A: All my life, from a young age till today, I have always respected Mr Lee Kuan Yew. The respect has grown over the years as I mature, travel the world, and learn to question conventional wisdoms. My views of the world, religion and the universe have been shaped by life's experience and by science and technology besides, the other branches of human kowledge. Some of my views of the world and of life have changed, for the better. One constant that has remained steadfast is my view of LKY as a person of the highest integrity, intellect, and EQ. The tribute of his personal driver and his bodyguard are examples of how he treated others. His love for Singapore is second only to his wife, Mrs Lee. With her passing, I could sense and see that a big part of him had vanished from the visible world, never to be recovered. But, I know that he knows, that when the time comes for him to leave this world (which I hope later than sooner), Singapore will continue not only to be but to flourish. That certainty is another constant in my life.
Me: Integrity:
"Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love-it is always easier the second time!"
"If we say that we believe in democracy, if we say that the fabric of a democratic society is one which allows for the free play of idea...then, in the name of all the gods, give that free play a chance to work within the constitutional framework."
EQ:
"It's like with dogs. You train it in a proper way from small. It will know that it's got to leave, go outside to pee and to defecate. No, we are not that kind of society. We had to train adult dogs who even today deliberately urinate in the lifts."
"I will put on knuckle-dusters and catch you in a cul de sac...Anybody who decides to take me on needs to put on knuckle dusters. If you think you can hurt me more than I can hurt you, try. There is no other way you can govern a Chinese society."
"If Aljunied decides to go that way, well Aljunied has five years to live and repent."
"Look, Jeyaretnam can't win the infighting. I'll tell you why. WE are in charge. Every government ministry and department is under our control. And in the infighting, he will go down for the count every time... I will make him crawl on his bended knees, and beg for mercy. "
B: Citizens are like children. We don't see the world as it is and how it is beyond the classroom. All we want is not do homework, eat chocolates and relax one corner.
LKY is like a parent, he tries to warn us of the dangers of doing so. He promotes (advertises) the dangers of doing so. He scolds us for doing so. If we still refuse to listen, he did what all parents would do.... Take out that big fat cane.
Every parent knows their kids will hate them for it, but yet, they do it.
Smile brother and sisters, just a touch and your camera phone will switch to selfie mode, smile wide and take a video saying 'OMG, damn to LKY coz we have 4G and the latest phones because we are poor and suffering. Damn LKY coz I prefer to rent a small room for my whole family to live like back in he kumpong spirits of the 50s and 60s. Damn LKY coz I rather have that and not live in a 3/4/5 room house with my family and my mom and dad.'
Me:
Lee Il Sung
Addendum:
"On Monday morning of 23rd January 2015, I awoke momentarily at around 1.30 am. At around 4 am, I awoke again and heard the audible alert sound of my i-phone. I checked my whatsapp message and to my shock, saw and read PMO's official announcement that Mr Lee Kuan Yew had passed away at 3.18 am. I told my wife and then spontaneously burst into tears. The moment that I dreaded had come to pass. My beloved Mr Lee Kuan Yew is no longer alive!
Deep within me, I know that his indomitable spirit and his legacy lives on in me and my fellow Singaporeans. It's been two days since his passing on. Over this period, I have been following the spontaneous outpouring of grief and citations of his life's accomplishments from people of all walks of life. They further reinforce and validate what I already know of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and have taken the knowledge to a higher plane. For example, the Red Box recounted By Education Minister, Mr Heng Swee Keat. It exemplifies the total commitment and dedication of Mr Lee's waking life seven days a week to thinking through on Singapore since the day he became our First Prime Minister in 1959 till the day he was warded at SGH on 4th February 2015! Indeed, modern Singapore, to a large extent, is created out of his sheer brilliance and unparalled genius!
I shall always remember and honour you for the rest of my life. I shall try my best to live up to your values and ideals. You, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, will forever be remembered by your legacy through your:
1. superior intellect that you applied meticulously and consistently for the good of Singapore and the world.
2. your deep fluency in the English Language, your fluency in Mandarin and Malay, and your grasp of Hokkien, meant that you were a master communicator and learner.
3. your deep understanding of the cultures and fabric of Western, Eastern and Middle-eastern meant that you could bridge the inherent divide across race, religion and geographical boundaries. Your wise counsel sought by many world leaders of diverse political culture exemplifies it perfectly.
4. Your crystallised intelligence combined with your superior intellect gives you your capacity for great foresight which you used to very effective result in anticipating problems before they arose and taking measures to mitigate them.
Now, I understand more than ever why you were able to create Singapore from Third World to First World in one generation, a feat unparalleled in history. Your life's work has been superbly completed as a husband to your beloved wife, Mrs Lee, as a father to your children and as a founding father of modern Singapore. As a true-blue Singaporean, I pledge to uphold your ideals and values in my life.
RIP Mr Lee Kuan Yew!"
"I nearly burst into hysterical laughter when I overheard some colleagues describing him as "humble" among myriad other positive qualities. Looks like the PR team has done a really effective job softening the memory of his image."