Lee Kuan Yew

The wise man of the East

By:
Aparna Muraleedharan (17810013)
Dipit Khokhawat (17810019)
Sagar Gupta (17810057)
Saif Khan (17810059)
Shwetank Saxena (17810071)
 TIMELINE
 Family background
 Education
 Early life
 Early political career (1951–1959)
 The Fajar Trial
 Formation of the PAP
 In opposition
 Prime Minister, pre-independence (1959–1965)
 Self-government administration (1959–1963)
 Merger with Malaysia, then separation (1963–1965)
 Prime Minister, post-independence (1965–1990)
 Decisions and policies
 National security
 Economy
 Anti-corruption measures
 Population policies
 Corporal punishment
 Water resources in Singapore
 Relations with Malaysia
 Mahathir Mohamad
 Senior Minister (1990–2004)
 Minister Mentor (2004–2011)
 Family Background
A fourth-generation Singaporean of ethnic Chinese ancestry of
mostly Hakka and half Peranakan descent.
His Hakka great-grandfather, Lee Bok Boon, born in 1846,
emigrated from Dabu County, Guangdong province, China, to
Singapore in 1863.
Lee Kuan Yew's grandfather Lee Hoon Leong, was born in
Singapore in 1871.
His son Lee Chin Koon (1901–1991), married Chua Jim Neo(1903–
1980), a Peranakan, who gave birth to Lee Kuan Yew, their first
child, in 1923.
Lee Kuan Yew's grandfathers' wealth declined considerably during
the Great Depression, and his father, Lee Chin Koon, became a
shopkeeper.
Lee and his wife, Kwa Geok Choo, were married on 30 September
1950.
Lee and Kwa had two sons and a daughter.
Lee's elder son, Lee Hsien Loong, a former Brigadier-General,
became Prime Minister of Singapore in 2004. Several members of
Lee's family hold prominent positions in Singaporean society.
 Education
 During 1931, Lee Kuan Yew had his primary school education at Telok Kurau English School.
 He then attended Raffles Institution in 1935.
 He obtained several scholarships, and came top in the School Certificate examinations in 1940, gaining the
John Anderson scholarship to attend Raffles College
 Lee's future wife, Kwa Geok Choo, was his classmate and the only girl at Raffles Institution at that time.
Kwa, who was a brilliant student herself, was the only one to beat his scores in the English and Economics
subjects
 Lee's university education was delayed by World War II and the Japanese occupation of Singapore from 1942
to 1945.
 After the war, he briefly attended London School of Economics as enrollment at University of Cambridge had
already closed.
 He went on to earn a law degree (1949) at Fitzwilliam House, Cambridge. There he headed the honours list
and he was awarded the Fitzwilliam's Whitlock Prize.
 Although he was admitted (1950) to the English bar, he returned to Singapore.
 In 1969, he was elected an honorary fellow of Fitzwilliam College and was the most senior of the College's
Honorary Fellows for many years
 Early life
 Lee experienced hardship during the tough years of the Japanese occupation from 1942 to
1945.
 During the war, Lee learnt Japanese and first worked as a SAS (Singapore Administration
Service) officer in Sentosa islands where he listened to Allied radio stations.
 By listening to Allied radio stations, he realised the Japanese were losing the war, and
fearing that a brutal war would break out in Singapore as the Japanese made their last
stand, he made plans to purchase and move to a farm on the Cameron Highlands with
his family.
 Lee had a near-miss with a Japanese Occupation atrocity. The Japanese army was
rounding up Chinese men for questioning and Lee was told to fall in and join the
segregated Chinese men. Sensing that something was amiss, he asked for permission to
return home to collect his clothes first, and the Japanese guard agreed. It turned out that
those who were segregated were taken to the beach to be shot as part of the Sook Ching
Massacre.
•The Japanese occupation had a profound impact on the young Lee, who recalled being
slapped and forced to kneel for failing to bow to a Japanese soldier.

•He and other young Singaporeans "emerged determined that no one—neither

Japanese nor British—had the right to push and kick us around ... (and) that we could
govern ourselves."

•The occupation also drove home lessons about raw power and the effectiveness of
harsh punishment in deterring crime.

