Letters | What Lee Kuan Yew knew: leaders’ psychological fitness matters

One of the lesser-known instruments used by Singapore’s founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, in identifying political candidates and future ministers was psychological screening. The premise was simple but profound: political leadership carries consequences too large to be entrusted to individuals whose judgement may be distorted by insecurity or an unstable temperament. Within Singapore’s meritocratic system, competence alone was not enough; psychological balance and emotional discipline were treated as equally vital qualities. Today’s geopolitical environment makes this reality even more apparent. Strategic competition between major powers, particularly the United States and China, is frequently framed in structural terms: trade disputes,…