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INDIA is honouring Singapore’sfounding father Lee Kuan Yew bydesignating tomorrow as a day ofnational mourning.
Indian Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi is travelling to Singa-pore where he will join other for-eign leaders for the state funeral.
In an unprecedented gesture,New Delhi announced yesterdaythat the Indian flag will be low-ered to half-mast across the coun-try tomorrow and there will be noofficial entertainment on the day.
It is unusual for India to hon-
our a person who had retired fromnational leadership for nearly aquarter-century. � SEE A17
By RACHEL CHANGASSISTANT POLITICAL EDITOR
AS PEOPLE continued to arrive atthe Padang through the day toendure waits of up to 10 hours fortheir turn to pay their last re-
spects to founding Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew in person, thecrowds swelled beyond controllast night.
At about 10pm, the organisersannounced that they were “tempo-rarily suspending” the queue to
clear the backlog of people whowere even spilling over into theMRT station at City Hall.
Policemen at City Hall MRTStation told the crowd: “The Pa-dang is full. Please go home.”
A statement from the organis-
ing committee said that the deci-sion was made “to ensure safetyof individuals due to the largecrowds, and to limit the physical
CONTINUEDON PAGE A2
Day of mourning in India
Where does it begin... or end? An aerial view from the 18th storey of Swissotel The Stamford at 9pm shows snaking queues as people try to make it into Parliament House to pay their last respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
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Safety concerns led organisers to call for suspension to clear backlog$ 1.00
A SingaporePress Holdingspublication
PAGES A8-9
PROCESSIONStarts at 12.30pm from Parliament
House. It will pass landmarks such
as Old Parliament House and City Hall, as well as
heartland areas
FUNERAL SERVICEHeld at University
Cultural Centre, NUS, from
2pm to 5.15pm
CREMATIONPrivate event
at Mandai Crematorium
YOUR GUIDETO THE STATEFUNERALTOMORROW
MORE REPORTS: PAGES A2-19Massive crowds at Padang,so queue temporarily halted
S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5
PRESSING ON“I can’t queue for eight hoursbut I can still handle fourhours. I have to come and paymy respects or I won’t feelgood.”– Madam Lee Yong Jong (below),81, who leans on an umbrella forsupport when she walks. Shedecided to join the queueyesterday because it was toocrowded the past few days
WELL-HANDLED“As someone who works inlogistics, I feel the queue iswell-organised and movingvery quickly. We’reresidents of Tanjong Pagarand Lee Kuan Yew hasbeen our longest-servingMP. We had to come anddo our part and decided tocome today becausetomorrow is the last dayand might be even morecrowded.”– Logistics manager Lee YoongYoong (below), 42, who went topay his respects with hissix-year-old son Masean Lee
BENEFIT OF DOUBT“We give people the benefit ofthe doubt when they say theyare feeling unwell. Those whocome with elderly parents canalso join the priority queue.Even with the heat, mostpeople come in with a smile ontheir faces.”– Volunteer queue coordinatorSelvie Mabel (below), 46, onletting people join the priorityqueue
LKY AIRPORT?ALMOST 10,000 people havesigned an online petitioncalling for ChangiInternational Airport to berenamed in honour ofSingapore’s founding PrimeMinister.
While the petitionacknowledged that Mr Lee didnot need the recognition, itsaid: “Renaming the airport‘Lee Kuan Yew (LKY)International Airport’ willserve to remind allSingaporeans of thefoundations laid to bear thesuccesses we see today.”
The petition was started onWednesday, two days after MrLee died at age 91, by anindividual with a websiteaccount named “RememberingLKY”.
Addressed to TransportMinister Lui Tuck Yew, it wasposted on petition websiteChange.org. It drew mixedreactions, some of whichopposed the suggestion.
Netizen Boey Wai Yenpointed out that money, timeand effort would be needed tocarry out the renamingexercise.
She and others suggestedthat new landmarks be namedafter Mr Lee instead.
discomfort of the long wait, espe-cially for the elderly and youngchildren”.
“We would like to accommo-date as many as possible in thisoverwhelming outpouring of re-spect and love for Mr Lee KuanYew,” the statement said.
“We are appealing for patienceand understanding as we work toease the situation. We will informthe public when the queue is openagain.”
As of press-time, the queuehad not been reopened.
Mr Jeremy Ng was trappedwith his wheelchair-bound moth-er Lee Khar Lee outside the Pa-dang, as people did not heed callsto exit the line.
“We can’t go forward, neithercan we go backwards,” he said.
Others, like Dr Tang YaoLiang, 31, decided not to join thequeue at all, once the suspensionwas announced.
“We decided to cut our losses.We really wanted to show our re-spect as it’s quite a historical mo-ment, so I’m disappointed. But wetried our best,” he said.
Mr Lee’s body is scheduled tolie in state until 8pm today.
But since Wednesday, thenumber of people streaming inhas defied expectations andforced organisers to expand thescope of their plans repeatedly.
More than 290,000 peoplehave visited Parliament House inthe last three days.
Mr Lee, who was Singapore’sPrime Minister from 1959 to1990, died on Monday at age 91.
Throughout the day yesterday,the organisers issued advisoriesasking members of the public notto join the queue at the Padang. In-stead, they were told to visit oneof the 18 community tribute sitesacross the island.
Meanwhile, a live-stream ofproceedings at Parliament Housebegan broadcasting at noon yester-day, and people were encouragedto watch it.
But few seemed to have heededthe call to stay away.
Organisers are bracing them-selves for another surge today –the last time that visitors can filepast Mr Lee’s casket with a bow, aprayer or a silent word of farewell– as the final hours tick by andthe weekend begins.
Even after the suspension is lift-ed, it is unclear what time the or-ganisers will close the queue toParliament House today.
They declined to confirm whe-ther those arriving at the queue’sstart point after 8pm will beturned away.
Mr Lee’s funeral procession isto start at 12.30pm tomorrow,and the set-up for the 15.4km pro-cession to the University CulturalCentre, where his funeral is to beheld, will require a substantial
amount of time.“I knew they were telling us
not to come,” said Singapore Poly-technic lecturer Fan Ay Deng, 34.“But there is only one chance tosee his casket, it’s as simple asthat. And I think a long wait isworth it to pay my respects to thefounding father.”
The sight of hundreds of thou-sands of Singaporeans, takingtime off from work to stand inline for up to 10 hours, for a fewfleeting moments next to Mr Lee’scasket, is one that will likely neverbe witnessed again in Singapore’shistory.
From 10am on Wednesday, thefirst day of the lying in state, theauthorities have had to changetheir plans in reaction to the un-ceasing flow of people.
Originally scheduled to end at8pm, the viewing became around-the-clock affair, and pub-lic transport services were extend-ed as well.
Organised groups were no long-er allowed to skip the queue, andmourners were asked to speed uppast the casket instead of stop-ping. Priority lines birthed priori-ty lines as the elderly, disabledand the very young showed up inforce.
But the sheer numbers meantthat there was inevitable chaos, es-pecially in the priority queue onThursday night.
By early yesterday morning,barricades had extended the priori-
ty queue to six times its length toaid the flow, and a new filter wascreated for those in wheelchairsand strollers.
The line abated in the latemorning but swelled again fromthe late afternoon yesterday andthrough the night.
Inside Parliament House, glo-bal grandees such as former Indo-nesian presidents Megawati Sukar-noputri and Susilo Bambang Yud-hoyono numbered among themourners.
Opposition veteran Chiam SeeTong came and, despite his politi-cal differences with Mr Lee, hesaid: “Singapore is very lucky tohave Mr Lee as her first PrimeMinister.”
[email protected] reporting by Chong Ziliangand Lim Yan Liang
FROMPAGE A1
By THAM YUEN-C, ANDREA NGand CHONG ZILIANG
TOLD to stay away, they cameanyway.
People continued to turn upfrom midnight yesterday into theday to queue outside ParliamentHouse to pay their last respects toMr Lee Kuan Yew.
This was despite the fact thatfrom Thursday night, the state fu-neral organising committee ad-vised people not to join the queueuntil further updates, warning thewait could get as long as 11 hours.
However, most of those on theground reported waiting a muchshorter time – although this wasbefore the crowds surged againlast night.
Engineer Veron Koh, 37, whowas there at 4am yesterday be-cause she was “scared of the sun”and had to work, but still wantedto pay her respects, was told thatshe would be waiting for eighthours. But she was done in four.
She said: “I was prepared totake urgent leave if I had to butthey were very organised, and Iwaited only a while at the Padang,then our whole group walkedstraight to Parliament House.”
The difference between the esti-mated and actual times was dueto the different organisation ofthe queue system yesterday com-pared with the first two days ofpublic mourning on Wednesdayand Thursday. Instead of one longqueue around the Padang, peoplewere broken up into groups, witheach group assigned a holding ar-ea at the Padang.
The groups could expand orcontract, depending on thenumber of people. When therewere fewer people, each groupmoved quicker.
For some, the faster flow of thegeneral queues was still not fastenough – financial analyst DawnHuang, 32, left the Padang ataround 8am, after waiting abouttwo hours.
“I have to go to work but I planto come back later,” she said asshe hurried off.
On the other hand, retireeJames Chan, 64, was undauntedwhen he arrived at midnight yes-terday and was told that it wouldbe an eight-hour wait.
He decided to stay, saying:“That’s the least I can do to repaythe debt of gratitude that genera-tions in Singapore owe to MrLee.”
Others who had gone there ataround the same time gained asmall respite in the end – the wait-ing time was more like sevenhours.
Nanyang Technological Univer-
sity student Lee Jing Shen, 23,was one, emerging from Parlia-ment House at 6.45am.
Asked why he waited, he saidpragmatically: “The MRT and bus-es had already stopped runningwhen we got here and found outhow long it would take.”
However, university mate KeeHan Chong, 23, said: “Based onmy calculations, the queueingtimes would only get longer fromFriday, so I had to do it. Mr Lee isa very important part of our histo-ry.”
Those who arrived not long be-fore daybreak yesterday perse-vered for the same reason.
Counsellor Diane Choo, 31,who got there at 5.30am, said shegot into the hall where Mr Lee’sbody lay in state after a wait of“only” five hours.
“It was only right that I had toput in that energy and effort tosay thank you,” she said.
Amid the large turnout in thewee hours yesterday, there wasconfusion about where to startqueueing. Some joined in at Raf-fles City to make their way to thePadang, while others did so at Es-planade Park, unwittingly cuttingthe queue.
Meanwhile, those in the priori-ty queue – for the elderly, disa-bled, pregnant and those with chil-dren below six years of age – hada much shorter wait, after the sys-tem was changed on Thursdaynight so only parents could gowith their children, and just oneadult could accompany an elderlyperson.
Childcare centre principal An-gela Ang, 57, who was there at6am with her 77-year-old motherNancy Wu, “breezed through” inabout 45 minutes. She said: “Iwould’ve come even if the queuewas long because I’m a benefici-ary of his legacy.”
For teacher Sally Chew, 37, inthe priority queue with her hus-band and sons aged five and 11, itwas her second try.
The first time, she had to goand pick up her children fromschool, and was not allowed to re-join the queue where her husbandwas waiting.
Just to be safe, her husbandtook leave yesterday and her chil-dren skipped school.
She said: “I came mainly forthe education of the kids. Theycan read a lot about Lee Kuan Yewbut it’s nothing like going through(this).”
Throughout the day, peoplecontinued to stream into the area,even when it rained for a spell inthe afternoon, and with the sunbeating down afterwards.
Ms Joyce Khoo, 30, got there ataround noon with her husband,just as it started to drizzle.
The Singaporean pilates in-structor, who now lives in Jakar-ta, had flown back yesterday for aday, specially to pay her respectsto Mr Lee.
“Living overseas makes youvery conscious of how lucky weare as Singapore citizens... It’s alldue to the dogged determinationof Mr Lee and the first generationof Singaporeans. I would have re-gretted it if I hadn’t come back,”she said.
As night fell again, the crowdgrew larger, backing up to RafflesCity. Public transport operatorsextended their hours yesterday,with buses and MRT trains to op-erate overnight.
Father-and-son pair Albertand Alex Lim were among thosewho arrived by public transport.
The older Mr Lim, 54, and hisson, 24, came prepared to waitthrough the night. They said they“will be here as long as it takes”.
[email protected]@[email protected]
HANDLING the unprecedentedcrowds that have formed sinceWednesday to pay their last re-spects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew, whois lying in state at ParliamentHouse, has been a massive task
for organisers of the former PrimeMinister’s state funeral.
The decision to extend visitinghours at Parliament House from10 hours to 24 hours meant thatorganisers, comprising govern-
ment agencies and the SingaporeArmed Forces, had to beef uptheir operations to deal with big-ger crowds. These are the num-bers behind the huge operationmounted over the past few days.
Six-year-old Calista Lee presenting two stalks of roses in a water bottle to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong from her placein the queue outside Parliament House, a sweet gesture that people whipped out their phones and cameras to capture.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
1 9 2 3 - 2 0 1 5
People shielding themselves from the sun with umbrellas, newspapers or just a hand – whatever works. ST PHOTOS: DESMOND LIM
Organisers warn people about longwait but they persevere anyway
L O N G Q U E U E S T O P A Y T R I B U T E
ABOVE: The area outside Raffles Cityat 11.30pm was still packed withpeople after the authorities announcedat 10pm that they were “temporarilysuspending” the queue to clear thecrowd which was spilling over intoCity Hall MRT Station.
RIGHT: Men from the SpecialOperations Command were stationedin front of the closed Padang.
ST PHOTOS: MARK CHEONG
276,000people turned up to pay their last respects,
as at 7pm yesterday
107,150condolence cards, gifts and flowers
received from visitors
5,600SAF personnel involved in the lying in stateand tomorrow’s state funeral procession,
twice the number first estimated
300tents
1,000barricades
to manage the queues.The operation was handled by
the Singapore Army’s 9th Division.
60SAF personnel rostered for round-the-clockvigil guard duties, up from the initial 30
Numbers behind massive effort
Public urged topay tribute atcommunity sites
Crowds at City Hall MRT Station were advised to go home as the Padang was full. PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
11-hourwait – yetthey keptcoming
A2 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 A3
By ASRUL HADI ABDULLAH SANIMALAYSIA CORRESPONDENTIN KUALA LUMPUR
MALAYSIA’S combative formerprime minister Mahathir Moham-ad expressed sadness over thepassing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew evenas he admitted that they were notclose friends.
“No matter how friendly or un-friendly we are, the passing awayof a man you know well saddensyou. I cannot say I was a closefriend of Kuan Yew. But still I feelsad at his demise,” Dr Mahathirwrote on his personal blog.
Dr Mahathir became hiscountry’s fourth prime minister in1981. He and Mr Lee were counter-parts until Mr Lee stepped downin 1990, while Dr Mahathir contin-ued in office until 2003.
The Malaysian leader, who isstill influential in his country, saidMr Lee’s death marked the end ofan era of strong leaders. “NowKuan Yew is no more. His passagemarks the end of the period whenthose who fought for independ-ence led their countries and knewthe value of independence. Aseanlost strong leadership after Presi-dent Suharto and Lee Kuan Yew.”
He said he “crossed swords”many times with Mr Lee after Sin-gapore joined Malaysia in 1963,but “there was no enmity”.
“I first met Kuan Yew when Iwas a member of Parliament in1964 after Singapore joined Malay-sia in 1963. We crossed swordsmany times during the debates.But there was no enmity, only dif-ferences in our views of what wasgood for the newborn nation,” DrMahathir said.
“He included me among the ul-tra Malays who were responsiblefor the racial riots in Singapore.Actually, I never went to Singa-pore to stir up trouble. Somebodyelse whom I would not name did.”
Dr Mahathir paid a courtesycall on Mr Lee when he becameprime minister in 1981 and bothagreed their countries should ad-vance their clocks by half an hour.
“I am afraid on most other is-sues, we could not agree.”
Strong personalities both, theyoften did not see eye to eye on bi-lateral issues. The water agree-ment, for instance, led to numer-ous verbal clashes.
Dr Mahathir once slammed MrLee as a “Chinese emperor” and“big frog in a small pond” whoharboured ambitions of becomingthe first Chinese Prime Ministerof Malaysia.
Former Singapore High Com-
missioner to Malaysia, Mr K. Kes-avapany, said Dr Mahathir’s trib-ute was not surprising.
“Leaders have to maintain apublic persona, but at the sametime their private position wouldbe different. They both in a senseadmired each other, but the na-tional position of both countriesturned them into adversaries.”
Mr Kesavapany described therelationship between the two lead-ers as like “iron is turned intosteel when there is fire”.
Despite the public hostility, DrMahathir seemed to suggest theydid care for each other.
“When I had a heart attack in1989 and required open heart sur-gery, he cared enough to ring upmy wife to ask her to delay the op-eration as he had arranged for thebest heart surgeon, a Singaporeanliving in Australia, to do the opera-tion,” he wrote.
“But by then, I had been givenpre-med and was asleep prior tothe operation the next day.”
