It used to be that a government scholarship was a ticket to a solid education and career success.

That is no longer the case, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

He gave the example of one of his grandsons, the top student of his year in Raffles Institution, who decided against a government scholarship as the boy did not want to serve a bond.

MM Lee did not name the grandson but said he is a son of former SingTel chief Lee Hsien Yang. The example highlights a trend: Each year, fewer top students are keen on government scholarships.

This could lead to a shrinking supply of people who are willing to serve Singapore, said MM Lee, explaining that the mindset change is a result of societal change that has led to people having more choices in what they want to do and expecting more of life.

It is a dilemma that MM Lee would face too, were he a highly paid lawyer in his 30s today.

Speaking at a 90-minute dialogue at The Arts House yesterday, he said his decision to join politics or not would hinge on the kind of life he had before hitting the age of 30.

If he were from a poor family and was given government scholarships, MM Lee said he would "probably feel a certain moral obligation" to serve.

Otherwise, he would hesitate to give up the comfort and anonymity of life in the private sector.

Citing deposed Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as a case in point, MM Lee, referring to a book on the former Thai leader, said: "Well, had he stayed out of politics, nobody would bother whether he ate the best food or the worst food, whether he's a miser or he's a spendthrift."

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