Letters

Our

exclusive interview with Lee Kuan Yew prompted many readers to write in with praise for Singapore's founding father, but some also raised concerns about Lee's wariness of democracy

I have great respect for Lee Kuan Yew's achievements in Singapore's early development [Dec. 12]. It is unfortunate, however, that he sees only "chaos" in the free marketplace of ideas and does not recognize the myriad possibilities of positive creativity. Singaporeans are taught how to think and act in accord with the dictates of the system. Now Singaporeans are being told to be creative. So even the creative spirit is being forced upon society by the system instead of being allowed to happen naturally. I hope the government does not wait too long to loosen up, or it will spell its own demise as we move into an age in which creativity is the key to staying ahead.
Rionita Amir
Bandung, Indonesia

As a Filipino, I am humbled by Lee's statement, "I see the marketplace of ideas, as in the Philippines, and I see chaos." It is true that under President Ferdinand Marcos, freedom was suppressed and an oligarchy was in place. Now we are free to speak up, and we have hundreds of rallies a year, sometimes with water cannons in our faces. But recent events have shown that politics in this nation has become overwhelmingly toxic. Hushed tones in coffee shops sometimes say, "We miss Marcos." Singapore is lucky to have a strong founder like Lee. He made mistakes, but he wasn't a tyrant and he genuinely cared for his people.
Arvie de Vera
Pasig, the Philippines

I can scarcely remember the last time a leader, active or retired, provided such insightful answers with the candor, wisdom and honesty that Lee gave TIME. Not once did I feel the slightest hint of prevarication or evasion from Lee. Different people will have different measures of a leader's success, and names like Mao, Deng and Gandhi will always inspire debates about comparative greatness. But the mere fact that Lee can be mentioned in the same breath as those leaders is proof enough of his greatness. That Singapore is small does not diminish the feats of Lee Kuan Yew. To me, he will always be the Grand Old Man of Asia.
Reynard Hing
Manila

The Terror Olympics
Your story on Steven Spielberg's new movie, Munich, described the film as "so sensitive it was kept under wraps" [Dec. 12]. What's so sensitive? The terrorist massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics and Israel's response were credibly addressed in the 1986 movie Sword of Gideon. Still, I look forward to seeing Spielberg's moviemaking talents brought to bear on this story of terrorism and a nation's legitimate response. Sensitive or not, the movie—if it's good—will sell itself.
Chris Krisinger
Colonel, U.S.A.F.
Burke, Virginia, U.S.

I was disappointed to learn that Spielberg considered the heart of his movie to be a fictionalized incident in which a Palestinian terrorist engages in a civil discussion with an Israeli. By rewriting history to humanize the terrorists, Spielberg misses the whole point of the Munich massacre. If the terrorists had been inclined to make their case rationally, the all-too-real atrocities perpetrated against the Israeli national team at the 1972 Olympics would never have occurred.
Aharon Shifron-Ronnie
Concord, California, U.S.

I was a student at Hebrew University in Jerusalem during and after the Munich massacre. Also, I remember in later years the accounts in Israeli newspapers of the Israelis involved in the sanctioned killings. Those were people who did not enjoy killing but who felt no particular guilt about what they were ordered to do. They understood that it was about justice, not revenge.
Rafael Guber
Los Angeles

Heed Reality in Iraq
Controversy over Iraq has dogged the Bush Administration since the war's onset [Dec. 12]. The dispute has provided capital for the Democrats, eroding the Administration's approval ratings and effectively killing its political agenda. But it's practically a sure thing that the opposition's strategy will backfire. The fact remains that Saddam Hussein was not a nice guy, and anything that led to his removal couldn't have been so bad. The big mistake was that the Administration did not have a plan for the war. The solution lies not in an immediate withdrawal or obstinate repetitions of "staying the course" but in acknowledging the situation on the ground, establishing goals and formulating a plan based on reality to achieve those goals. Partisan politics must be put aside and all consideration given to the troops risking their lives.
Uzor C. Ogbu
Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Showing Gays the Door
My thanks to Andrew Sullivan for his thoughtful essay, "The Vatican's New Stereotype," on the Roman Catholic Church's new rules barring gays from the priesthood [Dec. 12]. He expressed so well how I have been feeling—like an outsider in the church that was my home for 67 years. Although I have at times disagreed with church teachings, I have always felt like part of the fold. But the new exclusion cuts me to the core. I don't recognize Jesus in the new rules. It is more than a homosexual issue; it wounds my heart, which is aching on account of this hateful intolerance. By the way, I am a heterosexual mother of five children and grandmother of six.
Charline Kennedy
Orlando, Florida, U.S.