Asian stocks started the week down

The MSCI index of Asian stocks outside Japan fell 0.4% after Wall Street closed with losses on Friday.

Losses Asian stock markets today were led by a decline in the Tokyo stock market after the dollar scored at least 18 months against the yen.

Shares in Australia fell 0.18% after the poor performance of Westpac Banking Corp. Hong Kong markets, China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia were closed on Monday, reports Reuters.

In Japan, the Nikkei index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell 3.1%. The low liquidity also boosted the movement, while Japan is in the midst Golden Week holiday. Japanese markets were not functioning on Friday, and closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six major currencies, was down 0.1% to 92,988. Against the Japanese currency, the dollar rose to 106.51 yen after earlier falling to 106.14 point its lowest level since October 2014. The euro reached US $ 1.1465.

Singapore, the driving force of modern China

Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), founder and promoter of modern Singapore. Given the discretionary real time, it seems interesting to make a brief overview of this controversial policy, so little studied and so misunderstood in the Western world, where few realize that without him there would be child modern China .

In 1978, Deng Xiaoping after Mao's death in 1976, had managed to position itself as the undisputed leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC), first visited Singapore and found the model continue to develop their country lost after decades of "social revolution". In the small city state, Lee stressed the social and economic development disciplined.

The President of the People's Republic of authentic China, Xi Jinping, has repeatedly said that the modernization of the country has been shaped by the tens of thousands of Chinese officials who went to Singapore to study its model of governance and development. Lee himself visited China more than thirty times and met its leaders, from Mao to Xi Jinping.

But perhaps the leader LKY legacy of the PRC was not only inspire the economic reforms of Deng, but also thought that the reforms and adapting to change child an unfinished process. In 2007, LKY said in an interview with The New York Times that Singapore is a practice of national issues as ideological, whose main mantra is: .. "Do If it works, let attempt If OK, continue If this does not work , throw and tried another. " Deng shared this pragmatic approach when it noted that "no matter if a cat is black or white as long as it catches mice."

¿But that time Lee Kuan Yew?

Lee, who ruled Singapore as preliminary minister for more than two decades, the period of an entire man brutally pragmatic and straightforward. Of the eighteen books published, perhaps best reflects the thinking of this indefatigable politician on the most important issues of political events is the spirit and wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew, who has chosen appointments of the author. Increase so obsessed with the welfare of his country is little patient with inefficiency and waste.

Lee believes that govern the task of politicians, and manage, staff, children eminently practical questions, which should be led by the most able citizens. In two previous articles, education - Pierre development and success secrets Singapore Asian rakish, I pointed out that the emphasis on an education period of the cornerstones of the success of Singapore and other countries Asians who have succeeded.

I might add that Singapore, which spends about 20% of its budget to education, used as a single mechanism classification and selection. According to Lee, "in the long term is the quality of our youth that determines our future. Therefore, we must invest in more than any other region (...) our schools (...) (in addition to school materials) teach our students to high standards of personal conduct and social standards needed to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil. Without these values, a literate generation can be even more dangerous than the illiterate population. "

But these high standards can be achieved, according LKY without discipline necessary to achieve national goals as personal element. "If we want high moral, we must have high standards. If we want high standards, the law must be applied fairly but firmly (...) discipline is necessary to establish a budget and live within your means (...) discipline is necessary to maintain the integrity and effectiveness of the state apparatus and punish corruption, especially in the upper echelons of the administration. "

In this sense, LKY hated the so-called "welfare state" and the high taxes needed to sustain, given that laziness rewarded and punished the effort. "Every time I visit the cities of the country (Western) industrial, I am surprised to see the high unemployment rate and the same time the shortage of waiters, taxi drivers, nurses and garbage collectors (...) When people receive the same, regardless of their effort, everyone works less (...) When the effort is rewarded with the opportunity to retain a substantial portion of the profits, society in general is more prosperous. "

Therefore, equal opportunity is not absolute equality. "In any society, a thousand babies, a certain percentage will be intelligent, most have average intelligence and some are stupid (...) They are the first who will determine the future child the exceptional people who dictate the pace of a company (...) all (citizens regardless of race or social origin) are entitled to equal opportunities, but not roughage who deceived into thinking that we are all equal in our strength, our efforts, our dedication and our innate abilities. My concern is with those who can really contribute and make a difference, if we give them the training and discipline. "

"Good governance should not only maintain high standards, but raising them. The proof is in the performance and performance, not promises. The millions of dispossessed (...) do not know or are interested in theories (political or economic). They want a better life. They want a more just society. "The two rivals for the presidency would do well to always remember the primary objective of governing, and the means to provide Peru tools necessary for their development.