English language among factors for Singapore’s success

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Dr Louis E.A. Moyston is right that Patois is part of the Jamaican identity. I know of no one who denies this. There are disagreements about what, if anything, should be done about this fact, but not about whether it is a fact.

Regarding English in Singapore, here are Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s own words on the subject, taken from his book From Third World to First, pp. 155-6: “English as our working language has prevented conflicts arising between our different races and given us a competitive advantage because it is the international language of business and diplomacy, of science and technology. Without it, we would not have many of the world’s multinationals and over 200 of the world’s top banks in Singapore. Nor would our people have taken so readily to computers and the Internet.”

In this book, Mr Lee includes English, the values of Confucius the philosopher, teamwork in governance, and using Japan as his model, among the factors that contributed to his country’s success.

EARL MCKENZIE