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Remembering Lee Kuan Yew


FULL TEXT OF LEADERS TRIBUTES

We must
never let
Mr Leedown
Vivian Balakrishnan

Environment and Water Resources Minister

H
(From left) MP Chia Shi-Lu, two unidentified females, Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Defence,
and Ms Indranee Rajah, Senior Minister of State for Education and Law, paying their respects yesterday. Photo: The Straits Times

Mr Lee built a country


out of almost nothing
The pre-eminent elder
statesman of our generation
put Singapore on the world map
K Shanmugam

Law and Foreign Minister

r Lee is no more. I am tearing


as I write this. What is there
to say about Mr Lee Kuan
Yew that has not already been said?
On the broad canvas that Mr Lee
made, millions of good life stories were
written in Singapore.
Mr Lee made these life stories possible: People who started out with almost nothing and moved up to better
lives, better jobs, better flats.
In this small city, with peace, harmony and security.
My life story is in many ways the
life story of many Singaporeans.
I was born in March 1959. Mr Lee
and the PAP first won elections in May
1959, two months after I was born.
Like most Singaporeans, I was a
direct beneficiary of Mr Lees policies.
These policies created a society based
on meritocracy, equal opportunities,
clean and efficient government, good
education for all.
My family had no social capital and
very little economic capital.
Mr Lee and his policies ensured
that neither my background nor the
colour of my skin, nor my religion, were
hurdles in getting opportunities. I got
a good education in a neighbourhood
primary school, got into Raffles Institution, got into law school and had no
difficulty getting a job.
My family moved to a three-room
flat in 1975 our first property. And

we upgraded after that.


My brother and I graduated. We
were able to give a good upbringing
to our children.
This story, in broad terms, is the
story of Singapore and the story of
most Singaporeans in that many
of us started with very little, but all
of us were offered good educational opportunities, decent jobs and
better housing.
The vast majority of Singaporeans
benefitted. How well we did and where
we ended up depended on individual
effort, and some luck.
Singapore is almost unique in the
post-World War II world in having
started so poor and succeeding so well.
Mr Lee and his team made that
possible.
His intellect, fervour and passion
for Singapore and Singaporeans won
him the respect of global leaders such
as Richard Nixon, Deng Xiaoping,
George H W Bush, Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, Tony Blair, Margaret
Thatcher and other world leaders.
Mr Lee has been described by global leaders as the pre-eminent elder
statesman of our generation, a strategic thinker, a political mastermind,
an individual with a steadfast voice
of reason, clarity and hope.
He put Singapore on the world map.
I first met Mr Lee when I was 28. He
was among those who interviewed me
before deciding to field me as a candidate for elections. He questioned me
on a variety of topics for 45 minutes.
It was an unforgettable experience.
Over the years, I have dealt with
him on different issues.
The Mr Lee I dealt with was a practical, no-nonsense man. His sharp

Very few
have made
so much
difference to
so many in
so little time.
No one else
has built a
country out
of almost
nothing, and
in the face
of so much
adversity.
Mr K
Shanmugam

Law and
foreign minister

intellect meant going straight to the


heart of any issue. There was no small
talk or superficiality. Every breathing
moment for him was spent thinking
about Singapore and Singaporeans.
There was an unwavering tenacity
to ensure that Singapore succeeded.
I had never imagined a Singapore
without Mr Lee.
But as he lay in hospital on life support, I began to think of what I had
never wanted to accept: That we were
likely to lose Mr Lee.
Each time I think about him now,
I tear. Each time I read a tribute to
him, I choke. It is difficult to describe
in words, the grief I feel.
Mr Lee himself was matter-of-fact
about death. He said: I am not given
to making sense out of life or coming up with some grand narrative on
it other than to measure it by what
you think you want to do in life. As for
me, I have done what I had wanted to,
to the best of my ability. I am satisfied.
Everywhere you turn from the
housing estates, the clean and efficient
roads, the corruption-free system, the
schools, the world-class universities,
the leading financial centre that we are
today, the good jobs and good quality
of life our people have, the hospitals,
the clean and green environment, the
vibrancy of this metropolis, the fact
that it is now one of the great cities of
the world with a GDP almost equal to
that of Malaysia, a much bigger country, with a bigger population and a
huge amount of resources Mr Lee
was the chief architect of the system
that produced all of this. Mr Lee oversaw the transformation of Singapore.
Very few have made so much difference to so many in so little time.
No one else has built a country out
of almost nothing, and in the face of
so much adversity.
Singapore without Mr Lee Kuan
Yew will never be the same.
Mr Lees speeches are full of passion and are very inspiring ... May God
bless his soul.

e had never missed our National Day Parade. I recall


catching a red-eye flight with
him at 2am on Aug 9, 2008 so that he
could be back on time.
He hardly slept. I recall watching
him have breakfast and could not resist
thanking him for giving us a country
and the opportunities of a lifetime.
His prosaic answer was to work hard
to keep Singapore going. He said it depends especially on the next generation.
It will be extra painful that SG50
will be the first National Day that he
will miss. But so much of what we
will celebrate will be because of him
and his team.
He spent his life for Singapore.
Every waking thought and dream.
Always focused on the future and the
next generation. And the only way to
repay him now is for all Singaporeans
to keep Singapore flying high.
We must never let him down.

It will be extra painful


that SG50 will be the first
National Day that he will miss.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan

Environment and Water Resources Minister

Mr Lees efforts,
total commitment
will continue
to inspire us
Chan Chun Sing

Social and Family Development Minister

hank you for igniting the belief in us that we can be called


Singaporeans.
Thank you for enabling us to pursue
our dream to build an independent,
successful and cohesive nation regardless of race, language and religion.
We will endeavour to live up to the
ideals and values you have inspired us
with. As we take over the baton to live
this Singapore dream of ours, we will
always remember your words that we
are responsible for the lives of millions
of Singaporeans.
We will commit ourselves to your
high standards and dedication to take
this country to a higher plane. We will
work hard to make sure all Singaporeans will continue to have the opportunities to be successful individually
and collectively.
Thank you for all that you have done
for Singapore and Singaporeans. Your
tireless efforts and total commitment
will continue to inspire us to do our
best regardless of the challenges ahead.

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