When Mr Lee was ill, Dr Ma-hathir said he asked to see him.
“He agreed, but the night be-fore the visit, the Singapore HighCommissioner received a messagethat he was very sick and couldnot see me.”
NO MATTER how friendly orunfriendly we are, the passingaway of a man you know wellsaddens you.
I cannot say I was a closefriend of Kuan Yew. But still, Ifeel sad at his demise.
Kuan Yew became well knownat a young age. I was a student inSingapore when I read about hisdefence of labour unions.
I first met Kuan Yew when Iwas a member of Parliament in1964 after Singapore joinedMalaysia in 1963. We crossedswords many times during thedebates. But there was no enmity,only differences in our views ofwhat was good for the newbornnation. He included me amongthe ultra Malays who wereresponsible for the racial riots inSingapore. Actually, I never wentto Singapore to stir up trouble.Somebody else whom I would notname did.
The Tunku attended theinaugural meeting of the PAP andwas quite friendly with KuanYew. He believed Kuan Yew wasa bastion against communism.But when the PAP contested inthe Malaysian elections in 1964with Malaysian Malaysia as itsslogan, Tunku felt that the PAP’spresence in Malaysia was going tobe disruptive for the country.
When I became PM in 1981, Ipaid a courtesy call on Kuan Yew.It was a friendly call and heimmediately agreed to myproposal that the Malaysia andSingapore times, which hadalways been the same, should beadvanced by half an hour. Iexplained that it would be easieradjusting our time whentravelling as we would fall within
the time zones fixed for thewhole world at one-hourintervals.
I am afraid on most otherissues, we could not agree.
When I had a heart attack in1989 and required open heartsurgery, he cared enough to ringup my wife to ask her to delaythe operation as he had arrangedfor the best heart surgeon, aSingaporean living in Australia, todo the operation. But by then, Ihad been given pre-med and wasasleep prior to the operation thenext day.
My wife thanked him butapologised. She promised to ringhim up after the operation. Shedid the next evening.
When he was ill, I requested tosee him. He agreed but the nightbefore the visit, the SingaporeHigh Commissioner received amessage that he was very sickand could not see me.
Still, when he attended theNihon Keizai Shimbun annualconference on the Future of Asiain Tokyo, which I never failed toattend, I went up to him atdinner to ask how he was. We satdown together to chat and theJapanese photographers took ourpictures, promising not to putthem in the press. I wouldn’tmind even if they did. But Isuppose people will make allkinds of stories about it.
Now, Kuan Yew is no more.His passage marks the end of theperiod when those who fought forindependence led their countriesand knew the value ofindependence.
Asean lost strong leadershipafter President Suharto and LeeKuan Yew.
By LIM YAN LIANG
IN THE early 2000s, a push bythen Senior Minister Lee KuanYew to consolidate Singapore’sbanking sector put the formerOverseas Union Bank (OUB) in atough position, said Mr PeterSeah, who was the bank’s presi-dent at the time.
Mr Lee had wanted the banksto merge and grow larger so theycould compete better globally.
Although it had been the fast-est-growing local bank in the1990s, OUB was still the small-est and thus a “potential victim”to be acquired by its larger com-petitors, recalled Mr Seah yester-day.
“I had my own views then:OUB was a bank worth preserv-ing, so I actually reached out to(Mr Lee),” said Mr Seah. “I wrotehim a letter, never expecting anyresponse. But he called me up,and grilled me over my thoughts,over my arguments.”
Mr Lee also gave him some ad-vice – do something or the bankwould be taken over – said MrSeah, speaking to reporters at Par-liament House yesterday after pay-
ing his last respects to Mr Lee.“I always remembered him as
somebody who I least expected(to do so) but who reached out,was helpful, was understanding,was open-minded and waswarm,” said Mr Seah.
While OUB was eventually ac-quired by UOB, Mr Lee’s predic-tion proved prescient: The consoli-dation of the banking scene leftthose standing in better shape tocompete with their foreign peers.
“Today we have three of theworld’s strongest and safestbanks, (which are among) the larg-est banks in Asia, able to with-stand – no, compete – with all theglobal banks,” said Mr Seah, whois now chairman of DBS Bank.
“DBS, for example, is in thetop 50 banks in the world in termsof market capitalisation. Comingfrom a small island, I think that’sa great achievement.”
Besides Mr Seah, other visitorswho paid their respects to Mr Leeyesterday included Nepal’s Honor-ary Deputy Prime Minister Pra-kash Man Singh, Maldivian Presi-dent Abdulla Yameen and IsraeliPresident Reuven Rivlin.
By RACHEL AU-YONG
MR LEE Kuan Yew’s contribu-tions to Singapore outweighed thecriticisms made by the opposi-tion, said old adversary ChiamSee Tong in a touching tribute yes-terday afternoon.
“Singapore is very lucky tohave Mr Lee as her first PrimeMinister,” the leader of the Singa-pore People’s Party told report-ers, after paying his last respectsto Mr Lee, who is lying in state atParliament House.
Recounting the first time hemet Mr Lee, Mr Chiam said hewas struck by how stern he was.
“He said, ‘Who is this opposi-tionist?’ I don’t think he knew meat that time. And he said, ‘Mr Chi-am, I’ll see you in Parliament.’
“But the way he said it, it wasas if he said, ‘I’ll see you in theboxing ring.’ ”
An emotional Mr Chiam alsoacknowledged that Mr Lee was a“great debater”, but one who nev-er humiliated him, even duringtheir frequent clashes in theHouse. “In Parliament, he clob-bered me. But... I never lost mydignity or decorum.”
Looking back into the hall,where several hundred peoplewere filing past Mr Lee’s casket,Mr Chiam murmured: “This iswhere he worked.”
Earlier in the hall, Mr Chiam,who celebrated his 80th birthdaytwo weeks ago, got out of hiswheelchair and walked slowly to-
wards Mr Lee’s casket.S u p p o r t e d b y h i s w i f e ,
Non-Constituency MP Lina Chi-am, and Environment and WaterResources Minister Vivian Bala-krishnan, he climbed a few stepstowards the casket to bid Mr Lee afinal farewell.
Dr Balakrishnan later said in aFacebook post that Mr Chiam in-sisted on climbing the steps, al-though he was physically infirm.“They had mutual respect foreach other’s integrity, gumptionand unflagging passion.”
Mr Chiam’s daughter Camillahad also accompanied him to Par-liament House.
The family were later receivedby Prime Minister Lee HsienLoong and his wife Ho Ching,who clasped Mr Chiam’s handthroughout the exchange.
Mr Chiam, the longest-servingopposition MP until 2011, had ear-lier this week penned a heartfeltcondolence letter to PM Lee onhis father’s death.
In the letter, he said the lateMr Lee was to Singapore whatformer British prime minister Win-ston Churchill was to his country.“He was there, just as Britainneeded Winston Churchill duringWorld War II – always taking astrategic and long-term view ofSingapore.”
Mr Chiam added: “His absencefrom our 50th National Day Pa-rade later this year will be particu-larly poignant to us.”
TWO former presidents of Indone-sia were among several Indone-sian dignitaries who paid their lastrespects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew yes-terday.
They were Ms Megawati Sukar-noputri, daughter of the country’sfirst president Sukarno, and DrSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whowas succeeded by current Presi-dent Joko Widodo.
Ms Megawati told reportersthat Mr Lee was her mentor.
“Personally, I have a good rela-tionship with him, and also hisfamily,” she said in Bahasa Indone-sia.
She added that she was in Sin-gapore as head of her party, the In-donesian Democratic Party-Strug-gle (PDI-P), as well as the Sukar-no family.
Ms Megawati was received byPrime Minister Lee Hsien Loongand his wife Ho Ching.
Dr Yudhoyono arrived with hiswife. A former general, he salutedMr Lee before bowing.
Earlier this week, he said in acondolence message that Mr Leewas a close personal friend as wellas “a true friend of Indonesia”.
“I have always benefited frommy conversations with him,” headded. “In every one of thosemeetings, he always gave me valu-able motivation and advice for thesuccess of Indonesia.”
He also said Mr Lee would be“sorely missed, not just by Singa-poreans, but by Indonesians andSouth-east Asians”.
The daughters of Indonesia’ssecond president, the late Suhar-to, also came to pay their re-spects. They were Ms Siti Hardiya-nti Rukmana “Tutut” Suharto, MsSiti Hediati Hariyadi “Titiek” Su-harto, and Ms Siti Hutami Endang“Mamiek” Suharto.
Mr Lee and Mr Suharto hadworked closely while in power, set-ting the stage for a relationshipthat helped stabilise the region.
President Joko will attend MrLee’s funeral tomorrow.RACHEL AU-YONG
Mr Lee receiving Dr MahathirMohamad at the airport on his firstvisit to Singapore as prime ministerof Malaysia. ST FILE PHOTO
Opposition politician Chiam See Tong (left) shaking hands with Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong after paying his respects to the late Mr Lee. Israeli PresidentReuven Rivlin (above, right), accompanied by PM Lee, was also among thevisitors at Parliament House yesterday. ST PHOTOS: DESMOND LIM, MARK CHEONG
His contributions to S’pore outweighedthe criticisms made by the opposition
What Mahathirwrote on his blog
S’pore luckyto haveMr Lee,says Chiam
Not close friends, butI still feel sad at hispassing, says Mahathir
1 9 2 3 - 2 0 1 5
Banker remembers‘helpful, open-minded’ man
L Y I N G I N S T A T E
Indonesia's sixth president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (top) and his wife Kristiani Herawati paying their respects yesterday.Also at Parliament House were the daughters of Indonesia’s second president, Suharto. Seen here are Ms Siti HardiyantiRukmana (above, in black) and Siti Hediati Hariyadi, with PM Lee’s wife Ho Ching. ST PHOTOS: DESMOND FOO, DESMOND LIMIndonesia’s fifth president Megawati Sukarnoputri – daughter of the first president, Sukarno – paying her respects at Parliament House. With her is her daughter Puan Maharani. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
Indonesiandignitariespay respects
A4 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 A5
By AFIQ ROSLAN
AS SINGAPORE basked in the glo-ry of the 1977Malaysia Cup win af-ter beating Penang 3-2, then PrimeMinister Lee Kuan Yew met andcongratulated the victorious na-tional football team at the Istana.
The reception is etched vividlyin the mind of striker Ho KwangHock. The 58-year-old recalledyesterday: “He came in, clad ingolf attire, shorts and all, andwent around shaking our hands.
“The Prime Minister was com-ing to each and every one of us toshake our hands, not us to him.”
Mr Ho’s anecdote is just one ofmany recollections as Singapore’sfootball fraternity turned up inforce at Toa Payoh Central Com-
munity Club to pay their respectsto Mr Lee yesterday morning.
Led by Football Association ofSingapore (FAS) president Zainu-din Nordin, more than 200 play-ers and officials from the FAS andlocal Great Eastern-Yeo’sS-League clubs, as well as playersfrom the LionsXII, Courts YoungLions and various Centre of Excel-lence and National Football Acade-my age-group teams, bowed be-fore Mr Lee’s portrait and wrotetheir condolence messages.
Said Mr Zainudin: “The foot-ballers are all part of Singapore’shistory and we came together toremember the great man and hiscontributions to Singapore’ssports and all that he had done forour country.”
He also remembers an inquisi-tive Mr Lee: “He continued tolearn, wanting me to explain tohim about Formula One, even athis age. Even as Singapore wentthrough changes, he wanted tosee how it developed.”
Former national defender LimTeng Sai, also from the trium-phant 1977 team, paid his owntribute by standing in line for 31/2hours on Wednesday at Parlia-ment House. The 61-year-oldsaid: “I am grateful to Mr Lee forhaving fought off the commu-nists, and building a communitythat is fair to everybody.
“I don’t mind standing in thesun for the man who contributedso much to my country.”
[email protected] local football fraternity turned up in force at Toa Payoh Central Community Club to pay their respects to Mr Leeyesterday morning. They bowed before Mr Lee’s portrait and wrote their condolence messages. ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN
By SALMA KHALIKSENIOR HEALTH CORRESPONDENT
MR LEE Kuan Yew was very sickthe night before he was hospital-ised on Feb 5.
But he did not want to go tohospital immediately as it wouldmean waking up the senior doc-tors. He told his security officerto wait until after 6am the follow-ing day, when he knew most sen-ior doctors would be awake.
“I was glad the security staffdid not follow that particular in-struction but brought him instraightaway,” Professor FongKok Yong, chairman of SingaporeGeneral Hospital’s (SGH) MedicalBoard, said yesterday.
“More than six weeks on, look-ing back, I’m still overwhelmedby the kindness of thought he hadfor others, even when he’s un-well,” said Prof Fong, who firstmet Mr Lee about 18 years ago.
He was speak ing a t aclosed-door tribute session atSGH for Singapore’s first PrimeMinister, who died on Monday af-ter 47 days at the hospital. Mr Leewas 91.
Other speakers who paid hom-age included Professor Christo-pher Cheng and Professor Ivy Ng,
who opened the session. But theywanted their tributes to remainprivate. The session was attendedby about 1,000 SingHealth stafffrom its various institutions.
Prof Fong said many peopleviewed Mr Lee as someone whowas stern, maybe even combativeat times.
“Not many have the opportuni-ty to see the softer or gentler sideof him. It is indeed a great privi-lege for me to have had that oppor-tunity.”
The first time he travelled withMr Lee as his physician, he wasasked to sit, and asked whether hewanted some water. Prof Fongsaid Mr Lee probably saw, fromthe perspiration on his brow, howanxious he was.
Mr Lee then poured him a glassof water. “It was a simple gestureof courtesy but spoke volumesabout the way he treated andcared for the people around him.”
On a trip to Britain severalyears ago, the staff accompanyingMr Lee were not told that theywere also invited to attend ablack-tie dinner. But they eitherhad to rent the appropriate attirefor $300 to $400, or forgo the din-ner and wait outside.
When Mr Lee found out, he
told them not to waste their mon-ey and to attend the dinner in alounge suit and tie.
But what impressed Prof Fongwas that Mr Lee himself dressedthe same way as the rest of his del-egation, even though he had theappropriate attire, as he was theguest of honour and was giving aspeech.
“Such considerate behaviourand support from a boss is indeedvery, very rare and very difficultto find,” said Prof Fong.
Like many educated patients,Mr Lee would query and disagreewith the medicines prescribed forhim.
But after discussing it with thedoctor, Mr Lee would say: “I’mnot a doctor, I respect your viewsand recommendations. Though Imay not fully agree with them, I’llfollow your instructions.”
Yesterday, Prof Fong told col-leagues he often asked himself:“How can I repay what MinisterMentor has done for all of us?”
The answer, he said, is simple.“Follow his vision, remember hisdeeds and carry out our core mis-sion.”
Mr Lee, in a speech at SGH’s85th anniversary celebrations in2006, had said: “The core missionof SGH is to serve Singaporeanswith high-quality, affordablehealthcare.”
