UNCLE Lee, the name I affectionately called former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, has lived in my heart since I was a young girl.
It was because of my father that I became interested in Mr Lee's building of Singapore and in the PAP. We moved to Tanjong Pagar in 1979 and since then, I was a great supporter of Mr Lee.
In the early years, the annual Chinese New Year Dinner and National Day Dinner events were a highlight for my family.
Roads were blocked leading to the Tanjong Pagar Community Centre (CC) for Mr Lee's arrival.
I would wait patiently outside the CC and would shove with the crowds to get a glimpse of him when he arrived. Dinner was never the objective of these nights; they were about the chance to listen to Mr Lee's speeches and to follow closely behind him.
Besides Tanjong Pagar CC events, I would attend his other official Group Representation Constituency events.
I have kept clippings of all The Straits Times articles on Mr Lee. And although they have now turned yellow, I still treasure their contents.
My home has also become a mini-library collection of Mr Lee's books and memoirs.
I am very grateful for the many articles in The Sunday Times by Mr Lee's daughter, Dr Lee Wei Ling, about Mr Lee's private life. They allowed a glimpse of the man on the domestic front.
Words cannot describe my sadness over Mr Lee's death. But I will hold his legacy and values dearly in my heart forever.
Erica Ong Lay Kuan (Madam)
It was because of my father that I became interested in Mr Lee's building of Singapore and in the PAP. We moved to Tanjong Pagar in 1979 and since then, I was a great supporter of Mr Lee.
In the early years, the annual Chinese New Year Dinner and National Day Dinner events were a highlight for my family.
Roads were blocked leading to the Tanjong Pagar Community Centre (CC) for Mr Lee's arrival.
I would wait patiently outside the CC and would shove with the crowds to get a glimpse of him when he arrived. Dinner was never the objective of these nights; they were about the chance to listen to Mr Lee's speeches and to follow closely behind him.
Besides Tanjong Pagar CC events, I would attend his other official Group Representation Constituency events.
I have kept clippings of all The Straits Times articles on Mr Lee. And although they have now turned yellow, I still treasure their contents.
My home has also become a mini-library collection of Mr Lee's books and memoirs.
I am very grateful for the many articles in The Sunday Times by Mr Lee's daughter, Dr Lee Wei Ling, about Mr Lee's private life. They allowed a glimpse of the man on the domestic front.
Words cannot describe my sadness over Mr Lee's death. But I will hold his legacy and values dearly in my heart forever.
Erica Ong Lay Kuan (Madam)
