NTU pays tribute to Singapore’s founding father

As NTU joins the nation in grieving over the loss of Singapore’s founding father, a rallying call is issued to build on his legacy.

By Toh Ting Wei, News Editor

HEARTFELT SPEECH: Prof Boey struggled to hold back his tears during his speech, in which he expressed his gratefulness to the late Mr Lee for having transformed Singapore from a less developed country into the metropolis it is today.
PHOTO: NTU

The NTU community came together to join the nation in mourning the loss of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, with a Memorial Ceremony to honour the nation’s first Prime Minister on Wednesday (25 Mar).

Held in the afternoon at Nanyang Auditorium, the ceremony saw over 2,000 faculty, staff, students and alumni in attendance. Apart from two videos honouring Mr Lee’s involvement in NTU and Singapore, NTU President Professor Bertil Andersson, NTU Provost Prof Freddy Boey, and NTU Students’ Union (NTUSU) President Wu Guoyi gave tributes as well.

A recurrent theme among the speakers was the determination to build on Mr Lee’s legacy.

Prof Andersson said: “Singapore’s success is in no small measure due to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Even as we are saddened by his passing, let us reflect and remember this man’s contribution to the country, which has made the world admire Singapore and its achievements.

“Let us continue his vision for Singapore to become the nation of distinction in the eyes of the world, and to foster well-educated younger generations who will write the future chapter of Singapore’s success story.”

This message was echoed by Wu, who said: “(Mr Lee) has left a legacy for us and for generations to come. He has left a prosperous and strong nation of Singapore to us. Now that the baton has been passed to us, may our generation see beyond ourselves and arise to overcome the challenges of the future.

“We will build on the foundations that Mr Lee and our forefathers have laid for us so that we can continue to shine and make Singapore more successful.”

Prof Boey, who struggled to hold back tears throughout his speech, spoke about the need to maintain Singapore’s status as “the exceptional country we have gotten used to”, and also expressed his gratitude to Mr Lee in a heartfelt speech.

“I must confess that I have taken this exceptional country called Singapore for granted on a number of occasions, and joined in the national hobby of moaning and groaning now and again.

“But this moment of reflection has put things into perspective. Mr Lee has enabled me to complain about the small little things because he has, in his lifetime, removed the need to complain about most of the basic things in life,” he said.

Tributes to an icon

While all three speakers ended with rallying calls to build on the late Mr Lee’s legacy, they dedicated most of their speeches to honouring his contributions to Singapore’s growth.

Prof Andersson said: “In less than 50 years, he and other pioneer leaders of Singapore remarkably transformed an impoverished island with no resources and a population of only two million who were lowly educated into a modern city state of 5.5 million people with the living standards of first-world countries.

“This whole country also uniquely has two universities ranked in the world’s top 50 universities. There are 20,000 universities in the world, and Singapore’s two big universities are in it. If you consider the fact that Singapore is just 50 years old, and yet has two world-class universities, you will begin to appreciate the magnitude of his achievements.”

FULL HOUSE: The Memorial Ceremony, which was held at the Nanyang Auditorium, saw a strong response from the NTU community, with seats filled up fifteen minutes before the event started.
PHOTO: KRISTAL TAI

Prof Andersson praised Mr Lee’s attention to NTU’s development in its early years, citing his unannounced visits to the school on weekends then and meetings with NTU’s founding president Prof Cham Tao Soon. Mr Lee had pointed out areas of improvement during his visits, such as the construction of sheltered walkways to allow students to walk from place to place without having to be in the sun.

Mr Lee’s support for the annual NTU Ministerial Forum was also commended — he was the guest speaker in 1996, 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2011. While the mood was sombre throughout the entire ceremony, a particular clip of Mr Lee grilling a doctorate student on her relationship status during the 2011 Forum managed to draw laughter from the audience.

For NTUSU president Wu, Mr Lee was someone who had put Singapore on the world map and made her proud to call Singapore home.

Pointing out a series of Mr Lee’s achievements for Singapore, such as a stable and harmonious society, Wu said: “Our pioneer generation has slogged hard so that we, the next generation, are able to enjoy the fruits of their labour. Mr Lee’s tenacity and foresight was that hard work, and Singapore is the fruit that we are enjoying today.”