[email protected]/ST.Salma
Football fraternity pays tribute
Doctors who treated former PM revealhis softer side in SGH tribute session
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(Clockwise from left) A woman unableto hold back her tears while payingher final respects to Mr Lee;thousands continued to stream intoParliament House yesterday to saytheir final farewells; a man paying hisrespects by kneeling near Mr Lee’scasket, with his palms joined togetherin prayer; elderly Singaporeans,including these in wheelchairs, wereamong those who braved the heat andqueued for hours to pay tribute to MrLee yesterday. ST PHOTOS: DESMONDFOO, ALPHONSUS CHERN, MARK CHEONG
‘Mr Lee thoughtabout others, evenwhen he was sick’
L Y I N G I N S T A T E
A6 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 A7
MarinaReservoir
SingaporeRiver
Sungei Ulu Pandan
PARLIAMENT HOUSE
LTALTAAcademyAcademyAcademyAcademyAcademyAcademy
JALAN BUKIT MERAH
JALAN BUKIT MERAH
JALAN BUKIT MERAH
QUEENSWAY
QUE
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COMMONWEALTH AVENUE
COMMONWEALTH AVENUE WEST
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QUA
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NUS MuseumThe JapaneseSupplementarySchool
Lee Kong ChianNatural HistoryMuseum
Padang
FullertonSquare
Merlion
Old NTUC Headquarters(Presently the SingaporeConference Hall)
ThePinnacle@Duxton
FortCanningPark
St Andrew’s Cathedral
City Hall
CliffordPier
PARLIAMENT PLACE
NORTH BRIDGEROAD
Raffles City TowerCHJIMES War Memorial Park
The Sail@Marina Bay
OneRaffles
Quay
LauPa Sat
FULLERTONROAD
STAMFORDROAD
PoliceCantonment
Complex
Marina BayNeighbourhoodPolice Centre
Shenton WayBus Terminal
CantonmentPrimary
School
SingaporeGeneralHospital
AlexandraFire Station
Queen’sView
Anchorpoint Shopping Centre
IKEA IndustrialBuilding
BrickworksEstate
Alexandra Central
Gan Eng Seng Primary School
Bukit Merah Secondary School
Touch CommunityTheatre
HendersonSecondarySchool
One MarinaBoulevard
QueenswayShopping
Centre
The Fullerton Hotel
SingaporePolytechnic
West Coast Court
Casa Clementi
DoverVille
Ghim MohValley
Ghim MohEdge
GhimMoh
Green
HollandVista
Faith MethodistChurch
Park Connector
Ulu Pandan
TheMetropolis
Buona VistaCommunity
Centre Complex
MOEBuilding
QueenstownPolyclinic
Masjid Mujahidin
MDISResidences@Stirling
SpecialOperationsCommandSri Muneeswaran
Temple
WHITCHURCH ROAD
Church Of TheBlessed Sacrament
StirlingView
Bukit Merah Community Centre
Tanjong PagarTown Council
HendersonParkConnector
SMF Instituteof HigherLearning
TiongBahruOrchid
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BUKI
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Kai SanTemple
Kim TianVista
KimTian119
Membina118
MembinaCourt
Alexandra VillageFood Centre
Pacific Tech Centre
E-Centre@Redhill
RedhillGardens
QueenstownSecondarySchool
Global IndianInternationalSchool(QueenstownCampus)
QueenstownStadium
MOEHeritageCentre
TanglinGrove
One Commonwealth
New TownPrimary
School
Commonwealth View
Buona VistaXchange
UTownAuditorium 2
TheStarNUS High
School OfMathematicsAnd Science
Nan HuaHighSchool
ChurchOf The
Holy Cross
Esplanade -Theatres OnThe Bay
Tanjong Pagar Plaza
RAFFLES AVENUE
BRAS BASAH ROAD
UNIVERSITYFLYOVER
CLEMENTIWESTSTREET 1
CONSERVATORY DRIVE
CENTR
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MAXWELL ROAD
MAXWELL ROAD
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KAMPON G B AHRU ROAD
BOON TAT STREETMCCALLUMSTREET
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PRINCE EDWARD ROAD
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3
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7
7
9
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RAFF
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RAFF
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RAFF
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QUAY
RAFF
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QUAY
RAFF
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QUAY
RAFF
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QUAY
RAFF
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PRINCE EDWARD ROAD
PRINCE EDWARD ROAD
Tanjong Pagarstation
Telok Ayerstation
BuonaVistastation
Commonwealthstation
Clarke Quaystation
Raffles Placestation
Doverstation
City Hallstation
Esplanadestation
Downtownstation
Outram Parkstation
Sources: STATE FUNERAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE,TRAFFIC POLICE
UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE10
There are several MRT stations along or close to the route: Clarke Quay, City Hall, Esplanade, Raffles Place, Downtown, Telok Ayer, Tanjong Pagar, Outram Park, Commonwealth, Buona Vista and Dover.
HOW TO GO
WHERE TO STAND
Go to www.mytransport.sg, www.sbstransit.com.sg and www.smrt.com.sg for details on bus service diversions.
■ Some good spots to observe the procession are roads near the Padang, Raffles Quay, and outside the NTUC building and Singapore Conference Hall, though these are likely to be more crowded.■ Those living alongJalan Bukit Merah,part of Queensway and Commonwealth Avenue, and Commonwealth Avenue West can also observe the procession from their blocks. ■ Members of the public are advised to stay on public footpaths for their own safety.
STATE FUNERAL PROCESSION
The procession starts at 12.30pm and will arrive at the UCC before 2pm. Lines are expected to be longer nearer Parliament and in town.
WHEN TO GO
Mr Lee was first elected assemblyman forTanjong Pagar on April 2, 1955, and continuedrepresenting the area until his death, anunsurpassed record of 60 years.
In 1991, it became part of Tanjong PagarGRC, which has not been contested since.
The procession will drive past part of thePort of Singapore and the Central BusinessDistrict.
It will also pass by the award-winning publichousing project Pinnacle@Duxton.
Tanjong Pagar
By JERMYN CHOWDEFENCE CORRESPONDENT
THE Singapore Armed Forces willgive Mr Lee Kuan Yew the highesthonours on land, air and sea.
In a Facebook post, DefenceMinister Ng Eng Hen said fourceremonial 25-pound guns at thePadang will fire the 21-gun saluteat the start of the funeralprocession.
At the same time, four F-16fighter jets from the Republic ofSingapore Air Force aerial displayteam, the Black Knights, will fly ina “missing man” formation, anaerial salute to honour dignitarieswho have died or fallen soldiers.
The aircraft will fly in a “V”formation and, as they approachCity Hall, one jet will leave andhead west, signifying a final flighttowards the setting sun. The gapit leaves symbolises the missingman. This is only the second timethat the team will perform thistribute. It did so at the 2008Singapore Airshow to honour ateammate who had died of cancer.
As Mr Lee’s body crosses theEsplanade Bridge, naval patrolvessels RSS Dauntless and RSSResilience will perform aceremonial sailpast off the MarinaBarrage. Referring to a Chinesepoem Prime Minister Lee HsienLoong had shared with him, Dr Ngsaid: “Mr Lee Kuan Yew wouldencourage us to continue to livelife to its fullest, to take Singaporefurther and make the world proudof what more we can accomplishfrom what he had started.”
Bukit Merah and Queenstown are home to someof the earliest public flats in Singapore, builtboth by the colonial-era SingaporeImprovement Trust and its successor, theHousing Board. Queenstown is where the firstHDB flats were sold under the Home OwnershipFor The People scheme, introduced in 1964.
Mr Lee sought to turn Singapore into anation of home-owners as a way to give citizensa stake in the country. “It is the foundationupon which nationhood was forged,” he said.
Mr Lee began his political life byrepresenting trade unions. As alawyer in 1952, he won a case forpostal workers who had gone onstrike. He was soon appointedadviser to more than 50 unions,
which became his support base in hisfirst election.
The Singapore Conference Hallwas originally Trade Union House,completed in 1965 to fulfil the PAP’selection promise of building a
headquarters for the trade unionmovement, and remained theNational Trades Union Congress(NTUC) headquarters until 2000.
The NTUC Centre is now at OneMarina Boulevard.
The funeral procession will pass educationalinstitutions, including Gan Eng Seng Primary,Henderson Secondary, Bukit Merah Secondaryand Singapore Polytechnic, before entering theNational University of Singapore campus for thestate funeral. Mr Lee saw an educatedworkforce as key to Singapore’s future. As heput it in a speech on the eve of National Day in1967: “It is the quality of our youth that willdetermine our future. And we have to invest inthem more than any other sector.”
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau wasset up in 1952 by the British, but it was Mr Leewho gave it greater powers and tightened lawsagainst corruption when he took over in 1959.Known for his fierce defence of integrity in thepublic service, Mr Lee set up systems andprocesses to ensure that every dollar wasproperly accounted for, and any wrongdoingwas swiftly addressed.
By ZAKIR HUSSAINDEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR
SINGAPOREANS are expected to linethe streets in large numbers tomorrowafternoon as the country bids a solemnfinal farewell to its founding Prime Min-ister after a week of mourning.
Sirens will also sound nationwide atabout 4pm to signal the start and end ofa minute of silence for Mr Lee KuanYew, who died on Monday at age 91.
The 15.4km-long state funeral proces-sion route will pass by several historic,as well as more recent, defining land-marks of the country Mr Lee had shapedin his career.
These include the NTUC Centre andTrade Union House, which reflect MrLee’s beginnings as a lawyer defendingworkers, the Port of Singapore and hisTanjong Pagar constituency, as well asBukit Merah, Queenstown and Common-wealth housing estates, the State Funer-al Organising Committee said.
A rehearsal for the funeral processionwas also held early yesterday morning.
The casket bearing Mr Lee will be lift-ed from its catafalque at ParliamentHouse, where his body has been lying instate since Wednesday, by eight officersfrom the army, air force, navy and thepolice shortly before 12.30pm.
They will place the casket on a guncarriage that consists of a 25-pounderhowitzer gun on which a tempered glasscase is mounted, in which the casket willrest. The carriage will be driven by a cer-emonial Land Rover.
As it leaves the Parliament porch,eight former and serving MPs will be inthis group of pallbearers to send him off,including NTUC’s first chairman, MrMahmud Awang, former GovernmentWhip Chan Chee Seng and former oppo-sition MP Chiam See Tong.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, HealthMinister Gan Kim Yong, Senior Ministerof State for Finance and Transport Jose-phine Teo, Minister of State for National
Development and Defence Maliki Osmanand Nominated MP K. Karthikeyan willalso be pallbearers.
The cortege will be led by fourguard-of-honour contingents from theSingapore Armed Forces (SAF) and theSingapore Police Force (SPF). The SAFMilitary Band will play a funeral march.
As the gun carriage leaves the Parlia-ment driveway, some 48 men from theSAF and SPF in ceremonial militarytrucks will escort it.
The procession will then turn into Par-liament Place as the first round of a21-gun salute is fired from four ceremo-nial howitzers on the Padang.
The vehicle will make its way to StAndrew’s Road and past City Hall, fromwhose steps Mr Lee once spoke on manya historic occasion.
As the procession passes City Hall,the Republic of Singapore Air Force’sBlack Knights will fly a Missing Man For-mation – with one aircraft leaving thegroup – as an aerial salute for Mr Lee.
Two Navy vessels will do a sailpast inthe waters off Marina Barrage.
About 1,700 students from varioussecondary schools and junior collegeswill line the procession route.
The 21st volley will be fired as the pro-cession travels out of sight of the Pa-dang and heads to the University Cultur-al Centre (UCC) for the funeral service.
The procession will travel at around25kmh, and take about 37 minutes to cov-er the route. It is expected to reach UCCby 1.45pm, where the casket will be car-ried in a slow march to the tune of DeadMarch From Saul, performed by the SAF
Military Band.Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and
family members will follow the proces-sion into the UCC Hall, where the casketwill be placed on a bier for the service.
At the end of the service, a lone bu-gler from the SAF band will sound theLast Post, and the Singapore Civil De-fence Force Public Warning System si-ren will sound nationwide for 15 secondsto rally everyone in Singapore to ob-serve a minute of silence.
The Rouse, a symbolic callback to du-ty, will then be sounded, and all citizensare encouraged to join in the recitationof the Pledge and the National Anthem.
The funeral procession will thenmake its final journey to Mandai Crema-torium for a private cremation service.
Bukit Merah and Queenstown Schools and Singapore Poly
NTUC Centre and Singapore Conference Hall
CPIB Headquarters
� In the final sitting in the oldParliament House, before theadjacent new one opened in1999, then Senior Minister LeeKuan Yew said: “The importanceof this Chamber did not, anddoes not, depend upon its sizeand its grandeur, but upon the
quality of the men and womenwho occupy it asrepresentatives of thepeople.”� Built in 1827, the oldParliament House servedfor many years as the colonialgovernment’s courthouse.
It was repurposed by theLegislative Assembly, to which
Mr Lee Kuan Yew was electedas an oppositionassemblyman in 1955.
After independence in1965, it became ParliamentHouse.
SAF’s highest honours
The University Cultural Centre was the venuefor the Prime Minister’s annual National DayRally speech from 2001 to 2012, and although thelate Mr Lee did not deliver any rally speecheshere, he spoke at students’ forums and otherevents.
The funeral service will take place from 2pm
to 5.15pm.Civil service head Peter Ong is the master of
ceremony and 10 eulogies will be delivered.Among those who will be delivering the eulogiesare Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, PresidentTony Tan Keng Yam and Emeritus SeniorMinister Goh Chok Tong.
Sirens will sound for nationto observe a minute’s silence
Parliament House and Old Parliament House
The funeral procession will travel thelength of the Padang, where audiencesheard many a historical speechdelivered by Mr Lee from the steps ofCity Hall.
It was here that he spoke toSingaporeans celebrating the start ofself-government on June 3, 1959, andwhere he read the MalaysiaProclamation on Sept 16, 1963.
The Padang was where Mr Lee sawSingapore’s first National Day Paradein 1966. It returns there this year.
Mr Lee’s vision to build a dam andcreate a freshwater reservoir in theheart of the city saw the constructionof Marina Barrage, which opened in2008, and the creation of MarinaReservoir, part of his goal of makingSingapore self-sufficient in water.
Both were only possible with theclean-up of the Singapore River in thelate 1970s under Mr Lee’s leadership.Gardens by the Bay has also been built,and can trace its origins to Mr Lee’stree-planting campaign.
Funeral procession will pass landmarks that represent Mr Lee’s lasting legacy for Singapore
Singapore Armed Forces and Singapore Police Force officers rehearsing at the entrance of University Cultural Centre yesterday for the statefuneral. PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
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Mr Lee addressing the audience at a PAP rally at the Padang inJune 1959. ST FILE PHOTO
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THE FINALJOURNEY
The procession from Parliament House tothe state funeral service will pass throughkey landmarks and areas of specialsignificance for Mr Lee Kuan Yew.Janice Heng and Zakir Hussain report.
Mr Lee at a ceremony to mark the construction of the$226 million Marina Barrage in March 2005. ST FILE PHOTO
Mr Lee speaking at the NTUC May Day rally at the Singapore Conference Hall in 1983. ST FILE PHOTO
Queenstown is where the first flats were sold under theHome Ownership For The People scheme. ST FILE PHOTO
The new headquarters at 2, Lengkok Bahru. Mr Lee gaveCPIB greater powers in 1959. PHOTO: CPIB
Mr Lee saw an educated workforce as key toSingapore’s future. PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLYTECHNIC
Mr Lee at the National Day Rally at the University Cultural Centre in 2003. ST FILE PHOTO
University Cultural Centre
The new Parliament House opened in 1999, adjacent to the old building, which was built in 1827. ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI
City Hall and the Padang
Marina Bay
Mr Lee thanking voters in Tanjong Pagar after aSeptember 1962 referendum on Malaysia. ST FILE PHOTO
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T O M O R R O W ’ S S T A T E F U N E R A L
A8 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 A9
THE mood in Orchard Road to-morrow will be sombre, withbanners removed and screens inmalls televising the state funer-al of Singapore’s founding fa-ther Lee Kuan Yew.
The lighting on store-frontsand mall facades will bedimmed and all coloured lightsswitched off. Pop-up storeshave already been removed.
The Orchard Road BusinessAssociation has advised its 133members, including 20 mallowners, to “tone down every-thing that is of a celebratory na-ture”, said its executive directorSteven Goh.
“It will be a solemn Sundayfor us,” he said.
The state funeral service,which starts at 2pm tomorrow,will be televised on shoppingcentre ION Orchard’s facade.
It will also be shown on theSPHMBO (Out-of-Home Mediaof SPH) indoor video wall atmall 313@Somerset.
Other malls televising the ser-vice, to be held at National Uni-versity of Singapore’s Universi-ty Cultural Centre, include Ju-rong East malls Westgate andJCube, The Star Vista, BugisJunction, Junction 8, HDB Huband Parkway Parade.
It will be televised as well atHotel Grand CopthorneWaterfront’s piano bar and thehotel lounge at CopthorneKing’s Hotel Singapore.������
By ZAKIR HUSSAINDEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR
MUSLIMS in Singapore were re-minded of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s con-tributions to the community andnation in a Friday sermon pre-pared by the Islamic ReligiousCouncil of Singapore (Muis) forthe 68 mosques.
The sermon was on the themeof how Muslims should use theirlimited time on earth to do gooddeeds.
It called on worshippers to re-flect on Mr Lee’s legacy and contri-butions, and think about what
they could do that will leave an im-pact on others, as Mr Lee had.
“The passing of Singapore’sfirst Prime Minister has touchedthe hearts of many Singaporeans,including members of the Muslimcommunity.
“He played a huge role in ourmultiracial and multi-religious so-ciety,” said Ustaz Irwan Hadi Mo-hd Shuhaimy, reading the sermonyesterday at Toa Payoh’s Muhaji-rin Mosque.
“He led a team of leaders whoworked with him to develop Singa-pore to become a prosperous coun-try that is envied by many. This
was achieved, among other things,through the harmonious relation-ship between people of differentraces, economic development andan excellent education system.”
The sermon added: “Let usthink of the contributions that wehave made and the impact of ouractions on those whom we willeventually leave behind.”
Mr Iskandar Kastari, 92, a re-tired driver who was born in Cen-tral Java and came to Singapore in1943, welcomed the sermon’stheme, and said Mr Lee was “agood man who helped improve thelives of the poor”.
Mosque vice-chairman HamriHunar, 76, recalls having to godoor-to-door to raise funds tobuild a new mosque in Toa Payohin the early 1970s.
But funds were still short, andMr Lee mooted a Mosque BuildingFund, where, since 1975, deduc-tions have been made from the sal-aries of Muslims through the Cen-tral Provident Fund mechanismevery month, enabling themosque to be completed – and an-other 23 to be built since then.
“(Mr Lee) has done a lot for theMuslim community in Singa-pore,” he said.
