Lee Kuan Yew, prime minister of Singapore from 1959—when the country attained full self-government from the British—until 1990, has died, The New York Times reports. According to a statement, he passed away "peacefully" at the Singapore General Hospital early Monday morning.
Singapore has been praised for its lack of corruption and gently criticized for its limits on free speech.
From a 2007 interview with The New York Times:
Singapore's secret, Mr. Lee said, is that it is "ideology free." It possesses an unsentimental pragmatism that infuses the workings of the country as if it were in itself an ideology, he said. When considering an approach to an issue, he says, the question is: "Does it work? Let's try it, and if it does work, fine, let's continue it. If it doesn't work, toss it out, try another one."
The yardstick, he said, is: "Is this necessary for survival and progress? If it is, let's do it."
Last year, the "ideology free" Singapore was found to be the world's most expensive city to live in.
Image via AP. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.
