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Headliners; Retiring, Semi
Lee Kuan Yew stepped down last week as Prime Minister of Singapore, but not too far down. Mr. Lee, who has headed the city-state's government since it gained its independence from Britain in 1959, is expected to have a fair amount of influence in the Government of his hand-picked successor, Goh Chok Tong. He will be a senior minister in the new Prime Minister's cabinet and will also continue to head the People's Action Party, which holds 80 of the 81 seats in Parliament. Mr. Goh's government of the prosperous little country is expected to be somewhat less restrictive than that of the 67-year-old Mr. Lee. Just how much so is anybody's guess. Mr. Goh spoke vaguely of encouraging "more participation" and allowing people "to behave more as adults," but acknowledged that he expected Mr. Lee to be continually looking over his shoulder. "It is difficult for him not to interfere," Mr. Goh said of his predecessor. "We accept that as a fact of life, and we welcome it."
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