Friday 27 March 2015

Thousands young, old, rich, poor,

of all races and religions and from
all walks of life came first to wish
him well and then to say goodbye.
I have been at Tanjong Pagar
CC every day the past five days.
You have seen queues that snaked
around Parliament. You have to
be there among the people to
understand.
If you speak to them, all of them
would tell you the reason they were
at the CC or standing in line is that
this was the one thing, the last thing
they could do to say thank you and
show respect.
What is the essence of the man
that inspires such a reaction? Some
may say it was his vision, his drive,
his intellect. But these alone would
not have been enough to generate
this wellspring of emotion.
The real secret of his enduring
bond with Singaporeans is that we
all fundamentally understood that
the vision, the drive and the intellect were all powered by one thing
he cared.
He cared deeply for Singaporeans and Singapore, and all his
actions were driven by a desire to
make things better for them. Singapore was his lifes work.
And people know this.
So, just as he was there for us on
that amazing journey from Third
World to First, Singaporeans have
been here for him in the last days
and now for his final journey.
A well-wisher wrote:
Dear Mr Lee, we cannot thank
you enough for all that youve done
for us and the land we call home,
let alone the sacrifices you made
behind the scenes that all of us will
perhaps learn of only in the long
future or, maybe, even never. And in
this simple card, I know I will fail to
express my heartfelt gratitude and
emotions to you as well. I cant quite
put into words the feelings I hold.
Sometimes, the lack of words
says it all. History judges men by
their legacies.
And what is Mr Lees legacy? It
is not in buildings or monuments.
His is not a legacy of brick or stone.
His is a legacy of life and breath:
A place where you can belong,
irrespective of the colour of your
skin, your religion or your language
A place where you can be safe
A place of opportunity
A place we call home.
His legacy is:
A people united
A people with heart
A nation strong and free.
This is who we are today because of this man, his vision and
his leadership and, above all, his
unconquerable spirit from which we
took heart and which now defines
us as a people and a nation the
spirit of Singapore.
His journey has ended. He is
now at rest. Rest well, Mr Lee, and
know that because of your legacy,
Singapore and the Singapore Spirit
will live on.

Policies for women, bilingualism among his legacies

Sim Ann

Minister of State (Education,

Communications and Information)

wish to pay tribute to Founding

Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew
in two particular aspects his
contributions to womens advancement
and to bilingualism.
Mr Lee has never described himself
as a feminist and, yet, his policies have
made an immense difference to women.
Mr Lee always valued education, ensuring that a good part of the national
Budget went towards education even
when our countrys resources were
meagre. This has helped many women
become educated and get jobs. We now
see successful women in many fields.
The Womens Charter has given
women in Singapore the right to property and to be treated fairly. Women can
walk on our streets without fearing for
our personal safety, enjoying a degree
of freedom yet to be fully realised in
many other societies.
Mr Lees loving and lasting union
with Mrs Lee has set an excellent example for many families. But more
importantly, Mr Lees basic attitude
towards women was one of respect
and set the tone for gender equality in
society. He believed traditional notions
of male dominance and men refusing to
marry their equals were outdated and
must change with the times.
Without Mr Lee, the women of Singapore would not have enjoyed so many
gains in so short a time. We will always
remember him.
Bilingualism could well be Mr Lees
boldest and most radical policy. It could
also be his most controversial. Debates
have taken place many times on this
topic within and outside this House.

Mr Lee
has never
described
himself as a
feminist and,
yet, his policies
have made
an immense
difference
to women.
Ms Sim Ann
Minister Of State

We can expect such debates to continue

into the future.
Mr Lee had realised in the early
days of nation building that, if different
groups of Singaporeans were to continue using different languages, then our
already limited shared space would be
fragmented into separate little worlds.
To unite all races and expand the
common space, Mr Lee decided on English as our working language. But, to
preserve our cultural ballast, Mr Lee
also maintained that each ethnic group
must study its mother tongue. He was
also of the view that ethnic Chinese
Singaporeans should speak less dialect
and more Mandarin.
This was a tall order for a young nation with a complex linguistic environment. It was already hard for someone
to learn a language that he does not
speak at home. But for someone to
make a significant adjustment, even a
complete change in his daily language
use, was even harder. For those who saw
language as a core part of their identity,
it was downright painful.
Yet, for a young nation with a
complex linguistic environment that
yearned for peace and unity, these
changes were necessary. Mr Lees view
was a rational one: Better short-term
pain than long-term agony.
In every ethnic group, there were
people who found it hard to adjust to
the language policies he implemented
and who feel aggrieved even to this day.
But bilingualism undoubtedly widened our common space and laid the
foundation for harmonious communication among all races. I have come
across many Singaporeans of different
ethnic groups of my age or younger,
who have told me they appreciate the
bilingual-education policy for giving
them the tools to function effectively

