DURING the 16th and 17th centuries, territories in Europe and many parts of Asia were ruled and governed for the good of the head of the nation — a king, an emperor or a local chief — and its people, at least in theory. Democracy was practiced at times within a certain political community but in a very reduced and limited way and only to address very concrete issues. Ideologies today present themselves like recipes that guarantee the success, the prosperity, the welfare and the freedom of the citizens, but centuries ago, the discussion was towards good governance. What is good governance? What are the features of a good leader? How can a territory be preserved and even enlarged for the good of the citizens? What issues are the most important in order to improve the lives of the people? How can political adversaries be defeated? How to discourage enemies from interrupting the peace, the trade and the freedom of a certain political community?
The idea of good governance was recovered in the 1980s and the 1990s by Lee Kuan Yew, the great leader of Singapore, who claimed repeatedly in several interviews that democracy only served to make a peaceful transition of political leadership, but what really mattered to him was good governance. He also used to look with contempt at prevalent Western ideologies; he was only interested in what worked well for the people and the nation.
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