Remembering Lee Kuan Yew

What I wrote on the Straits Times tribute wall:
"Although I don't totally agree with your ways, I know there is no perfect politician in the world. Thank you so much for contribution. Also, I am very impressed and envious that you are such a great husband and sibling. Your love for your wife and family has touched me deeply. Fourth time crying today because you are the national grandfather. You left us in the wee hours. Could it be that you didn't want to alarm our people? Thank you, thank you and thank you for contributing your whole life to improve our country and our lives. I will continue to pray for you. Rest in peace and hope you are happily reunited with your wife. Since years ago, I was worried about Singapore's future after your departure. I hope that Singapore will continue to develop like the way it has under your iron fist which I think was necessary. Please look over us. Thank you for doing what you have done. Goodbye Ah Gong."



I really feel the misery like when my Po Po died. Perhaps it's more so because we share the same ancestry?



I love his humour as well. Like in that famous video of him telling the 27-year-old PhD student to get a boyfriend.



I have been touched and believed that he is the man who cares and loves Singapore the most ever since I watched him cry in the video recording of the separation from Malaysia.



When I said I don't totally agree with his ways, I meant the part when he threw his political opponents into jail without trial and accusing them of being communists. I just watched a video of him saying "We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language chauvinists, whether they are religious extremists. If you don't do that, the country would be in ruins.". I thought trials would only help persuade the public that communism is not the way to go, instead of just throwing people in jail without trial and evidence and making them look like victims. However, like I said, there is no perfect politician. I understand he was protecting his political power and with that power, he can do more. It's called being careful and not giving your enemies a chance. You can't be too merciful in politics. I'm just saying that not all his decisions were ethically and morally right.

I wish I can marry a man that loves me as much as LKY loves his wife. Just look at the article his daughter, Dr Lee Wei Ling wrote and you'll understand.

Source: The Sunday Times October 2, 2011

 "Emotional ties don’t come to an end with the passing away of a loved one

 My friend Balaji Sadasivan passed away on Sept 27 last year. In the obituaries section of The Straits Times last Tuesday, exactly one year after his death, there was a sonnet by Balaji himself: ‘But even in gloom, one truth is fundamental, from time immemorial, love springs eternal.’

A week after Balaji died, on Oct 2, my mother passed away peacefully at home. ‘Love springs eternal’ – but what comfort is that to the one who has departed and can no longer reciprocate our love? This thought slipped randomly in and out of my mind as I was exercising last week. Then my Blackberry buzzed. I read the incoming e-mail. It was from my father – brief, concise, a mere statement of fact, yet what was unsaid but obvious was his love and concern for us, his children.

I suddenly realised that love does spring eternal. Papa, my brothers Hsien Loong and Hsien Yang, and my sisters-in-law Ho Ching and Suet Fern, and I are still bound by our love for Mama and will continue to be for many more years.

For the first few weeks after her devastating stroke on May 12, 2008, my family and the doctors met often to discuss how best to minimise her suffering and perhaps enable her to recover to some extent.

The physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists all did their best, but Mama did not improve. The May 12 stroke was more extensive, and involved more brain regions controlling movement than her first stroke on Oct 25, 2003.

But Papa remembered how well she had recovered from that first stroke, which had occurred while my parents were visiting London. By the end of that year, we were celebrating Mama’s 83rd birthday on Dec 21 in a private room at Goodwood Hotel in Singapore.

Now, in October 2008, Papa knew that if Mama survived she would never be able to walk independently. But he felt that so long as she knew she was an important part of his life, she would still find life worth living.

He told her: ‘We have been together for most of our lives. You cannot leave me alone now. I will make your life worth living in spite of your physical handicap.’

She replied: ‘That is a big promise.’

Papa said: ‘Have I ever let you down?’

Mama tried her best to cooperate with the therapists. But it seemed a useless struggle. Even swallowing a teaspoon of semi-solid food was a huge effort. Then more bleeds occurred and her condition deteriorated. We, her family, decided that no further active treatment should be sought. We arranged to bring her home and nurse her there.

