लि क्वान यूसँगको अन्तर्वार्ता – टम प्लेट

सिंगापुरका निर्माता भनेर चिनिने लि क्वान यूले संसारबाट विदा लिँदा सिंगापुर वासी मात्रै दुःखी भएनन् सम्पूर्ण विश्वका नेताहरुले पनि उनको देहवसानमा दुःख व्यक्त गरे । त्यही क्रममा बाबुराम भट्टराईले पनि उनको नाम लिएका थिए । डा. रामशरण महतले ‘सैद्धान्तिक कुराहरुमा विचार नमिले पनि’ उनको काम सराहनीय रहेको बताएका थिए । त्यसै बेलादेखि मलाई लि क्वान यूका बारेमा पढ्ने हुटहुटी बढेको थियो ।
देशमा नेतृत्वको संकट परेको बेलामा र चरम राजनीतिक अस्थिरता छाएको बेलामा मलाई पनि एक असल नेता हुनलाई र देश सम्बृद्ध बनाउनलाई के–के कुरा आवश्यक पर्दो रहेछ भनेर जान्ने इक्षा भयो । त्यसैले लि क्वान यू सम्बन्धी पुस्तक पढ्ने रुची भयो । फलस्वरुप टम प्लेटको ‘लि क्वान यूसँगको अन्तर्वार्ता’(कन्भसेसन विथ लि क्वान यू) शिर्षकको पुस्तक पढ्ने भएँ ।
मानवअधिकारको पालनका विषयमा विवादमा पर्ने गरेका सिंगापुरका निर्माता लीलाई पुस्तकमा विभिन्न कोणबाट चिनाउने प्रयास गरिएको छ । उनको प्रजातन्त्रप्रतिको धारणा, राजनैतिक आस्था, विदेश मामिला सम्बन्धित धारण र केहि व्यक्तिगत जानकारीहरुलाई संगालेर यो पुस्तक तयार पारिएको छ । स्वतन्त्रता भन्दा पनि विकास ठूलो हो, सिद्धान्त भन्दा त्यसको उपयोगिता महत्वपूर्ण हुन्छ, सबै व्यक्ति एकै निर्णय क्षमता र बौद्धिकताले युक्त नभएकाले एक व्यक्ति–एक भोट गलत हो, देशमा उच्च दक्षता हाँसिल भएकाको सासन हुनु पर्छ, चलाख आमाबाबुका चलाख सन्तान हुन्छन् (केही नश्लवादी चिन्तन), भारतको(नेपालका हकमा पनि यो सत्य मान्त सकिन्छ) विकास नहुनुमा छुवाछुत लगायतका विभिन्न कुरीती र कुसंस्कार कारक हुन्, राष्ट्रपतीय सासनमा किसान समेत जनताको भोटको भरमा देशको प्रमुख पदमा पुग्न सक्नेहुनाले त्यसको तुलनामा संसदीय व्यवस्था राम्रो हुन्छ किनकि त्यो व्यवस्थामा प्रधानमन्त्रीको उमेद्वारले संसद र सासन व्यवस्थाको अनुभव संगाल्ने अवसर पाउँछ, सार्वजनिक हितकैलागी भएपनि कसैले पनि आफू अप्ठ्यारामा पर्न नचाहने भएकाले एउटा बलियो नेताले अप्रीय निर्णय लिनको लागी हिचकिचाउनु हुँदैन, लागुपदार्थ कारोवारीका लागी सोझै मृत्युदण्ड, लगायतका केहि लोकप्रीय र केहि अलोकप्रीय विचारहरु कितावमा समावशे गरिएको छ ।
नेपाल सिंगापुर भन्दा अप्ठ्यारो समाज छ । यहाँको विकास सिंगापुरको विकासको शुत्रबाट हुँदैन । यहाँको समाजमा भएको सांस्कृतिक विविधता र संस्कारगत समस्याहरुले त्यसो हुन दिँदैन । सिंगापुरमा चुइङगम खाएर जताततै टाँस्ने समस्या समाधानका लागी सिंगापुर सरकारले चुइङगम निसेध जस्ता कामहरु समेत गरेको थियो । नेपालमा त्यस किसिमको कडा निर्णय लिन सक्ने नेतृत्वको अभाव छ । ली क्वान यू एक इमान्दार र विकास प्रेमी व्यक्तित्व थिए । त्यस्तै इमान्दार र विकासप्रेम भएको नेतृत्व नेपालमा छैन । ‘जोगी हुन नेता भएको हैन’ भनेर हाम्रा नेताहरुले आफ्नो नियत स्पष्ट पार्छन् । काली दास जस्तो हाँगाको टुप्पामा बसेर फेद काट्ने बुद्धि भएका मधेसी नेताहरु उपत्यकामा घर बनाउँछन् अनि नाका बन्दी लगाएर तराइमा आन्दोलन चर्काउँछन् । यस्तो अदूरदर्शिता र नैतिक धरातल कम्जोर भएका नेताहरुले असल नेतृत्व प्रदान कसरी गर्ने ? 
विकासको बाटो यो हुन सक्छ भन्ने नभएपनि सायद समाजमा जनचेतना जगाउन सकियो र समाजका कुसंस्कारहरुमा केहि गरी परिवर्तन ल्याउन सकियो भनेपनि विकास तर्फको यात्रा हाम्रा लागी सहज हुने छ । सहरी क्षेत्र केहि सचेत र कम समस्याग्रस्त भएपनि ग्रामीण समाज अझै पनि अँध्यारोमा छ । सबै समाजका सदस्य पहिले एकै चेतनाको स्तरमा उभिन सकेभने मात्र विकासको मुद्दामा एकमत बनाउन सजिलो हुन्थ्यो । साक्षर र विवेकी समाज निर्माण पश्चात मात्रै प्रजातन्त्रको स्वाद लिन सहज हुन्थ्यो । भोको पेटले प्रजातन्त्र खाँदैन प्रजातन्त्र ओढ्दैन । त्यसका लागी खाना नै चाहिन्छ । गास, बास, कपास, स्वास्थ्य, शिक्षा लगायतका आधारभुत आवश्यक्ता पुरा भएपश्चात मात्र मान्छेले थप विकासका बारेमा सोध्न सक्छ र त्यतर्फ डो¥याउने नेतृत्व रोज्ने क्षमता राख्छ । त्यसपछि प्रजातन्त्रको सहि अर्थ रहन्छ । यस्तै कुराहरु सोच्दै गर्दा नेपाली समाजमा प्रजातन्त्र केहि चाँडै पो आयो कि भन्ने पनि लागिरह्यो ।

