Have you heard this argument before? They tell you the country will not collapse if you vote in a mediocre government because we have a great civil service. The civil servants will run the country.
With all the established institutions that we have, the country will continue to function smoothly and efficiently and we will continue to prosper, they say.
Essentially what they are doing is to shift your confidence to institutions in an attempt to assure you that it does not matter who forms the government because we have great institutions.
Which leads to the question: Then why bother to elect a government, and a mediocre one at that? Why not dispense with government and let the civil service run the country?
But we know better. Institutions are great because of their leaders.
Mr Lee Kuan Yew was a lifelong champion of the rule of law. When he became Prime Minister in 1959, the first thing he set out to do was to eradicate corruption in public institutions.
Thus over the years, the institutions have gone from strength to strength because of strong leadership and an anti-corruption stance.
Indeed, leaders are the ones who set the tone and directions for institutions. They are the policy makers. They make key decisions and they are the ones called upon to respond to crises.
Institutions become great because of their leaders. Conversely speaking a great institution can lose its greatness if the leaders are corrupt and/incapable.
Leaders matter and it matters who we choose to be leaders in government - capable people with integrity.
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