This is what PM Lee thinks about before going to bed

Hint: It has nothing to do with the notifications he receives from his Facebook fans.

Martino Tan| September 21, 03:18 PM

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has once again proven that he is not quite like you and me.

At the annual Singapore Summit conference, he was asked about the things that worry him before he goes to bed.

For many of us, we are probably thinking about:

Our work emails/ Facebook notifications/ Instagram likes, our incomplete to-do list or what we will be doing tomorrow.

Or the number of sheep that appear above us.

counting-sheep

 Source

For PM Lee, it is 1) the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Middle East and 2) the growing nationalism in Asia.

Okay, these heavy topics do put some to sleep.

PM Lee is worried about the impact of ISIS, especially when these group of jihadists return from their overseas battle and bring trouble to the Singapore society.

On rising nationalism, he is concerned that it will threaten the peace and stability in Asia.

PM Lee_and_Chan_Heng_CheePM Lee with Ambassador-at-Large Chan Heng Chee (Source: Prime Minister's Office)

 

Anyway, here are three snippets from the summit that reveal PM Lee's sense of humour:

1. On Cyber-security

" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">

"We got a SingPass, which is an ID to access all your government services. We really need to go on a two-factor authentication."

"Because right now you have a password and everybody knows that half of the passwords in the world are spelled p-a-s-s-w-o-r-d. I am sure some of them in this room are too!"

2. On Bhutan and the need to improve

" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">

"Some of us are attracted by the Bhutan model of spirituality, but the Bhutanese held a general election and the government lost! The opposition who won, said all these stuff is just stuff. We need to resolve problems and have growth."

"So I accept that as the human condition -- that wherever you are, you like to be better and wherever you are not, sometimes appear to be better".

3. On an independent Scotland 

" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">

PM Lee: "There are many non-viable countries in the world which survive. (laughter in the audience). It's true!"

Chan Heng Chee: "You are not encouraging Scottish independence, are you?"

PM Lee: "Since it's the morning after (the results of the referendum for Scottish independence),  and we had a drink, we can afford to say that".

 

Top photo from Prime Minister's Office Youtube channel

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.