice, he humbly agreed to share his insights—not as an adviser, but as a friend who came to brainstorm ideas. His sincerity inspired trust. As the Vietnamese Prime Minister said, Lee was “a real friend” because he gave honest advice, even when it was painful to hear.

Lee’s team did not just build Singapore—they helped other nations stand tall. That spirit of collaboration is one of the greatest lessons Filipino leaders can learn.

Here are six highlights of Lee Kuan Yew’s governance style that the Philippines’ next-generation leaders can emulate:

1. They Studied Foreign Governance Systems and Styles

Lee believed in learning from others. In From Third World to First, he wrote:

“We learned on the job and learned quickly. If there was one formula for our success, it was that we were constantly studying how to make things work, or how to make them work better. I was never a prisoner of any theory. What guided me were reason and reality. The acid test I applied to every theory or scheme was, would it work? This was the golden thread that ran through my years in office. If it did not work, or the results were poor, I did not waste more time and resources on it. I almost never made the same mistake twice, and I tried to learn from the mistakes others had made. I discovered early in office that there were few problems confronting me in government that other governments had not met and solved. So I made a practice of finding out who else had met the problem we faced, how they had tackled it, and how successful they had been. Whether it was to build a new airport or to change our teaching methods, I would send a team of officers to visit and study those countries that had done it well. I preferred to climb on the shoulders of others who had gone before us.”

He rejected rigid theories and focused instead on what worked. His method was simple yet powerful—observe, adapt, and apply.

Likewise, in the Philippines, the AmBisyon Natin 2040 under the Philippine Development Plan recognizes that long-term vision is key to progress. But beyond plans, Lee reminds us that vision must be paired with continuous learning—from nations that succeeded before us.

2. They Embraced the Uniqueness of Their Situation

Every country is different—its people, culture, geography, and temperament. Lee Kuan Yew understood that Singapore’s survival depended on recognizing its uniqueness and turning disadvantages into strengths.

Since every country is different and unique, Lee Kuan Yew embraced the uniqueness of their situation. He wrote:

“But I never allowed myself to forget Singapore’s unique situation in Southeast Asia. To survive, we had to be better organized and more efficient and competitive than the rest of the region or there was no reason for our role as a nodal point between the advanced and the developing countries. After everything had been analyzed and argued, I went by my gut instinct of what would work in Singapore. I had persuaded our people to oust the British and join Malaya. Then we found ourselves thrown out of Malaysia. Thereafter, it was our duty to make Singapore succeed and give our people a future.”

In the same way, Filipino leaders must build on what makes us distinct—our creativity, resilience, and faith. We don’t need to imitate others entirely; we must shape systems that fit our people and climate.

3. They Took Advantage of Foreign Technology

Lee’s governance thrived on science and technology. He saw that progress meant staying nimble in a fast-changing world.

Consider this insightful utilization of technology from Lee Kuan Yew’s own words:

“The story of Singapore’s progress is a reflection of the advances of the industrial countries – their inventions, technology, enterprise, and drive. It is part of the story of man’s search for new fields to increase his wealth and well-being. Stamford Raffles of the East India Company found an island of 120 fishermen in 1819 and turned it into an emporium on the sea route from India to China. As the commercial center of the British Empire in Southeast Asia, it prospered through international trade. When steamships replaced sailing ships, and again when the Suez Canal opened in 1869, traffic increased and added to Singapore’s growth.”

“With each technological advance, Singapore advanced – containers, air travel and air freight, satellite communications, intercontinental fiberoptic cables. The technological revolution will bring enormous changes in the next 50 years. Information technology, computers, and communications and their manifold uses, the revolution in microbiology, gene therapy, cloning, and organ reproduction will transform people’s lives. Singaporeans will have to be nimble in adopting and adapting these new discoveries to play a role in disseminating their benefits.”

That insight rings true today. From digital innovation to biotechnology and renewable energy, the key to our national progress lies in catching up not by working harder, but by working smarter.

Filipinos say, “Daig ng maagap ang masipag.” The nimble beats the hardworking. It’s time we adopt that mindset.

4. They Ignored Unhelpful Criticisms

Lee Kuan Yew faced intense criticism, especially from Western media and academics. Yet he remained focused. He said:

“I learned to ignore criticism and advice from experts and quasi-experts, especially academics in the social and political sciences. They have pet theories on how a society should develop to approximate their ideal, especially how poverty should be reduced and welfare extended. I always tried to be correct, not politically correct. Foreign correspondents representing the Western media in Singapore preached their theories and criticized my policies, hoping to influence the voters and the government. It was just as well that the people were as pragmatic and realistic as the government.”

“Would I have been a different person if I had remained a lawyer and not gone into politics? My work experience would have been more limited and my horizons narrower. In politics, I had to range over the whole gamut of the problems of human society. As the Chinese saying goes, “the sparrow though small has all five organs.” Small though we may be, our needs are the same as those of any large country, domestically and internationally. My responsibilities gave me a wide perspective of human societies and a worldview that a lawyer would not have.”

He knew that nation-building required clarity, not popularity. Filipino leaders—especially the youth—can draw courage from this. Learn from others, but don’t let noise derail your purpose. As Lee showed, progress requires both humility and backbone.

5. They Interacted with Foreigners and Learned from Them

Lee and his team were never ashamed to seek knowledge abroad. They sent scholars to study in advanced nations and brought home lessons to apply locally.

“People in Singapore learned quickly from their interaction with foreigners… I benefited from the lessons others paid for,” he said.

For young Filipinos, this means that global exposure—through education, travel, or online collaboration—can fuel transformation at home. The more we learn from the world, the better we can serve our nation.

6. They Prepared Their Next-Generation Leaders

Perhaps the most vital of all, Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy lived on because he prepared others to lead.

Lee Kuan Yew’s words will encourage our young generations to be humble and to learn from others outside their expertise:

“People in Singapore learned quickly from their interaction with foreigners. We sent our brighter students abroad to study in developed countries, at first on scholarships given by these countries, later on scholarships given by the Singapore government. We also noted the increasing social difficulties these advanced countries faced because of their liberal social and welfare policies. I benefited from the lessons others paid for. I met many foreign leaders who educated me and added to my understanding of the world.”

“How could I have foreseen that science and technology, especially breakthroughs in transportation, telecommunications, and production methods, would shrink the world?”

Lee understood that vision without succession is short-lived. That’s why he invested time in mentoring, training, and inspiring younger leaders.

This is a call to both teachers and parents in the Philippines: help raise thinkers, dreamers, and doers who will carry forward the vision of a better nation.

Leadership begins at home and in the classroom.

Conclusion: The Blueprint for Filipino Renewal

Nation-building may test the patience of even the most passionate leaders. But Lee Kuan Yew proved that transformation is possible when guided by clear principles—learning from others, valuing one’s uniqueness, embracing technology, ignoring distractions, connecting globally, and raising new leaders.

If Singapore rose “from third world to first,” then the Philippines, blessed with talent and faith, can rise from division to unity, from poverty to innovation, from despair to hope.

The next generation holds the key. And as Lee Kuan Yew once showed the world—when leaders dare to think differently, a nation dares to dream again.