China is a vast, disparate country; there is no alternative to strong central power.
Lee Kuan YewRead
They say, oh, let’s have multiparty politics. Let’s have different parties change and be in charge of the Government. Is it that simple? You vote in a Division Three government, not a Division One government, and the whole economy will just subside within three, four years. Finished.
Interpretation
Multiparty politics can seem appealing, but the reality of governance is more complex and requires stability for economic health.
In this quote, Lee Kuan Yew critiques the simplicity with which people view multiparty politics, emphasizing that simply changing political parties does not guarantee effective governance. He argues that without a stable and competent government, economies can quickly deteriorate, leading to dire consequences within a few years.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about the effectiveness of political systems in a classroom setting.
China is a vast, disparate country; there is no alternative to strong central power.
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Anybody who decides to take me on needs to put on knuckle-dusters. If you think you can hurt me more than I can hurt you, try. There is no way you can govern a Chinese society.
I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this - who will count the votes, and how.
Government has a habit of blaming the private sector for its own failings while taking credit for advances we in fact owe to the private sector.
Republicans and others who are in anguish over the possibility of socialized medicine ought to have to explain their ideology to a mother with a sick newborn. They ought to have to explain how this nation can debate health care and not mention how abysmal ours is.
In the United States large corporations control some members of Congress. All this does is delay the corporation’s funeral at our expense.
The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.
Nations are born in the hearts of poets, they prosper and die in the hands of politicians.
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