Islamic bomb a big threat, says Lee Kuan Yew

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, MAY 19. ``The Muslim nuclear weapon - which already exists in Pakistan - will travel to other Muslim countries in the years to come,'' Singapore's Senior Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, has said.

In an interview published in The Washington Times, Mr. Lee also said the biggest threat to the world would emanate from challenges to the status quo - from China and India.

On the rapprochement between the U.S. and India as a balance to China's growing geopolitical clout, he said: ``It makes good geopolitical sense. India has lost a good 40 years going with the Soviets, and they now realise it.'' The second biggest threat to stability was from the Persian Gulf. ``I would say the Gulf, when those regimes change over the next few years - a transition that will be aggravated by the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. This is the real tinderbox in the foreseeable future.''

Growing fanaticism

After referring to the travel possibilities of Pakistan's ``Muslim'' nuclear weapon, Mr. Lee said: ``Rational people don't worry me. China is rational, so is India, America, Europe and the rest of the world. But not the Islamic fundamentalist elements. I am very worried because this fanaticism is growing in Indonesia, which is next door to us.''

On Singapore's changing nature he said: ``We have changed and continue to change and cannot possibly predict what we will look like 10 years from now. With the exponential growth of the Internet, we are bound to be a very different society. The people are more involved, sending e-mails to ministers and getting replies. But this doesn't mean we are going to be a Western society...''

``We also have the growing divide, not between Indians and Chinese, and Malays and Chinese, but between the Muslims and non- Muslims. Islam is going through a renaissance and globalising. Its disciples are using modern technology to reassert themselves and spread the Muslim message. Throughout 150 years of British rule and 36 years of independence, dress was never an issue. But now the Muslims have made it a major one. I'm sure you have seen the covered heads of women around town. It's part of the worldwide movement. And we have a problem,'' Mr. Lee contended.

Referring to the U.S., he said people felt squatted upon. There was too much unilateralism and the message was ``enough is enough''. ``I think that there's growing discomfort at the unilateralism that has been accentuated since the Bush administration came to power. It was already there with Clinton, but Clinton was a master wordsmith and managed to disguise his real intentions. Bush is a straight-talker who speaks what's in his mind. Even when he doesn't intend to, it comes out.''

China unstoppable

Maintaining that the U.S. could not prevent China from emerging as a major global player, the Senior Minister said China would become the largest player on this side of the Pacific over two or three decades. ``Japan, however advanced and highly developed, South Korea, and even a united Korea, and the rest of Asia cannot balance China... I would go one step further. There is nothing that the Japanese and the Koreans have done that China can't do better in the years to come. You cannot stop them. Shanghai is now a city of almost 15 million and still streaming in, as well as into Shenzhen. Its new Silicon Valley attracts the cream of the crop.''

Pointing out that he did not believe Western-style democracy would come about in China in the next 30 years, he said, ``however, some form of participatory government will evolve.''

``China is a hugely complex country. It never had a functioning democracy, so its approach is likely to be tentative and experimental. They will avoid a free-for-all contest with unpredictable results. The information revolution with the internet and instant access to information is increasing the ability of the Chinese people to communicate with each other and make their views felt. ``As the population moves over the next 50 years from over 70 per cent in the rural areas to over 70 per cent in the urban areas, the system must change. The people and society are already changing. In the next 20 to 30 years, China will be a radically different society and its system of government will be correspondingly different,'' Mr. Lee said.

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