Remembering Mr. Lee Kuan Yew

NTU students pay tribute to the founding father of modern Singapore.

By Louisa Tang, Chief Editor

NTU students have expressed their grief in an outpouring of tributes to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first Prime Minister, who passed away peacefully at 3.18am this morning (23 Mar). Mr Lee was 91 years old.

Said Phyllis Loh, a third-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS): “The news brought tears to my eyes. It seemed like a personal loss.

Commenting on Mr Lee’s “huge role” in Singapore’s economic success, she said: “One important underlying factor was the choice of English being the medium of communication. It opened up opportunities for Singapore and led to foreign investments and more.

“He also emphasised the importance of our mother tongues, which then preserved our cultural identity. More importantly, in recognising our geopolitical needs, Mr Lee made Malay our national language,” the 22-year-old Linguistics major added.

Final-year student from the Nanyang Business School Lim Ming Yew’s first thought upon hearing of Mr Lee’s passing was that Singapore had just lost its greatest founding father.

“What followed after this thought was more of a sad feeling, akin to losing a dear one, even though I have been apathetic in the local political scene. I hope the passing of Mr Lee will make Singaporeans realise how lucky we are to have benefitted from his founding efforts,” the 25-year-old added.

Ruben Lee, 25, a third-year HSS student, said he felt bittersweet upon hearing of Mr Lee’s passing.

“I’m glad for him that he can finally be at his wife (Kwa Geok Choo)’s side, yet saddened that a revolutionary figure so intrinsically tied to Singapore has left us.

“My view has always been that the ruling party has been a shade of its former self without him, especially in recent years. Now that he has departed, I foresee the political landscape changing in the years to come. Singapore and Singaporeans have to rally together to remain relevant and dynamic in these times while also looking inward and becoming a more progressive and truly first world society,” he added.

Chloe Lee, 19, a first-year student from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, said she was worried that no one will be able to lead the country and think like Mr Lee.

“Whatever stories we heard about him in the past, during our generation, we saw the good and experienced the good that he did for this country.

“Hearing about his passing the first thing when I woke up was quite heartbreaking,” she said.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has declared a period of National Mourning from 23 Mar (Monday) to 29 Mar (Sunday). Mr Lee’s body will lie in state at Parliament House from 25 Mar (Wednesday) to 28 Mar (Saturday), for the public to pay their respects.

Addressing the nation live at 8am this morning in Malay, Mandarin and English, the Prime Minister said: “Singapore was (Mr Lee’s) abiding passion. He gave of himself, in full measure, to Singapore. As he himself put it towards the end of his life: ‘I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There’s nothing more that I need to do. At the end of the day, what have I got? A successful Singapore. What have I given up? My life.’

“I am grieved beyond words at the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. I know that we all feel the same way. But even as we mourn his passing, let us also honour his spirit. Let us dedicate ourselves as one people to build on his foundations, strive for his ideals, and keep Singapore exceptional and successful for many years to come.”

In an email sent this afternoon to the university, NTU President Prof Bertil Andersson paid tribute to Mr Lee, saying: “NTU owes much of our success as an engine of progress for Singapore and mankind to Mr Lee’s vision and stewardship of education…which has propelled Singapore onto the global stage and created opportunities for all Singaporeans.”

Mr Lee also took “a personal interest” in NTU’s development in its early days, often coming by unannounced — usually on Sundays, noted Prof Andersson — to observe how NTU was taking shape.

“I feel very privileged to have interacted with him, and have been greatly motivated by his astute intelligence and vision of Singapore,” said Prof Andersson, who added that a memorial service for Mr Lee will be held in NTU.

Mr Lee had been hospitalised since Feb 5 when he was admitted for severe pneumonia, and was on mechanical ventilation for a month before his passing.

On Tuesday (17 Mar), his condition took a turn for the worse. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said he was being kept on antibiotics after his condition declined due to an infection.

On Wednesday (18 Mar), Mr Lee had “deteriorated further” and remained “critically ill” in the Intensive Care Unit. That evening, police were alerted to a screenshot photograph of a statement purportedly from the PMO website stating that he had passed away that evening, which prompted widespread confusion about Mr Lee’s condition.

Mr Lee served as Prime Minister for 31 years from 1959 to 1990, through milestones such as Singapore’s independence from Britain, and the merger and subsequent separation from Malaysia in 1963 and 1965 respectively.

He is also the longest-serving Member of Parliament (MP) of Tanjong Pagar, winning the seat in the 1959 General Elections. After stepping down as Prime Minister in 1990, he remained an important figure in Singapore’s political scene, where he became Senior Minister till 2004, and subsequently Minister Mentor. He stepped down from Cabinet in 2011, but remained in Parliament as an MP.

In 2011, Mr Lee came to NTU for a dialogue with students as part of the annual Ministerial Forum. Responding to questions about the value of a university degree, he said a degree was no longer as exclusive as before, given the increasing number of graduates.

But he added: “Even if you are not a graduate, if you’ve got the ability, you’ve got the drive, you will be at the top five to seven per cent.”

First published 23 Mar, 11.06am. Updated 12.20pm.