WEdnesday 25 March 2015

TRIBUTES from readers

Mr Lees work, brilliance appreciated

His leadership contributed to the many good things in this country, and whether his policies were
popular or not, our readers mourn and celebrate Singapores first Prime Minister in these ways.
From Magdelene Sim Jialing

was born in 1986, when the foundations of modern Singapore were

more or less in place. Mr Lee Kuan
Yew was more of a textbook political figure who was revered, but whose work
was not truly understood.
Only when I grew up and started to
see the world did I truly begin to appreciate Singapore as my home and
beloved country.
As I got older, Mr Lee became the
grandfatherly figure who continued
to watch and guide this nation. A part
of me slept soundly at night knowing
that he was still protecting this country relentlessly.
He was the face I sort of took for
granted to see every National Day. His
influence and position in modern history is so overwhelming that I sometimes
attributed a certain immortality to him.
That is probably what shook me
when he fell critically ill. The outpouring of good wishes and blessings for
him has touched me and prompted
immense reflection.
A part of me had hoped that he would
recover just so he could see the amount
of love and prayers his people had for

him to see all the flowers, cards and

well-wishers.
His work had given him detractors,
but I wanted this great man to know
that he has more fans than haters, and
a special place in our hearts that we,
sadly, did not show enough of when he
was alive.
We should perhaps learn to remember the living and their work; there is
no better time to cherish greatness. It
pains me that Mr Lee will not get to
see or feel the nations love and mourning for him.
One wishes that all the heart-warming anecdotes we are hearing now from
citizens had surfaced earlier and that,
as a nation, we had honoured him more
as our founding father in his lifetime.
Mr Lee, your legacy lives on
through your people. You built this
nation and, even in death, you brought
your people together again, even if
only for a while.
The best way to remember and honour you is to value and grow the peace
and prosperity you left for us. As one
nation, we cannot let your work crumble after your demise.
The world lost a visionary and a
great political figure; we lost our father.

From Winston Chong

From Gary Dickson

n remembering Mr Lee Kuan Yew,

we should feel lucky, rather than
sad, that this sunny island set in
the sea has gone from Third World to
First within a short 50 years.
We should not be in a black mood,
not when we have all the colours of the
rainbow in this little red dot, regardless
of race, language or religion.
Why mourn? We should celebrate
Mr Lees remarkable brilliance for future generations to emulate so that his
spirit will live forever.

r Lee Kuan Yew stated in his

memoirs: I saw the British
people as they were. They
treated you as colonials and I resented
that. I saw no reason why they should
be governing me theyre not superior.
I decided, when I got back, I was
going to put an end to this.
Now that he has departed, maybe
some of his wisdom and words might
hit home. Why do some people think
themselves more superior than others or, in fact, every other nationality?
We are all human and we will all
meet our maker one day. How one wants
to be remembered is ones choice and I
choose to be remembered as one who
respected others no matter their colour, religion or ethnicity.
I did not know Mr Lee, but this quote
has hit home. Singaporeans, as well as
expatriates and other foreigners, must
realise that we are one community and
are all sharing the same small piece of
land that is Singapore.
Let us have decency and respect
for others.

From Goh Ah Bee

We should celebrate Mr Lees remarkable

brilliance for future generations
to emulate so that his spirit will live forever.

Winston Chong

From Sim Harng Yi

s a young undergraduate, I
am thankful to be living the
dream of Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
His authoritarian style of rulership had
left some unhappy, but was necessary
for the survival of an abandoned nation in 1965.
Singapore has benefited from the
hard-headed policies he had deemed
right. While some were controversial,
those policies have helped shape the
First World country we enjoy today, a
privilege we cannot take for granted.
We are familiar with some of these
policies, for example, to do with the
Central Provident Fund, immigration,
National Service and the media. Each
are unpopular with some Singaporeans, but were implemented for the
greater good.
The Republics remarkable progress
was no sheer coincidence; it had been
partly due to strict governance. Many
have praised Mr Lee for his shrewd

methods in developing Singapore, yet

his style may not be accepted today.
In recent times, some Singaporeans
have become complacent and are pushing for liberal policies that may work in
other countries, but not here.
As we mourn a great leader, we
must ask ourselves whether or not
strict governance is uniquely necessary to ensure Singapores survival
for the next 50 years, given that we
are still a vulnerable state with no
natural resources.
Should we liberalise and implement populist policies, or should we
defer certain rights for the countrys
betterment and implement necessary
policies to guide us, in the same way
Mr Lees harsh policies have served
us effectively?
Even without Mr Lee, let us see the
merits of unpopular policies, so that we
can continue to walk home safely at
night, not worry about our next meals,
have a roof over our heads and be an
efficient, prosperous nation.

A visitor to the Jurong East community site breaks down while

paying her respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Photo: Jason Ho
From Lim Thiang Heng

ingapore has lost a great leader

and father.
Mr Lee Kuan Yew could be
remembered in several ways: Erecting
a life-size statue of him listing his virtues; marking March 23 as Lee Kuan
Yew Day in appreciation of his contributions; naming a road after him.
He deserves such acknowledgments.

am saddened by the passing of

our first Prime Minister, Mr Lee
Kuan Yew. In 1968, I came to
study at Singapore Polytechnic. Looking back, I am proud of the enormous
developments in Singapore under his
able leadership.
Singapores economic success is a
miracle to many Westerners and it
would not have been possible without
the solid foundation and values laid
down by him.
Business leaders whom I have
known had expressed admiration for
his vision and unending sacrifices for
Singapore. I often travelled abroad
and saw there were many good things
about Singapore that other countries
yearned to have.
For example, parents could go to
work without worrying if their children in school were consuming drugs.
Women could walk safely in our streets.
On Sunday, after a downpour, I could
still go for a jog at the stadium.
Singaporeans must not take for
granted the good this country has and
should never forget Mr Lees contributions. The world produces a few great
leaders and he is one of them. Singapore
was blessed to have him.
As I tell my friends, every Singaporean owes him a thank you. He will
live in our hearts and minds forever.
We salute him.