•After seeing how the British had failed to defend Singapore from the Japanese, and
after his stay in England, Lee decided that Singapore had to govern itself. He returned
to Singapore in 1949.
 Early political career (1951–1959)
The Fajar Trial
 Lee was the junior counsel for the Fajar trial which
is held in May 1954 when the members of the
University Socialist Club was arrested for
publishing an article considered as seditious words
in the Club's magazine named the Fajar.
 Lee gained a widespread reputation through the
victory of the trial which was the first sedition trial
in the post-war Malaysia and Singapore.
 The strait times on August 26 proclaimed this result
as "the tremendous victory for freedom of speech".
 Lee was also accepted by the most Singaporeans as
the "hero of high“ and laid the foundation for the
institution of the PAP.
“At the end of the day, is Singapore society better or worse off? That's the test.”
Formation of the PAP
 Lee Kuan Yew’s opportunity to formally enter politics
came when members of the Singapore Chinese Middle
Schools Union launched anti-colonial, non-violent
protests against the enactment of the national service
ordinance law on 13 May 1954.
 Students were arrested after an initial use of violence but
it gave rise to Lee's reputation as a "left-wing lawyer”.
 Lee, together with a group of fellow English-educated
middle-class men, formed the "socialist" PAP in an
expedient alliance with the pro-communist trade
unionists on 12 November, 1954.
 An inaugural conference was held at the Victoria
Memorial Hall, attended by over 1,500 supporters and
trade unionists. Lee became secretary-general, a post he
held until 1992, save for a brief period in 1957.
 In opposition
 Lee Kuan Yew won the Tanjong Pagar seat in the
1955 elections and became the opposition leader
against David Saul Marshall's Labour Front-led
coalition government.
 He was also one of PAP's representatives to the two
constitutional discussions held in London over the
future status of Singapore.
 Lee's position in the PAP was seriously under threat in
1957 when pro-communists took over the leadership
posts.
 Lim Yew Hock ordered a mass arrest of the pro-
communists and Lee was reinstated as secretary-
general.
 After the communist "scare", Lee subsequently
received a new, stronger mandate from his Tanjong
Pagar constituents in a by-election in 1957.
 Prime Minister, pre-independence (1959–1965)
Self-government administration (1959–1963)
 In the national elections held on 30 May 1959,
the PAP won 43 of the 51 seats in the legislative
assembly.
 Singapore gained self-government with autonomy
in all state matters except defence and foreign
affairs, and Lee became the first Prime Minister
of Singapore on 3 June 1959, taking over from
Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock.
 Barisan Sosialis or the Socialist Front is a now
defunct political party in Singapore. It was
formed on 29 July 1961 and officially registered
on 13 August 1961 by left-wing members of the
People's Action Party (PAP), who had been
expelled from the PAP by Yew.
 Prime Minister, pre-independence (1959–1965)
Merger with Malaysia, then separation (1963–1965)
 After Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman proposed
the formation of a federation which would include Malaya,
Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak in 1961, Lee began to campaign
for a merger to end British colonial rule using the results of a
referendum held on 1 September 1962.

 On 16 September 1963, Singapore became part of the new

Federation of Malaysia. However, the Malaysian central
government, became worried by the inclusion of Singapore's
Chinese majority and the political challenge of the PAP in
Malaysia.