Before we brought her home for the final time, Papa arranged for her to stop at the Istana, to see her favourite spots in the grounds. We wheeled her to where she had planted sweet-smelling flowers such as the Sukudangan and the Chempaka. Then we wheeled her to the swimming pool, where she had swum daily.

We showed her the colourful little ‘windmills’ she had arranged around the pool. She also saw the colourful wetsuits that Papa had arranged to be made for her to keep her warm in the water.

He and I had been convinced that she had to exercise to remain fit. So come rain or shine, she would don a wetsuit and swim. Even when travelling, she would swim in the hotel pool.

On one trip, Mama said to Papa: ‘Today is a public holiday in Singapore. Can I take a break from swimming.’

Papa replied: ‘No, have a swim. You will feel better after that.’

As a neurologist, I knew that after the first bleed in 2003, a second was likely. But I did not want to burden Papa or Mama with this knowledge.

Still, unknown to me, Papa had sensed that she could easily rebleed. He told us later that they had both discussed death. They had concluded that the one who died first would be the lucky one. The one remaining would suffer loneliness and grief.

Mama deteriorated further after she returned home. Finally, she reached a stage when she could not even speak and seemed unaware of her surroundings. But she was always aware of Papa’s presence.

When Papa travelled, she would stay awake at night waiting for his phone call. When I began travelling with him, he usually would tell her on the phone: ‘Bye dear, I am passing the phone to Ling.’ Those were the times when I could hear her actively trying to vocalise.

When Mama passed away, I was at her bedside, watching her fade as her respiration became more shallow and feeble until it finally stopped. I did not try cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It would have been futile to have done so and cruel.

I called to ask my family physician to sign the death certificate, then returned to my room in a daze. Papa waited until the people from the Singapore Casket Company arrived. He showed them the jacket he wished Mama to wear and asked them to do their best to make her look attractive.

The wake lasted for three days. Hsien Loong and Hsien Yang, together with their wives, took turns to stand by the coffin and greet well-wishers. I was tired and rested at home, only attending the wake on the first evening to greet my friends and colleagues. I hoped that by resting I would recover by the day of the funeral.

Most of the time, my mind was blank. I thought I had my emotions under control. It was only at the funeral, when it was my turn to deliver the eulogy, that the finality of Mama’s passing hit me. I managed to control my tears but my voice was strained with emotion.

Three days after the cremation, the urn containing my mother’s ashes was delivered to our home. We all stood and bowed as the urn was brought into the dining room.

A few days later, I noticed that Papa had moved from his usual place at the dining table so as to face a wall, on which were placed photographs of Mama and himself in their old age. He tried various arrangements of the photos for a week before he was satisfied.

He also moved back to the bedroom he had shared with Mama for decades before her final illness. At the foot of his bed were another three photographs of Mama and himself.

The health of men often deteriorates after they lose their wives. The security officers and I watched Papa getting more frail every day. His facial features were grim, perhaps to mask his sadness and grief. I took one day at a time and persuaded him not to undertake any arduous trips to America or Europe. China and Japan were near enough and manageable. I was pleased to get him out of the house.

By July this year, Papa’s health had stabilised and even begun to improve gradually. I reminded myself of the analogy I used for him – titanium. Titanium is light but strong. It can bend a little, but it will not snap unless it is under overwhelming force.

Physically, we all eventually succumb. Papa is also mortal. But he is psychologically stronger than most people. Life has to carry on, and he will keep going so long as he can contribute to Singapore.

As I was halfway through writing this article, I went out of my room for a drink of water and saw a note from Papa addressed to all three of his children.

It read: ‘For reasons of sentiment, I would like part of my ashes to be mixed up with Mama’s, and both her ashes and mine put side by side in the columbarium. We were joined in life and I would like our ashes to be joined after this life.’ "

- More at AllSingaporeStuff.comhttp://www.allsingaporestuff.com/article/lkys-daughter-love-does-indeed-spring-eternalFB: http://fb.com/allsgstuf



Now, I'll just end with some of Lee Kuan Yew's quotes. Quotes may be repeated.