and comfortably in both Asian and

Western settings.
Mr Lee devoted much of his personal
attention to bilingualism. He tracked
our students performance and constantly sought input from experts and
researchers. In 1975, he spent four
months helming the Education Ministry himself in order to ensure adjustments to the bilingualism policy
were duly implemented. He created
the Prime Ministers Book Prize to
encourage students who did well in
both English and their mother tongue.
In his later years, he started the Lee
Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism to
help young children build a foundation
for learning English and the mothertongue languages. His lifes work in this
area was encapsulated in his book My
Lifelong Challenge: Singapores Bilingual Journey.
Mr Lee had stated that, of all the
combinations of English and the mother
tongue, English/Mandarin was the most
difficult combination. He walked the talk
he worked hard at learning Mandarin
and never gave up on his lessons.
Mr Lee has brought us on a long
journey towards excellence. We will
soldier on, even after he has left us.
(In English) Madam, Mr Lees language policy stands among the iconic
legacies he has created for Singaporeans. It has left a deep impact on many,
especially educators and language professionals. This includes our interpreters, who ensure what transpires in this
House can be understood in the four
official languages.
He has led us on the road to bilingualism, in pursuit of unity as one people,
the preservation of our cultural ballast
and ease of interaction with the world.
It is a long journey that we will continue
long after he has left us.

Belief of a Sporean Spore helped all races thrive

Christopher de Souza

Member of Parliament
(Holland-Bukit Timah GRC)

r Lee Kuan Yew believed

that no one race whether
in majority or not should
pin down another, but that all races
should work together to bring about
a united future.
Therefore, Singaporeans of all races, including the Eurasians, salute you,
Mr Lee, for your beliefs, for which you
toiled at great personal expense, risking your life. Your toil helped unleash
our potential as a nation.
The Singaporean Eurasian community is one of the smallest racial
communities in Singapore.
Yet, through Mr Lees bold vision
that Singapore should strive towards
multiracialism, Singaporean Eurasians have made their way in our nation, taking opportunities presented
to them, on merit.

Regardless of
race, language
or religion it
is a conviction
Mr Lee held
dear and
one that all
Singaporeans
are assured of.
That
conviction
was and
continues to
be of immense
significance
of immense
assurance
to all races,
especially
the ethnic
minorities.
MP Christopher
de Souza

Regardless of race, language or

religion it is a conviction Mr Lee
held dear and one that all Singaporeans are assured of.
That conviction of Mr Lee was and
continues to be of immense significance of immense assurance to
all races, especially the ethnic minorities, including the Eurasians.
We have the space to practise
our religious beliefs and culture. We
stand united with all other races in
Singapore.
Mr Lees belief of a Malaysian Malaysia, which led to the belief of a Singaporean Singapore not a Malay,
Chinese, Indian or Eurasian Singapore has allowed each racial community, whether in majority or in minority or in small minority, to strive
towards the ideal of multiracialism,
thereby unleashing the huge potential
of that other ideal that of being one
united people.
For this, Singaporeans of all races
are indebted to you, Mr Lee.

On a personal note, Mr Lee knew I

was the youngest Member of Parliament (MP) in the 2006 batch. Although
many did not know this, he would encourage me whenever the opportunity
arose and remind me that what we do
as MPs is worthwhile and lasting, even
though it is tough.
I had the opportunity to travel with
Mr Lee and Mrs Lee to Indonesia and
then to India on official visits.
In between the official meetings and official calls, when it was
just the Singapore delegation, he
would ask over dinner or in the corridors, in the hotel or in his hotel
room: Are you learning? What have
you learnt? He was a mentor and
he encouraged.
Thank you, Mr Lee, for your personal encouragement.
Thank you, Sir, for laying down
the foundations of the Singapore we
have today.
It is a deep privilege to pay a tribute,
this tribute, to a great man.