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Comment by xvilka | Hacker News Reader

Quite sad he didn't pursue science career, it might have brought a few amazing discoveries to the world.

Instead he rotted as an actor of change, represented his citizens, protected his country and solved sudokus.

I dont know if he's good for Singapore but I mean, he did one of the most noble thing a human can do so I wouldnt blame him. I hope to do 1% of what this politician tried to do in my lifetime.

> he did one of the most noble thing a human can do

Solve sudokus?

Maybe you missed the first half of the article title.

Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong…

I read the parent comment as a joke

Even if Singapore is the best of all the authoritarian governments out there, it is still kinda fucked up. Even with its nature put aside, Singapore still engages in all sorts of regressive, backwards policies, up to a point where it's difficult to claim that any high govt official from Singapore holds any sort of sense of nobility within them. If this person is the prime minister, he is actively choosing to ignore, detach himself from, or even to support and continue those policies.

Singapore is a successful example of how to intergrate multiple ethnicity groups. Many liberal and progressive countries have tried their way and didn't get a good result.

Are both things linked? Even if they were, it's difficult to see how, say, caning as an accepted punishment, or gay rights suppression, can make an effect in ethnicity issues, unless we take this in the context of co-opting the cultural values of the less progressive culture present in the country. And in any case, stomping on some human rights for the greater benefit of the rest of society is kind of a gray area. The least we can do is recognize that grayness. Even if there existed a tangible payoff in acting and governing in that way, everyone should be aware of its price.

Is he also pursuing covid-zero at all costs? death penalty for drug dealer? embracing canning? Kim jung um studied at a top school too

I vouched for this comment because it was worth addressing.

You can go online and ask Singaporeans all day about their opinion of Lee Hsien Loong, depending on how old they are they've voted for or against him and the PAP several times.

Singapore is a de facto one-party state, but it stays that way by (sometimes narrowly) keeping the ruling party in power by voting for it periodically.

The comparison to Kim Jun "um" is inept and insulting.

Quite the opposite - I'm not sure how many eminent mathematicians have the background to have gone far in politics.

The early pandemic outlined how many politicians lacked even the ability to reason about exponentials (let alone scientific thinking!) I am very glad that there is at least SOME representation of great thinkers amongst our leader-class

I mean, he might yet? What someone does now is not their permanent lot in life.

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