Friday 27 March 2015

Mr Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor arrived at Parliament House to pay respects to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. They were met by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching. Photo: Ooi Boon Keong

Mr Lee will be among historys

greats, says Najib in tribute
Malaysian PM thanks Mr Lee
for strengthening bilateral
ties between Singapore, KL

alaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, his wife Rosmah

Mansor and several other
Malaysian officials paid tribute to Singapores founding father Lee Kuan
Yew yesterday when they arrived at
Parliament House to personally convey Malaysias condolences, saying all
Singaporeans owe him a huge debt
ofgratitude.
Mr Najib was met by Mr Lees eldest son, Singapore Prime Minister Lee
Hsien Loong, and said the Malaysian
government and the Malaysian people
would like to express their heartfelt
condolences on the passing of Mr Lee
Kuan Yew.
Mr Lee Kuan Yew is a great man
whose leadership, vision, fortitude,

Mr Lee Kuan Yew is a great man whose leadership, vision,

fortitude, perseverance helped shaped modern Singapore into
what it is today, an advanced economy ... finding its own place
in the world. All Singaporeans owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak

perseverance helped shaped modern

Singapore into what it is today, an advanced economy ... finding its own place
in the world, said Mr Najib.
All Singaporeans owe him a huge
debt of gratitude. Mr Lee Kuan Yew is
also a man who helped shaped Southeast Asia as a region of peace and
prosperity.
He will go down as one of the great
men in history, whose vision and leadership helped make this world a better place. I would like to thank him for
strengthening the bilateral ties between Malaysia and Singapore.

Mr Najib was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman,

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai,
Natural Resources and Environment
Minister G Palanivel and Minister in
the Prime Ministers Department Mah
Siew Keong.
In the past, Malaysias relations with
Singapore have been difficult, both
when it was part of Malaysia and after
the 1965 separation.
Mr Lees death is not expected to
have much impact on bilateral relations between Malaysia and Singapore
now that present leaders have decided

to move on from their strained past,

say experts.
Political scientist Dr KS Nathan,
formerly with Singapores Institute
of Southeast Asian Studies, said bilateral relations had already improved
from the time of Mr Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi, who was Prime Minister from
2003 to 2009. Dr Nathan said both current Prime Ministers are more pragmatic and dont have the ideological
baggage of the past.
Malaysia is committed to the future
of our relationship with Singapore, to
peace, stability and shared prosperity
between our nations, Mr Najib said
just after the death of Mr Lee was announced earlier this week.
Other Malaysian leaders also paid
tribute to Mr Lee. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said: Lees
unique leadership developed Singapore
as a republic. He uplifted Singapore to
become a respected city state.
Mr Muhyiddin said he got to know
Mr Lee personally when he was serving
as Johor Chief Minister and found him
to be a leader who was firm, visionary
and influential in Asia and throughout
the world.
Lee Kuan Yew is a name closely
linked to Malaysia. His demise is felt
by people in both countries, he added.