Jamus Lim’s three-week sabbatical at Stanford University, California has a number of positives, including that Singapore politics is maturing. But first, it gives me a chance to talk about another sabbatical way back in 1968 which had some impact on Singapore’s relationship with the United States.
At the age of 45 and already having served almost a decade as Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew landed in Harvard University in 1968 for a three-month attachment as a Fellow of the Institute of Politics of the Kennedy School of Government. The Harvard Crimson reported Lee as saying, “I am here to rest, to rethink, to reformulate policies, to get fresh ideas, to meet stimulating minds, to go back enriched with a fresh burst of enthusiasm for what I do,” he said. “I intend to study all the things I’ve been doing ad hoc without the proper tutoring the past 10 years.
“He indicated he planned to spend most of his time here talking to professors, especially about economics, history, political science, sociology and anthropology—’the things which will enable me to meet problems, the doctrines and theories which will constitute our problems in the coming years.’ ”
The rest was history. He benefited from the experience and exposure. Singapore-US relationship has been good right up to date, give and take a hiccup now and then. Tellingly, Harvard University subsequently became almost a must place to go for “fresh ideas” for many top Singapore leaders, including Lee Hsien Loong, the current PM, and Lawrence Wong, the next PM-to-be.
The three-month Harvard for LKY could have been shorter.
In 1980, I was in the US myself for a one-and-half month US government visitor programme which took me to, among many places, the Rand Corporation, a think tank, in Santa Monica, California. During a lunch hosted by a Rand director, he told me: “Your PM nearly ruined my career. I was instructed to work out a month-and-half long programme for him. Rand is just a research facility. One week, yes. One and a half months, hard to do. He would be bored. Luckily, my boss came back to tell me Lee Kuan Yew was coming to Rand for only a couple of days because he decided to spend more time at Harvard. What a relief!”
I found out later in my career that LKY really made full use of his foreign contacts’ expertise to help solve many of Singapore’s problems.
Likewise, Jamus Lim would likely take the same road.
The Straits Times reported:
“Prof Lim will be in California, where he is attending the annual Draper Hills Summer Fellow Programme, which began in 2005, at Stanford University’s Centre on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law.
“According to the school’s website, it is a three-week training programme for global democratic leaders holding senior roles in their respective fields such as business, government or the non-profit sector.”
I see all this as an all-win development for Singapore politics.
Jamus Lim will return to Parliament after his sabbatical with broader perspectives useful for better debates.
His sabbatical is possible because the Opposition is not so small and weak today. The Workers’ Party has enough still active former MPs like Low Thia Khiang and Png Eng Huat to cover Lim’s work in the ward.
Younger Singaporeans who believe that we need a more balanced political system will be encouraged. Younger Opposition politicians will have as many opportunities for self-development – as part of the national lifelong leaning mantra – as anyone.
Let not Jamus Lim’s going on a three-week sabbatical be a rarity. It should be a welcome norm for all our younger politicians.
Politics is about progress, fresh thinking and new ideas – and not being stuck in group think or a frogs’ well.
Tan Bah Bah, consulting editor of TheIndependent.Sg, is a former senior leader writer with The Straits Times. He was also managing editor of a magazine publishing company.
/TISG
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