 The 1964 race riots in Singapore followed. Unable to resolve the

crisis, Tunku Abdul Rahman decided to expel Singapore from
Malaysia, choosing to "sever all ties with a State Government
that showed no measure of loyalty to its Central Government".
 Merger with Malaysia, then separation (contd.)
 Lee refused and tried to work out a
compromise, but without success.
 Lee signed a separation agreement on 7 August
1965, which discussed Singapore's post-
separation relations with Malaysia in order to
continue co-operation in areas such as trade and
mutual defence.
 On that same day, 9 August 1965, just as the
press conference ended, the Malaysian
parliament passed the required resolution that
would sever Singapore's ties to Malaysia as a
state, and thus the Republic of Singapore was
created.
"every time we look back on this moment when we signed this agreement which severed Singapore from
Malaysia, it will be a moment of anguish. For me it is a moment of anguish because all my life ... you see,
the whole of my adult life ... I have believed in Malaysian merger and the unity of these two territories. You
know, it's a people connected by geography, economics, and ties of kinship..."
 Prime Minister, post-independence (1965–1990)
Lee began to seek international recognition of Singapore's independence. Singapore joined
the United Nations on 21 September 1965, and founded the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) on 8 August 1967 with four other South-East Asian countries.
Lee made his first official visit to Indonesia on 25 May 1973, just a few years after
the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation under Sukarno's regime. Relations between Singapore
and Indonesia substantially improved as subsequent visits were made between the two
countries.
Singapore has never had a dominant culture to which immigrants could assimilate even though
Malay was the dominant language at that time. Together with efforts from the government and
ruling party, Lee tried to create a unique Singaporean identity in the 1970s and 1980s—one
which heavily recognised racial consciousness within the umbrella of multiculturalism.
In 1974 the government advised the Bible Society of Singapore to stop publishing religious
material in Malay.
Decisions and Policies
National security:
The vulnerability of Singapore was deeply felt, with threats from multiple sources
including the communists and Indonesia with its confrontational stance. As Singapore
gained admission to the United Nations, Lee quickly sought international recognition of
Singapore's independence.
He appointed Goh Keng Swee as Minister for the Interior and Defence to build up
the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and requested help from other countries,
particularly Israel and Taiwan (ROC), for advice, training and facilities.
 In 1967, Lee introduced conscription whereby all able-bodied male Singaporean
citizens age 18 and above are required to serve National Service (NS) either in the
Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force or the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
 By 1971, Singapore had 17 national service battalions (16,000 men) with 14 battalions
(11,000 men) in the reserves. In 1975, Lee managed to convince then-Premier Chiang
Ching-kuo of Taiwan (ROC) to permit Singaporean troops to train in Taiwan, under the
codename "Exercise Starlight".
Economy:
 Lee's most urgent tasks upon Singapore's independence was to provide stable jobs for its
people, as unemployment was high. Tourism helped but did not completely resolve the
unemployment problem. Together with his economic aide, Economic Development Board
chairman Hon Sui Sen, and in consultation with Dutch economist Albert Winsemius, Lee
set up factories and initially focused on the manufacturing industry.
 Together with his economic aide, Economic Development Board chairman Hon Sui Sen,
and in consultation with Dutch economist Albert Winsemius, Lee set up factories and
initially focused on the manufacturing industry.
 Lee and his cabinet decided the best way to boost Singapore's economy was to attract
foreign investments from multinational corporations(MNCs). By establishing First World
infrastructure and standards in Singapore, the new nation could woo American, Japanese
and European entrepreneurs and professionals to set up base there.
 By the 1970s, the arrival of MNCs like Texas Instruments, Hewlett-Packard and General
Electric laid the foundations, turning Singapore into a major electronics exporter the
following decade.
 Workers were frequently retrained to familiarise themselves with the work systems and
cultures of foreign MNCs.
 The government also started several new industries, such as steel mills under 'National
Iron and Steel Mills', service industries like Neptune Orient Lines, and the Singapore
Airlines.
 Lee and his cabinet also worked to establish Singapore as an international financial
centre. Foreign bankers were assured of the reliability of Singapore's social conditions,
with top-class infrastructure and skilled professionals.
 Throughout the tenure of his office, Lee always placed great importance on developing
the economy
Anti-corruption measures:
 Singapore had problems with political corruption. Lee introduced legislation giving
the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) greater power to conduct arrests,
search, call up witnesses, and investigate bank accounts and income-tax returns of
suspected persons and their families.
 Lee believed that ministers should be well paid in order to maintain a clean and honest
government.
 On 21 November 1986, Lee received a complaint of corruption against then Minister for
National Development Teh Cheang Wan. Lee was against corruption and he authorized
the CPIB to carry out investigations on Teh but Teh committed suicide before any charges
could be pressed against him.
 In 1994, he proposed to link the salaries of ministers, judges, and top civil servants to the
salaries of top professionals in the private sector, arguing that this would help recruit and
retain talent to serve in the public sector.
Population policies:
 In the late 1960s, fearing that Singapore's growing population might overburden the developing
economy, Lee started a "Stop at Two" family planning campaign.
 Couples were urged to undergo sterilisation after their second child. Third or fourth children were
given lower priorities in education and such families received fewer economic rebates.
 In 1983, Lee sparked the "Great Marriage Debate" when he encouraged Singapore men to choose
highly educated women as wives. He was concerned that a large number of graduate women
were unmarried.
 A match-making agency, the Social Development Unit (SDU) was set up to promote socialising
among men and women graduates.
 In the Graduate Mothers Scheme, Lee also introduced incentives such as tax rebates, schooling,
and housing priorities for graduate mothers who had three or four children, in a reversal of the
over-successful "Stop at Two" family planning campaign in the 1960s and 1970s.
 By the late 1990s, the birth rate had fallen so low that Lee's successor Goh Chok Tong extended
these incentives to all married women, and gave even more incentives, such as the "baby bonus"
scheme.
Corporal punishment:
 One of Lee's abiding beliefs was in the efficacy of corporal punishment in the form
of caning. In his autobiography The Singapore Story he described his time at Raffles
Institution in the 1930s, mentioning that he was caned there for chronic lateness by the
then headmaster, D. W. McLeod.
 He wrote: "I bent over a chair and was given three of the best with my trousers on. I did
not think he lightened his strokes. I have never understood why Western educationists are
so much against corporal punishment. It did my fellow students and me no harm”.
 In 1994 judicial caning was intensely publicised in the rest of the world when an
American teenager, Michael Fay, was caned under the vandalism legislation.
 Lee also introduced caning in the Singapore Armed Forces, and Singapore is one of the
few countries in the world where corporal punishment is an official penalty in military
discipline.
Water resources in Singapore:
Singapore has traditionally relied on water from Malaysia. However, this reliance has made
Singapore subject to the possibility of price increases and allowed Malaysian officials to
use the water reliance as a political leverage by threatening to cut off supply.
In order to reduce this problem, Lee decided to experiment with water recycling in
1974. However, the water treatment plant was closed in 1975 due to cost and reliability
issues.
In 1998, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and the Ministry of the Environment and Water
Resources (MEWR) initiated the Singapore Water Reclamation Study (NEWater Study).
In 2001, PUB initiated efforts to increase water supplies for non-potable use. Using
NEWater for these would help reduce the demand on the reservoirs for potable
water.amation Study (NEWater Study).
The Singapore International Water Week was started in 2008; it focused on sustainable
water solutions for cities. The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize was introduced in recognition
given to outstanding contributions towards solving global water crisis.
 Relations with Malaysia
Mahathir Mohamad:
 Lee looked forward to improving relationships with Mahathir Mohamad upon the latter's
promotion to Deputy Prime Minister.
 Knowing that Mahathir was in line to become the next Prime Minister of Malaysia, Lee
invited Mahathir (through Singapore President Devan Nair) to visit Singapore in 1978.
The first and subsequent visits improved both personal and diplomatic relationships
between them.
 Mahathir asked Lee to cut off links with the Chinese leaders of the Democratic Action
Party; in exchange, Mahathir undertook not to interfere in the affairs of Malay
Singaporeans.
 In June 1988, Lee and Mahathir reached an agreement in Kuala Lumpur to build the
Linggui dam on the Johor River.
 Senior Minister (1990-2004)
 The world’s longest serving prime minister Lee Kuan Yew stepped down on 28
November 1990, handing over prime ministership to Goh Chok Tong.