Minister in charge of MuslimAffairs Yaacob Ibrahim, who wasat the mosque, told reporters: “Atthe end of the day, it’s really forus to reflect on how we can learnfrom his example and the exampleof other pioneers on how we cancontribute to make Singapore abetter place for all.”
Mr Lee, he added, was deeplyconcerned about the community:“He was always wanting to knowmore about the community, al-ways asking, ‘Is everything okay?What more can be done? Is thisthe better way of doing things?’ ”���������
THE Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Sin-gapore has cancelled its sold-out SuperBrunch, which wasslated to take place tomorrow.
It made the decision on Tues-day, out of respect for formerPrime Minister Lee Kuan Yew,who died on Monday. His funer-al takes place tomorrow.
Mr Peter Mainguy, thehotel’s general manager, said:“Although our culinary teamhad spent many months plan-ning and preparing for theevent, there was no doubt thatit was the proper thing to do;giving our guests and employ-ees the opportunity to pay theirrespects to Mr Lee.”
About 500 people were tohave gone to SuperBrunch, atwice-yearly event since 2011.It was to have featured a15m-long seafood counter fea-turing oysters and sashimi;roast meats; and Louis Roedererchampagne.
MrMainguy added: “Our sup-pliers were very understandingand let us cancel most of thefood and decor ordered for theevent without penalty.”
Diners who have paid for theevent will be given full refunds.Prices for SuperBrunch startfrom $288++ for adults. Thenext edition will take place inOctober or November this year.������
SINGAPORE – A French restau-rant at the old ParliamentHouse handed out food topeople queueing to pay theirrespects to Mr Lee Kuan Yewyesterday evening.
Staff at Olivia CassivelaunFancourt gave out miniaturebowls of pasta tossed in truffleoil and seaweed. The full-sizedversion at the restaurant comeswith scallops and costs $30.
Operations manager JacksonLim, 29, said staff had beenwatching people stream pastover the previous three days.
The lines, which start at thePadang, snake past the Asian Civ-ilisationsMuseum on the way to-wards Parliament House, whereMr Lee’s body is lying in state.
To make it more comfortablefor the thousands waiting forhours to pay their respects toSingapore’s first Prime Minister,people and companies have beenhanding out drinks, umbrellasand food, among other things.
Many said it was their way ofgiving thanks to Mr Lee.
Said Olivia CassivelaunFancourt’s Mr Lim: “We feltthat those in the queue wouldneed proper food to sustainthem throughout the long wait.We just wanted to do our partto make the queueing easier.”
Some 300 bowls were givenout yesterday and the restau-rant intends to hand out morethis evening.�����
By CHARISSA YONGand MELODY ZACCHEUS
MR LEE Kuan Yew and his col-leagues refused to appeal to exclu-sive racial and religious identitiesin Singapore’s early days, choos-ing instead the more difficult pathof creating a “Singaporean Singa-pore”, said Deputy Prime MinisterTeo Chee Hean.
Today, Singapore is a harmoni-ous, multiracial country in largepart because of Mr Lee’s determi-nation to weave multiracialism in-to its very foundation, said MrTeo yesterday.
Singapore’s first Prime Minis-ter understood the need to incul-cate a sense “that we are all Singa-poreans, first and foremost, re-gardless of race”, he told 2,000people at a memorial organised bycommunity groups.
Those present included leadersof community groups, representa-tives from the business sector aswell as teachers and students.
Also present were Prime Minis-ter Lee Hsien Loong, his wife HoChing and Cabinet members.
The event was held at KallangTheatre, where Mr Lee gave hislast National Day Rally speech asPrime Minister in 1990.
Mr Teo, who is also Home Af-fairs Minister, paid tribute to MrLee’s legacy and “hard-foughtgift” of multiracialism, which Sin-gapore must never take for grant-
ed. The late Mr Lee valued the con-tributions each community couldmake, and recognised their unique-ness and differences, he said.
But Mr Lee was “conscious ofthe real dangers of chauvinism,whether (based on) language, raceor religion”, said Mr Teo.
He added that Mr Lee had seenhow these differences were ex-ploited during Singapore’s earlyyears as an independent state,which led to conflict.
“He knew that if each commu-nity pushed for more and more,others would similarly push back.And each community and our en-tire country would end up withless,” said Mr Teo.
Mr Lee recognised that harmo-ny rested on a delicate balancebased on give and take, mutualtrust and understanding, andtreating everyone fairly, regard-less of race, religion or creed, add-ed Mr Teo.
He enshrined it in policies suchas having national schools not seg-regated by race, and bringing peo-ple together through public hous-ing rather than have them livingseparately in ethnic enclaves.
He also encouraged the spiritof community self-help, now seenin groups such as the Chinese De-velopment Assistance Council,Mendaki, the Association of Mus-lim Professionals, Singapore Indi-an Development Association (Sin-da) and the Eurasian Association.
Leaders from the Chinese, Ma-
lay, Indian and Eurasian communi-ties also spoke of how Mr Lee’spolicies helped strengthen theircommunities and Singapore’s mul-ticultural fabric.
Speaking in Malay, former Sin-gapore mufti Shaikh Syed Isa Se-mait said the Malay/Muslim com-munity has benefited from the es-tablishment of institutions suchas the Islamic Religious Council ofSingapore (Muis), the SyariahCourt and the Registry of MuslimMarriages.
Sinda’s Dr N. Varaprasad saidthe Indian community, itself anamalgam of many sub-communi-ties, is indebted to Mr Lee for giv-ing them equal opportunity, some-thing they did not have even intheir homeland.
The Eurasian Association’spresident, Mr Benett Theseira,paid tribute to how Mr Lee andseveral Eurasian pioneers workedtogether to build Singapore’sworld-class civil service.
Chinese community leaderChua Thian Poh said he wastouched by Mr Lee’s interest insetting up a fund to strengthen bi-lingual education.
Mr Lee even personally donat-ed $12 million to the Lee KuanYew Bilingual Fund.
Tearing up, Mr Chua said inMandarin that Mr Lee was alreadyin his 80s when he approachedhim with the idea to set up thefund.
The ceremony ended with rep-resentatives from each ethnicgroup presenting condolence let-ters to PM Lee and his wife.�������������������
By MELODY ZACCHEUS
THE late Mr Lee Kuan Yew was aman of conviction who did whathe thought was best for the coun-try, said the Catholic Church’sArchbishop William Goh yester-day.
He was a dedicated father whocared for the country as if the peo-ple were part of his own family,said Archbishop Goh at a massfor Singapore’s first Prime Minis-ter.
Still, while he was a leader whohelped to give Singaporeans educa-tion, medical care and jobs, thearchbishop said there are manypeople who do not agree with cer-tain policies that Mr Lee intro-duced.
These included family planningpolicies such as the “Stop AtTwo” programme and the legalisa-tion of abortion, the legalisationof casinos and his eugenics theo-ry, which supports the idea thateducated Singaporeans marry inorder to produce brighter off-spring.
The Catholic Church had ar-ranged for a special memorialmass for Mr Lee, who died onMonday morning at the age of 91.During the mass, they prayed forhis soul and for his family. Wor-shippers also penned about 1,000prayer messages in his memory.
Addressing the congregationthat spilled out of St Joseph’sChurch in Victoria Street into itssurrounding carpark grounds, thearchbishop said Mr Lee was a manwho stood by his beliefs and hadthe vision and wisdom to turn Sin-gapore into what it is today.
“He has left behind all thosefundamental values that are neces-sary for the governance of Singa-pore: integrity, honesty, equality,justice,” he said.
“We are not canonising Mr Leebecause although he was a man ofmany achievements... he had hisflaws.”
In particular, he said the 1987Marxist conspiracy was a “dark pe-riod” in the Church’s history here.
In May and June that year, 22people – who included many withlinks to the Catholic Church –were arrested under the Internal
Security Act. They were accusedof planning to overthrow the Gov-ernment under the cover of theCatholic Church.
“We can disagree with him butthe point remains... If he had beenharsh with his political oppo-nents, I gathered (this was) be-cause this man would do every-thing to protect the existence ofSingapore and the people,” saidthe archbishop.
Archbishop Goh later told themedia that many people were“wounded and hurt” by the 1987incident.
“I think it is important for us tomove on and to forgive and, mostof all, to continue to build thecountry,” he said.
“There’s no point to go back tothe past, trying to lick our woundsbecause it will not help in na-tion-building... And, as Chris-tians, all the more we should for-give and forget.”
Mr Lee, said Archbishop Goh,did not oppose religion and in factpromoted it.
What Mr Lee did not toleratewere people who used religion forpolitical purposes.
“When you start mixing reli-gion with politics, you havecrossed the line. Either you get in-volved in politics or you get in-volved in religion but not underthe guise of religion,” said Arch-bishop Goh.
Mr James Galvin Loh, 60, a re-tired foreign exchange broker, de-scribed the archbishop’s messageas “truthful and balanced”.
He was among the thousandswho stood listening to the massoutside the church building, as all1,200 seats for the 1.15pm masshad been filled by 11am.
He said: “The Marxist incidenthappened so long ago. There’s nopoint hanging on to it. What’s im-portant is that the existing cordialrelationship between the Churchand the state continues. It’s a newera now.”
Ms Adrianne Desker, 52, a soft-ware developer, said she also ap-preciated the archbishop’s homi-ly.
“We’re all here to celebrate alife well-lived,” she said.���������
Reflect on Mr Lee’s legacy and do good, Muslims urged
��������������������Speaking in Malay, on the Mosque Building Fundscheme proposed by Mr Lee Kuan Yew:
“I was invited with leaders of the Malay-Muslimcommunity to the Istana in 1974, at a time whenSingapore was undergoing rapid urbanisation.We had a frank discussion with then PrimeMinister Lee and other Malay Members ofParliament.
Mr Lee expressed concern about the ability ofthe Malay-Muslim community to raise funds tobuild mosques in new housing estates without astable source of income.
He then proposed that every Muslim workercontribute to mosque development through thededuction of their pay using the CPFmechanism. The result is an effective system offund-raising. Today we are able to build ourmosques on our own.
I am grateful that besides meeting the needsof our religious life, our mosques have alsohelped to raise the good name of Singapore –they are often cited as an exemplary model (for)fostering racial harmony.”
��������������������������������������������� ����������������������������ST PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN
���������������������������� ������������ ����������� ��Speaking in Mandarin, on how Mr Lee wanted togive each ethnic group space to develop:
“He implemented the bilingual education policy,and ensured that while we mastered the Englishlanguage, we were able to learn our respectivemother tongue languages to retain our corevalues. This policy gave Singaporeans a uniquecompetitive edge in the global economy.
Mr Lee was always concerned about thedevelopment of the Chinese community. Hefostered close ties and maintained frequentinteractions with the Chinese community andthe Chinese business community.
He encouraged the clans to pursue renewaland keep pace with the times.
He urged the Chinese community to assistthe less fortunate, with the aim of promotinginclusive growth.
He spurred local Chinese businesses toexpand overseas and to capitalise on newopportunities.
A ‘SingaporeanSingapore’right from the start
�������������On Mr Lee’s advice that people of all races shouldhave equal opportunities:
“His motivation is perhaps summed up in hisadvice to his son Lee Hsien Loong when hebecame Prime Minister.
Mr Lee reminded him of the situation thatexisted in Malaysia before Singapore became anindependent state: ‘Never do to the minorities inSingapore that which happened to us when wewere a minority in Malaysia.
‘Always make sure that the Malays, theIndians, have their space, can live their way oflife, and have full equal opportunities and arenot discriminated against. And at the sametime, help them to upgrade, improve and moveforward’.”
�����������������������On how Mr Lee wanted a multiracial Singapore,unlike other countries:
“One of Mr Lee’s greatest gifts to us was hisfirm belief in treating all races fairly and givingthem a sense that Singapore belonged to all ofus – Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians andothers – and not any one race in particular.
He was committed to the idea of building amodel multiracial society, unlike what he hadseen in other countries or experienced as astudent in the United Kingdom, or growing upin pre-independence Singapore.
He was a pragmatic person who was able tounderstand the challenges that minority groupsfaced and yet the value that their diversitycould bring to Singapore.”
��������������������������������������������������������������������� �� ����������������ST PHOTOS: ONG WEE JIN
DPM Teo tells of founding father’s‘hard-fought gift’ of multiracialism
1 9 2 3 - 2 0 1 5
‘Time tomove onfrom Marxistconspiracy’Returning to dark period won’t helpin nation-building: Archbishop Goh
������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������� �������������������������� ����������������������������������������������� ���ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
Ritz-Carlton cancelsSuperBrunch
Solemn Sundayin Orchard Road
T R I B U T E S : A N A T I O N G R I E V E S
French restaurantfeeds the crowd
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He has left behind all those fundamental values that are necessary for thegovernance of Singapore: integrity, honesty, equality, justice. We are notcanonising Mr Lee because although he was a man of many achievements... hehad his flaws....I think it is important for us to move on and to forgive...– Archbishop William Goh, noting that while many were hurt by the 1987 Marxist incident, it is time to move on
A10 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 A11
By CALVIN YANG
MR LEE Kuan Yew was scheduledto plant a young tree at Gardensby the Bay earlier this year. Butthe former Prime Minister, whowas hospitalised for severe pneu-monia on Feb 5, was unable to doso.
Yesterday, as a tribute to the vi-sionary behind Singapore’s trans-formation into a Garden City,around 100 staff members of theGardens took part in a ceremonyto plant a 13m-tall young tree.
Dr Tan Wee Kiat, chief execu-tive officer of the attraction, said:“Mr Lee spearheaded the GardenCity movement and he did it byplanting the first tree.
“He was supposed to plant thistree here, and so, we felt it was ap-propriate to finish this proposedact.”
A plaque acknowledging MrLee as the father of Singapore’sGarden City was also unveiled atyesterday’s ceremony.
Mr Lee began planting trees 52years ago as part of his efforts tokeep Singapore green, and everyyear since then, he never failed incarrying out the annual tradition.
The Sepetir daun tebal, a tim-ber tree of a species native to pri-mary forests here, was planted atthe Golden Garden, near the mainentrance to the attraction.
This species is known to havegrown to more than 76m, theequivalent of 25 storeys. This ishigher than Gardens by the Bay’stallest man-made supertree,which stands at 50m.
The attraction also has a raintree planted by Mr Lee at theformer Marina City Park in 1986.It was kept even with the develop-ment of the Gardens.
Mr Ng Boon Gee, director ofGardens operations, said a teamspent three days preparing foryesterday’s tree planting.
They brought the tree from anursery to the site, prepared theground and also produced theplaque.
Mr Ng said: “Mr Lee has con-tributed so much to Singapore.We wanted to do something to re-member him by.”
By AMELIA TANand JOANNA SEOW
MR LEE Kuan Yew was not afraidof taking the unions to task if hefelt they were doing things thatwere harmful to Singapore.
But even if he practised toughlove, it was because he put the in-terests of the workers first, saidunion leaders at a two hour-longmemorial service last night.
Government, union and corpo-rate leaders, past and present,praised Mr Lee, the first PrimeMinister of Singapore, for his vi-sion and foresight in ensuring in-dustrial harmony, promoting pro-ductivity and enhancing the life ofworkers here.
He died on Monday morning,at the age of 91.
One of the clearest memoriesformer labour chief Lim BoonHeng had of Mr Lee was that hewas not afraid to put unions intheir place, if they “went astray”.
He told the 800-strong audi-ence at the Singapore ConferenceHall that they were in the samevenue where Mr Lee held a tensemeeting in 1981 with a group ofSingapore Airlines (SIA) pilots.
Among other things, the pilotswere unhappy with their pay.
“(He told the pilots and themanagement that) if the nonsensedid not stop, he would not hesi-tate to close down SIA and start a
new airline,” said Mr Lim. The pi-lots backed down.
For former President S R Nath-an, who served as pioneer directorof NTUC’s administration and re-search unit from 1962 to 1966, MrLee’s firmness in dealing with thetrade unions was crucial in the tur-bulent days after independence.
“There were occasions he ad-monished us and addressed our de-structive ways,” said Mr Nathan.
“Only to return to the manage-ment the right to manage their en-terprises successfully, which inturn benefited us, the worker,with better incomes and workingconditions.”
Many of the 14 speakers in theservice also lauded Mr Lee’s fore-sight in anticipating problems andfinding solutions to them.
One problem he anticipatedclearly was the ageing workforce.
Former manpower ministerLee Boon Yang, said that soon af-ter the Retirement Age Act waspassed in 1993, Mr Lee was al-ready asking him to raise the re-tirement age to beyond 60.
“We had barely taken the firststep and he was already thinkingof the next step. That is a measureof the man he was,” said Mr Lee,who is also chairman of SingaporePress Holdings and Keppel Corpo-ration.
Singapore National EmployersFederation’s former president
Stephen Lee agreed.“He could see the outcome of a
declining birth rate. He was al-ready thinking of retirement agebeyond 60. Today, we are lookingat re-employment at 67,” he said.
But for National Trades UnionCongress secretary-general LimSwee Say, Mr Lee was more thana just a leader; he was a mentor.
