Condolence Letter from President Tony Tan Keng Yam to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on

the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew

23 March 2015
Mr Lee Hsien Loong
Prime Minister

Dear Hsien Loong

On behalf of the people of Singapore, I would like to convey my most heartfelt condolences to you
and your family on the passing of your dear father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
Mr Lee dedicated his entire life to Singapore from his first position as a legal advisor to the labour
unions in the 1950s after his graduation from Cambridge University to his undisputed role as the
architect of our modern Republic. Few have demonstrated such complete commitment to a cause
greater than themselves.
Mr Lee was elected into the British Legislative Assembly in 1955 and became Singapores first Prime
Minister after leading the PAP to victory in the 1959 general elections when Singapore was granted
full internal self-government. At that time, Singapore faced problems of high unemployment, poor
infrastructure and a hostile external environment. To secure Singapores access to land, water and
natural resources, Mr Lee led Singapore to join the Federation of Malaysia before declaring
independence from Britain in 1963. However, the problems were exacerbated when Singapore lost
its economic hinterland after our forced separation from Malaysia in 1965. Many doubted if
Singapore could survive as a nation but Mr Lee rallied our people together and led his cabinet
colleagues to successfully build up our armed forces, develop our infrastructure and transform
Singapore into a global metropolis.
Even when Singapores urban development was still in its early phases, Mr Lee already had the
vision of establishing Singapore as a liveable Garden City. Mr Lee initiated the ambitious project to
clean up the Singapore River and Kallang River which were then heavily polluted by
garbage, sewage and industrial waste. The Singapore River now forms part of the Marina Bay,
which is not only a valuable source of fresh water for our city state, but also a place which is enjoyed
by Singaporeans and tourists from around the world. Mr Lee also set up the Housing Development
Board to develop our public housing estates to give every citizen a stake in the nation. Today,
because of Mr Lees farsightedness, Singapore is hailed as a model of sustainable and inclusive
development for developing cities around the world.

Mr Lee made lasting contributions towards the building of a meritocratic and multi-cultural
Singapore. As Singapores first Prime Minister, Mr Lee put in place measures to ensure that
university places, government contracts, and appointments into public office would go to the most
deserving candidates based on merit and regardless of race and religion. Mr Lee also established
English as the common working language and the main medium of instruction in our schools so that
all Singaporeans would have equal opportunities to learn, communicate and work regardless of race.
Each ethnic group was encouraged to learn its mother tongue as a second language to preserve the
cultural and community identity of the group. Because of these policies, Singaporeans today are
able to leverage on our bilingual and bicultural edge to take advantage of the opportunities that
present themselves around the world.
A leader who placed service before self-interest, Mr Lee stepped down as Prime Minister in 1990 to
allow for a smooth leadership renewal after he had built up a younger team of Cabinet Ministers.
Nevertheless, he continued to serve and advance Singapores interests at home and abroad as
Singapore's Senior Minister from 1990 to 2004 and then as Minister Mentor from 2004 to 2011. He
had spent more than 50 years in the cabinet and was the world's longest-serving Prime Minister
when he stepped down in 1990.
Through Mr Lee, Singapore earned international recognition and established cooperative relations
with major countries affecting our region. Mr Lee was one of the first to recognize China's potential
under Deng Xiaoping's reforms. Mr Lees brilliant intellect and candour of opinion led many
international leaders and foreign diplomats to seek his views on developments in the region and
around the world. Widely revered as a senior statesman, Mr Lee was conferred numerous
international accolades throughout his political career.
Many aspects of our lives bear Mr Lees imprint - be it our HDB estates, our gardens, or the SAF.
Without his remarkable foresight and relentless pursuit of Singapores development, the Singapore
that we know today would not exist. Singapore was his passion and he continued serving
Singapore till the last days of his life. Singaporeans owe an eternal gratitude to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
The greatest tribute that Singaporeans can pay him is to treasure and build upon the legacy that Mr
Lee and his team have left us, and make Singapore an even better home for our future generations.
Our thoughts are with you at this time of sorrow.
With my deepest sympathies,

TONY TAN KENG YAM