I woke up to the news of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's passing early this morning. Strangely, amidst the sadness I felt a sense of peace.
The past month, I have been following news of his critical condition and have mixed feelings. As much as I would love to see him during this year's SG50 National Day Parade emerging like a triumphant victor and saying,
"Don't anyhow say me OK, you si geena on the Internet."
I also pray for his peaceful passing so that he could finally be reunited with his beloved wife Madam Kwa Geok Choo.
‘For reasons of sentiment, I would like part of my ashes to be mixed up with Mama’s, and both her ashes and mine put side by side in the columbarium. We were joined in life and I would like our ashes to be joined after this life.’ - Source: The Sunday Times October 2, 2011
True that many complain about Mr LKY's draconian measures but didn't everything that he had done led Singapore to where we are today?
Together with other founding fathers of Singapore, Mr LKY spent so much of his life building up this country and bringing us to where we are today. He led us from Third World to First, transforming Singapore into a thriving cosmopolitan city-state with a strong Singapore dollar. He gave us stability and prosperity. He uplifted the lives of Singaporeans generations after generations.
I have a country which gives me a sense of identity and with a million and one things to be proud of. I love Singapore and I'm proud to be a Singaporean.
This acrostic poem tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew by Winston Ng aptly sums up the sentiments of many Singaporeans.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dear Mr Lee Kuan Yew,
You are someone I can't say I love but I truly respect you... A LOT. I respect you for all that you have done for Singapore and for your undying love for your wife. It is time for you to go. For you to be reunited with your beloved wife.
Thank you for all your years of service to Singapore, to us. Your legacy lives on!
May you rest in peace, Sir.
Yours truly,
A Singapore child
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After note:
My tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew first appeared this morning on my Facebook note. I edited the privacy the "public" for a while to share the link on my other social media platforms but decided to edit back to "friends only" and to reproduce and add more contents on my blog.
For my foreign blog readers. I would share some reading materials which I personally found very inspiring on Mr LKY below:
A 17-min video on Singapore's founding father
The touching love story between Mr and Mrs LKY in a digestible read. I teared reading this article.
This piece was written by Dr Lee Wei Ling, daughter of Lee Kuan Yew, shortly after the death of her mother, the late Kwa Geok Choo. Through her words, we see a different side to the typically stern former prime minister of Singapore.
Love Does Indeed Spring Eternal
#leekuanyew #lky #thankyoulky #riplky #proudtobeasingaporean #singaporemyhome
Awe Jo... I thought of you when I read about this late last night on someone elses blog. He may not have been popular with everyone but sometimes you have give that up to make change happen. It sounds like he made some amazing changes while in power. I can see how happy that you are from Singapore... may he rest in peace with his beloved wife... xox
ReplyDeleteHi Launna, After about a week of mourning, my Facebook news feed page has been full of shares and posts about Mr LKY. I read so many articles, watched so many videos and listened to so many first-hand accounts with Mr Lee and I've grown to see more facets of Mr LKY. While I used to respect him even as I acknowledged many of this policies, words and actions that did not sit well with many people, I'm fully aware and grateful for all the shining good that he had done. I'm also very touched by the emotional aspect of him. There is simply too much to say about this great man and perhaps a post would be apt.
DeleteI heard about his passing on Facebook from several of my Malaysian friends currently working in Singapore. It sounds like he was very respected by many, and lived a very long life!
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel, Yes, I have a lot of Malaysian Chinese friends who adore and respect Mr LKY. Many people in the Southeast Asian countries around Singapore all had great admiration for him.
DeleteOh, this is a ver sad news indeed. :-( I have nothing but respect for him, he worked hard and yes, spent his whole life bringing Singapore to where it is today.
ReplyDeleteHey Shireen, I'm always very heartened to see that people from far away know who Mr Lee Kuan Yew is! And yes, his whole life revolves around Singapore and Singaporeans.
DeleteSo glad to hear that you feel this way! In my generation from the 90s, too often I hear people my age saying nothing but negative things and saying that they can't wait to leave because singapore is so 'awful' and yet they have never lived anywhere else. I too am so grateful for what he has done for us, he has dedicated his whole life to building this beautiful small nation that continues to thrive. He was a great man and his legacy will live on! I'm glad to know that he has passed peacefully and that so many people are pouring out their thanks and condolences!