 Lee remained in the cabinet with a non-executive

position of senior minister and played a role described
advisory.
 Minister Mentor (2004-2011)
 In December 2004, Lee stepped down to become Minister Mentor and a year long
campaign(Huayu Cool) was launched out of his concern over declining proficiency of
Mandarin among younger Chinese Singaporeans.
 In June 2005, Lee published a book, Keeping My Mandarin Alive, documenting his
decades of effort to master Mandarin, a language that he said he had to re-learn due to
disuse.
 After the 2011 general elections in which the Workers' Party, a major opposition political
party in Singapore, made unprecedented gains by winning a Group Representation
Constituency (GRC), Lee announced that he decided to leave the Cabinet for the Prime
Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, and his team to have a clean slate.
 Failing health and death
 On 15 February 2013, Lee was admitted to Singapore General Hospital after suffering a
prolonged cardiac dysrhythmia which was followed by a brief stoppage of blood flow to
the brain. He was subsequently discharged, but continued to receive anti-
coagulant therapy.
 The following year, Lee missed his constituency's Chinese New Year dinner for the
second consecutive time owing to bodily bacterial invasion
 On 5 February 2015, Lee was hospitalised and was put on a ventilator at the intensive
care unit of Singapore General Hospital, although his condition was reported initially as
"stable“.
 Contd…..
 A 26 February update stated that he was again being given antibiotics, while being
sedated and still under mechanical ventilation. From 17 to 22 March, Lee continued
weakening as he suffered an infection while on life support, and he was described as
"critically ill.
 On 23 March 2015, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced his father's
death at the age of 91. Lee had died at 03:18 Singapore Standard Time. After a declared
period of public mourning, a state funeral for Lee was held on 29 March and attended by
world leaders. Later that day, Lee was cremated in a private ceremony at the Mandai
Crematorium.
 International Organizations
 Lee was a member of the Fondation Chirac's honour committee, from the time that the
foundation was launched in 2008 by the former French President Jacques Chirac to
promote world peace.

 Lee was also a member of David Rockefeller's "International Council".

 Additionally he was one of the "Forbes' Brain Trust.

 Personal Views
 Homosexuality-
He believed that homosexuality is a result of genetic coding. But he was not
in support of the idea of homosexual couples adopting children as he believed that they lack
maternal instincts.

