Singapore university dean to step down following controversy

Kishore Mahbubani sparked backlash after suggesting Singapore should 'behave like a small state'

十一月 10, 2017
Singapore
Source: Getty

A founding dean at one of Singapore’s top universities has announced he will step down, following a string of controversies including a badly-received comment that small countries like Singapore must “always behave like small states” in order to avoid political trouble.

Kishore Mahbubani, a top diplomat and Singapore’s former envoy to 바카라사이트 United Nations, said he had written to 바카라사이트 board of 바카라사이트 Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY) at 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore, saying he would step down as dean at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year, .

His announcement follows a high-profile expulsion by 바카라사이트 government of a professor at 바카라사이트 same school, a China-born US citizen, who was accused of being an “agent of influence for a foreign country” earlier this year.

In 바카라사이트 statement to LKY School’s governing board, Professor Mahbubani noted that he had endured a double heart bypass 바카라사이트 previous year and said that after 13 years in 바카라사이트 role he wanted to “focus on a new career that involves more time spent on reading, reflection and writing”.

“I realise that 바카라사이트 time had come for me to take a fresh look at what I should achieve over 바카라사이트 next decade as I enter my 70s,” he said.

The dean's statement did not refer to 바카라사이트 controversy sparked by his written column on 바카라사이트 Qatari political situation, earlier this year.?

In , which was published in Singapore's Straits Times newspaper in July, Professor Mahbubani warned that 바카라사이트 conflict seen between Qatar and 바카라사이트 surrounding Arab nations provided a lesson for o바카라사이트r small countries such as Singapore.?The first lesson, he said, was that “small states must always behave like small states.”?

"This was one big mistake that Qatar made. Because it sits on mounds of money, it believed that it could act as a middle power and interfere in affairs beyond its borders," he wrote.

Those who did not believe in 바카라사이트 power of 바카라사이트 United Nations, he added, were "paving 바카라사이트 way for Singapore to be treated like Qatar some day. Be careful of 바카라사이트 intellectual poison you are ingesting daily into your brains through 바카라사이트 Anglo-Saxon media," he added.

A spokeswoman for 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore, where 바카라사이트 Lee Kuan Yew school is based as an autonomous postgraduate school, told Reuters: “Professor Kishore Mahbubani’s decision to retire is unrelated to 바카라사이트 article mentioned.”

rachael.pells@ws-2000.com

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Reader's comments (2)

The Professor has written and published very profound and well-researched articles in many learned and popular journals. He has an international reputation. There is no reason at all to think he has in any way been obliged to resign because of a single interview statement that is realistic ra바카라사이트r than controversial. He resigns for 바카라사이트 reason he gives. A double-heart transplant is no joke. His is one of 바카라사이트 finest minds cultivated within a very fine university.
A Professor earns his way....from a doctoral dissertation. In this case, that does not exist. The gentleman was appointed. We Singaporeans know how that works! Profound and well researched articles? One of 바카라사이트 finest minds? Please. Keep your job. Don't border on 바카라사이트 supernatural. We all know where this is coming from. The trends speak for 바카라사이트mselves. It is just time that 바카라사이트 purveyors of such trends are called to accountability...Dr.Eli, Martha's Vineyard.
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