Once, when Mr Lim told MrLee that a foreign leader said thatSingapore’s method was difficultto learn, Mr Lee replied that coun-tries should adapt good ideas and“come up with their own solutionin an eclectic way”.
He looked at Mr Lim and askedif he knew what that meant. MrLim said no, so Mr Lee gave him adictionary.
“After a second or two, heasked, ‘Do you know how to spelleclectic?’” he said to laughter.
“He then turned the pages andshowed me the meaning of eclec-tic, which is taking the best fea-tures from various systems andputting them together in a smartway that will work better for us.”
Mr Lee also gave him personaladvice when he took on the role asthe NTUC secretary-general backin 2007, something that future un-ion leaders will not have, said MrLim.
Choking back the tears, MrLim said: “Mr Lee spent his wholelife ensuring Singapore’s survivaland the livelihood of the people.We are forever grateful for his de-votion.”
[email protected]@sph.com.sg
By CALVIN YANG
IT HAD begun to drizzle and withthe afternoon light fading fast,the outdoor shoot had to bescrapped, recalled Indonesian pho-tographer Tara Sosrowardoyo ofan assignment he had landed onNov 23, 2004.
The photographer, who wasgiven only 40 minutes for the ses-sion, had to find and light a loca-tion in the Istana where he couldphotograph Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
They ended up taking most ofthe photos in Mr Lee’s office aswell as along a corridor.
Mr Tara, 62, recalls that MrLee was a willing subject. “Noth-ing in his manner or body lan-guage showed otherwise. In fact,he seemed more amused than an-noyed when asked to take up dif-ferent poses,” he said.
The shoot had been commis-sioned by the National Museum ofSingapore for its collection, butone of the images from that day –of Mr Lee resting his cheek on hishands, looking relaxed – has be-come the memorial portrait, usedfor his obituary, to accompany hiscoffin, and also at various tributesites.
“It may seem that it took someaudacity on my part to ask him torest his right cheek on his claspedhands, but I didn’t even thinktwice about it,” said Mr Tara,who is mainly based in KualaLumpur. “It seemed like the mostnatural thing in the world to do.”
Earlier in the day, Mr Lee hadsat for an oil painting for the mu-seum, which also wanted its ownset of photo portraits for com-memorative reasons.
Said Ms Lee Chor Lin, then themuseum’s director and now the
chief executive of Arts House Lim-ited: “As a historian and curator, Iknew too well the importance ofsymbols and images in connectionwith great historical events andgreat individuals, such as Mr Lee.
“The most difficult part wasgetting an appointment with MrLee, explaining our intention andgetting him to agree to it.”
On the appointed day, Mr Taraand assistant Rechy Agus Rachimhad early access to the Istana tostage and light the outdoor por-trait.
But their plans had to be aban-doned when the weather refusedto cooperate.
Mr Tara knew that he had toget over the setback quickly.
“The primary strategy was tonot fiddle with the technical stuff,but instead to... engage and gainMr and Mrs Lee’s trust justenough to establish the rapportneeded,” said Mr Tara, whose al-lotted 40 minutes ran to an hourin the end.
He said he has asked other sub-jects to strike the same pose ofresting their cheek on their hands,including his father-in-law,Malaysia’s former prime ministerMahathir Mohamad, in 2010. MrTara is married to Dr Mahathir’seldest child, Marina, 57.
He said: “It just seems naturalthat everyone should rest theirhead on their hands from time totime, if anything, to relieve theweight of one’s head on one’sneck. It’s just relaxing, no?
“In Mr Lee’s case, it lent him awarm, avuncular air, which inturn, drew out that benign expres-sion which I feel is how many Sin-gaporeans will choose to remem-ber him.”
By KASH CHEONG
IT IS no go for a call to allow Sin-gaporeans to display the nationalflag in front of their homes tomor-row, when the state funeral ofSingapore’s first Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew is held.
Mr Lawrence Wong, Ministerfor Culture, Community andYouth, has turned down the sug-gestion from a group of EastCoast GRC grassroots volunteers,following public feedback that themove may not set “the right tone”for the day of the state funeral.
But members of the public cancarry the flag along the processionroute, said Mr Wong, noting thatthis was allowed under currentrules.
Displays of the Singapore flagin front of homes are allowed onlyduring the National Day period,from July 1 to Sept 30, accordingto guidelines in the Singapore stat-utes and the National HeritageBoard’s website. At other times,the national flag must be flownfrom a flagpole and illuminated at
night. The Straits Times under-stands that the guidelines are toprotect the integrity of the flag, anational symbol, and make sure itis cared for.
In a Facebook post yesterday,Mr Wong commended the spiritof the grassroots volunteers whohad suggested displaying flags infront of homes tomorrow to ex-press national unity and confi-dence in Singapore’s future. “Ithink it’s very good to have suchground-up initiatives and I strong-ly encourage this spirit of expres-sion to pay tribute to Mr Lee,” hesaid. “At the same time, I’ve re-ceived feedback from several mem-bers of the public that havingflags displayed all over our HDBblocks may not be the right tonefor the day of the state funeral.”
Academic Yusuf Ali, 36, one ofthe grassroots leaders who moot-ed the initiative, was disappoint-ed, but “respected the decision”.
“The funeral procession willnot pass by many places like EastCoast or the north. It would havebeen nice to express confidence in
the future by flying the flag allover Singapore and everybodygets involved,” he said. “At thesame time, there are those whothink that this might be inappro-priate and that view needs to beconsidered too.”
IT services manager Calin Tan,34, thought the long lines at Parlia-ment House already said it all.
“Expressing grief and unity isimportant. But look at the queuesfor Parliament House, that is theultimate expression of our appreci-ation for Mr Lee,” said Ms Tan,who will be standing along the pro-cession route tomorrow.
As for wearing black or whitetomorrow, a matter of some dis-cussion online, Mr Wong said:“We all express our emotions indifferent ways. And we all want tosay our final farewells to a greatman in our own ways. So I encour-age Singaporeans to be inclusiveand embrace these different ac-tions. Amid our diversity, let usall come together as one to hon-our Mr Lee’s spirit and legacy.”
MR LEE was a very frugal man,and I explain that because that’sthe way he ran the country.
Once, I was on a trip with himto the United States. I was at histable for dinner. At the end ofdinner, we were given dessert. Iasked for ice cream, and we weregiven ice cream.
This was the United States –they gave me three large scoops. Ihadn’t expected it. I don’t eatmuch dessert, so I took one scoopand I left the rest behind.
He saw that. He told me off.He said, you are wasting food.
I told him, this is what theyserved. I didn’t ask for this. Hesaid: You should have found outhow much they would serve andshould have ordered only whatyou could have eaten.
He said that – even though wewere being hosted by the UnitedStates, and it didn’t matter to himthat it was the Americans whowere paying for it.
It was not a question of money.He believed as a principle thatthere should not be waste.
It’s a simple illustration. Butthis was central to the way hethought. Both in his personal lifeand in government.
His exercise shorts, for exam-ple. For 17 years, he wore thesame shorts. And when it broke ortore – he patched it up, or hiswife patched it up for him.
And he was very careful withgovernment money in the sameway. Because it is your money.
Every week, we have a Cabinetmeeting. Every week. Even thisweek, Prime Minister (Lee HsienLoong) called for a Cabinet meet-ing.
We meet first for lunch. Some-times not, but almost always, wemeet for lunch. And this is not asocial lunch, we discuss govern-ment business. Cabinet meeting isafter the lunch.
Mr Lee does not attend thelunch. But his rules are, becauseyou have to eat lunch anyway, hesays you have to pay for the luncheven though you are coming toCabinet to discuss Cabinet (mat-ters). You have lunch, you pay forthe lunch. The Governmentdoesn’t pay for the lunch.
We must be the only Cabinet inthe world that does that, when wemeet to discuss government (busi-ness).
But it is good, because in everyway, we are reminded every daythat public money should be care-fully spent.
Many of you know he wasstrict about his exercise. Again, Isay this not because I want to tellyou about his exercise routine,but because of his iron discipline.
My friend, who was 30 yearsyounger than Mr Lee, was in aforeign country on a trip with
Mr Lee. At about 6am in the morn-ing, on the day they got in, myfriend was jet lagged and verytired.
If my friend was jet lagged, 30years younger than Mr Lee, itwould have been far worse for MrLee. But at 6am, he heard somesounds in the courtyard below. Sohe went to the window to look,and Mr Lee was in his exercisegear running around, with his se-curity officers next to him.
That was the discipline hebrought in politics, in govern-ment, in everything that he did.
He gave me advice, and he wasa mentor to many. Let me sharetwo pieces of advice he gave meabout becoming a minister.
He asked me, when I was in my30s, what career I was thinking
about. I told him I saw myself as alawyer. I told him I didn’t seemyself as a full-time politician. Isaw myself going the usual routethat lawyers take.
He told me this very seriously.“I know you,” he said. “You are agood lawyer. You are successful,and you will be even more success-ful. But you should serve Singa-pore.”
He told me: “Don’t spend allyour time staying purely in thelaw. You can help your clients,you can make more money. Butyou can do much more for yourcountry. If everyone stays out-side, who is going to work in thepublic service? You should servethe people in a broader way.”
And he told me: “You can do it.As a minister, you can make a
bigger difference to the lives ofthe people.” I remembered it.
When I was in my early 40s,the question of becoming a minis-ter came up again more seriously.
He asked me if I was concernedabout taking a big pay cut inbecoming a minister. He was verydirect, he didn’t beat about thebush. I told him I did think aboutthe pay cut. But I was prepared totake a pay cut.
But I think he sensed that whileI had decided to agree to a paycut, it was not easy for me when Iwas 41, 42. He said: “You are stillyoung. You should stay in lawpractice a bit longer. You cancome later into Government.”
That was how he was: practi-cal, direct, honest – he under-stood people.
CASINO operators Resorts WorldSentosa (RWS) and Marina BaySands (MBS) will close their casi-nos from 2pm to 6pm tomorrow,as a mark of respect for Mr LeeKuan Yew.
RWS will also suspend most ofits business operations from 2pmto 2.05pm tomorrow. In a circularto its staff yesterday, RWS seniorvice-president Seah-Khoo EeBoon asked staff to “wear sombre
colours on Sunday. Alternative at-tire will be arranged for thosewith brightly coloured uniforms”.
RWS will also screen the livetelecast of Mr Lee’s state funeralon television screens in the resortfrom 12.30pm.
RWS has cancelled its nightshows – Crane Dance and Lake OfDreams – from March 23 toMarch 31. The Hollywood DreamsParade and Lake Hollywood Spec-
tacular in Universal Studios Singa-pore will also be cancelled today.
MBS has cancelled its light andwater show – Wonder Full – atthe Event Plaza for a week. The13-minute show will resume onMarch 30 at 8pm.
RWS said on its website: “To-gether with the rest of the nation,we mourn the loss of a great lead-er. ... We apologise for any incon-venience caused.”
BOOKS about the late Mr LeeKuan Yew have been flying off theshelves this past week, accordingto publishers and bookshops here.
A representative from Kinoku-niya bookstore told The StraitsTimes that while Mr Lee’s bookshave been selling briskly in thepast month, sales have come to anoticeable peak this week.
It was a development that wasalso seen at other large bookstoressuch as Popular and Times, whichreported a sharp uptick in salesthis week for books by and aboutMr Lee.
But it is not just the booksgeared towards adults that are sell-ing well. A double-part children’spicture book series about Mr Lee’slife by Singaporean illustratorPatrick Yee is almost sold out is-landwide.
Pitched at children betweenthree and eight years old, the firstbook, A Boy Named Harry, is soldout on the e-commerce site ofpublisher Epigram Books.
The publishing house estimatesthat the second book, HarryGrows Up, will likely sell out inthe next few days too.
To date, more than 2,500copies of the first book and 1,800copies of the second book havebeen sold. Calls to Kinokuniyaand Times found that stocks wereeither out or running low for bothbooks.
However, parents keen to buythe books for their children neednot fret.
Following the overwhelming re-sponse, Epigram Books said it hasput in an order for a second printrun and hopes to restock bothbooks by April 10.ANKITA VARMA
In honour of Mr Lee’s vision, Gardens by the Bay yesterday planted a 13m-tall young tree. Those who took part in theceremony included Dr Tan Wee Kiat, the CEO (second from left), with members of the board of directors (from left) JohnTan, Quek Suan Kiat, Tan Wah Yeow, Mildred Tan and Gerald Tan. ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
WHAT were some of Mr Lee KuanYew’s key ideas that shaped mod-ern Singapore? In October 1997,Lee Kuan Yew: The Man And HisIdeas was launched.
It was the first book that triedto answer these questions,through interviews with Mr Lee,who was then Senior Minister, aswell as his speeches.
Excerpts of Lee Kuan Yew: TheMan And His Ideas, are now avail-able in the form of an e-book inThe Straits Times Star app. It ispublished jointly by The StraitsTimes and Times Publishing as apublic service to commemoratethe life and work of Mr Lee. It isfree for download.
The original book was pub-lished by Times Editions, part of
Times Publishing Group, and TheStraits Times Press, part of Singa-pore Press Holdings. It was writ-ten by ST journalists Han FookKwang, Warren Fernandez andSumiko Tan. Times Editions isnow part of Marshall Cavendish,which belongs to Fraser & Neave.
The e-book extracts the intro-duction and three chapters of theoriginal book, and has 24 speech-es and extracts of interviews.
Mr Fernandez, ST editor, said:“The book sums up Mr Lee, whathe stood for and why. We thoughta younger generation of Singapore-ans might be interested in this.But as this book is out of print, wedecided to revive it, and decidedto do so in a form that the youngmight find more engaging.”
A moment of silence is observed at the memorial service organised by the NTUC at the Singapore Conference Hall last night. Government, union and corporateleaders, past and present, were among the 800-strong audience at the event. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
No to flag displays on home fronts,okay to carry it at procession
Law and ForeignMinister K.Shanmugamthankingmembers of thepublic at thePadangyesterday, forpaying theirrespects toMr Lee. In aspeech atYishun, hespoke ofMr Lee’s irondiscipline andfrugality, sayingthe Cabinet was“remindedevery day thatpublic moneyshould becarefullyspent”.
ST PHOTO:DESMOND WEE
SINGAPORE PERSONIFIEDWith his departure, he leavesan indelible mark in thepages of our history, assomeone who ablypersonified Singapore and theaspirations of us – his people.– Former President S R Nathan
ON WORLD STAGEHe laid a strong foundationfor Singapore to succeed inthe global market long beforeglobalisation became abuzzword. He brought theworld to Singapore. Morethan that, he also connectedSingapore to the world.– Former manpower minister,Dr Lee Boon Yang
LAND OF OPPORTUNITYMr Lee is a no-nonsensePrime Minister and in allsituations, he acted firmly,sternly and precisely. He hasmade Singapore a land ofopportunity. He has sown theseeds for us to harvest.– Founding president of Union ofPower and Gas Employees RahmanMahbob
Getting Mr Lee to pose with his cheekresting on his hands “lent him a warm,avuncular air”, says photographer TaraSosrowardoyo (below). PHOTOS: KEVIN
LIM, COURTESY OF HAGA TARA
Minister for Law and Foreign AffairsK. Shanmugam yesterday paid tribute to the lateMr Lee Kuan Yew in a memorial event held atthe hard court beside Yishun MRT station.This is an excerpt of his speech.
Union leaders praise former PM forhis firmness, foresight, mentorship
Brisk sales for books on Mr Lee
Memorial photo pose‘the most naturalthing in the world’
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e-book revives key ideas
Lee Kuan Yew: The Man And His Ideas was the first book that tried to capture the essence of Mr Lee and his ideas that shaped Singapore.
To get the e-book:■ Go to Apple App store on your iPad or Google Play Store on your Android tablet or smartphone■ Type “The Straits Times Star” to search for The Straits Times Star E-books app■ Download it onto your iPad or Android device■ You will find Lee Kuan Yew: The Man And His Ideas inside The app is designed to work on iPad devices running iOS 6 and above. It is best viewed on tablets. Because of its size, you might want to download it using a wifi connection.
An e-book extracting parts of the book is now out on The Straits Times Star E-books app.
It is FREE FOR DOWNLOAD
T R I B U T E S : A N A T I O N G R I E V E S
RWS, MBS to close casinos tomorrow
Tough love meant Mr Leeput interests of workers first
A growingtributefit for avisionary
A frugal man who broughtdiscipline into government
A12 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 � S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 � A13
By KOR KIAN BENGCHINA BUREAU CHIEFIN BEIJING
MR LEE Kuan Yew’s willingnessto listen to people on the groundhelped break a political impassewith China and made a free tradeagreement (FTA) with the Asian gi-ant a reality, said Singapore’s long-est-serving envoy to China.
Mr Chin Siat Yoon, who servedfrom 1998 to 2012, recalled howBeijing “decided to punish us bysuspending all interactions, politi-cal and even commercial” overthen Deputy Prime Minister LeeHsien Loong’s visit to Taiwan inJuly 2004, a month before he be-came PM. China considers Tai-wan a renegade province, to be re-united by force if needed.
