On Monday, March 23, at
3:18am, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, former prime minister of Singapore, passed away at age 91 after fighting pneumonia and a
chest infection for over six weeks. I was greatly saddened by the news for I
had hoped he would pull through in order to celebrate Singapore's 50th birthday
come August. It would have been fitting for much of what we have accomplished
is due largely to his painstaking efforts. As founding father, he gave his life in service for the success of Singapore.
The more I read and listened to stories about how he worked so tirelessly and passionately to make this nation a better place for all who live here and how he put Singapore on the map, the more my respect and love for the man deepened.
While I personally did not agree with some of his past policies or how they were rammed down our throats without finesse, he is, without a doubt, a visionary, a great leader who parlayed the dismal fate of a tiny island with no resources into a shining example of political stability and economic development lauded by the world.
Reading Minister Heng Swee Keat's tribute Mr Lee's Red Box* shed light on Mr Lee's work ethic and passion. He lived and breathed Singapore and never stopped for a moment even when personal tragedy struck. He was truly a servant leader, putting national interest above personal comfort.
Being a romantic, what really touched me as a woman was his deep love, respect and devotion for his wife. Especially when it mattered, when she was in a locked-in, vegetative state, he would visit her faithfully every evening, spend time with her, reading to her the news or her favourite poems. Then there is his final request (honouring his late wife's wishes) to have his ashes mingled with hers so that they could be joined together in death as they were in life.
Naturally he has his detractors. He had to make unpalatable, hard line choices and he has made mistakes as hindsight as proven, but as he rightfully pointed out in his book Hard Truths:
I did what I thought was right, given the circumstances, given my knowledge at the time, given the pressures on me at the time. That’s finished, done. I move forward. You keep on harking back, it’s just wasting time.
I can certainly learn much from this, as I can from Mr Lee's insatiable curiosity, humility, integrity, guts, great listening skills, iron discipline and straight shooting style. We do not get to where we want to be without hard work, sacrifice, failure and perseverance. We do not become architects of change by playing in the shallows timidly, wearing blinkers or running for popularity contests.
Thank you Mr Lee Kuan Yew for devoting your entire life towards making Singapore this beautiful, safe, stable, culturally harmonious, somewhat egalitarian Garden City I call home. I may not always appreciate the heavy handed, oftentimes draconian, way of doing things, but I am profoundly grateful and proud to be Singaporean because you, Sir, have given me the opportunity to grow up and live in dignity, freedom and material comfort.
Thank you for running the good race. You were indeed the good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23) leader. Requiescat in pace. You will be greatly missed.
* https://www.facebook.com/hengsweekeat/posts/870264306345429:0
The more I read and listened to stories about how he worked so tirelessly and passionately to make this nation a better place for all who live here and how he put Singapore on the map, the more my respect and love for the man deepened.
While I personally did not agree with some of his past policies or how they were rammed down our throats without finesse, he is, without a doubt, a visionary, a great leader who parlayed the dismal fate of a tiny island with no resources into a shining example of political stability and economic development lauded by the world.
Reading Minister Heng Swee Keat's tribute Mr Lee's Red Box* shed light on Mr Lee's work ethic and passion. He lived and breathed Singapore and never stopped for a moment even when personal tragedy struck. He was truly a servant leader, putting national interest above personal comfort.
Being a romantic, what really touched me as a woman was his deep love, respect and devotion for his wife. Especially when it mattered, when she was in a locked-in, vegetative state, he would visit her faithfully every evening, spend time with her, reading to her the news or her favourite poems. Then there is his final request (honouring his late wife's wishes) to have his ashes mingled with hers so that they could be joined together in death as they were in life.
Naturally he has his detractors. He had to make unpalatable, hard line choices and he has made mistakes as hindsight as proven, but as he rightfully pointed out in his book Hard Truths:
I did what I thought was right, given the circumstances, given my knowledge at the time, given the pressures on me at the time. That’s finished, done. I move forward. You keep on harking back, it’s just wasting time.
I can certainly learn much from this, as I can from Mr Lee's insatiable curiosity, humility, integrity, guts, great listening skills, iron discipline and straight shooting style. We do not get to where we want to be without hard work, sacrifice, failure and perseverance. We do not become architects of change by playing in the shallows timidly, wearing blinkers or running for popularity contests.
Thank you Mr Lee Kuan Yew for devoting your entire life towards making Singapore this beautiful, safe, stable, culturally harmonious, somewhat egalitarian Garden City I call home. I may not always appreciate the heavy handed, oftentimes draconian, way of doing things, but I am profoundly grateful and proud to be Singaporean because you, Sir, have given me the opportunity to grow up and live in dignity, freedom and material comfort.
Thank you for running the good race. You were indeed the good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23) leader. Requiescat in pace. You will be greatly missed.
* https://www.facebook.com/hengsweekeat/posts/870264306345429:0
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