'Temporary' PM Goh still riding high

Eight years later, Prime Minister Goh, who makes his second official visit to Australia on Monday, has proved far more successful than anyone ever expected, with his George Bush style, and kinder, gentler approach to running Singapore.

In the last elections, in December 1997, Mr Goh did far better than expected, with Opposition parties managing to win only two seats.

And his more liberal, conciliatory approach to governing the island nation of 4 million people is seen as going down well with the new generation of younger, well-educated, more affluent Singaporeans.

While presiding over reforms to better equip Singapore to ride out the economic recession, the former economist and businessman is also trying to change the education system to encourage more entrepreneurial spirit in the country and to encourage the nation's youth to ease off their relentless focus on education by taking more interest in sports and the arts.

But nevertheless, Mr Goh, 56, still carries out his prime ministership in conjunction with Lee Kuan Yew and his son, who was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in 1990.

The former prime minister, who now holds the role of Senior Minister, is actively and regularly quoted in the newspapers with his latest pronouncements of his views on Singapore. This week's Singapore press gave extensive coverage to 'SM'. It centred on Mr Lee's feisty interview with New York Times columnist William Safire, in which he rejected Mr Safire's allegations that Mr Lee was an "intelligent dictator". Mr Lee also expressed his concerns about the instability of the region.

At the same time his 47-year-old-son, Brigadier-General Lee Hsien Loong (known in Singapore as 'B.G.' Lee), one of Singapore's two deputy prime ministers, gained coverage with his signing of a memorandum of understanding on technology between Singapore and Australia.

B.G. Lee has played a high profile throughout the Asian economic crisis, presiding over a series of moves to expand Singapore's role as a regional financial centre.

He was also the one to announce a major package of policy measures in Parliament late last year aimed at cutting the cost of doing business in Singapore to help the country weather the economic downturn.

If Singapore emerges well out of the recession, as it is shaping up to do, supporters of B.G. Lee will be able to claim he has played a role in the policy-making process.

There has never been much doubt that B.G. Lee will be the next Prime Minister of Singapore - the only question is when.

B.G. Lee's career was placed in doubt in late 1992 when it was announced he was suffering from lymphatic cancer. But it has since been announced that he has achieved full remission and has passed the crucial five-year period after remission without any apparent problems.

In a recent interview, Mr Goh said he was working on his succession which would take place "after the year 2000" but added that "that doesn't mean 2001".

Mr Goh's visit comes on the heels of this week's joint ministerial meetings in Singapore which included Australia's Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Fischer, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Downer, and the Defence Minister, Mr Moore. It was clear from the meetings that there are few, if any, bi-lateral problems between Singapore and Australia. The main issues to be discussed next week will be common interests - the economic and political state of the Asian region, particularly the Indonesian situation, and how to jointly work together to play a role in APEC and other regional forums.

Significantly the major agreement signed between Australia and Singapore this week covered an extensive level of co-operation in the information technology industry - a sign of the high level of sophistication in the trade and business relationship between the two countries.