Episode

Singapore and the long shadow of Lee Kuan Yew

Podcast
Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today
Published
Mar 6, 2026
Duration seconds
1791
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/rearvision/singapore-election-lee-kuan-yew-pritam-singh/106349614
Audio
https://mediacore-live-production.akamaized.net/audio/02/j7/Z/gs.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/rear-vision-how-history-shaped-today-1530908/episodes/singapore-and-the-long-shadow-of-lee-kuan-yew
Markdown
/podcast/rear-vision-how-history-shaped-today-1530908/singapore-and-the-long-shadow-of-lee-kuan-yew.md

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Summary

The government of Singapore this year sacked the leader of the Opposition — that's the way things happen in Singaporean politics. Though it looks like a model Westminster democracy, critics say it's actually a one-party state, dominated for more than 60 years by the People's Action Party. So, how is it that such a prosperous and modern nation has never managed to free itself from the long shadow of its authoritarian founder, Lee Kuan Yew. Guests: Dr Stephan Ortmann — Assistant Professor of Politics and Public Administration, Hong Kong Metropolitan University Dr Michael Barr — Associate Professor of International relations, Flinders University Dr Gillian Koh — Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore Joshua Kurlantzick — Senior Fellow for SE Asia and South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations