The Political Theory of Tyranny in Singapore and Burma The Political Theory of Tyranny in Singapore and Burmaapplies classical polit- ical theory to modern comparative political analysis in Southeast Asia to examine the role of rhetoric in maintaining or transforming a regime. Drawing from Aristotle to develop the rhetoric of benevolent despotism, McCarthy examines how rhetoric addresses commonly held beliefs and how this informs modern comparative political theory. Using Singapore and Burma as case studies, the book questions the basic assumptions of democratization theory, examining the political science of tyranny and exploring the rhetorical manipulation of religion for the purpose of polit- ical legitimacy. McCarthy shows how political leaders in Singapore and Burma have either invented or manipulated traditional beliefs by their selective interpretation of Confucian or Buddhist traditions in their favor, and it is by analyzing the rhetoric of benevolent despotism used in these countries that fundamental similarities between rhetorical strategies undertaken by leaders in both regimes can be seen. The Political Theory of Tyranny in Singapore and Burma presents the first study to combine the fields of classical rhetoric, political philosophy, and comparative politics, and will be essential reading for scholars working within these fields and the areas of international relations and Southeast Asian studies. Stephen McCarthy is a Research Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane. Routledge contemporary Southeast Asia series 1 Land Tenure, Conservation and Development in Southeast Asia Peter Eaton 2 The Politics of Indonesia-Malaysia Relations One kin, two nations Joseph Chinyong Liow 3 Governance and Civil Society in Myanmar Education, health and environment Helen James 4 Regionalism in Post-Suharto Indonesia Edited by Maribeth Erb, Priyambudi Sulistiyanto and Carole Faucher 5 Living with Transition in Laos Market integration in Southeast Asia Jonathan Rigg 6 Christianity, Islam and Nationalism in Indonesia Charles E. Farhadian 7 Violent Conflicts in Indonesia Analysis, representation, resolution Edited by Charles A. Coppel 8 Revolution, Reform and Regionalism in Southeast Asia Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam Ronald Bruce St John 9 The Political Theory of Tyranny in Singapore and Burma Aristotle and the rhetoric of benevolent despotism Stephen McCarthy The Political Theory of Tyranny in Singapore and Burma Aristotle and the rhetoric of benevolent despotism Stephen McCarthy First published 2006 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2006 Stephen McCarthy All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN10: 0-415-70186-4 (hbk) ISBN10: 0-203-08752-6 (ebk) ISBN13: 978-0-415-70186-0 (hbk) ISBN13: 978-0-203-08752-7 (ebk) Dedicated to Richard W. Staveley Contents List of illustrations x Acknowledgments xi 1 Introduction 1 2 The intellectual crisis in comparative politics 8 Comparative politics and development 8 Asian political culture 11 Democrazy– the determinism of democratization studies 14 Western liberal democracy as the end of history 16 Cultural relativism and liberal democratic values: are they reconcilable? 20 Modern comparative politics and the Aristotelian tradition 30 Social capital theory: a new paradigm? 34 Conclusion 39 3 The political science of tyranny 41 Tyranny, ancient and modern 41 Aristotle on the preservation of tyranny 47 Machiavelli on the preservation of tyranny 49 Stability and justice in a regime 52 The rhetoric of tyranny 53 Commonly held opinions (endoxa) and mass political culture 57 Enthymemes of tyrannical rhetoric 59 Conclusion 64 4 Tyranny in Singapore? 65 Political awakening in Singapore and the rise of Lee Kuan Yew 65 The rhetoric of survival 69 viii Contents Lee Kuan Yew’s rule over Singapore 70 Aristotle on the preservation of Lee’s regime 74 5 The rhetoric of Asian values 78 Asian values – inventing the endoxa78 The politics of Confucianism – manipulating the endoxa85 Asian values, Confucianism, and human rights 88 The politics of the Singapore story – manipulating the endoxa99 Conclusion 101 6 Stability and justice in Singapore 105 The art of legislating in Singapore 107 The role of the opposition 111 The art of defamation 112 The inconvenience of elections 114 The citizen army 115 Will economics determine the PAP’s fate? 116 Conclusion 118 7 Tyranny in Burma 122 TheTatmadaw’s rule over Burma 123 Aristotle on the preservation of the Tatmadaw’s regime 126 The legitimacy of the Tatmadaw130 Theendoxaon kingship and Buddhism 139 8 Buddhist political rhetoric 148 The politics of Bogyoke Aung San 149 The Buddhist political rhetoric of Aung San 154 The Buddhist political rhetoric of Aung San Suu Kyi 165 The Buddhist political rhetoric of the Tatmadaw174 9 Stability and justice in Burma 186 Conventions, talks, and concessions 187 Economic reform and international pressure for democracy 189 Change from the inside? 193 Institutions, power, and trust 195 Conclusion 200 Contents ix 10 Conclusion 202 Appendix A: Methodology – Burma case study 210 Appendix B: Findings – Burma case study 218 Notes 225 Bibliography 258 Index 278