(taken from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/singapore/11489177/Lee-Kuan-Yew-his-most-memorable-quotes.html)

"I have never been overconcerned or obsessed with opinion polls or popularity polls. I think a leader who is, is a weak leader. If you are concerned with whether your rating will go up or down, then you are not a leader. You are just catching the wind ... you will go where the wind is blowing. And that's not what I am in this for."

"Between being loved and being feared, I have always believed Machiavelli was right. If nobody is afraid of me, I'm meaningless."

"If you are a troublemaker... it's our job to politically destroy you... Everybody knows that in my bag I have a hatchet, and a very sharp one. You take me on, I take my hatchet, we meet in the cul-de-sac."

"If you don't include your women graduates in your breeding pool and leave them on the shelf, you would end up a more stupid society... So what happens? There will be less bright people to support dumb people in the next generation. That's a problem."

"You know, the cure for all this talk is really a good dose of incompetent government. You get that alternative and you'll never put Singapore together again: Humpty Dumpty cannot be put together again... and your asset values will be in peril, your security will be at risk and our women will become maids in other people's countries, foreign workers."

"I wouldn't call myself an atheist. I neither deny nor accept that there is a God. So I do not laugh at people who believe in God. But I do not necessarily believe in God - nor deny that there could be one."

"Without her, I would be a different man, with a different life... I should find solace in her 89 years of a life well lived. But at this moment of the final parting, my heart is heavy with sorrow and grief."

"There is an end to everything and I want mine to come as quickly and painlessly as possible, not with me incapacitated, half in coma in bed and with a tube going into my nostrils and down to my stomach."

(from http://www.cnbc.com/id/102461743)

The eternal statesman:

"Even from my sickbed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave and I feel that something is going wrong, I will get up. Those who believe that after I have left the government as prime minister, I will go into a permanent retirement really should have their heads examined."

—National Day Rally of 1988, two years before he stepped down as prime minister.

On micromanagement:

"I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn't be here today. And I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn't be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters—who your neighbor is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think."

—National Day Rally of 1986.

The label of 'nanny state':

"If Singapore is a nanny state, then I'm proud to have fostered one."

—"From Third World to First: The Singapore Story - 1965-2000," written by Lee and published in 2000.

On fostering relationships:

"At the end of the day, what I cherish most are the human relationships. With the unfailing support of my wife and partner I have lived my life to the fullest. It is the friendships I made and the close family ties I nurtured that have provided me with that sense of satisfaction at a life well lived, and have made me what I am."

—A speech in 2003.

PC? No way:

"I always tried to be correct, not politically correct."

—"'From Third World to First: The Singapore Story."

Marriage advice:

"So when the graduate man does not want to marry a graduate woman, I tell him he's a fool, stupid. You marry a non-graduate, you're going to have problems, some children bright, some not bright. You'll be tearing your hair out. you can't miss."

—"Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going," written by Lee and published in 2011.

His place in Madame Tussauds:

"When I visited Madame Tussauds as a student in the 1940s … there were two groups of figures: the famous and the notorious, either British kings and famous leaders, or notorious murderers. I hope Madame Tussauds will not put my likeness too close to the notorious."

—"The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew," a collection of his quotes published in 2013.

On his legacy:

"I'm no longer in active politics. It's irrelevant to me what young Singaporeans think of me. What they think of me after I'm dead and gone in one generation will be determined by researchers who do PhDs on me, right? So there will be a lot of revisionism. As people revised Stalin, Brezhnev and one day now Yeltsin, and later on Putin. I've lived long enough to know that you may be idealized in life and reviled after you're dead."

