(March 01 1985), President's Address, Debate on President's Address, Parliament of Singapore, retrieved: January 16 2015
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I have said this on many a previous occasion: that had the mix in Singapore been different, had it been 75% Indians, 15% Malays and the rest Chinese, it would not have worked. Because they believe in the politics of contention, of opposition. But because the culture was such that the populace sought a practical way out of their difficulties, therefore it has worked.
— Lee Kuan Yew
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I have said this on many a previous occasion: that had the mix in Singapore been different, had it been 75% Indians, 15% Malays and the rest Chinese, it would not have worked. Because they believe in the politics of contention, of opposition. But because the culture was such that the populace sought a practical way out of their difficulties, therefore it has worked." in the context of "(March 01 1985), President's Address, Debate on President's Address, Parliament of Singapore, retrieved: January 16 2015" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Lee Kuan Yew" (Quotes, 1980s)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015) was a Singaporean politician. He was the Secretary-general of the People's Action Party (1954–1992) and Singapore Prime Minister (1959–1990), Senior Minister (1990–2004), Minister Mentor (2004–2011).
About Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015) was a Singaporean politician. He was the Secretary-general of the People's Action Party (1954–1992) and Singapore Prime Minister (1959–1990), Senior Minister (1990–2004), Minister Mentor (2004–2011).
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