Quotes from the book

• ·         Your job as a leader is to inspire and galvanize, not to share your distraught thoughts. You make your people dispirited.
• ·         LKY government was able to double the size of the workforce. By 80s and 90s Singaporean women comprised world class achievers in many fields.
• ·         You know you have to appoint people who have donated to the campaign, or to re-election. ... appoint people you are obliged to. Where you have a free hand and appoint the most competent, then it's different.
• ·         I think Presidental system is less likely to produce good governance than a parliamentary system.
• ·         In a Parliamentary system, the prime minister, before he becomes the prime minister, has been a member of parliament, and probably a minister, and in Britian the people have sized you up over a period of time, you know, and they have come to certain conclusions as to what kind of a person you are, what kind of depth you have, what kind of sincerity you have in what you say.
• ·         Your presidents, I mean, like Jimmy Carter ... my name is Jimmy Carter, I'm a peanut farmer, I 'm running for president. The next thing you know, he was the president!"
• ·         From the U.S., for example, Lee never asked for nor accepted a dollar in formal foreign aid grants. He is not interested in being viewed as a welfare dependent on Uncle Sam. That would undermine Singapore's independence.
• ·         It's an established ancient civilization. Nehru and Gandhi had a chance because of their enormous prestige, but they couldn't break the caste system. They could not break the habits.
• ·         Notice he didn't mention the size-of-population issue.
• ·         I chase ideas provided they work. When they don't work, I say, look, this idea maybe sounds bright, but let's try something that works.
• ·         per capita income in 2008: India 2,900$(167th), Singapore 51,600 $ (8th) and US 47,500$ (10th)
• ·         Question to Nehru, " What do you do with freedom? What do your people want?"
• ·         Gandhi's spinning wheels is going to get you nowhere in this industrial age.
• ·         Dr. Manmohan sing praised for bringing changes in economic strategies
• ·         one man-one vote is wrong
• ·         every society has a small percentage that's exceptionally able. These people are like the philosopher-kings of old. They will have to be thrown up through a meritocratic process or be actively sought out to lead. DOing so helps raise the lot of all society far more than pretending that all men are equally capable or talanted.
• ·         smart parents bear smart children, example of american priest and israeli Rabbi
• ·         merit-based,  benefit for less able is that they are under the governance driven by the best.
• ·         changing demographics all around the globe will change the democracy patterns
• ·         You know, I will eat pork. [they will eat] whatever they eat, their halal food, and , in college, we'll sit down the same table. Women will not have scarves and so on. But with the rise of oil money, the Saudis and other invited them to conferences and said look, yours is a diluted voice of Islam. We are the gold standard, pray five times a day, do that, women should not show their limbs, cover up to the sleeves and the ankles, and gradually, now you see so many of the women with headscarves. Are you mad ?
• ·         So, now, women cannot drive cars, et cetera, but behind these high walls of all the royal princes and princesses, they take off their veils and put on their Parisian clothes; and the men got thebars and clubs to go to and so on. I mean, it's a hypocritical society(Saudi Arabia). So, for weekends, they go to Dubai.
• ·         He's now opened a King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, and within that university, all rules are off. Women can study with men, no scarves, you can drink what you like, et cetera, but the moment you leave, you've got to comply.
• ·         Some Years ago, the airline pilots threatened to strike for higher wages. LKY brought the two warring sides into his office separately for a long intense chat. Singapore Airlines still hasn't suffered a strike.
• ·         Strongmen have their uses, weak leaders have their excuses. Virtually without ideology, LKY admires people who get results.
• ·         He automatically opposes only one form of government not out of ideology, but out of disbelief of it ever working effectively - Communism.
• ·         His repulsion for Communism comes more from its severe Lenninist method than their Marxist ideals.
• ·         Strong leaders make hard decision that stick. Weak leaders make bad situation worse by deciding poorly or not deciding at all.
• ·         popularity is too often reflection of mediocre governance. Great governance sometimes takes difficult decisions. No one likes to suffer pain even in the public interest.
• ·         When a man is reduced to using abuse to make his point, he's lost the argument. That's the first thing I learnt as a lawer; never go down to a shouting match because then you've lost the argument.
• ·         Here is what we say to them: suppliers, you are a menace to society, you are a menace to your family. You become a thief, you become a liar. You need drugs and we've just got to stop it, and if you are caught bringing drugs in beyond a certain limit and, obviously, you are a trafficker, we hang you. That is that. ...we have a cleaner society, more drug-free, and we are not interested in Amnesty.
• ·         Those who do, do; and those who can't, teach.
• ·         Winston Churchill once said, if you want to develop serious doubts about democracy, try to conduct a five-minute conversation on the issues with the average citizen. ..it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms have been tried time to time
• ·         Under this sensible system(congestion pricing), you pay a toll to drive downtown during rush hour. The economic incentive, therefore, is to avoid rush hour if you can.