I liked the “Remembering Mr Lee Kuan Yew - Special Issue” (April 5). It is a comprehensive account of his life, accomplishments and funeral, and is a handy reference for present and future generations.
The article, “From mudflat to metropolis”, set me thinking about our history and the notion that Sir Stamford Raffles was the founder of modern Singapore. That honour, correctly, belongs to Mr Lee.
Our colonial past has a place in our history, but there is no need to glorify it. When Mr Lee’s People’s Action Party took over the government in 1959, after 140 years of British rule, Singapore was blemished by slums.
It had all the aberrations of a backward country, such as low living standards, low-paid jobs, high unemployment, a shortage of housing, water, electricity, schools, health-care facilities and public transport, as well as dirty streets and smelly, choked drains.
I lived through that degrading era. Raffles founded Singapore in 1819 and set up a trading outpost for the erstwhile British Empire, but he did not establish a modern society.
Mr Lee did, and the house he built is a shining example of modernity, a prosperous, progressive and peaceful First World nation.
And he did it in one generation, through his vision, political acumen, sheer commitment and determination and fierce fighting spirit. As he once declared: “We dug our toes in, we built a nation.”
He was a politician extraordinaire who deserved the tributes and expressions of gratitude bestowed on him. We could have had an incompetent leader or, worse, a corrupt tyrant. Many developing countries are still in the doldrums because of that.
As we enjoy his wonderful legacy, let us reflect on this question: What if there had been no Lee Kuan Yew?
The article, “From mudflat to metropolis”, set me thinking about our history and the notion that Sir Stamford Raffles was the founder of modern Singapore. That honour, correctly, belongs to Mr Lee.
Our colonial past has a place in our history, but there is no need to glorify it. When Mr Lee’s People’s Action Party took over the government in 1959, after 140 years of British rule, Singapore was blemished by slums.
It had all the aberrations of a backward country, such as low living standards, low-paid jobs, high unemployment, a shortage of housing, water, electricity, schools, health-care facilities and public transport, as well as dirty streets and smelly, choked drains.
I lived through that degrading era. Raffles founded Singapore in 1819 and set up a trading outpost for the erstwhile British Empire, but he did not establish a modern society.
Mr Lee did, and the house he built is a shining example of modernity, a prosperous, progressive and peaceful First World nation.
And he did it in one generation, through his vision, political acumen, sheer commitment and determination and fierce fighting spirit. As he once declared: “We dug our toes in, we built a nation.”
He was a politician extraordinaire who deserved the tributes and expressions of gratitude bestowed on him. We could have had an incompetent leader or, worse, a corrupt tyrant. Many developing countries are still in the doldrums because of that.
As we enjoy his wonderful legacy, let us reflect on this question: What if there had been no Lee Kuan Yew?
