Comment Re:New competition (Score 3, Insightful) 230
Would have to be Heads of Government. Lee's a Prime Minister, so he's not Head of State. Singapore's Head of State is Tony Tan.
Under Singapore's Constitution President Tan has very few powers, but he still technically outranks the PM who has powers. It's similar to the system in Britain/Canada/etc. where the Queen's Head of State,* but the Prime Minister is the one who actually does everything interesting.
And yes, this is a pet peeve of mine. I spent the week Netanyahu addressed Congress in constant nerd-rage because the entire US media kept calling him a "Head of State" when he isn't.
*Altho many Canadians argue the Queen isn't their Head of State, her representative in Canada is (the Governor-General). The fact no Court's ruled on this definitively shows how important the title "Head of State" is in a Parliamentary system. Most legal scholars seem to think that the Queen is Head of State, but there is a minority that disagrees and their Constitution is not helpful on this question. But mostly nobody cares.