ReplyDeleteOh Sharlynn, all these young people do get me all riled up at times. They think they are young and cool and know everything but all I can say is that their views may not be wrong but they need to broaden their perspectives. I'm always thankful and proud to be a Singaporean. I know you too! =D
DeleteThat's sad to hear! RIP.
ReplyDeletexx
www.JuneWantsItAll.com
Thank you, June. Singaporeans are very touched by India flying the flag at half-mast tomorrow in memory of Mr LKY.
DeleteThis was a beautiful remembrance Jo.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.averysweetblog.com/
Thank you, Kim. I feel that after a period of a few days, my thoughts and views are somewhat different from this post.
DeleteHe must have been quite a visionary. As you might remember, having contemplated moving to your nation I did much research about it and discovered it to be a real model for other areas. If only he could have done something about those giant flying cockroaches :) A very sweet tribute and some very interesting information too.
ReplyDeleteYes, of course I remember Rick. I hope you were totally inspired and in awe of Mr LKY during your research on Singapore. Without many of LKY's great vision and policies, Singapore wouldn't be where we are today. I'm grateful to him.
DeleteI love the way you talk about your country, each of us should be proud of what we are, respect our country's traditions and people who made their contribution to the history of the community.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard about Mr Lee Kuan Yew before, but if you decided to dedicate this article to him, I believe he's done a lot for your country and people. We have got so much to do and so little time, so those once who tried their best and succeed are reputable and deserve to stay in our recollection forever. May he rest in peace.
Hi Alexandra, Agreed. we should be proud of our country in essence. Mr LKY is renowned in the West for a mix of positive and negative news but he is close friends with many Western politicians too. It's ok if you do not know about Mr LKY. I do not know about politicians in other countries and even some in my own country! Thank you for your kind thoughts and sweet words as usual. xo
DeleteHi, dear! I drop in to share with you that I've seen a very interesting piece of reporting about Mr Lee Kuan Yew today on Russian tv! A lot of god words were said about his magnetic personality and contribution to the development of Singapore. I'm impressed!
DeleteThanx for the update, dear. I was so excited to hear of this. Do you know that Russia was one of the embassy that flew its flag at half mast on the day of the funeral? How nice of Russia!
DeleteThis was also trending in our news too. I don't know much about him and if I'm honest, actually nothing at all. And the more I think about it, I know very little about Singapore and how its come to be. Though we're only fed a small amount of information about his time in power I feel like there was so much more to know. I guess you can say it's much like this for all countries, we're mostly only familiar with places we call home and not with the countless others that occupy this globe. What I'm loving now about his story is his love for his wife. To be untwined forever with his loved one. Wow, that is so romantic and beautiful. I can only hope to find a love like that someday Jo.
ReplyDeleteSxx
www.daringcoco.com
Hey Sonia, are you aware of the very famous acerbic quote of Mr LKY dished out to Australia? I can't find the exact quote now or who he gave those words to. But he was very straight-forward when he squarely told in the face the then president or prime minister that they are doing some things wrong and that they should change certain things. What people would deem an insult! But Australia actually thanked him for that quote which spurred them on in their tribute to his passing! And yes, Mr and Mrs LKY's love story is simply beautiful. I wish you all the best, Sonia! xo
DeleteLKY is truly admirable. I hope more Singaporeans would make him proud til the end.
ReplyDeleteWe Singaporeans definitely will! Thanx, Lux. =)
DeleteIt's always cool to read about someone legendary. I've heard so many amazing things about Singapore and can't wait to visit someday.
ReplyDeletewww.jeannechristinemarie.blogspot.com
You should visit Singapore, Jeanne! =)
DeleteI don't know much about him or what he did , but what I know is that Singapore has become an incredibly successful and developed country, and if that's thanks to him, he must have been a very wise man. RIP
ReplyDeleteBella Pummarola
Thank you, Bella. Yes Mr LKY is wise indeed. His great foresight and forging of good diplomatic ties certainly contributed to Singapore's success.
DeleteRIP
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Austria
Thank you. =)
DeleteIt's always sad to hear that somebody has died.
ReplyDeleteFrom your post I can see he was a respectful person.
Yes, he is. Thank you. =)
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