Thot Bubbles: March 2015

On 23 March 2015, at 3:18 am, Singapore lost a great leader in Mr Lee Kuan Yew. In the days that followed, glowing tributes poured in from all segments of society and international leaders. The condolence messages from all over the world was amazing. I knew that he was a respected international figure but did not realise the extent. Tributes were paid in several parliaments around the world and India declared 29 March a day of national mourning.

I then realised that Singapore and Singaporeans stood on the shoulders of this giant.

To imagine that about 50 years ago, Singapore was a fledgling colonial back water with a bleak future. Mr Lee led a few good men who were determined to gain our independence from our colonial masters. We looked to Malaysia as our hinterland. The union was short lived due to a divergence of policies and politics. In 1965, we were became a sovereign country by accident. I was too young to appreciate this but recall my parents and grandparents constantly reminding me of the importance of studying hard because Singapore did not have any natural resources.

The pioneer generation left the governing of the country to the government as they worked on providing a better life for their families. Within a few decades, Singapore prospered, thanks to the leadership and hard work of the pioneer generation. There were several crises but the steady leadership steered the country through, like a captain navigating a ship through treacherous waters.

Because of the success achieved by the pioneer generation, the next generation became better educated, better travelled and more affluent. Not surprising, this followed calls to be heard. Some questioned the style of governing this country. My personal observation is once the basic needs are met, the human creature begins to seek higher order needs. Frankly, the line between "needs" and "wants" can become grey. I see this as a first world problem :)

Mr Lee was always clear about his priorities. At the National Day rally in 1986, he said:

“What are our priorities? First, the welfare, the survival of the people. Then, democratic norms and processes which from time to time we have to suspend.”

In order to provide for the welfare and survival of the people, we needed economic progress so that programmes can be funded. This is the pragmatism which we have been brought up with. The leadership team also decided very early on to share the success of the country with its people. One important policy was home ownership. Today, home ownership rates in Singapore are much higher than first world countries. I understand that Singapore's home ownership rate is 90.5%. The US and the UK are around 66%. In Asia, Hong Kong stands at about 51% and Japan stands at about 61%. This has given Singaporeans a stake in their own country.

Detractors argue that sacrifices were made along the way. That's life. Even in our personal lives, we have made sacrifices to pursue our priorities. It is always easy to stand on the sideline to heckle and provide a laundry list of ideas. It is quite a different matter to have to think of a way to turn ideas into feasible plans and operationalise the plans.

Regardless, nobody can argue that Singapore transformed from third world to first within a lifetime. Thank you, Mr Lee, for leading the team to improve our lives.

The tribute on Channel News Asia gave us a rare glimpse into his personal life. Dr Ng Eng Hen shared that on a long trip to Malaysia in 2009, he called home every evening so that he could speak to Mrs Lee who was not able to respond due to her stroke. At Mrs Lee's funeral in 2010, Mr Lee bade is final farewell as he leaned over to touch her one last time, it was moving. This was the tender side of him we never knew.

As I reflect on the tributes and endless lines of people who queued at the Padang to pay their last respects to the founder of modern Singapore, I am reminded of a time when I was a young child and was told by my parents to stay indoors because of riots. I was too young to understand this fully but I remember that I was fearful that something may happen to us. Thankfully, this is history.

I have the following tribute to share about Mr Lee Kuan Yew:

Thank you for creating a safe and secure home for us when once there was none
Thank you for seeing a metropolis when once we did not
Thank you for seeing a country rich with resources when once we saw none
Thank you for giving us the confidence to believe in ourselves
Thank you for delivering on your promises
Most of all, thank you for believing in us
We will miss you at the SG50 celebration on National Day
Rest in Peace
You are now with Mrs Lee :)

These are some photographs I took in remembrance of Mr Lee.