While Wu grew up in a generation where Mr Lee’s efforts had long borne fruits, it was a different perspective for Prof Boey, who had grown up at a time when Singapore was taking its initial steps into independence. Prof Boey noted that he and his family owed a debt of gratitude to Mr Lee, “not just for what we have today but also for what we have tomorrow”.

Recalling his childhood days, Prof Boey said that it was a far cry from the current developed society which Singapore is today, with problems such as absence of military security and racial harmony.

“For those of you here (who) were already born 50 years ago, you could not have imagined you would end up 50 years later in this Singapore, and in this NTU. Beyond the exceptional security and stability he helped bring to the country, Mr Lee built a first-class education system from primary school right to university.

“And for me, this has changed my life. I would never have dreamt that a little kampung boy can make it right here, in little Singapore, to be a professor, much less a provost of a world-class university,” added Prof Boey.

HONOURING AN ICON: The ceremony was also screened outside Tan Chin Tuan Lecture Theatre, with people who were unable to enter the auditorium watching the ceremony from the live broadcast there instead. Despite the lack of seats and afternoon heat, most remained undeterred by the conditions, as they viewed the tributes to the late Mr Lee.
PHOTO: NTU

The overwhelming response to the ceremony meant that some in attendance had to sit on the steps at the side of the auditorium, while others were not even allowed to enter due to a lack of space.

Those who were unable to gain entry were directed to the Tan Chin Tuan Lecture Theatre (TCTLT) and the open area outside the lecture theatre, where screening of proceedings took place.

Among the undergraduates present at the screening was Tan Chiat Lin, a final-year student from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

The 26-year-old said: “While we might not have grown up in a country governed by Mr Lee, it was different for Prof Boey who grew up in that generation. It was saddening to see how emotional Prof Boey was, and from his emotions we can actually tell how much Mr Lee meant to him, and how much Mr Lee has done for Singapore.”

“Most of us have probably taken Mr Lee for granted when he was around, but it is only when he passed away that we recognise him as a great man,” added Tan.

Drawing inspiration from Mr Lee

The one-hour ceremony concluded with an impeccably observed minute of silence for Mr Lee. Thereafter, audiences were invited to view an exhibit at the Nanyang Auditorium foyer, which documented Mr Lee’s contributions to both NTU and Singapore.

For most people, one particular attraction was an instantly recognisable portrait which had drawn attention on the Internet — a drawing of Mr Lee, formed by repeating his full name 18,000 times on an A2-sized paper.

The portrait was drawn as a tribute to Mr Lee by Ong Yi Teck, an incoming NTU freshman who will be enrolling in the School of Art, Design and Media come August.

The 21-year-old said: “I spent 15 hours over two days writing his name and drawing this portrait and it has gained a lot of positive remarks. But I want to remind my fellow Singaporeans that while I spent two days on this piece, Mr Lee actually spent an entire life building on his nation.”

Ong has received offers for the piece, but he ruled out the prospect of selling it. Instead, he is hoping for it to be displayed in a museum in the future. While his piece has drawn media attention from outlets such as The Independent in England and Sohu in China, it was actually the first time that Ong had attempted this form of art.

“I was never an Art student, but it has always been a hobby of mine. I did this piece because I wanted to challenge myself, and an important icon like Mr Lee deserves more than a simple drawing on paper,” the budding artist said.

Despite his piece shooting to prominence, there was little cause for celebration for Ong as he held a sombre front after emerging from the memorial — much like the rest of the crowd at the ceremony, with some of the audience even tearing up during the tributes.

The mood was summed up aptly by NTUSU president Wu Guoyi at the end of her speech.

“50 years ago, Mr Lee, you wept for Singapore. 50 years later, Singapore weeps for you.”

CENTRE OF ATTRACTION: Drawn by soon-to-be NTU freshman Ong Yi Teck, the Lee Kuan Yew portrait on exhibit drew the attention of many. Ong is adamant that the photo will not be sold, and hopes for it to be displayed in a museum in the future.
PHOTO: KRISTAL TAI