 Religious views-
Lee had practiced Chinese folk religion as he was growing up. He personally
stated his agnosticism on several occasions. In 2009, Lee identified himself as a member of
the Buddhist/Taoist community in an interview with Mark Jacobson for the National
Geographic Magazine.
 Legacy
 Singapore's Gross National Product per capita rose from $1,240 in 1959 to $18,437 in
1990.
 The unemployment rate in Singapore dropped from 13.5% in 1959 to 1.7% in 1990.
 External trade increased from $7.3 billion in 1959 to $205 billion in 1990.
 In other areas, the life expectancy at birth for Singaporeans rose from 65 years at 1960 to
74 years in 1990.
 The population of Singapore increased from 1.6 million in 1959 to 3 million in 1990.
 Contd….
 The number of public flats in Singapore rose from 22,975 in 1959 (then under the Singapore
Improvement Trust) to 667,575 in 1990.
 The Singaporean literacy rate increased from 52% in 1957 to 90% in 1990.
 Telephone lines per 100 Singaporeans increased from 3 in 1960 to 38 in 1990.
 Visitor arrivals to Singapore rose from 0.1 million in 1960 to 5.3 million in 1990.
 During the three decades in which Lee held office, Singapore grew from a developing
country to one of the most developed nations in Asia.
Controversies
Devan Nair
 In 1999, the former Singaporean President Devan Nair remarked in an interview with
the Toronto The Globe and Mail that Lee's technique of suing his opponents into
bankruptcy or oblivion was an abrogation of political rights. He also remarked that Lee is
"an increasingly self-righteous know-all", surrounded by "department store dummies”.
 Lee sued Nair in a Canadian court and Nair countersued.
 Then on 28 March 1985, Nair resigned as President of Singapore without completing his
term of office. In 1988, Nair left Singapore for good and never came back.
FEER defamation case
 The Dow Jones Company-owned Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) magazine and its
editor Hugo Restal had published an article critical of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and
his father, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
 In September 1989, then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew sued the Far Eastern Economic
Review (FEER) over an article related to the "Marxist Conspiracy" saga in 1987.
 Mr Lee sued the Review over two passages in the article because he felt they suggested that
he was intolerant of the Catholic Church, was not in favour of freedom of religious belief
and worship, and wanted to victimize Catholic priests and workers.
 He also believed that the passages meant that he tricked Archbishop Gregory Yong into
attending the Istana press conference, trapped or forced the Archbishop into accepting
statements about Catholic lay worker Vincent Cheng, and used his influence as Prime
Minister to stop the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation and The Straits Times from
broadcasting and publishing the Archbishop's qualification of his acceptance of statements
about Cheng.
International Herald Tribune defamation case
 Lee filed a civil suit against the International Herald Tribune after the newspaper
published an article that implied he used Singapore's judiciary to quell political
opposition by suing critics for libel.
 The suit arose over an article published by the newspaper in October 1994. Lee's lawyers
said the story alleged he had tried to suppress democratic political activity in Singapore
by suing political opponents.
 The International Herald Tribune agreed to pay about $213,000 in libel damages to
Singapore's former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
 Lee and his son, Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, together with Prime Minister
Goh Chok Tong, filed the civil suit, claiming the article implied Goh had appointed the
younger Lee to his position because of his father's status.
Islam
 Lee Kuan Yew, has called Islam a “venomous religion,” according to a recently released
Wikileaks cable.
 Lee rejected the WikiLeaks cable claim by saying that it’s false. According to Channel
News Asia, he reiterated that nowhere does it record him describing Islam as
“venomous.” However, he did talk about radical Islamic fundamentalists such as the
Jemaah Islamiyah, and reinforced that Singapore Muslim leaders are rational, as
“moderate” Muslims are urged to be critical of Muslim “radicals.”
 During Lee's 2011 book release Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going. In
the book, Lee stated that Singaporean Muslims faced difficulties in integrating because of
their religion, and urged them to "be less strict on Islamic observances". His remarks
drew firestorm from Malay/Muslim leaders and MPs in Singapore
 Population Planning
 This two-child family policy was introduced by then Minister for Health Chua Sian
Chin on 20 July 1972 during the launch of that year’s National Family Planning
Campaign.15 The policy’s formulation was based on the calculation that an average of
two children per family would eventually result in the stabilization of Singapore’s
population.
 Lee's policy in the 1960s and 1970s (stop at two) worked too well, and the birth rate
declined at a rapid rate and resulted to an aging population.
 The government eventually became pro-natalist, and officially announced its replacement
"Have-Three-or-More (if you can afford it)" in 1987, in which the government continued
its efforts to better the quality and quantity of the population while discouraging low-
income families from having children.
 Cultural depictions
 Chua Mia Tee, one of Singapore’s foremost realist painters painted former Prime
Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s return from London after the Merdeka Talks; the swearing-in
ceremony of then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong; and Singapore’s ministers and
members of parliament during parliamentary sessions.
 In 1992, artist Lai Kui Fang presented historical oil paintings of Lee's 1959 swearing-in
ceremony as prime minister, which are part of the National Museum of Singapore's
collection.
 In 2008, artist Ben Puah unveiled Hero, a solo exhibition of Lee portraits at Forth
Gallery.
 In 2011, the iris image of Lee's eye was captured and artistically rendered to resemble a
sand art gallery piece. His eye image with his autograph was auctioned off to raise funds
for the Singapore Eye Research Institute.
 Memoirs
