A tiny, multi-racial society ejected from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore was born in an atmosphere of vulnerability, lack of legitimacy and trust, and ethnic conflict. Up through the 1980s and 1990s, Lee often justified the continuation of authoritarian policies by reference to those communal riots, and to the ever-present possibility of a loss of social trust and a return to conflict.
1965年新加坡最早从马来西亚独立，这个多民族小国在成立之初脆弱、缺乏信任及合法性并随处可见民族冲突。直到二十世纪八九十年代，李光耀还常常以社会骚乱和丧失社会信任、回归冲突为由继续执行独裁政策。