SINGAPORE Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew has stirred indignation in Thailand after questioning whether the country was developed enough for democracy.

In an editorial today, the Nation daily hit back at Lee and said that although democracy in Thailand was imperfect and messy, it was still superior to Singapore's.

"Thailand's democracy is still young, inefficient and messy. But nevertheless it is leading the country towards a future that will be governed by the wishes of the people," the paper said.

While Thai democracy did not always ensure good leaders, "it can at least be relied on to keep the bad guys in check," the paper said.

"Singapore's democracy, by contrast, has no such guarantees," it added. "Without a free press and strong opposition, there is little to prevent it all going awry."

Lee told the International Herald Tribune in a weekend interview that democracy and a free press did not necessarily lead to a good government.

"Before you have a working democracy you must have an educated population and a fair-sized middle class that will provide a counterbalance for society," he was quoted as saying.

"Do Indonesia or Thailand have that? Have they got the people with the knowledge to understand the issues?"

THAI DEMOCRACY FRAGILE

In the seven decades since Thailand began flirting with democracy, it has veered between military and civilian rule and gone through 16 coups. The country held its latest general election Jan 6.

Lee said two of Thailand's best prime ministers had taken power without being elected. "The best periods of Thailand's growth since the war were under two prime ministers, Prem Tinsulanonda and Anand Panyarachun, both non-elected but both honest and competent," he said.

Thai tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, runaway winner of the weekend's election, has been indicted by the country's anti-graft agency for failing to declare some of his wealth.

He denies wrongdoing, but if the constitutional court upholds the ruling Thaksin faces a five-year ban from politics.

In the interview, Lee pointed out Thaksin's graft indictment. "Yet it had not made the slightest difference to the poll figures before the voting, nor to the final results," he said.

Asked about the comments this week, Thaksin told reporters: "Lee Kuan Yew is always a critical man. Please do not yet compare me with previous governments. In any case, I will do my best."

The Nation took issue with Lee's comments that democracy needed a middle class or a well-educated electorate.

"What a democracy needs to work are people who know what their interests are -- which is just about everybody -- and a means for them to have a say," the paper said.

It said that in Singapore, Lee's party promised prosperity but prevented the population from getting involved in politics, while "the trusty Straits Times is always on hand to provide details of the chaos that reigns in Indonesia, of the race troubles in Malaysia, and of the corruption in Thailand."

The paper said that in Singapore, there was little scope for those who did not share Lee's priorities -- business and family.