 Between 1998 and 2000, Lee Kuan Yew published a two-volume set of memoirs. The
Singapore Story (1998), and From Third World to First.
 The Singapore Story covers his life up to the point of Singapore's independence,
whereas From Third to First tells the story of his contributions to Singapore post-1965.
 In intimate detail, Lee recounts the battles against colonialists, communists and
communalists that led to Singapore's independence. With consummate political skill, he
countered adversaries, sometimes enlisting their help, at others opposing them, in the
single-minded pursuit of Singapore's interests."
 In 2013, Lee published two new books, The Wit and Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew and One
Man's View of the World. The Wit and Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew contains almost 600
quotations which provides a summary of his views on a wide range of topics on
Singapore and the world. In One Man's View of the World, Lee draws on his experience
and insight to offer his views on today’s world and what it might look like in 20 years.
 Awards
 Lee received a number of state decorations, including the Order of the Companions of
Honour (1970), Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (1972),
the Freedom of the City of London (1982), the Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor (1984), the Order
of Great Leader (1988) and the Order of the Rising Sun (1967).
 In 1999, Lee was named one of Time's Most Influential People of the 20th Century.
 In 2006, Lee was given the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service by the Woodrow
Wilson International Center for Scholar's.
 In 2007, Lee was conferred an honorary Doctorate in Law at the Australian National
University in Canberra.
 In 2009, Lee was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship by President Dmitry Medvedev.
 In 2016, Lee was conferred the Order of the Paulownia Flowers.
Leadership
…with reference to Lee Kuan Yew
 9 Common Leadership Styles
1. Transformational leadership
2. Transactional leadership
3. Servant leadership
4. Autocratic leadership
5. Laissez-faire leadership
6. Democratic leadership
7. Bureaucratic leadership
8. Charismatic leadership
9. Situational leadership
Transformational leadership
 Transformational leadership is defined as a leadership approach that causes change in individuals and social
systems. In its ideal form, it creates valuable and positive change in the followers with the end goal of developing
followers into leaders.
 Leadership expert James McGregor Burns introduced the concept of transformational leadership in his 1978 book,
"Leadership." He defined transformational leadership as a process where "leaders and their followers raise one
another to higher levels of morality and motivation.
 The ability to take calculated risks is a key characteristic of a transformational leader. They trust their instinct, and
use the intelligence gathered by team members to make informed decisions.
Transactional leadership
 Transactional leadership involves motivating and directing followers primarily through appealing to their
own self-interest. The power of transactional leaders comes from their formal authority and responsibility in the
organization. The main goal of the follower is to obey the instructions of the leader. The style can also be
mentioned as a ‘telling style’.
Servant leadership
 People who practice servant leadership prefer power-sharing models of authority, prioritizing the needs of their
team and encouraging collective decision-making.
 Research by Catalyst has claimed this style, described as altruistic leadership by the company, can improve
diversity and boost morale. However, detractors suggest servant leaders lack authority and suffer a conflict of
interest by putting their employees ahead of business objectives.
Autocratic leadership
 A more extreme version of transactional leadership, autocratic leaders have significant control over
staff and rarely consider worker suggestions or share power.
 Ruling with an iron fist is rarely appreciated by staff, which can lead to high turnover and absenteeism.
There can also be a lack of creativity due to strategic direction coming from a single individual.
 This leadership style is best suited to environments where jobs are fairly routine or require limited
skills. It is also common in military organizations.
Laissez-faire leadership
 More commonly used to describe economic environments, laissez-faire literally means “let them do”
in French. This is typically translated to “let it be”. As such, laissez-faire leaders are characterized by
their hands-off approach, allowing employees to get on with tasks as they see fit.
Democratic leadership
 Also known as participative leadership, this style – as the name suggests – means leaders often ask for
input from team members before making a final decision.
 Workers usually report higher levels of job satisfaction in these environments and the company can
benefit from better creativity. On the downside, the democratic process is normally slower and may
not function well in workplaces where quick decision-making is crucial.
Bureaucratic leadership
 Bureaucratic leadership models are most often implemented in highly regulated or administrative
environments, where adherence to the rules and a defined hierarchy are important.
 These leaders ensure people follow the rules and carry out tasks by the book. Naturally, this works
well in certain roles – such as health and safety – but can stifle innovation and creativity in more agile,
fast-paced companies.
Charismatic leadership
 There is a certain amount of overlap between charismatic and transformational leadership. Both styles
rely heavily on the positive charm and personality of the leader in question.
 However, charismatic leadership is usually considered less favourable, largely because the success of
projects and initiatives is closely linked to the presence of the leader. While transformational leaders
build confidence in a team that remains when they move on, the removal of a charismatic leader
typically leaves a power vacuum.
Situational leadership
 Developed by management experts Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard in 1969, situational leadership is a
theory that the best leaders utilize a range of different styles depending on the environment.
Difference between Transactional and Transformational Leaders
Transactional leadership Transformational Leadership

