When I saw the live footage of the gun carriage leaving Istana, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me. This place had been his office and sometimes, private residence for fifty years. And now, he was in leaving Istana for the very last time, in a coffin. The footage focused on his coffin, and as I looked at it, it was hard to cope with the loss.
This was the guy shouting MERDEKA. This was the guy giving so many wise speeches, giving people a sense of pride that singapore didn't belong to a single community, but to all of us.This was the guy working so hard for decades to transform our country into what it is now. This was the guy fervently speaking to the people at rallies. This was the guy who made SO much sense, be it talking in parliament, or talking to citizens. This was the leader who walked the talk, struck chords with people and rallied them to work together to create a singapore to be proud of, and he was now lying a coffin, never to awake again. Seeing photos of his younger days connecting with other politicians, or giving wise speeches to the massive crowds, I think this made me really sad because I would never get to hear him speak again and he would never get to speak again, except through past videos. There'll NEVER be a man like him again. His death means the passing of an era. He is really gone. But then, a part of me tells me that this is inevitable.
We didn't lose Mr Lee Kuan Yew to anything, but to the reality of life.
He gained the respect of so many politicians, from late Margaret Thatcher, to Barack Obama, to Chinese leaders, Henry Kissinger, Ban Ki-Moon etc. They were all awed by how he managed to transform Singapore and make it successful in just 50 years. They say it takes 100 years to build a successful nation, and Mr Lee took half of that to change a weak, small country. In the words of Margaret Thatcher, there was NO PRIME MINISTER she admired more than Lee Kuan Yew and she considered him a beyond outstanding leader. She often diverted her flights to singapore just to be able to speak to Lee Kuan Yew, whom she considered a great friend.
I am no fan of Mr Lee, or some diehard patriot. I just feel that it is necessary to recognize him for all that he has done for us. I just feel very strongly that Mr Lee deserves to be honored the best he can be. He is a man of wisdom and wise words, and his speeches are very very charismatic and has so much logic. Listening to his speeches, I am full of respect for Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
He put singapore on the world stage as a nation to watch. He took over during tumultuous times but had millions of lives to account for and hence, gritted his teeth and pushed through, no matter how hard it was. Of course, we will never know how hard it was for HIM. If given a chance, I would really loved to have a personal conversation with Mr Lee. I want to ask him:
"What did you see in singapore that made you want to take over? You could be a successful lawyer with your wife and live life of comfort overseas, but you didn't, you chose the hard route, taking over a country struggling for survival, a country which was written off by other countries, deemed HOPELESS, no chance."
He inspired thousands of people and touched their hearts and impacted their lives, one way or another.
I respected Mr Lee Kuan Yew in the past, but I didn't really know what he had exactly done, except that he was our 'founding father'. But ever since his death, I am full of respect for Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the documentaries played throughout almost all the channels have helped me gain insight into how Mr Lee rallied the nation and transformed Singapore.
Mr Lee's dedication to the nation is evident everywhere, the blocks of houses, the clean rivers and waterways we have, the schools we receive our education in, the office buildings helping to generate the economy etc. looking at photos of past and present, I really cannot believe how much we have progressed as a nation. In A GENERATION.
I am very sure that my life would be very different if not for you. I probably wouldn't be in such a clean, non-corrupted, prosperous and vibrant country. I would have led a totally different life. YOU, gave the once fledgling nation hope. With a goal in mind, you made a VISION become REALITY
We owe Mr Lee Kuan Yew a debt of gratitude that cannot be fully REPAID, but can be HONOURED. He has left a lasting legacy with his capable governance and we will always remember Mr Lee Kuan Yew as our founding father. He may be gone, but he will live on in our hearts forever. He will go down in history forever. I hope you has a great life with Mrs Lee in heaven. Rest In Peace, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
And here are some of my favorite quotes and sayings by Mr Lee Kuan Yew:
- SPRUCING up and greening Singapore with trees all over the island was a key economic strategy from Day One, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said. In order to differentiate the country from its larger neighbours, one of his first tasks on becoming Prime Minister was to develop a Garden City with good infrastructure and telecommunications.
- To woo investors from developed countries, 'we had to make this a First World oasis in a Third World region'
- 'you can't just plant a tree and walk away. The tree will die'
- This is my country, this is my life, this is my people. You will trample over us, over our dead bodies. We dug our toes in, and built a nation'
- The tough part was 'to get people to change from Third World to First World behaviour' and this led to 'endless campaigns' to tell people 'not to bring chickens and pigs into high-rise (buildings), not to pee in elevators' and above all 'not to steal the plants'. It took 30 or 40 years, but finally Singapore has reached the stage where its people feel a sense of ownership for the environment.
- 'Those who believe that when I left the government as Prime Minister, that I have gone into permanent retirement, really should have their heads examined'
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