1963, Rally at Hong Lim Green, https://youtu.be/8AMQczu56Jo

We never run away from a fight and never will. This is the only country we’ve got. And I say to them, they can chase out the British governors because they can all retire with good pensions in Britain, but, they can’t chase us out because we have nowhere to go and we will fight. So I say, over the next few weeks, as you see how things progress, remember this: the ultimate fight is between the communists and those who can see. Put up a challenge. Give them a run for their money. We know them, and I say this without immodesty. We work with them. That’s why we know them. We know all their tactics, we understand the mechanics of the game, and we intend to ensure that the country survives.

In August last year, right here, they were blaring with shouts and slogan, shouts and slogans, you know, as we were speaking. And we allowed them to speak. This is the communists. Well, I say to them, carry on the open argument, the open debate, and I feel, not we will win, but a right, righteousness in the interests of the people will triumph. We’ll triumph over evil and deceit, provided we are always united together. If we allow this kind of stupidity to ruin the country, then I say we deserve to perish. And I say, it is your duty and mine to make sure it doesn’t perish. We let it go on, doesn’t do any harm provided they don’t take up stones and sticks and guns. But my last word of exhortation is, we have so much at stake, we have gone so far to secure the country, I say rally around and keep these evil forces – you see, they are so ashamed of themselves, they have switched the lights off. Look at that. They are cowards. That’s what they are. Cowards. They switched the lights off. Look at that. Are these men who are going to lead you to peace and prosperity, or to ruination and position. Look at that. God knows what they are doing in the dark.

When I say this, they succeed on the basis of intimidation, and I say they make the error that we are easily intimidated, then they have a lot to be sorry for, because, you know, we have so much at stake, we can’t afford to be intimidated.

Singapore became independent from Malaysia in 1965.

1967, Interview by NBC, “Meet the Press”, https://youtu.be/VexrmTacOAA

First of all, I can’t speak as a Chinese because I’m a Singaporean. I’m of Chinese ethnic stock. I think this is crucial. I mean, if you ask me to speak as a Chinese, well you know, the People’s Republic in Peking will be, I think, quite rightfully indignant. So will the other aspirant in Taipei. But speaking as a Singaporean with some of the built-in memory, programming of the Chinese people, I would say that…

The young must be idealistic. The young must believe that the world should be more just and that there should be more moral rectitude in the behaviors of their leaders. They protest often, in more than just a peaceful manner, because the communists slipped into my demonstrations. Windows got broken so often, and cars got overturned. But at the end of the day, I think decisions have got to be made by adults not teenagers. But it’s got to be made in such a way that when the teenagers become adults and they look back on these decision, they would be proud of the generation that went before them.

1980, Response in public to the SIA Strikers, https://youtu.be/ytMXSLeqFMY

And let there be no mistakes about it. Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him, or give it up. This is not a game of cards. This is your life and mine. I spent a whole lifetime building this. And as long as I’m in charge, nobody’s going to knock it down.

Multiple, “The best of Lee Kuan Yew”, https://youtu.be/e8rPofi-AUw

1960s (guess): “The human being is an unequal creature. This is a fact. And we start off with the proposition. All great religions, all great movements, all great political ideologies say let us make the human being as equal as possible. In fact, he is not equal, never will be.”

1986: “We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language Chauvinists, or religious extremists. If you don’t do that, the country would be in ruins today.”

1986: “What are our priorities? First, a welfare, the survival of the people. Then, the democratic norms and processes, which from time to time we have to suspend.”

1986: “I say without the slightest remorse that we wouldn’t be here, we would not have made the economic progress if we had not intervened on very personal matters: who your neighbor is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit or where you spit, or what language you use. Had we not done that and done it effectively, we would not be here today.”

1988: “We allow American journalists in Singapore in order to report Singapore to their fellow countrymen. We allow their newspapers to sell in Singapore so that we can know what foreigners are reading about us. But we cannot allow them to assume a role in Singapore that the American media plays in America, that of invigilator, adversary, and inquisitor of the administration.” “I have been in office for now 29 years. I have won seven general elections since my first in 1959. I think that qualifies me at least to be able to say that I do know Singapore better than the questioner.”

1988: “And even from my sickbed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave and I feel that something is going wrong, I’ll get up.”

2002: “I ignore polling as a method of government. I think that shows a certain weakness of mind, an inability to chart a course. Whichever way the wind blows, whichever way the media encourages the people to go, you follow. You are not a leader.” “If you keep on mocking your leader and poking fun at him every day and he has not right to reply, it is very difficult for him to command your respect.”

1992, Answer to Chris Patten’s question at Hong Kong, https://youtu.be/kmfm7vmJ0Bs

On the whole, it (British decolonization) has been a disappointing exercise. I remember as a student in Britain, being taught constitutional law by a very distinguished professor who had been one of Churchill’s cabinet secretaries. And he illustrated with an example of Ceylon how the ideal transition to democracy and self-government would take place. They had their first municipal elections in 1932 for mayor of Colombo and a council of Colombo. They had two universities that … of professionals and administrative officers. They had large … . So they started off with all the advantages that would ensure progress and prosperity. Of course I was taught this in 1947, when Ceylon had just got independence. And India, of course, had just gone into turmoil, with breakup into Pakistan and India.

I have never believed that democracy brings progress. I know it to have brought regression. I watched it year by year, every two years when I meet my fellow members of, leaders of the Commonwealth. And it need not have been thus. The British never governed these countries by One Man One Vote. It was one British government, one British resident, and his word was law, and yet good district officers whose word was also law for that district. I think regardless of the present missionary zeal of the Americans of democracy and human rights, which has broken up the Soviet Union, it would be misguided to believe that what has worked in very special circumstances amongst European societies, and what is barely working in Korea and Taiwan, is universally valid.

… how to establish good government? Good government means a government that considers itself a trustee of the people, whether you are king, chief, or whatever, not somebody in temporary charge and insecure, and therefore out to settle an annuity and a nest egg for yourself, which is what has happened in so many countries. So if you asked me what my thoughts on decolonization are, I think they are grim, because western political scientists have not lived in these societies, have not understood that what is required is economic progress, development, and the final blossoming of a large educated middle class, which alone can sustain a democracy. When you have sixty to seventy percent of your population educated, knowing what will work and what will not work, then One Man One Vote makes sense.

2009, Speech on 30 years of Speak Mandarin Campaign, https://youtu.be/jqmA58FWfu4

Supposing we have made Mandarin our first language, then I tell you, apart from domestic troubles with our Malays and our Tamils that are non-Chinese, what is the use of Singaporeans to China? They don’t need another 3 million Chinese speaking people. They’ve got 1,300 million, 23 million in Taiwan, 7 million in Hong Kong. 3 million more speaking Chinese, what value is it to them? But because we have English, because we have access to the English speaking world, and knowledge that goes with it, and the commercial and economic contexts that we have developed, and the links that we have over the years evolved with the world in general, not just the English speaking world, but the world that now uses English as a common language. That’s why we are useful.

2000, For Third World Leaders: Hope or Despair?, https://youtu.be/pCEYJFpwydw

https://youtu.be/DdUcKBkYRzM