Leadership is responsive Leadership is proactive

Works within the organizational culture Work to change the organizational culture by
implementing new ideas

Transactional leaders make employees achieve Transformational leaders motivate and empower
organizational objectives through rewards and employees to achieve company’s objectives by
punishment appealing to higher ideals and moral values

Motivates followers by appealing to their own self- Motivates followers by encouraging them to transcend
interest their own interests for those of the group or unit
Lee Kuan Yew:A Transformational Leader
 At the time of its independence, Singapore's prospects for survival looked bleak. It had little
land and no natural resources; the neighbouring countries were hostile to the idea of an
independent Singapore. The city was heavily dependent on subsidies received from Britain.
Poverty and corruption were rampant.
 Between 1959 and 1990, Singapore achieved what is widely regarded as a social and
economic miracle, without encountering any major disruption along the way.
 Lee Kuan Yew's extraordinary leadership and statesmanship is acknowledged as the major
driver of the city-state's success.
Unique Aspects of His Leadership
 In his role as a strategist, at each stage the leadership sought the citizen’s inputs, thus helping
to strengthen the people's sense of identity with the vision set out by the leaders.
 Second unique attribute of Lee Kuan Yew was his aversion to strong ideologies. He
consistently discarded theory in favour of what worked. If a policy worked, he would
continue with it; if it didn't work he would drop it and try something else.
 Lee Kuan Yew's leadership was his focus on meritocracy in government. His focus on getting
the best people was almost absolute.
 Lee Kuan Yew's view was that trying to promote universal access to university education
would create too many graduates for the Singapore economy to absorb which was a real
concern in the 1960s and 1970s.
 The flip side was that those who did not get into a university were given excellent access to
technical and vocational education, often through programmes organised jointly with foreign
governments and multinational companies.
Impact of His Government

 In his 25 years at the helm, Singapore was transformed from a tiny colonial outpost into a
thriving, global economic centre.
 Per capita GNP has risen from US$ 920 in 1965 to US$ 23,300 in 2000.
 The literacy rate has risen from 72 per cent in 1970 to over 92 per cent currently.
 The number of people living in owner-occupied housing rose from 9 per cent of the
population in 1970 to 90 per cent by 1990.
 Singapore's Government and Public Sector are regarded as one of the most efficient and
cleanest in the world. Its infrastructure facilities are world-class.
 All these factors combined, contribute to Singapore being ranked amongst the top in the
world competitiveness league.
9 Leadership Lessons from Lee Kuan Yew
1. Intention
Self-leadership starts with intention and ends in impact. The physical manifestation of
the impact is clear in the ‘Garden City’ with towering, shiny buildings, economic and
political stability.
Having grown up under first British and then Japanese rule, Lee Kuan Yew could have
been conditioned to think of himself as inferior, but after the war he studied law at
Cambridge University, graduating with a double starred-first-class honors in law.

“Here in Singapore, you didn't come across the white man so much. He was in a superior
position. But there you are (in Britain) in a superior position meeting white men and white
women in an inferior position, socially, I mean. They have to serve you and so on in the shops.
And I saw no reason why they should be governing me; they're not superior. I decided when I got
back, I was going to put an end to this.”
2. Competency
 A leader must be competent, and Lee Kuan Yew’s legal training, coupled with his ability as a
multi-lingual orator (English, Mandarin and Malay), gave him the ability to reach the widest
audience of the nation's multi-racial, multi-cultural citizenry.