Even after the fracas blewover, as signalled by a meeting be-tween PM Lee and then PresidentHu Jintao in Santiago in Novem-ber 2004, Chinese officials stilldid not move on some importantmatters, Mr Chin told The StraitsTimes, citing a mutual agreementto start negotiations on the pro-posed Singapore-China FTA.
“Mr Lee Kuan Yew asked mehow to get it revived. I took painsto explain how the Chinese sys-tem worked and suggested a wayto navigate the labyrinthine bu-reaucracy. He listened attentive-ly, asked some questions,agreed,” said Mr Chin, currentlySingapore’s ambassador to Japan.
“Shortly thereafter, the initia-tive somehow burst into life. Indue course, both sides entered in-to an FTA. I was lucky!”
The FTA was signed in 2008.Mr Chin said Mr Lee always
“gave due emphasis to input frompeople on the ground”.
“Yes, he did not suffer fools.But if one could advance an ideaor an argument which he founduseful, he never hesitated to takethem in,” he added.
Mr Chin, who accompanied MrLee on his China trips and joinedhis meetings with its leaders, saidthey would seek advice on variousissues fromMr Lee, who first visit-ed in 1976 and would make 33trips over a 37-year period.
“Mr Lee never minced hiswords. Occasionally, they wouldquery the positions taken by Singa-pore which were not to China’s lik-ing. On this, Mr Lee would standabsolutely firm,” added Mr Chin,citing Singapore’s “One China”po l i cy and pos i t i on oncross-strait issues. Under this pol-icy, Singapore recognises Taiwanas one of the territories of sover-eign China, among other things,though it also maintains economicand military links with Taipei.
Still, Chinese officials told MrChin they took serious heed of MrLee’s remarks, which were notedand sent to members of the Polit-buro Standing Committee, theapex decision-making body.
“For Singapore’s voice to betaken seriously by China is indeed‘punching above our weight’,”said Mr Chin, who turns 66 thisyear. “Mr Lee had positioned Sin-gapore as an important spot onthe radar screens of major pow-ers, including China.”
AFTER Mr Lee retired as PrimeMinister, he would invite officersto the Istana for lunch.
Those lunches werebrain-picking sessions. Duringone session, he asked me: “Howis architecture? How is urbandevelopment?”
So I said: “Everything is fine,except we have an archaic rulingthat requires all HDB bathroomsand kitchens to have windows onexternal walls for natural lightand ventilation.”
But our flats were so smallthat the important external wallsthat should belong to livingrooms were being taken up bykitchen bathrooms.
In hotels and other countrieswithout this rule, artificiallighting worked very well.
He said: “I'll have a word with(then Minister for NationalDevelopment S.) Dhanabalan.”
I said: “Mr Lee, Dhanabalan isdoing an excellent job, I don’twant him to feel I am squealingon him behind him.” Mr Leesmiled. He didn’t reply.
But within a week of that day,a circular went out by BuildingControl Division (of the formerPublic Works Department) thatthe rule had changed. We cannow have bathrooms withartificial lighting.
That was the kind of man hewas. He listened to you, notedyour view and acted immediately.
He drove into those of us whoworked under him the spirit ofperfection, to do the best we can.
Before you meet him, you gosleepless, because of what youhear of his exacting standards forcivil servants.
Many of us would try to readup on everything to anticipatewhat he was likely to ask. And
quite often, we missed it!I used to write him reports
that were three to four pageslong. His personal assistant wasvery kind and one day told me:“PM seldom reads more than 1.5pages of a report. Try and keep itwithin that.”
Because of that, I wouldrewrite and rewrite my reportsuntil I found the concise way tointerpret a longer sentence andstill keep the exact meaning. Istopped trying to beat about thebush.
I’m now better at writingreports than before I had thechance to work with Mr Lee.
– The Housing Board’s firstarchitect-planner, founder of theUrban Redevelopment Authority andformer Sentosa DevelopmentCorporation chairman, Mr Alan Choe,84, recounting what it was likeworking for Mr Lee Kuan Yew
By BEN VAN BEURDEN
SHELL had a friend in Mr LeeKuan Yew. Many of my colleaguesin Singapore regarded him as an al-ly and an advocate.
Shell has been in Singaporesince 1891. While we are a multina-tional company, we are enormous-ly mindful that we have spent 124years in Singapore and have cometo be regarded like a Singaporeancompany. We believe the bestway to carry on Mr Lee’s legacy isto continue to help Singapore andSingaporeans thrive.
Royal Dutch Shell owes muchof our success in Singapore to thedecades of prosperity Mr Lee hadhelped to nurture. The eldest sonof Lee Chin Koon, once a depotmanager for Shell, Mr Lee had tieswith the company throughout hislifetime. Perhaps because of this,Shell had the honour of his pres-ence at several key events in ourlocal history.
Mr Lee launched the inauguralSingapore Shell Traffic Games in1958 and was on hand to presentprizes to the student champions.
Later when he became PrimeMinister, he helped solveSingapore’s high unemploymentrates through large-scale ex-port-oriented industrialisation,transforming this island, whichwas then heavily reliant on entre-pot trading.
Such a transformation benefit-
ed companies like Shell: His theneconomic adviser Albert Winsemi-us, a Dutchman, had formulatedan economic strategy that eventu-ally drew multinational compa-nies like us to locate key opera-tions in Singapore.
One of the major investmentsin the early years of Singapore’sself-governance was Shell’s con-struction of the island-state’sfirst refinery on Pulau Bukom inJuly 1961.
From the 1960s to the 1980s,Shell witnessed the oil refiningand supply sector becoming thecornerstone of the young nation’sastounding industrial lift-off. Injust three decades, Mr Lee’s gov-ernment had catapulted Singa-pore into a global oil refining andtrading hub, despite not havingany oil resources in the country.
Our Bukom asset is now Shell’slargest wholly owned refinery interms of crude distillation capaci-ty globally. Bukom also housesShell Eastern Petrochemicals Com-plex, integrating refining and pet-rochemical operations on one site.
At Shell Singapore’s 120th anni-versary in 2011, Mr Lee was a veryspecial guest whose presence rein-forced the long partnership be-tween Singapore and Shell.
He recalled during the dialogueheld before the gala dinner that hehad been “intrigued” by Shell’smanagement system of global tal-ent.
To attract the best talent intothe government, he said, he hadstudied the recruitment processesof many multinational corpora-tions and had finally adoptedShell’s system of judging individu-
als by their powers of analysis, im-agination and sense of reality.Shell has been using this systemto assess employees’ Current Esti-mated Potential.
When asked about his perspec-tive on life, he told us: “Life iswhat you make of it. You are dealta pack of cards. Your job is tomake the best of the cards thathave been handed out to you. Ifyou ask me to make my living asan artist, I will starve because Ijust cannot draw. But if you askme to do mathematical questionsor to argue a point out, I will dealand get by. Now those were thecards I was handed out, and Imade use of them.”
My colleagues in Singapore andI wish to pay tribute to Mr Lee theway he would have wanted it:Know what we are good at, makethe best of what we have been giv-en and continue to help nurtureSingapore’s global status. Hispragmatic and forceful leadershipcreated a city whose global stat-ure now far exceeds its scale. Weare thankful for the great legacyhe has given us.
Singapore celebrates its 50thyear of independence this year. In2015, we are proud to say thatShell Singapore has become theglobal headquarters for two of ourbusinesses – global commercialand integrated gas.
Mr Lee’s pro-business policieshave built the foundation for glo-bal companies like ours to havethe faith to continue investinghere.
Many of my colleagues in Singa-pore call this beautiful city homeand are deeply invested in its fu-ture. We do so with Mr Lee’s inspi-ration in mind.The writer is chief executive officer ofRoyal Dutch Shell
WHEN Sembawang Shipyard was publishing itsfirst book in 1998, Mr Lee Kuan Yew wrote inits foreword thus: “The history of SembawangShipyard, like the history of Singapore, shows howa determined people were able to overcome theodds because management and workers were pre-pared to meet new challenges in an intelligent man-ner.”
When the book was to be launched in Decemberthat same year, Mr Lee attended even though hehad his heart stent operation just a few days earlier.
These and several other anecdotes were sharedby top officials of Sembcorp Marine yesterday asthe company held a tribute for Mr Lee.
“For Sembawang Shipyard, we had the doubleprivilege of Mr Lee visiting us not once or twice buton every second day of Chinese New Year for manyyears,” said Ms Wong Lee-Lin, executive directorof Sembcorp Marine’s subsidiary Sembawang Ship-yard.
“He would visit unannounced – just drivingthrough the shipyard. Why he did that every year isnot known to us but perhaps he just wanted to re-member the roots of his political career when hewas the legal adviser of the Naval Base LabourUnion.”
The tribute ceremony, attended by 400 people,was witnessed by Sembcorp Marine chairmanMohd Hassan Marican and president & CEO WongWeng Sun.
Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee (centre) at the new $30 million Shell refinery onPulau Bukom on July 26, 1961. It was built in just 13 months. ST FILE PHOTO
INSURER Great Eastern (GE) held a spe-cial tribute session for Mr Lee KuanYew yesterday, attended by chairmanKoh Beng Seng, director and actinggroup chief executive Norman Ip, aswell as its management, staff and distri-bution force.
A minute’s silence was observed.Mr Koh, a former deputy managing
director at the Monetary Authority ofSingapore, said Mr Lee had the fore-sight to build Singapore into a global fi-nancial hub 40 years ago.
“You all know that many countriesaspire to be a financial centre but fewsucceed. In such a competitive environ-ment, what enabled Singapore to... suc-ceed as a financial centre are the capa-bility of our people, good infrastructureas well as a sound legal and regulatorysystem that Mr Lee and his team havebuilt over the years.”
In his tribute, Mr Ip said that amongMr Lee’s values were being a life-longlearner who “never relented on upgrad-ing and improving himself”.
Mr Koh led the 600-strong GE con-tingent to community tribute site HongLim Park to pay their respects to MrLee. GE is donating $50,000 to the LeeKuan Yew Education Fund.
By MOK FEI FEI
A VISIONARY leader, an exempla-ry statesman and a strategicthinker.
Tributes for Mr Lee Kuan Yewcontinued to pour in as head hon-chos of multinational corpora-tions (MNCs) sent their condolenc-es. Many lauded him for trans-forming Singapore into a prosper-ous metropolis, with a far-sightedplan to modernise the countrythrough urban industrialisation.
“Singapore’s founding PrimeMinister, Mr Lee, was a visionaryleader whose life’s work laid thefoundation of what Singapore istoday; a thriving global city withpeople who are talented, hard-working and diligent,” said Rolls-
Royce chief executive officer JohnRishton.
Mr Lee made the decision toopen up Singapore’s economy toforeign companies in the 1960s,at a time in the post-colonial erawhen there was widespread suspi-cion over the exploitation of localresources.
Such fears were not well found-ed as large-scale capital invest-ments by MNCs contributed toproviding employment to citi-zens, while the companies them-selves also achieved success.
Companies were willing to sinktheir money into Singapore, inlarge part because of the pro-busi-ness policies put in place by MrLee and his team, noted the execu-tives.
Procter & Gamble chief A. G.Lafley highlighted Mr Lee’s em-phasis on building long-term part-nerships with corporations.
“He made Singapore into a glo-bal economic power, and a greatplace for international companiesto invest and conduct business.”
IBM chief executive GinniRometty also spoke of the busi-ness-friendly policies Mr Lee insti-tutionalised, such as having anopen market, ensuring free tradeand putting in place a clean and ef-ficient government.
“Mr Lee passed this legacy tohis successors, which is why Sin-gapore continues to flourish as itapproaches the 50th anniversaryof its independence.”
Firms took the opportunity toreaffirm their commitment to theRepublic and express their confi-dence in its economy.
Mr Anshu Jain, co-chief execu-tive officer of German banking
giant Deutsche Bank, attended thewake yesterday.
He said: “Mr Lee was a vision-ary global leader who, through hisinspiring lifelong commitment tothe economic development of Sin-gapore and the welfare of its citi-zens, leaves behind a toweringachievement – that of a dynamicand prosperous country with anassured future.”
MasterCard chief executiveAjay Banga also weighed in, say-ing: “MasterCard believes thatthe infrastructure and business cli-mate in Singapore are very busi-ness friendly and, going forward,is committed to continue to investsignificantly in Singapore as acountry and as a regional hub.”
The outpouring of tributes byglobal corporate leaders under-scores the impact Mr Lee had onthe business community and thelevel of respect they had for him,said Economic Development
Board (EDB) chairman Beh SwanGin. Recounting the meetings thatMr Lee held with top businessleaders, Dr Beh observed thatmany wanted to tap Mr Lee’sviews on financial and geopoliti-cal matters.
“All these CEOs, each timethey were sitting there – either asa note-taker or in those roundta-bles – they were all like school-boys, they all listened with rapt at-tention,” said Dr Beh.
Aside from being a highly re-garded statesman, he said, Mr Leewas also a remarkable salesman inpushing the corporate interests ofthe nation.
“For many EDB officers, wewould remember Mr Lee as a pas-sionate supporter of the work thatwe do. He helped us market Singa-pore,” he said.
“In fact, I would say that theopportunity of CEOs to meet himoften made the difference in their
decision-making about whetheror not to make an investment inSingapore.”
A lasting legacy that Mr Leeleft to EDB, noted Dr Beh, was hispragmatism in dealing withvarious issues.
Even as the EDB paints a boldeconomic vision for the nation, itstands ready to fine-tune its strat-egies if the operating environmentchanges – an approach that re-flects Mr Lee’s own outlook.
“This mix of clarity and pur-posefulness of what we are doingfor the long term, with this abilityto be nimble and to adapt tochanging circumstances, I thinkthis combination is actually a verypowerful one.
“I believe that this does reflectMr Lee himself and this certainlyhas made a difference to our abili-ty to operate as an economic de-velopment agency.”
SINGTEL’s memorial service forSingapore’s founding Prime Minis-ter Lee Kuan Yew was streamed“live” to Singtel’s 20,000 staff atvarious locations in Singapore andAustralia.
Education Minister Heng SweeKeat, who was a director at thecompany from 2003 to 2010, paidtribute to the late Mr Lee in aspeech, along with Singtel chair-man Simon Israel and Singtelgroup chief executive Chua SockKoong.
“Mr Lee’s push for deregula-tion and competition had beenpainful, but necessary for Singteland the industry. It exposed us totrue market challenges and wehad to adapt quickly or risk beingmarginalised. That is truly ‘toughlove’,” Ms Chua said at the ser-vice, held at Singtel Comcentre inExeter Road.
“Today, Singtel is a fully com-petitive communications provid-er... (and) we have all benefitedfrom his wisdom and actions.“We must do our part to live andpreserve his legacy,” she added.JACQUELINE WOO
Mr Lee paidheed toinput frompeople onthe ground
SembawangShipyard staffrecall CNY visits
The 600-strong Great Eastern contingent, bearing condolence boards as well as stalks of white roses, paying their respects to Mr Lee at the Hong Lim Parktribute site yesterday. PHOTO: GREAT EASTERN GROUP CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
Mr Alan Choe (left), HDB’s first architect-planner, pointing to a model while briefing Mr Lee, Mrs Lee and their son HsienLoong on urban renewal. PHOTO: COURTESY OF ALAN CHOE
Shell attributes successto Singapore’s prosperityOil giant to carryon Mr Lee’slegacy by helpingcountry to thrive
Corporate leaders voice confidenceand commitment to Singapore
Singtel’stributestreamed live
1 9 2 3 - 2 0 1 5T R I B U T E S : A N A T I O N G R I E V E S
An exacting boss who drovehis people to do their very best
GE chairmanhails Mr Lee’sforesight
Children from The Salvation Army’s childcare centre (above), bearing cards and flowers, visited the tribute centre at the Singapore Botanic Gardens’ Botany Centre yesterday. Over the past few days, peoplehave paid their personal tributes to Mr Lee there in the form of cards, drawings, handwritten notes and bouquets. ST PHOTOS: CAROLINE CHIA
At Sembcorp Marine’s tribute ceremony, officials recalled Mr Lee had attended Sembawang Shipyard’sbook launch in 1998 even though he had his stent operation just a few days earlier. PHOTO: SEMBCORP
MNCs laud business-friendly policies
A14 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 A15
By RAVI VELLOORASSOCIATE EDITOR
CHINA is sending Vice-PresidentLi Yuanchao while Japanese PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe and Vietnam-ese Premier Nguyen Tan Dungconfirmed their attendance fortomorrow’s funeral service for MrLee Kuan Yew, Asia’s best-recog-nised elder statesman.
The Chinese announcementyesterday followed intense specu-lation on who Beijing would sendfor the ceremony, which is to beattended by a host of other lead-ers, including Indian Prime Minis-ter Narendra Modi, IndonesianPresident Joko Widodo and SouthKorean President Park Geun Hye.
