Rich country, poor country

Every time I go to Singapore to visit my son and his family, I can't help but wonder how a small island about the size of Metro Manila but half its population and with no natural resources can be a First World economy.

- BOO CHANCO

On the other hand, our resource-rich country still has half of its population living in poverty.

Some say it is because Lee Kuan Yew ruled as a dictator while we enjoyed our freewheeling American-style democracy. I don't buy that because we had 20 years of Marcos rule, 14 of which under martial law which gave Marcos pretty much the same dictatorial powers of LKY. Yet, the opposite happened because absolute power only hastened the economic decline of the Philippines with presidential cronies abusing the preferential treatment that Marcos gave them.

Maybe it is more about the personal qualities of LKY, the Cambridge-trained lawyer who was meticulously honest and with so much love of country.

In our case, we had a succession of presidents, none of whom was as visionary and as honest as LKY. Or maybe our rambunctious democracy is also hobbled by the social inequities from colonial rule.

In a speech during the 18th Philippine Business Conference, LKY said, "I do not believe democracy necessarily leads to development. I believe what a country needs to develop is discipline more than democracy."

LKY is only half right. Discipline by itself, described as authoritarian rule, is not enough, as our martial law experience tells us. Given the hindsight that my over 70 years of living in our country brings, maybe it simply is because we never elected true statesmen with love of country.

Our politicians, including all presidents except Ramon Magsaysay and probably Fidel Ramos, do not have enough love of country to focus on national interest and common good. Personal and family interests prevailed.

So, we are what we are today.