In sharp contrast, Singapore has achieved its enviable status not by written law alone but through the pragmatism of one person - Lee Kuan Yew. Using autocratic methods, he succeeded in instilling his own selfless example of incorruptibility and efficient management. His ends-justify-the-means philosophy won him few friends in the West, but he silenced his critics by achieving an economic "miracle", an education system ranked the world's best, a competitive business hub, low corruption levels, and an advanced digital economy. Singapore's development is now on a par with almost anything the West can boast. Given those achievements, I am willing to forgive some of Lee's transgressions against human-rights standards.