After initial talk of a trip byPresident Xi Jinping, speculationhad centred on Executive Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli, co-chair ofthe Sino-Singapore bilateral coop-eration mechanism, as the chosenenvoy.
“The top two national-levelposts, strictly speaking, are thepresident and the vice-president.While Zhang Gaoli is ranked high-er in the party, his attendance will
be as a government official, whileLi will convey China’s respect as acountry,” Professor Sun Jingfeng,an expert on Sino-Singapore rela-tions at Henan Normal Universi-ty, told The Straits Times.
Britain, which this year hostedits first Singapore state visit in 50years, is sending Mr WilliamHague, Leader of the House ofCommons and the First Secretaryof State, while Canada’s represent-ative is Governor-General DavidJohnston.
In a rare gesture, Britain yester-day released condolences con-
veyed by Queen Elizabeth II toPresident Tony Tan Keng Yamover Mr Lee’s death.
The United States presidentialdelegation is led by former presi-dent Bill Clinton and includes DrHenry Kissinger, who was secre-tary of state in the Nixon adminis-tration and an old friend of MrLee.
“Mr Lee’s achievements asPrime Minister were fundamentalto making what Singapore is to-day, and his long and distin-guished service can only be ad-mired,” the Queen wrote.
“He had many friends aroundthe world, and my country wasforemost amongst them.
“Philip and I send our deepestsympathy to you and the peopleof Singapore.”
Condolence messages contin-ued to pour in from around theworld, with many national figurestravelling to their local Singaporemissions to write in condolencebooks.
Among those who did so wasPhilippine President Benigno Aqui-no in Manila.
In Thailand, no fewer than
seven former prime ministerssigned the book at the Singaporeembassy, while Crown PrinceMaha Vajiralongkorn sent condo-lences.
Thai Prime Minister PrayutChan-ocha is leading thecountry’s delegation to thefuneral, while Malaysia’s mon-arch, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tu-anku Abdul Halim Mu’adzamShah, is representing his country.
As the world’s media and lead-ing commentators continued pon-dering Mr Lee’s legacy, the mourn-ing for him has sometimes been
spotted in the oddest of places.Reports said that in several
towns and villages of the southIndian state of Tamil Nadu, bill-boards of Mr Lee have come upand people have joined street pro-cessions to mourn his passing.
Tamil Nadu sends large num-bers of workers to Singapore andfamilies that depend on their re-mittances were keen to show theirgratitude to Mr Lee.
Mr Lee’s political career beganin trade unions.
This week, tributes also flowedfrom the International Labour Or-ganisation (ILO) in Geneva, whichrecognised Mr Lee’s contributionto tripartism.
ILO director-general Guy Ry-der, in a tribute made at the gov-erning board, said Mr Lee’s contri-butions had been so important inaddressing the concerns of theworking people.
“With his passing, the interna-tional community has lost a globalstatesman and a leader of the re-gion,” Mr Ryder said.
[email protected] reporting by Kor Kian Bengin Beijing
By AKSHITA NANDAARTS CORRESPONDENT
THEY began by observing a mo-ment of silence before performanc-es and by delaying or cancellingshows but the arts community inSingapore is now commemoratingMr Lee Kuan Yew in the way itknows best: with artists express-ing themselves.
Artists are initiating discus-sions of the founding PrimeMinister’s legacy and creatingnew art, from poems to picturesinspired by the late politician’slife and shared on social media.
Although some of these artists’Facebook profiles now sport anicon being used to denote mourn-ing for Mr Lee – a black ribbonframing his face – this has notheld them back from critiquinghis politics and policies.
“People will respond in whatev-er way fulfils them emotionally.As writers, we respond by writ-ing,” poet Alvin Pang told TheStraits Times. “Like it or not, hewas such a big part of life. It’s likeyou wake up and the mountain isgone. It’s us responding to thisgreat shift... to our personal feel-ings about the situation.”
He has posted his reactions toMr Lee’s death – from a poem af-ter the news broke, to a Facebookresponse yesterday to an opinionpiece by former Nominated Mem-ber of Parliament Calvin Cheng.
Mr Cheng criticised the view in
the Western media that Singaporehad sacrificed certain freedoms toattain wealth and security. Pang,43, disagreed, writing that Singa-poreans must acknowledge thetrade-offs made to get the coun-try to where it is today.
“Compulsory military conscrip-tion. Censorship. The list goeson... To be able to discuss thesesoberly, from different informed,constructive perspectives: that ISdemocracy, IS civilisation, and fur-thermore, does honour to (MrLee’s) memory,” Pang wrote.
Creative writing inspired byMr Lee is rare, though EpigramBooks published last May and thisFebruary two picture books sum-marising Mr Lee’s life for childrenaged three to eight. A Boy NamedHarry: The Childhood Of LeeKuan Yew and Harry Grows Up:The Early Years Of Lee Kuan Yewby Patrick Yee have nearly soldout at local bookstores.
The artist is rushing to finish athird instalment, Harry Builds ANation, and on hearing of MrLee’s death also created on his cell-phone a short clip-art video com-memorating “the love story of MrLee Kuan Yew and Madam KwaGeok Choo”.
“He was the founder and thespirit of our home. He’s a hero,”said Yee, 51, who exhibited the artfrom the books at the National Li-brary Board building last month.
Separately, there are two ongo-ing exhibitions featuring portraitsof Mr Lee, one at the NanyangAcademy of Fine Arts by China-
born Singaporean artist Fan Shao-hua until April 8; the other by Leb-anese-British artist Laudi Abilamaat Sana Gallery until April 26.
Abilama, 29, created 11 screenprints on linen and paper based onhistoric press footage of Mr Lee.She told The Straits Times she haslong admired Singapore’s successand Mr Lee as the strongman whounited an island of diverse cul-tures. Her works are priced be-tween $6,000 and $14,000 andhalf have already been sold.
Among the recent art events in-spired by Mr Lee was last year’sThe Father by Boo Sze Yang. Boosold several pieces priced at$9,000 and above even before theshow opened.
In performing arts circles, trib-utes to Mr Lee included a momentof silence before Monday’s con-cert by the Philharmonic Windsensemble and Tuesday’s perform-ance by the visiting Choir of StJohn’s College, Cambridge.
Mr Ong Keng Sen, festival di-rector of the Singapore Interna-tional Festival of Arts 2015, ex-tended his condolences to PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loong and theLee family, saying: “You have losta father, father-in-law and grand-father – we, the people of Singa-pore, have lost a leader who in-spired us to stretch out and reachfor the stars. Now we have tochart our own destinies.”
The National University of Sin-gapore cancelled all its arts festi-val events from March 25 to 29,while Yavuz Gallery at GillmanBarracks postponed an exhibitionof South-east Asian artists fromMarch 28 to April 18.
The well-known Bhaskar’sArts Academy also delayed a land-mark concert. Raga Sandhya, origi-
nally scheduled forMarch 29 and meantto highlight the Indi-an arts group’s lit-tle-known youth or-chestra, will now beheld on April 3.
“We felt this wasnecessary as our rela-tionship with the nation’sleader goes way back andhis vision and policies havemade it possible for us tocall Singapore our home,”said a spokesman for thegroup, which was set up in1952.
Meanwhile, humorists ColinGoh and Felix Cheong have beeninspired by the snaking queues toParliament House, where MrLee’s body lies in state. On Face-book, film-maker and comics crea-tor Goh, 45, posted a cartoon ofthe queue with the quote,“Keep Calm And Harry On”, anod to the famous “KeepCalm And Carry On” posterused by the British govern-ment to reassure its citizen-ry during World War II.
Writer Cheong, 51,who is known for hisshort fiction satirisinglife in Singapore, com-pared the current moodto that in Britain afterthe sudden death of Prin-cess Diana in 1997. HisFacebook post reads:“If this is hysteria, sobe it. A good cry is aspowerful and needed asa good shouting match.Every country deservesa Diana moment. Thisis ours. And we do itour way.”
THOUSANDS of overseas Singa-poreans are preparing to mentallywalk the last journey with Mr LeeKuan Yew tomorrow at communi-ty gatherings where they canwatch the telecast live.
In overseas communities bigand small, Singaporeans were stillcoming to grips with Mr Lee’spassing, even though he had beenseverely ailing for nearly twomonths.
In the United Kingdom, whichhosts one of the largest expatriateSingapore communities, todaywas long ago dedicated to thelaunch of the SG50 celebrations inBritain, with the staging of a chari-ty marathon run throughLondon’s Hyde Park.
The run, which has raised$25,000 of sponsorship for theCommunity Chest, is goingahead, but will be preceded by acommemoration ceremony for MrLee at the High Commission.
Waiting times earlier this weekfor signing the condolence bookwere up to an hour, said Singa-pore High Commissioner Foo ChiHsia.
In cities with smaller Singapo-rean populations, people lookedto one another’s company for com-fort. “Talking about it makes uscry. We are all quite surprised byhow much it has affected us,” saidMs Chua Pei Chi, president of theinformal Singapore Club Seoul,which is supported by the Singa-pore Embassy there.
About 60 to 70 Singaporeanswill gather tomorrow from 1pm atSomerset Place Seoul servicedapartments to watch the telecast.
In Australia, which like the UKalso hosts a substantial Singapo-rean community, Singaporeanshave been flocking to the HighCommission and government of-fices to sign condolence booksand have organised weekend me-morial services across the coun-try.
“We thank the many Singapore-ans and friends of Singapore whocame to sign the Condolence Bookin Canberra,” the High Commis-
sion in Canberra said yesterday.“Some were as young as sevenyears old. Some had driven morethan three hours to get to Canber-ra. Others flew in from Brisbane,Melbourne and Perth.”
In Melbourne, four Singaporeassociations are coming togethertomorrow, led by Melbourne SGKampong. Organisers expect 500people to attend.
Likewise, 550 Singaporeansvisiting and living in Thailandshowed up at the embassy thisweek to pen their condolences,including members of theSingapore-Thai Chamber of Com-merce and students from the Sin-gapore International School ofBangkok and Anglo Singapore In-ternational School. Many Singapo-reans could not hold back theirtears.
Some had travelled from prov-inces such as Chiang Mai, in somecases taking a nine-hour coachride each way, to sign the condo-lence book.
Others said they intended to re-turn to Singapore to pay their lastrespects to Mr Lee.
In China, at least two associa-tions are making plans to markthe funeral day. The SingaporeChamber of Commerce and Indus-try in China will hold its event atthe Shangri-La ChinaWorld Sum-mit Wing in Beijing while theShanghai-Singapore BusinessAssociation’s event will be at thePudong Shangri-La Hotel. Bothare expected to draw hundreds ofpeople each, including Singaporediplomats.
In Kuala Lumpur, there will bea live screening of the funeral pro-cession at the Singapore HighCommission. The screening willbegin at noon and is open to thepublic. Those who want to signthe condolence book can do so to-day and tomorrow from 9am to6pm.RAVI VELLOORAdditional reporting by Jonathan Eyal,Chang May Choon, Jonathan Pearlman,Tan Hui Yee, Kor Kian Beng and AsrulHadi Abdullah Sani
By THITINAN PONGSUDHIRAK
IN DEATH, as in life, Lee KuanYew elicits reactions and respons-es near and far that few globalleaders can match.
After the initial period of uni-versal accolades, the written an-nals on Mr Lee’s legacy will likelybecome more mixed. He did manygood things for Singapore but notwithout flaws and shortcomings.Yet from Singapore’s immediateneighbourhood, Mr Lee’s legacy isinstructive on three fronts.
First, he was the most success-ful leader in contemporary South-east Asia in the task of nation-building. Singapore had to go italone after being expelled fromwhat was then a federation of Ma-lay states during the time of Kon-frontasi when Indonesia and Ma-laysia were at odds by the force ofarms. In the end, it was the desper-ate fight for survival that becamethe bedrock of Singapore’s suc-cess story under Mr Lee.
At home, through the People’sAction Party’s (PAP’s) monopoli-sation of the electoral space, MrLee was given repeated mandates
to rule and run the place. His ad-ministration produced jobs andfound accommodation for people,turning an isolated island into athriving magnet for business andfinance. Above all, Mr Lee saw toit that Singapore spawned an edu-cation system that can produce atop-rate workforce as the gem ofits national assets. Many storieswill be told about Mr Lee’s legacy,some good and some less so, butwhat he did with Singapore’s edu-cation and research institutionscannot speak enough to its contin-uing success.
Mr Lee did it through tough po-litical instincts and tactics. Hewas notorious for suing key politi-cal opponents and detractors,sometimes pushing them into fi-nancial ruin. His authoritarianstyle masked Singapore’s electoraldemocracy. The PAP won all elec-tions from the social contract itcreated out of delivering growthand economic development in re-turn for an invasive, intervention-ist and centralised government.And Mr Lee made no qualmsabout what he did and why he hadto do it. His fortitude and fore-
sight were necessary for Singa-pore to rise. After all, during thenation-building phase in the1960s-1980s, just about all gov-ernments in South-east Asia andmany others in the then-ThirdWorld were authoritarian in oneway or another.
Whether Mr Lee’s 25 years ofelectoral authoritarianism wereworth all of the restrictions onfreedom and civil liberties will bedebated for years on end. Certain-ly, his style of governing cannotbe replicated today, 25 years afterhe stepped down from the pre-miership to assume a patriarchalbackseat role. It was a good fit forSingapore at a time when alterna-tives could have been much worsein view of the dictatorship, pover-ty and under-development allaround the island state.
Mr Lee’s latent effects areself-evident. Singapore is now ahighly competent and technocrat-ic society, bent on making evermore money collectively and indi-vidually, and based on a meritocra-cy that is enabled by great schoolsand universities. After Mr Lee, thecountry’s strong institutions will
see it through but Singapore willbecome an increasingly normalcountry with more fractious poli-tics, social divides, growth con-straints, and a decreasing central-ised, authoritarian control.
The second lesson from MrLee’s time is his regional leader-ship. With his power base securedat home, he leveraged it to leadthe neighbourhood. It was a boonfor Asean to include Singapore asa founding member. Tiny, with noreal natural resources, the Singa-pore bureaucracy helped steer andprovide thrust and capacity forAsean’s organisation-building inits formative years.
Mr Lee even went further andstood up to the West in the early1990s during the so-called “Asianvalues” debate. In the face of exu-berant growth trajectories in EastAsia, certain Western countriescriticised the lack of democracyand human rights. South-eastAsia’s leading intellectuals at thetime, who happened to be mostlySingaporean fromMr Lee’s educa-tional breeding grounds, went toeto toe against their Western coun-terparts. Mr Lee and his crew
were not anti-Western but prag-matists. They stood up againstthe West when it suited them andcooperated with Western govern-ments when they needed to. Singa-pore has always been ultimatelyomni-directional, projecting in alldirections and degrees that serveits national interest.
But in the early 1990s, whenAsean was coming into its own,Singaporeans who grew up underMr Lee’s watch gave confidenceto many South-east Asians thatthey could be as smart, eloquentand erudite as those in the West.
Third, Mr Lee turned his region-al leadership into global states-manship that rendered South-eastAsia as a region to be reckonedwith. After Indochina was lost tocommunism in the 1970s, theWest turned away from a dividedSouth-east Asia. It was in the1980s and 1990s, when ideologi-cal barriers gave way to a full-bod-ied, 10-member Asean, that inter-national attention turned to the re-gion again due to its soaringgrowth and burgeoning regionalorganisation. Mr Lee was instru-mental in leading South-east Asia
to be registered on the map andminds of the world. As a leader ofa small island, he was greeted andtreated in awe on a par with thosefrom major powers.
The lesson for nearby countrieslike Thailand is not what Mr Leedid then but how Singapore worksnow with its multi-ethnic baseand well-embedded electoral sys-tem that allows the opposition togain ground and democratic pro-cesses to run their course.
Overall, the country Mr Leeleft behind will be more and morelike the country he did not want itto be during his prime. Yet Singa-pore as a more grown-up nationwith normal problems and less asa nanny state where all things aresmooth but antiseptic may well beMr Lee’s most admirable legacy.As Singapore will transcend himand his era, Mr Lee may well be ahappy victim of his exceptionalsuccess.The writer teaches International PoliticalEconomy and directs the Institute ofSecurity and International Studies atChulalongkorn University in Bangkok. Anearlier version of this article appeared inThe Bangkok Post.
INDIA announced a day of nation-al mourning for Mr Lee Kuan Yewin an unprecedented gesture of ap-preciation for his life and work.
The Indian flag will be loweredto half-mast tomorrow across thecountry and there will be no offi-cial entertainment on the day,New Delhi announced yesterdayas Prime Minister Narendra Modiprepared to travel to Singaporefor the state funeral.
“We deeply valued his convic-tion in India’s role in Asia’s future
and to the success of India’s ‘LookEast’ policy,” said External Af-fairs Ministry spokesman Syed Ak-baruddin.
Analysts say it is unusual for In-dia to honour a person who had re-tired from national leadership fornearly a quarter-century. The lasttime India accorded a foreign lead-er this recognition was in January,when Saudi king Abdullah bin Ab-dulaziz passed away.
