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In the last forty years of its independence, the lion state Singapore has developed a 'good and strong' governance inspired by the Confucian principle. This form of benevolent patriarchy has a clear manifestation in the language of politicians. In the use of metaphors in public speeches, Singaporean statesmen often envisage the state as the benevolent father and refer to Singaporean citizens as sons and daughters.
Nowhere is the practice of Confucianism listed as state ideology in Singapore. Paradoxically, in its rather successful modernization efforts, Singapore has been basically inspired by the Confucian principle (Zhang 2002). In the last forty years, a one-party (the People's Action Party) government, has governed Singapore with an interventionist and paternalistic outlook in virtually all areas of life. For example, in its effort to guarantee political and social stability as a means of attaining material progress, the Party has effectively used incentives and rules to control the economic system, trade unions and mass media.
The State as a Paternalistic Father
Good and strong governance is essential for emergent nation states with a penchant for material success. As Prime Minister Goh ChokTong (PM Goh) put it: 'An army of sheep led by a lion is stronger than an army of lions led by a sheep.' What is not so obvious, however, is that the lion and the sheep are almost always male. The influential 1991 White Paper on Shared Values states that the government should be ruled by 'honorable men ... who have a duty to do right for the people, and who have the trust and respect of the population'.
The lion state is popularly conceived as the 'benevolent father' and this can be discerned in the use of metaphors in public speeches. PM Goh often addresses Singaporeans as 'sons and daughters':
Singapore can only do well if her good sons and daughters are prepared to dedicate themselves to help others. I shall rally them to serve the country. For if they do not come forward, what future will we have?
The leader is a strict but benevolent parent-trainer. Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew (SM Lee), PM Goh s predecessor, is often portrayed as an authoritarian and, a: times, quite angry Confucian patriarch. In PM Goh's words:
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