COMMENT With sadness I write to express my deepest condolence to the family members of Lee Kuan Yew, the first prime minister of Singapore, who died in the wee hours of Monday morning, March 23, 2015.At the time of his death, Lee was 91. His political life spanned a few decades, and he steered through, with purpose and vision in mind, a period of political and ideological turbulence.
He was admired by his friends, including world leaders, but at the same time his enemies condemned him for his ruthless ways.
Lee never wavered from his commitment and took on his enemies head-on. He built up Singapore into what it is today. He transformed Singapore from a mere Third World trading post into a glittering metropolis that attracted the attention of international business and commerce.I had the opportunity to meet Lee when he visited Malaysia about two decades ago. I found him to be sharp, his questions often very probing in nature and quite argumentative. He was never satisfied with simple answers.
I met him the second time when I was a senior visiting fellow at the Institute of South-East Asian studies (Iseas) in Singapore. During a function he called me to discuss a few things about Malaysia.
Lee was quite disturbed about the nature of politics in Malaysia, especially in regard to the intrusion of Islam into the everyday lives of Malaysians. The last time I saw him was when he paid a courtesy upon the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng.
I joined Iseas as a senior research fellow in April 2006. I left Singapore in January 2008 to contest in the Batu Kawan parliamentary and Perai state seats in Penang.
Within a few months after I joined Iseas, I was informed by the director, K Kesavapany, that he would not have taken me due to the controversial nature of my character, without the recommendation from Lee.Given the conservative nature of Singapore’s academic and professional institutions, I believe that, without Lee’s advice, the director might not have given me an affiliation at Iseas. Thank you Mr Lee, Sir!
Although Lee rose up in politics due to the support of the left, he later went against them. However, to his credit, he never condemned the left, he always maintained the argument that communists were committed and formidable foes.
Courage and determination admired
Good-bye Lee and rest in peace. We might not have agreed with you always, but we always admired your courage and determination.
We wish we had leaders in Malaysia like you. I know you cried when Singapore was expelled from Malaysia, but given the similarities and common history of both the nations, we hope that your dream of a united Malaysia with Singapore will come true in the future.
Lee is gone. But his legacy will continue to inspire generations in years to come. He did not just build a modern Singapore, he also showed to Asians how a combination of effective leadership, integrity and professionalism can bring about the desired changes for any society.The younger generation in Singapore might not remember the contributions of Lee or the PAP and this perhaps could explain why the party has been experiencing some notable electoral losses during general elections.
I am sure the electoral setbacks of PAP in the past was something that bothered Lee during his last years as an elder statesman of Singapore. He often reminded his colleagues in PAP not to take the support of Singaporeans for granted and that they had to respond effectively to the concerns of the constituencies.
The passing away of Lee brings an end to a chapter on politics in Southeast Asia in general and Singapore in particular.
The historical struggles of Lee’s years might not continue in the same manner and intensity. However, whatever the dilution of ideology, the end of history is hardly in sight in Singapore, or for that matter, in Asia.
P RAMASAMY is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang and the assemblyperson for Perai.
Source : http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/292985
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