Controversy Of Lee Kuan Yew: When The Singapore Government Becomes Mak Comblang, The Students

Lee Kuan Yew received an award from the Russian government pinned by President Dmitry Medvedev in Singapore on November 15, 2009. (kremlin.ru/wikipedia)

JAKARTA - Lee Kuan Yew is an important figure in the history of the Singaporean nation's journey. The Prime Minister (PM) of Singapore era 1959-1990 is known to be visionary. However, he is no less controversial. He has a Singaporean view that it must be dominated by educated people.

He did not want an educated man to marry an ordinary woman. Singapore's fate could be threatened. Singapore will be inhabited by an unquality generation. Lee stirred up a new breakthrough. He forced the government to become a 'matchmaker' for the creation of a quality Singaporean generation.

Singapore once had serious problems related to population growth in the 1960s. The problem of rapidly growing population brings great harm. Singapore is starting to experience many social problems.

Singapore's capacity is starting to be limited. Likewise with the availability of jobs. Lee Kuan Yew also appeared like a savior. The man who was born in Singapore, September 16, 1923, began to promote changes.

The Malaysian PM inflamed population restrictions in Singapore. The Two Children Enough Program (Stop at Two) also appeared in the 1960s. The people of Singapore are forced by the government to only have two children.

Anyone who has only two children will certainly live happily. They get a variety of conveniences. Childbirth leave is given. The cost of childbirth is borne by the state. The government also provides abortion and sterilization services.

Their children get priority in leading schools. This policy is different from those who have three or more children. Their lives will make it difficult for the country. All family activities women's kamur from pregnant, giving birth, to sending children to school must pay a lot of money.

The narrative made the people of Singapore not dare to have more than two children. The policy went smoothly for a long time. Singapore's economy is slowly starting to improve. Land constraints are no longer a problem.

Recently, the program has made the people of Singapore especially women - educated women do not want to get married and have children. This condition raises new threats. Singapore's population is predicted to continue to decline dramatically.

PM Lee Kuan Yew is worried. Because of the family planning program, which launched only two children, Singapore could fail to maintain a population of 2.5 million. According to statistics, last year Singapore only received an additional 42 thousand babies, whereas what was needed was 56 thousand. Tragically, in the same period, the island's country recorded 24 thousand evictions.

Faced with this baby's drought, the government swerved. The slogan of two children who have been dredged for decades, has now been abandoned. Now husband and wife are encouraged to have more children. For that they are given the lure. Ease in the fields of housing, taxes and medicine, plus the right to take longer leave, is part of the obstacle offered to working women," wrote Tempo Magazine's report Dua Not Enough (1986).

Lee-style population-accretion programs are not entirely carried out carelessly. He wants most of Singapore's next generation to be intelligent. Problems arise. Most Singaporean men who are educated who are married to women with mediocre education want a obedient female couple.

All because undergraduate women are considered logical and tend to dominate. Men don't want to have children with undergraduate women. There are also women who are educated who do not get a mate because they focus on pursuing a career.

This condition is considered by Lee as a big threat. He considered the future generation of Singapore to be present from poor quality circles. He then launched The Great Married (Large Marriage) policy in 1983.

The policy was inflamed by involving the government as a matchmaking bureau (mak matchmaker) for educated women and careers to find their ideal educated man. The goal is that many quality and intelligent babies are born in Singapore.

Lee believes the issue of educated genes can bring Singapore big in the middle of the Malay Sea. This wish was realized in the form of a matchmaking service opened by the Singapore Social Development Unit.

The role of the government as a matchmaker is so active. The government likes to facilitate its citizens to find educated couples. All kinds of matchmaking events were then held, from traveling events to drinking tea.

Lee's policy of getting pros and cons. Those who support consider Lee's policy to be appropriate because it is able to raise the lives of the Singaporean people in the future. They are against not a few.

The Singapore government is considered to have entered a private realm where the power of attorney cannot interfere. However, Lee continued his agenda. He fully supports educated men marrying educated women. Lee considers the policy to be proven by whether Singapore will advance in the future.

"Don't worry about the excitement in the media -- all foreign journalists write that crazy governments try to interfere with people's lives. Every year that goes on is a lost year. And you don't make decisions and immediately have a baby."

"We were born unequal and we have to make the most of everything. And whether it's a fruit tree, whether it's a racehorse, whatever it is, that's how nature works. That's how biochemicals work, how it is transmitted: quality genes," Lee said as quoted by Nick B. William Jr in his article in the Los Angeles Times newspaper entitled Singapore Tries to Help It's Educationed Women Trade Spinsterhood for Motherhood (1986).