POLITICS

Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew was born into a wealthy Chinese family that had resided in
Singapore since the 19th century. Lee studied law at Fitzwilliam College, in Cambridge,
UK after World War II.

In the early 1950s, Singapore talked about the constitutional reform and
independence, and Lee banded with other like minds to challenge the governing
structure of the country. After that, Lee became secretary-general of his own party, the
People's Action Party, in 1954 to take a more radical stance.

Lee also helped negotiate what Singapore's status would be as a self-governing

state, and a new constitution was formed. Once in office, Lee Kuan Yew introduced a
five-year plan calling for urban renewal and construction of new public housing, greater
rights for women, educational reform and industrialization. Singapore needed a strong
economy to survive as an independent country, and Lee quickly spearheaded a
program to transform it into a major exporter of finished goods. He also encouraged
foreign investment and made moves to ensure a rising standard of living for workers.

Lee resigned as prime minister in November 1990 but remained the leader of the
PAP until 1992. In early 2015, Lee Kuan Yew was hospitalized with pneumonia. By
early March, he was on a ventilator, in critical condition, and he died soon after, on
March 23.

Lee has left behind a legacy of an efficiently run country and as a leader who
brought prosperity unheard of before his tenure, at the cost of a mildly authoritarian
style of government. By the 1980s, Singapore, under Lee's guidance, had a per capita
income second only to Japan's in East Asia, and the country had become a chief
financial center of Southeast Asia.
 Bella Abzug

Born Bella Savitsky on July 24, 1920, in New York City, Bella Abzug spent much
of her life fighting social and political change. She was bold and outspoken and a
leading liberal activist and politician in the 1960s and 1970s, especially known for her
work for women’s rights.

After graduating from Columbia University's law school, Bella Abzug worked as a
lawyer for a number of years and also defended many people who had been accused of
communist activities by Senator Joseph McCarthy. In the 1960s, she became involved
the antinuclear and peace movements and helped organize the Women Strike for
Peace in 1961. To promote women’s issues and to lobby for reform, she helped
establish the National Women’s Political Caucus with leading feminists Betty Friedan
and Gloria Steinem.

Abzug became famous for and oftentimes criticized for her outspokeness on the
issues. She fought tirelessly for women's rights and for civil rights in general. In 1975,
Abzug made history when she introduced the first gay rights bill in Congress.

She also ran for a seat in the House of Representatives for New York's
Westchester County, but she lost out to her Republican opponent. While public office
eluded her, she continued to work on many causes in the 1980s and 1990s. Abzug also
established the Women’s Environmental Development Organization.