Culture, civilization, and development

How do we build a world that is more tolerant and accepting of all people? How do we build societies that are more accepting of others and that seek the best for all their people? These are some of the many questions that we al grapple with as we struggle to find answers to all the turmoil that we see everyday all over the world. Global terrorism is on the rise around the world and even as of today the United States and its allies seem to be loosing the battle in their fight to root out terrorist activities around the world. How does culture play a role in nurturing democratic ideals in a given society and how are these ideals sustained and practiced holistically without discrimination or preference.

The article reviewed looks at this critical matter and how culture shapes society. The article is based on an interview of Lee Kuan Yew (former ruler of Singapore from 1969- 1990) and conducted by Fareed Zakaria (1994). Zakaria’s aim in doing the interview was to explore some of the critical factors that led to the enormous economic success of Singapore since its independence. In the interview, Yew notes that one of the factors that has enabled Singapore and especially the Asian tigers to succeed immensely is their cultural values and belief in “thrift, hard work, filial piety and loyalty in the extended family and most of all, the respect for scholarship and learning.” He acknowledges that even though these values also exist within the Western cultural system and have in the past led to the western nation’s success, these values have been on decline in these nations for decades now thus threatening the underpinnings of their societies.

Yew also points out that another reason for Singapore’s success has been the government’s facilitation of certain changes that have created economic growth as the country moved from and agricultural society to an industrial society. Although others have criticized this kind of government initiated and driven economic policy and plan as compared to an American-style system that is flexible, laissez-faire and constantly adapting to change, Yew sees it differently. Although he believes in the government’s role in society, he nevertheless believes that in keeping with the Confucian value system the strongest foundation for any society is in the family. He notes that through all turbulence the family provided an individual a “survival raft.” According to him this “life raft is what enables the civilization to carry on and get to its next phase.”

Yew notes that notwithstanding the criticisms that have been leveled against some East Asian countries of their distrust for open and freewheeling intellectual climate, East Asian countries actually value innovation and the production of new technologies and products. Yew points out that East Asians tradition of strict discipline and respect for teachers enables the nurturing of intellectual capacities. On a governmental level, the encouragement of savings and investments, keeping inflation low, and providing high-quality education have been key drivers of success. However, Yew stresses that the overarching factor is the cultural underpinnings of the society. He notes that even if a country liberalizes its economy and gets many of the economic fundamentals right, if other driving forces are ignored including the value of learning and scholarship, hard work, thrift, and deferment of present enjoyment for future gain, the going will be much slower.
In many ways, there is some truth in what Yew talks about especially one compares the East Asian nations to the oil rich gulf states that have a lot of economic wealth (in terms of oil money), but whose societies still languish and are far behind the East Asian nations.

Yew notes that although with the passage of time cultures change and adopt new ways of doing things and seeing the world, people still tend to grope backwards in the hope of identifying with their past. He illustrates this with the example of how there is a resurgence or the rise of religion in many parts of East Asia. In other parts of the world (especially in the western world) people are not looking to official religion but are searching for a higher meaning and purpose in their own lives. He also acknowledges that there are massive changes occurring within the East Asian societies in terms of lifestyles, ways of bringing up children and especially governance systems within the countries. In terms of the spreading of ideas of democracy and individual rights with East Asian countries, he acknowledges that many of these countries have changed considerably and are still changing. However, he notes that this will not necessarily mean that the systems of government will end up being like the American system or the German system. It is possible that they will be entirely different in keeping with the people’s needs and the maximization of possibilities for all citizens. He is convinced that what will eventually emerge is what will work best within their culture and context.

Implication for governance values
Such an argument mirrors the discussion on what is happening in the Middle East today and especially United States policy in Iraq. Trying to forcibly plant a western style democratic system in such a country and within a short period of time is foolish at best. The United States has hopefully learnt a valuable lesson from the Iraq debacle that one cannot unilaterally impose one’s own system of governance on another country without taking into account the history and context of that nation. There are no generic solutions to be dispensed at will to anyone that one has control of. What is needed is for the rebuilding of societal institutions in such ravaged nations and planting of seeds that will hopefully flower to create a society where everybody is valued and provided with the opportunity to be the best that they can be.

Yew explains that the United States, Western Europe, Japan, China, and other emerging strong nations will in the future need to work more and more closely together in working to find ways to maintain the rule of law and to spread the rule of law in international relations. He notes that the world has over the decades become more intertwined and nations have become interdependent on another thus calling for a need for greater collaboration in world affairs.


REFERENCE
Zakaria, F. (1994). Culture is destiny- a conversation with Lee Kuan Yew. Foreign Affairs, 73 (2), 109- 126