I HAVE fond memories of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew when he was contesting in the Republic's general election in 1959.
I was then a secondary school student living in Johor Baru. Both Malaysia and Singapore then shared a single publication of The Straits Times.
The newspaper carried a photo of the young PM-designate sweeping the roads and cleaning the rubbish, as a message to the population about the need for a cleaner Singapore.
His comrades appeared in starched, all-white attire, looking more like college students.
My tender age then gave me little comprehension of the goings-on in Singapore. My family did not discuss politics and I saw Mr Lee only in photos in the media.
Then came television in 1961, which carried live telecasts of Mr Lee's speeches.
Later, in school, I read more about him and his work. He inspired everyone on this side of the Causeway. I thank him for the many speeches he delivered in Malaysia on his many visits.
Singapore developed rapidly. I took my first MRT ride in 1988 and visited Sentosa island. The country I remembered in the 1960s was replaced by modern infrastructure.
Mr Lee's contributions made Singapore the No. 1 city in South-east Asia, much to the envy of other countries.
His bilingual policy and move to declare all four main languages as Singapore's official languages showed foresight in building a fortified nation with no single official religion or ethnic group.
He made all races equal before the law and in the Constitution.
He gave his life, yet took nothing with him.
K. Ramamurthy Achari
Penang
I was then a secondary school student living in Johor Baru. Both Malaysia and Singapore then shared a single publication of The Straits Times.
The newspaper carried a photo of the young PM-designate sweeping the roads and cleaning the rubbish, as a message to the population about the need for a cleaner Singapore.
His comrades appeared in starched, all-white attire, looking more like college students.
My tender age then gave me little comprehension of the goings-on in Singapore. My family did not discuss politics and I saw Mr Lee only in photos in the media.
Then came television in 1961, which carried live telecasts of Mr Lee's speeches.
Later, in school, I read more about him and his work. He inspired everyone on this side of the Causeway. I thank him for the many speeches he delivered in Malaysia on his many visits.
Singapore developed rapidly. I took my first MRT ride in 1988 and visited Sentosa island. The country I remembered in the 1960s was replaced by modern infrastructure.
Mr Lee's contributions made Singapore the No. 1 city in South-east Asia, much to the envy of other countries.
His bilingual policy and move to declare all four main languages as Singapore's official languages showed foresight in building a fortified nation with no single official religion or ethnic group.
He made all races equal before the law and in the Constitution.
He gave his life, yet took nothing with him.
K. Ramamurthy Achari
Penang
