I GREW up in a family that adored former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. He touched so many lives and did so much good. And we remember and love this man for what he did for Singapore and its people.
I have long admired Mr Lee for his powerful and passionate speeches. He exuded a presence that evoked respect. And when he spoke, it was difficult not to listen.
It was a delight to watch him mesmerise the audience with his oratorical skills, his speeches peppered with many metaphors.
I particularly like this quote from his rally speech at Raffles Place in 1980: "Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him. Or give it up. This is not a game of cards. This is your life and mine. I've spent a whole lifetime building this, and as long as I'm in charge, nobody is going to knock it down."
Another famous quote is from the 1988 National Day Rally speech: "Even from my sick bed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave, and I feel something is going wrong, I will get up."
It was this never-say-die attitude that made Mr Lee resilient and special.
Most of us knew Mr Lee only as a man of steel.
But there was a softer side to him not known to many. I was moved to tears when his daughter Lee Wei Ling shared a note written by him to all three of his children.
It read: "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."
Mr Lee is indeed a symbol to Singaporeans from any generation.
As a gesture befitting a great leader and an iconic political figure in Asia, it would be ideal if we could unveil a statue of Mr Lee at the Istana, as part of the SG50 celebrations. The public holiday on Aug 7 would be the perfect date to do this.
A. Thiyaga Raju
I have long admired Mr Lee for his powerful and passionate speeches. He exuded a presence that evoked respect. And when he spoke, it was difficult not to listen.
It was a delight to watch him mesmerise the audience with his oratorical skills, his speeches peppered with many metaphors.
I particularly like this quote from his rally speech at Raffles Place in 1980: "Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him. Or give it up. This is not a game of cards. This is your life and mine. I've spent a whole lifetime building this, and as long as I'm in charge, nobody is going to knock it down."
Another famous quote is from the 1988 National Day Rally speech: "Even from my sick bed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave, and I feel something is going wrong, I will get up."
It was this never-say-die attitude that made Mr Lee resilient and special.
Most of us knew Mr Lee only as a man of steel.
But there was a softer side to him not known to many. I was moved to tears when his daughter Lee Wei Ling shared a note written by him to all three of his children.
It read: "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."
Mr Lee is indeed a symbol to Singaporeans from any generation.
As a gesture befitting a great leader and an iconic political figure in Asia, it would be ideal if we could unveil a statue of Mr Lee at the Istana, as part of the SG50 celebrations. The public holiday on Aug 7 would be the perfect date to do this.
A. Thiyaga Raju
