“With few exceptions, democracy has not brought good government to new developing countries…What Asians value may not necessarily be what Americans or Europeans value. Westerners value the freedoms and liberties of the individual. As an Asian of Chinese cultural backround, my values are for a government which is honest, effective and efficient.”
– Lee Kuan Yew (educated in Cambridge and speaks English, called Harry when young) in speech entitled ‘Democracy, Human Rights and the Realities’, Tokyo, Nov 10, 1992
“It’s nonsense…Asian people are human beings…Democracy is something everybody would like to have. Everybody would like more freedom.”
– Former Taiwan President Lee Teng Hui on “Asian Values” (speaks Hokkien and Japanese), Washington Post, Dec 16, 1997
“With our sacred votes, we have proven to the world that freedom and democracy are indisputable universal values…The spirit of a ‘government for all people’ lies in the fact that ‘the government exists for the people.’ The people are the masters and shareholders of the state… Authoritarianism and force can only bring surrender for one time, while democracy and freedom are values that will endure forever.”
– Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian’s (born and educated in Taiwan, speaks little English) inauguration address, May 20, 2000
“Lee [Kuan Yew’s] view of Asian values is not only unsupportable but also self-serving.”
– Former South Korean President Kim Dae Jung (born and bred in Korea), 1994.
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