“This is a special gesture. TheSaudi king was in power, Lee
Kuan Yew was not,” said Profes-sor S.D. Muni, a South Asia ex-pert. “This is a compliment toSingapore’s contribution in pro-moting ties between India and theAsia-Pacific.”
People familiar with Indian gov-ernment thinking said India wassignalling its recognition of MrLee’s ties with its leadership, start-ing from pre-independence days.
Mr Lee had known India’sfounding prime minister Jawahar-lal Nehru, his daughter Indira Gan-
dhi, Mrs Gandhi’s son Rajiv, whosucceeded her as prime minister,and Rajiv’s son Rahul Gandhi, cur-rently vice-president of the Con-gress Party. Former prime minis-ter Manmohan Singh also soughthis counsel on global issues.
“This is as much in recognitionof his contribution to wider Asiaas for the future of India-Singa-pore ties,” said a senior official.RAVI VELLOORAdditional reporting by NirmalaGanapathy
Overseas S’poreansto mark funeral
Local artist Boo Sze Yang’s oil on canvas has Mr Lee in a no-nonsense mood.PHOTO COURTESY OF DIRECTIONS GROUP
The arts community mourns in itsown way, by celebrating Mr Lee’s life
American artist Rafael Maniago has Mr Lee looking just a little bit quizzical.PHOTO: MANDALA FINE ART GALLERY
Local artist Sukeshi Sondhi’s distinctly Warholian pop arttake on Mr Lee. PHOTO: SUKESHI SONDHI
Van Gogh was the inspiration behind local artist JeffreyKoh’s painting of Mr Lee. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFFREY KOH
Boo Sze Yang adds some mystery to this image by lettingpaint run down the canvas. PHOTO: BOO SZE YANG
Another shade of stern, as seen by Boo Sze Yang who triesto capture the many sides of Mr Lee. PHOTO: BOO SZE YANG
Members of various organisations remembering Mr Lee during a solemn procession in Thanjavur in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu on Thursday. India hasannounced a day of national mourning and the Indian flag will be lowered to half-mast across the country tomorrow. PHOTO: THE HINDU
China sending V-P toattend funeral service
Chinese artist Ren Zhen Yu catches Mr Lee in a light-hearted moment.PHOTO COURTESY OF REN ZHEN YU
In their own way,they’re all drawnto pay tribute
China-born Fan Shao Hua’s portrait ofMr Lee is titled A Great Man From ASmall Country. PHOTO: FAN SHAO HUA
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India declares day of mourning
Regional leaders confirm attendance; Queen sends condolences in rare move
Singapore will transcend Mr Lee and his era
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By LINETTE LAI
MR LEE Kuan Yew loved eating,and had a soft spot for friedchicken.
He also liked fish – grilled orfried, but not steamed or poachedunless it was very fresh.
“I can eat anything and enjoy it,if it is good to eat,” he said in aninterview in 1992, when he was 68.
As he grew older, Singapore’sfirst Prime Minister turned to moremodest meals.
Breakfast might be a cup ofunsweetened soya-bean milk and asmall bowl of bean curd.
Lunch was also simple –chicken soup and tofu, forinstance, or a small portion ofmeat with lots of fruit and steamedvegetables.
His love for food was matchedby his dedication to keeping fit.
Mr Lee became health consciousafter taking office in 1959, andremained active well into histwilight years. He started offplaying golf but, ever pragmatic,switched to running because it wasmore efficient.
“Golf takes so long,” he said in2008. “The running takes 15
minutes. Let’s cut out the golf andlet’s run.”
He stuck to this routine even onoverseas trips, with his securityofficers keeping pace beside him.
Mr Lee also swam and cycled tokeep in shape.
“I try to cycle and swim evenwhen I am travelling,” he saidduring a webchat in 2000. “Ithelps me feel and work better.”
Even well into his 80s, Mr Leestuck to a strict exercise routine –12 minutes walking on thetreadmill every morning, 15minutes after lunch, and another 15minutes after dinner.
“Without that, I would not be inmy present condition physically,”he had said.
“It is a discipline.”[email protected]
By JONATHAN EYALEUROPE CORRESPONDENTIN LONDON
IT IS by now largely forgottenthat the first electorate Lee KuanYew ever had to face and the firstvotes he ever canvassed were not,as one may expect, in Singaporebut in Britain.
Soon after graduation fromCambridge, Mr Lee and his wifevolunteered to help a universityfriend who was then standing asparliamentary candidate for theLabour Party in Totnes, a charm-ing, rural part of western Eng-land. The fight was hopeless: Theconstituency had been a bastionof the Conservatives for at leastone century, and remains so tothis day.
Still, the young Mr Lee plungedinto the electoral campaign withgusto and, although “voters wereintrigued to see a Chinese speak-ing” – as Mr Lee subsequently re-corded in his memoirs – they lis-tened to him intently. Mr Lee andhis parliamentary candidatefriend were duly defeated, but theBritish sense of fair play andBritain’s openness to foreignerswere qualities which Mr Lee al-ways praised about the British.
That first parliamentary battlealso showcased his other side: awillingness – some would sayeven an irresistible desire – tocriticise the British whenever hethought they were erring.
Mr Lee always regarded suchcriticism as just friendly advice toa close friend, and he shrugged offwarnings that many British politi-cians did not relish the experi-ence. Yet few of his British critics– of which there were many –
were ever aware of how deeplypersonal and how enduring hislinks with Britain really were.
It was British education whichfashioned his adult life, a con-scious choice he made despite theavailability of many other op-tions, and one repeated by bothhis sons.
It was in Britain that he tiedthe knot with his lifelong partner,Madam Kwa Geok Choo; theirdecision to marry at the registryoffice in Stratford-upon-Avon,Shakespeare’s birthplace, was atacit acknowledgment of theirlove for British literature.
Throughout their adult lives,they came back to Britain to relax,and to be photographed in thesame spot, on the same bridge inCambridge, recalling that black-and-white picture taken in thefirst, carefree year of their mar-ried life.
Notwithstanding all theseextraordinary links, Mr Lee wasnever a “colonial nostalgic”, ifonly because, as veteran commen-tator Philip Bowring noted, “hesaw enough of British failures notto want to ape them”.
He admired Britain’s NationalHealth Service, the prototype of astate-funded welfare system co-pied by most other industrial na-tions, and recounted his surprisewhen, during his Cambridge days,he was given a pair of spectaclesand dental treatment for free. Buthe also swiftly concluded the sys-tem was unaffordable, and that itdiscouraged economic enterprise.
Yet one of the most importantlessons which he drew from theBritish – and one which, sadly, isseldom recalled today – is thatindependence neither required a
complete break with the old colo-nial power, nor was it an automat-ic ticket to prosperity.
“The choice lies between a com-munist republic of Malaya and aMalaya within the British Com-monwealth led by people who,despite their opposition to imperi-alism, still share certain ideals incommon with the Common-wealth,” he told a group of fellow
student members of the MalayanForum in London in 1950.
The overwhelming majority ofthe British politicians whocoincided with Mr Lee’s tenure inpower are now gone: Out of the 10prime ministers who governedBritain since Mr Lee was firstswept into office in 1959, onlyfour are alive today, and all tookpower after he stepped down as
Prime Minister in 1990.Yet one relationship stands out
as unique: that between Lady Mar-garet Thatcher and Mr Lee.
“Prime Minister, an hour’s talkwith you is itself worth a journeyhalfway round the world andfarther still,” she said at an Istanabanquet held in her honour inApril 1985. “There is no otherworld leader I have met in mytime in office whom I have ad-mired more for the strength of hisconvictions, the clarity of hisviews, the directness of his speechand for his vision of the wayahead.”
Both leaders fervently believedin the creativity of market econo-mies, and both knew good govern-ance cannot be accomplished bydoing only what is popular.
After she resigned as primeminister, Mr Lee was one of thefirst foreign leaders to pay her trib-ute. “I admired and respected hercombativeness. There’s a certainwillingness to rough it out withthe toughest around the place andto take on all corners,” he said.
And, again, fate added astrange twist. For different rea-sons and circumstances, bothstepped down from office onexactly the same day – Nov 28,1990. He was the world’s long-est-serving Prime Minister; shewas Britain’s longest-serving pre-mier of the 20th century. They re-mained close friends for life.
Britain honoured Mr Lee in eve-ry official way. Queen Elizabeth IIundertook no fewer than threestate visits to Singapore: in 1972,1989 and 2006, a rare honour be-stowed on only a few other coun-tries.
But it is also true that, as the
decades since independence wentby, fewer and fewer of Britain’spoliticians knew of their linkswith Singapore, or of the enor-mous contributions Mr Lee per-sonally made to nurturing them.
British knowledge of Singaporeremains poor. As British newspa-pers marked Mr Lee’s departure,they recycled all the usual clichesabout Singapore, such as the“banning” of chewing gum or theallegedly draconian fines.
But in all the obituaries pub-lished on Mr Lee, only one men-tioned Britain’s decision to breaka promise and pull back its forcesfrom Singapore, exposing theisland-state to economic and secu-rity problems. For the Brits, this“East of Suez” withdrawal is histo-ry best forgotten; to Mr Lee, thisrankled for long.
Still, as Singapore’s foundingfather embarked on his last jour-ney this week, all the ceremonials– the gun carriage, the music, thetroops, the lone bagpiper playingAuld Lang Syne and the lying instate – were British-inspired. MrLee would have approved, for hebelieved that the best example ofa secure nation is one which doesnot run away from its history.
Nor can one forget an episodeback in the late 1960s when, dur-ing a garden party, Mr Lee startedcriticising the rotten state ofmodern Britain before the visitingBritish Foreign Secretary.
Mr George Brown listened withan amused grin and, when Mr Leefinished, he turned to him, saying:“Harry, you’re the finest English-man east of Suez.” For one of therare moments in his life, Mr Leewas stumped for words.
By ZUBAIDAH NAZEERINDONESIA BUREAU CHIEFand WAHYUDI SOERIAATMADJAINDONESIA CORRESPONDENTIN JAKARTA
TO MANY Indonesians, Mr LeeKuan Yew’s sincere interest in un-derstanding them as well as his hu-mility stand out from the long listof attributes they admire abouthim.
“Mr Lee understood how tobuild relations with big neigh-bours like Indonesia,” said MrAgus Widjojo, former IndonesiaArmed Forces chief of territorialaffairs.
“He understood the culture ofIndonesia’s political system andthis is very important because thepolitical situation often dependson the personalities of the lead-ers,” he added, crediting the closeties between Indonesia and Singa-pore to the foundation that MrLee had laid as a result of his closefriendship with Indonesia’s sec-ond president Suharto.
That friendship was so deepthat when Mr Lee flew to Jakartain 2008 to see the ailing Suhartobefore he died, the Singapore lead-er was allowed to scrub in and sitby his bedside, a privilege usuallyaccorded only to close membersof the family.
Ms Siti Hediati Hariyadi“Titiek” Suharto, who with hertwo sisters had just returned fromSingapore after paying theirrespects, remembered how Mr
Lee had encouraged her father,who resigned from office in 1998.
“When Pak Harto steppeddown, a lot of politicians were al-lergic to meeting him. Pak Leemade an effort to come to Jakartato meet Pak Harto. He didn’t carewhat other people said. Pak Hartowas just recovering from a stroke.They hugged each other whenthey met,” she told The StraitsTimes.
“Pak Lee said, ‘You shouldn’tbe sad and disappointed becauseyou have done a great job. Thereare still millions and millions ofother people who love you andthink about you. They will alwaysremember you’,” she added.
Defence Minister RyamizardRyacudu recalled that Mr Lee puthim at ease. Then an army chief,he had asked Mr Lee if he couldspeak Bahasa Indonesia to him.
“My English isn’t good, not flu-ent. May I speak Bahasa with you?
“Lee Kuan Yew said ‘go ahead.I have no problem with that’,” MrRyamizard told reporters after hesigned the condolence book at theSingapore Embassy on Wednes-day.
Mr Lee then told him: “Just soyou know, Pak Ryamizard, I speakBahasa with only two people –Pak Harto and now you.”
The Defence Minister de-scribed Mr Lee as a humble leaderwho, he said, reminded him of In-donesian President Joko Widodo.
“(Mr Lee) talked humbly, downto earth. He always thought abouthis people. If Lee Kuan Yew didn’texist, Singapore would not exist.Even China managed to advanceitself because they learnt from Sin-gapore,” he said.
Indonesia watchers pointed outthat Mr Lee made a significantmove to improve ties – one thatalso showed his magnanimity – in1973 during a state visit.
He visited the graves of two In-donesian marines who werehanged in Singapore for the bomb-ing of MacDonald House in 1965.That attack, which killed threepeople and injured 33, took placeduring the Konfrontasi from 1963to 1966.
To signal that Singapore wasmoving on in its relationship withits largest neighbour, Mr Lee scat-tered flowers over the graves.
Said Mr Hayono Isman, whowas youth and sports minister inthe Suharto government: “He wasa leader who respected his owncountry’s laws, as well as respect-ed Indonesia, a neighbour whichmourned the two soldiers sen-tenced to death in Singapore.”
He added: “That shows extraor-dinary character.”
Leaders such as Vice-PresidentJusuf Kalla recalled how Mr Lee’scandidness caught them off-guard. “As we emerged from our
two-hour discussion, he told themedia it is a pity Pak Kalla is onlya V-P because he understands theproblems in Indonesia and whatneeds to be done,” Mr Kalla toldThe Straits Times. He was alsoVice-President from 2004 to2009 when Dr Susilo BambangYudhoyono was President.
“That caused a political stormbut I understand that it was justhis spontaneous comment,” MrKalla said with a chuckle.
Mr Lee’s straight-talking na-ture gave him credibility, said ana-lysts. “People appreciated histhoughts on Indonesia and on itsrelations with Singapore,” Mr Ju-suf Wanandi, vice-chairman ofthe board of trustees at Jakarta’sCentre for Strategic and Interna-tional Studies, wrote in a tributein The Jakarta Post.
“Sometimes he could commenton what Indonesians could noteven say during the Suharto years
about themselves,” he added, de-scribing Mr Lee as a “sage” and“giant” for advancing the region.
Many Indonesians who hadstudied in Singapore, including itspolitical elite, felt they had direct-ly benefited from Mr Lee.
In her tribute, “RIP the Found-ing Father of Singapore”, pub-lished in Kompas daily on Thurs-day, former trade minister and re-spected economist Mari Elka Pang-estu said: “I experienced first-hand the education system in Sin-gapore that was filled with disci-pline, toughness and fierce compe-tition that taught me not only tobe good academically, but also insports and community service,among other activities.”
Dr Pangestu studied at StMargaret’s Secondary School inthe 1970s and won an award forbeing the best all-rounder.
And so, since Mr Lee’s deathon Monday at age 91, many Indo-nesian leaders, dignitaries and ana-lysts have been writing commen-taries or posting on social mediatheir reflections of the Singaporeleader, remembering him as a close friend of Indonesia.
“Despite the ups and downs inbilateral relations, Indonesia hasalways remained comfortablewith the leadership of Mr LeeKuan Yew... in a large part, a re-sult of Mr Lee’s personality,” saidMr Agus. “I am not sure there willbe another leader like him.”
[email protected]@sph.com.sg
A soft spot for Britain, but never a ‘colonial nostalgic’
Staying fit anywhere, in any way
Mr Lee putting the ball with the help of younger son Hsien Yang. PHOTO: COURTESY OF LEE KUAN YEW
Mr Lee understood political culture of its big neighbour, they say
Mr Lee’s friendship with Mr Suharto helped Singapore and Indonesia to forge close ties. Even after Mr Suharto resigned from office in 1998, Mr Lee remained a good friend. At left, Mr Lee with a Bird of Paradise during a visit to a birdpark with Mr Suharto on Sept 9, 1982. Mr Lee was paying a three-day visit to Indonesia. At right, Mr Lee and Mr Suharto waving to journalists after their meeting in Jakarta on Feb 22, 2006. PHOTOS: ST FILE, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Globetrotting Mr Lee Kuan Yew on the trot (clockwise from top left): in Chengde, China, 1980; Cornwall, England, 1979; Queensland, Australia, 1983; Kunming, China, 1988; Venice, Italy, 1988; and Australia, 1982.PHOTOS: THE STRAITS TIMES, LEE KUAN YEW, NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA
Mr Lee working out on a stationary bicycle atthe Istana in 1992. LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE PHOTO
The young Mr Lee sent this photo, taken when he was a student at Cambridge, tothen girlfriend Kwa Geok Choo, with these words: “To Dearest Choo, Love Harry.”
Mr Lee stuck to a strict exercise routine even on overseas trips, and well into his 80s
Indonesians mourn lossof a close friend
Mr Lee taking a shot during a game of billiards in Sembawang in 1963. PHOTO: MCI COLLECTION
Mr Lee returning a ball during a game of table tennis at TanahMerah holiday camp in 1960. ST FILE PHOTO
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