 He became legal advisor to more than 100 different unions and associations, and on 12th
November 1954, he formed the 'socialist' People's Action Party (PAP).

 His early political career was marked by shrewd collaboration, such as the “marriage of
convenience” with the pro-communist trade unionists. A partnership he saw dissolved when
the time was right.
3. Influence

 In the national elections held on 30 May 1959, LKY’s PAP won 43 of the 51 seats in the
legislative assembly. Singapore gained self-government with autonomy in all state matters
except defence and foreign affairs. Lee Kuan Yew became the first Prime Minister of
Singapore on 3 June 1959.

“Once in a long while in the history of a people, there comes a moment of great
change. Tonight is such a moment in our lives… We begin a new chapter in the
history of Singapore.”
– Victory rally at the Padang, 3 June 1959
4. Resilience

 Self-government was not easy, Lee Kuan Yew faced resistance in his move to become part of
The Federation of Malaysia, and racial unrest when it was achieved on 16th September 1963.
 Disgusted with race based politics that followed joining the Federation, LKY eventually,
emotionally and painfully reverses his position on merger.

“For me it is a moment of anguish because all my life... You see, the whole of my adult life... I
have believed in merger and the unity of these two territories.You know, it's a people,
connected by geography, economics, and ties of kinship... Would you mind if we stop for a
while?”
– At the historic press conference on 9 August 1965. He stopped the interview at this point to
regain his composure.
5. Self-efficacy

 With independence from Britain and now Malaysia, Lee Kuan Yew and his team now faced
the task of ensuring the fledgling nation’s survival against overwhelming odds. With no
natural resources, Lee KuanYew and his economic team of Dr Goh Keng Swee, Mr Lim Kim
San and Mr Hon Sui Sen embarked on an export-oriented industrialization strategy to create
jobs.
 Knowing he needed foreign investment he invited Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) to
set up in Singapore. The various policies implemented in the immediate post-independence
years resulted in massive economic and social progress for the people.
 By the end of the 1970s, unemployment had dropped from 10% to 3% and growth was
averaging 10% per annum.
6. Collaboration

 Some have suggested that LKY believed in Chinese supremacy, but if he did, he managed to
create collaboration from different races and faiths.

“But I say to you: here we make the model multi-racial society. This is not a country that
belongs to any single community: it belongs to all of us. You helped built it; your fathers,
your grandfathers helped build this… Over 100 years ago, this was a mud-flat, swamp.
Today, this is a modern city. Ten years from now, this will be a metropolis. Never fear.”
– Sharing his vision for Singapore at the Sree Narayana Mission on 12 September 1965.
7. Transformation

 Transformational leadership requires creating an environment where people want to work

hard to achieve for themselves and the group. Lee Kuan Yew transformed Singapore both
physically and culturally.
 He championed home ownership, education for all, national service, and a green city program
to give every Singaporean a stake in the country.

We have met our people’s basic needs, we have to meet the rising aspirations of
Singaporeans… Home ownership motivates Singaporeans to work hard and to aspire for a
better future for their family, to upgrade to better and bigger flats. The HDB story reflects the
social mobility of Singaporeans. ”
– At the launch of Tanjong Pagar Town Council’s Five-year Masterplan and opening of ABC
Waters on 22 March 2011.
Today, Singapore has one of the highest home ownership rates in the world, with 90% of
Singaporeans owning their homes, the vast majority of them HDB flats.
8. Global Influence

 LKY understood the vulnerability of small states such as Singapore, and believed that “a
small country must seek a maximum number of friends, while maintaining the freedom to be
itself as a sovereign and independent nation”.
 Between 1959 and 2012, Mr Lee made at least 304 official trips to 83 countries. A world-
class strategic thinker whose insights were sought by world leaders, he was instrumental in
forging a place for Singapore in the international arena.
9. Succession Planning

 Many leaders fail to groom their successors or hang on too long! LKY worked hard to ensure
a smooth leadership transition to the next generation.
 LKY handed over to Mr Goh Chok Tong on 28 November 1990, but continued to advise the
government on important issues for another 21 years, first as Senior Minister under Mr Goh
and then as Minister Mentor under Mr Lee Hsien Loong.

“I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There’s nothing more that I need
to do. At the end of the day, what have I got? A successful Singapore. What have I given up?
My life.”
– Lee Kuan Yew 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015