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Remembering Lee Kuan Yew


Tribute from readers

A life rich in lessons,


a people filled with memories
With Mr Lee Kuan Yew having been an integral part of Singapore, his contributions are entwined
with our readers experiences of a young nations progress. This is what some of them have to say.
From Yvonne Sim

From Tan Chek Sian

was a child of the 1960s, growing up in an age when Singapore


herself was a newborn grappling
with racialism, a political divide and
nation building, and trying to find her
feet in a rather hostile neighbourhood.
I remember the racial clashes and
questioning the rationale for learning
Malay as our national language.
I remember my carefree childhood,
enjoying school without tuition or enrichment classes, running barefoot
along Housing and Development Board
corridors with my cousins, and experiencing the smells and sights of pigswill
and farms.
I gawked at the first shots on colour
television, caught fish in a canal and
listened to Lei Tai Sor telling stories
in Cantonese on Rediffusion.
Those were the halcyon days when
Mr Lee Kuan Yew was the face and figure of Singapore and the driving force
behind his party with the lightning rod
symbol. His every word was the peoples command.
We obeyed without question, like
children under an authoritarian parent.
Upon reflection, I concede reluctantly
that it had been good for us, a nation
with teething problems.
Then came the turning point when
the inconceivable happened: We got
ourselves an Opposition, with more to
follow later. Mr Lee was fiercely protective of the Singapore he had nursed
from her birth.
Some opposing voices were bankrupted, imprisoned and discredited
with deft strokes. We felt sorry for the
underdogs. We wanted to believe they
could offer an alternative platform. We
got restless, like teenagers in transition,
and started to question many things.
Mr Lee did not cling to the reins as
commander-in-chief, but stepped aside
graciously when he felt it was time. Over
the next decades, we saw signs of mellowing and more of his human side as
a husband and father.
I cannot forget the scene of his
farewell to his soul-mate: A picture of
a man suffering a deep loss and unimaginable grief.
As we turn 50, we have grown up
somewhat. I have upgraded from a
three-room flat. Prices of cars, real estate and consumables have risen a lot,
but we also have more opportunities to
travel, explore and discern for ourselves.
And we have bragging rights that
this little red dot could and did become
what it is today. My children do not

Every child of Singapore owes a part of who they are and what they are to our founding father. Photo: Robin Choo

His every word was the


peoples command. We
obeyed without question ... Upon
reflection, I concede reluctantly
that it had been good for us, a
nation with teething problems.
Yvonne Sim

have much of an impression of Mr Lee,


but they are beneficiaries of his legacy.
Every child of Singapore owes a part
of who they are and what they are to
our founding father. So, I want to say
thank you, Mr Lee, for giving your life
for Singapore. It was truly well lived.
You have left such a footprint in the
annals of history. Rest in peace and
dance with your beloved. We will remember you always.
This was posted on TODAYs Facebook page,
www.facebook.com/todayonline

From Kok Mei Hui

y heart sank when I heard


of the death of Mr Lee Kuan
Yew. His lifes lessons, vision
and strategic thinking in foreign and
domestic policies, and his contributions
have provided valuable insights from
which we can learn.
With his iron-fisted policies, he was a
feared leader, but was highly respected
and spoke with great confidence. With
his tree-planting day and the Singapore River clean-up from 1977 to 1987,
he made the country clean and green.
He used capable men in Cabinet
Mr Goh Keng Swee to run economic
policies and Mr S Rajaratnam to run
foreign policy ran an efficient, corruption-free government and made
friends with other countries so they
could recognise our sovereignty.
He was into lifelong learning and
upgrading himself, continuing to work

r Lee Kuan Yew committed


himself to his lifelong passion of building this island
into a nation with a stature far beyond
its size. Whatever he did, here or internationally, he did with the purpose of
advancing Singapores interests.
Belonging to the pioneer generation,
I had the privilege of being a bit player
in the legend he created and can identify with all the events flashing before
our eyes this week.
I remember the feeling of being
a third-class citizen to the colonial
masters.
Today, I can stand tall as a Singaporean just about anywhere I go because
we had a great leader with exceptional
talent who dedicated his life to making
our dreams come true.
In typical Singaporean style, he
worked tirelessly with his capable team
and a responsive people for this tiny
red dot to be a First World nation, the
envy of many others.
His task is over; may his soul rest in
peace. Ours continues.
The best way to honour and cherish his memory is to continue building
on what he left behind: Strengthen our
cohesiveness and racial harmony; hone
our skills to match or even surpass
the best from our competitors; work
smarter than others.
We must continue striving to be
number one to balance out our smallness with being relevant to the world.

even in old age and keeping abreast of


the latest developments in Singapore.
He also made our educational system a
bilingual journey. He was a role model
as a doting father and loving husband,
and a selfless leader who showed his
successors the ropes. He knew the important tasks that needed to be done.
Finally, he had resilience and never
gave up on his vision of a prosperous
Singapore. As we approach our golden
jubilee in August, it would be good to
reflect on how we have come far.
Without Mr Lees guidance and his
lieutenants walking in his footsteps,
where would have been the progress and
success of our nation? Their hard work
and perseverance will not be in vain.
It should be recorded in our hearts
and minds, in schools through character and citizenship education, in libraries through a corner for learning more
about our founding fathers and in ministries through articles of these men.

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