Lee Kwan Yew: Confucian model won't work for India

Mr. Lee is a very frank. In an interview with Joshua Cooper Ramo (who named the so called "Beijing Consensus"),  Lee Kwan Yew repeats his “culture will determine your fate” theory. Many Indians may feel offended by his assertion, because Mr. Lee is implying that, maybe, Indians are not hard-working enough?

“It’s more applicable to Vietnam than to India. The Indians haven’t got the Confucian culture. Without being imbued in a culture that enjoins you to endure hardship and have the stamina to struggle on in a cohesive society where the individual subsumes himself for the benefit of the family and his society, it’s difficult to expect that degree of sacrifice.”

Well, overseas Indians certainly are unusually hard-working, but foreign investors generally find it difficult to set up sweatshops in India (although sometimes the conditions are already quite good... Come on! You are in a developing country, what luxury do you expect!) . How can economic growth come without sweat? I always question.

Amartya Sen is very critical of Lee Kwan Yew (see What Lee Kuan Yew and Li Peng don't understand Asia). I have to  say that Lee could be a little too pragmatic and “growth-centric”, but Sen is certainly far too idealistic (in the sense that his theory can be applied only when angles govern)

For those who are interested in Beijing Consensus, you can find the introduction in http://fpc.org.uk/fsblob/244.pdf   . I have to remind you though, that I think it is rubbish.

You may find that my own position in this article is pretty vague. Well, it is a sensitive subject.

Comments

[ajit]

I do'nt know about Vietnam but Indian society with it's regional diversity and complex cast system is certainly not a cohesive one.Average Indian subsumes himself for the benefit of his family,average business man for the benefit of his cast and average politician for the benefit of his electoral constituency

[harsha]

I can clearly tell that Indian midset is quite complacent with every other person taking his own way and remaining non-productive. there is clearly a difference all and sundry want to enjoy like western counterparts, but don't understand that they are not so previleged.