A Great Man Passes, RIP Lee Kuan Yew

[Anonymous]

A giant of a man and a role model for developing countries. Hell, he would be a great role model for the West too, if we weren't so fucking arrogant.

Lee Kuan Yew, the statesman who transformed Singapore from a small port city into a wealthy global hub, has died at the age of 91.



The city-state's prime minister for 31 years, he was widely respected as the architect of Singapore's prosperity.



But he was criticised for his iron grip on power. Under him freedom of speech was tightly restricted and political opponents were targeted by the courts.



A state funeral will be held on 29 March, after a week of mourning.



Mr Lee oversaw Singapore's independence from Britain and separation from Malaysia.



His death was announced by the office of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Mr Lee's son, early on Monday.



He died peacefully at Singapore General Hospital at 03:18 on Monday (19:18 GMT on Sunday), the statement said. He had been in hospital for several weeks with pneumonia.



UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "deeply saddened" by Mr Lee's death. US President Barack Obama described him as a "giant of history".



'Incalculable contributions'

 

A charismatic figure, Mr Lee co-founded the People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed Singapore since 1959, and was its first prime minister.



The PAP said in a statement on Facebook: "While we mourn the passing of one of the greatest leaders of our party, we celebrate his incalculable contributions to Singapore and its people."



Singapore's President Tony Tan has written an open letter of condolence in which he describes Mr Lee as "the architect of our modern republic".



The news broke early in Singapore, but it was an announcement many had expected. Mr Lee had been in hospital for more than a month and his condition worsened last week, prompting a deluge of concern both online and at public areas set up for people to pay tribute.



As the nation woke up, a few people began arriving at the hospital, including a retiree and a family of four who wanted to pay their respects before their children went to school. Television and radio immediately began playing pre-recorded packages on Mr Lee's life.



Mr Lee's son, PM Lee Hsien Loong, said he was "deeply grieved". In the days leading to his father's death, he had been a frequent visitor at the hospital. On Friday he shared a photo of himself as a baby smiling and held aloft by his father on social media. "So many happy memories over a lifetime," he wrote.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32012346">http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32012346

[Anonymous]

Mr Lee speaks during a rally at Farrer park in Singapore on 15 August 1955

Mr Lee, a Cambridge-educated lawyer, led Singapore through merger with, and then separation from, Malaysia.



Speaking after the split in 1965, he pledged to build a meritocratic, multi-racial nation.



But tiny Singapore - with no natural resources - needed a new economic model.



"We knew that if we were just like our neighbours, we would die," Mr Lee told the New York Times in 2007.



"We had to produce something which is different and better than what they have."



Mr Lee set about creating a highly-educated work force fluent in English, and reached out to foreign investors to turn Singapore into a manufacturing hub.



The city-state grew wealthy and later developed into a major financial centre.



But building a nation came with tight controls - and one of Mr Lee's legacies was a clampdown on the press.



These restrictions remain today. In 2014, Singapore stood at 150 in the Reports Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, below countries like Russia, Myanmar and Zimbabwe.



Dissent - and political opponents - were ruthlessly quashed. Today, Mr Lee's PAP remains firmly in control. There are currently six opposition lawmakers in parliament.



Other measures, such as corporal punishment, a ban on chewing gum and the government's foray into matchmaking for Singapore's brightest - to create smarter babies - led to perceptions of excessive state interference.



But Mr Lee remained unmoved.



"Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him. Or give it up," he told a rally in 1980.

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[Anonymous]

Not everyone shares your enthusiasm for Mr. Lee's legacy Shen Li..



It is true, that Singaporeans became affluent under his rule, but he was a bit like Chiang Kai Shek..



Although Mr. Lee wasn't corrupt like him.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone shares your enthusiasm for Mr. Lee's legacy Shen Li..



It is true, that Singaporeans became affluent under his rule, but he was a bit like Chiang Kai Shek..



Although Mr. Lee wasn't corrupt like him.

I figured someone would mention his somewhat heavy-handedness. However, as Lee would say history will decide if he was right or wrong. By almost every quality of life standard, Singapore ranks very high. They also have a sovereign wealth fund without any resources. Pretty damned good I'd say.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone shares your enthusiasm for Mr. Lee's legacy Shen Li..



It is true, that Singaporeans became affluent under his rule, but he was a bit like Chiang Kai Shek..



Although Mr. Lee wasn't corrupt like him.

I figured someone would mention his somewhat heavy-handedness. However, as Lee would say history will decide if he was right or wrong. By almost every quality of life standard, Singapore ranks very high. They also have a sovereign wealth fund without any resources. Pretty damned good I'd say.

I know Singapore is a very clean. modern and wealthy city.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1O1Ylq7K9yJsG_7sqQsArgwGbBcGZUzGA52hsK0aBFOEyQsYxoA">

[Anonymous]

Not everyone shares your enthusiasm for Mr. Lee's legacy Shen Li..



It is true, that Singaporeans became affluent under his rule, but he was a bit like Chiang Kai Shek..



Although Mr. Lee wasn't corrupt like him.

I figured someone would mention his somewhat heavy-handedness. However, as Lee would say history will decide if he was right or wrong. By almost every quality of life standard, Singapore ranks very high. They also have a sovereign wealth fund without any resources. Pretty damned good I'd say.

I know Singapore is a very clean. modern and wealthy city.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1O1Ylq7K9yJsG_7sqQsArgwGbBcGZUzGA52hsK0aBFOEyQsYxoA">

My Auntie lives in Singapore. It makes Canadian cities look third worldish by comparison.

[Anonymous]

His way was needed while Singapore was developing, but I don't know about now. Park Chung Hee's style would not even be legal anymore in Korea let alone tolerated.

[Gary Oak]

Part of why Singapore is so first world is it's death penalty for drugs. It's crackdown on corruption makes it a jewel among it's neighbours and naturally a much better place to do business. Mohathir Mohamed though also did a superb job in improving the lot of Malaysians.

[Anonymous]

Part of why Singapore is so first world is it's death penalty for drugs. It's crackdown on corruption makes it a jewel among it's neighbours and naturally a much better place to do business. Mohathir Mohamed though also did a superb job in improving the lot of Malaysians.

Singapore is called a fine city..



Fines for Jay walking, fines for littering, fines for chewing gum and so on.

[Gary Oak]

He knows how to deal with Chinese and this I believe is why he outlawed tattoos. He put the clamps on the triads there and these measures I believe were needed as Chinese societies have always become triad dominated places where the strong tyrannise, extort kidnap etc... the weak. This is another reason Chinese want to live in the west while they hate us.

[Rambo Wong]

Lee Kuan Yew is macho cool.