— "Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going."

from https://sg.news.yahoo.com/lee-kuan-yew--thoughts-and-sayings-135540680.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31582842

Split from Malaysia

Transcript of an emotional press conference on 9 August 1965, after Malaysia voted to expel Singapore

"For me it is a moment of anguish because all my life... I have believed in merger and the unity of these two territories. You know, it's a people, connected by geography, economics, and ties of kinship. Would you mind if we stop for a while? [pause for Mr Lee to regain his composure]

[Several paragraphs later] There is nothing to be worried about it. Many things will go on just as usual. But be firm, be calm. We are going to have a multi-racial nation in Singapore... Everybody will have his place: equal; language, culture, religion."

Political opponents

On JB Jeyaretnam, a lawyer and opposition lawmaker who called for greater freedoms but was bankrupted by Mr Lee via the courts, in Lee Kuan Yew, The Man And His Ideas, 1997

"If you are a troublemaker… it's our job to politically destroy you. Put it this way. As long as JB Jeyaretnam stands for what he stands for - a thoroughly destructive force - we will knock him. Everybody knows that in my bag I have a hatchet, and a very sharp one. You take me on, I take my hatchet, we meet in the cul-de-sac."

The Singapore model

Interview with the New York Times, 29 August 2007

"We knew that if we were just like our neighbours, we would die. Because we've got nothing to offer against what they have to offer. So we had to produce something which is different and better than what they have. It's incorrupt. It's efficient. It's meritocratic. It works.

We are pragmatists... Does it work? Let's try it and if it does work, fine, let's continue it. If it doesn't work, toss it out, try another one. We are not enamoured with any ideology."

Future challenges

Interview with the New York Times on 13 Sept 2010

"The regret is there's such a narrow base to build this enormous edifice, so I've got to tell the next generation, please do not take for granted what's been built.

If you forget that this is a small island which we are built upon and reach a 100 storeys-high tower block and may go up to 150 if you are wise. But if you believe that it's permanent, it will come tumbling down and you will never get a second chance."

His legacy

Interview with the New York Times on 13 Sept 2010

"The final verdict will not be in the obituaries. The final verdict will be when the PhD students dig out the archives, read my old papers, assess what my enemies have said, sift the evidence and seek the truth.

I'm not saying that everything I did was right, but everything I did was for an honourable purpose."

http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/187723.Lee_Kuan_Yew

“I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn't be here today. And I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn't be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters - who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.” 
― Lee Kuan Yew

“To straddle the middle ground and win elections, we have to be in charge of the political agenda. This can only be done by not being beaten in the argument with our critics. They complain that I come down too hard on their arguments. But wrong ideas have to be challenged before they influence public opinion and make for problems. Those who try to be clever at the expense of the government should not complain if my replies are as sharp as their criticisms.” 
― Lee Kuan Yew, From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000

“Mine is a very matter-of-fact approach to the problem. If you can select a population and they're educated and they're properly brought up, then you don't have to use too much of the stick because they would already have been trained. 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.” 
― Lee Kuan Yew

“He took over, and he said: 'If I have to shoot 200,000 students to save China from another 100 years of disorder, so be it.'" - Recalling how former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping dealt with the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests” 

― Lee Kuan Yew (okay this is another very scary quote)

“Put it this way. As long as Jeyaretnam [Workers' Party leader] stands for what he stands for -- a thoroughly destructive force for me -- we will knock him. There are two ways of playing this. One, a you attack the policies; two, you attack the system. Jeyaretnam was attacking the system, he brought the Chief Justice into it. If I want to fix you, do I need the Chief Justice to fix you? Everybody knows that in my bag I have a hatchet, and a very sharp one. You take me on, I take my hatchet, we meet in the cul-de-sac. That's the way I had to survive in the past. That's the way the communists tackled me. He brought the Chief Justice into the political arena. He brought my only friend in university into our quarrel. How dare he!” 
― Lee Kuan Yew

“That was the year the British decided to get out and sell everything. So I immediately held an election. I knew the people will be dead scared. And I won my bet big-time. The gullible fools! ” 
― Lee Kuan Yew

“You know, the cure for all this talk is really a good dose of incompetent government. You get that alternative and you'll never put Singapore together again: Humpty Dumpty cannot be put together again... my asset values will disappear, my apartments will be worth a fraction of what they were, my ministers' jobs will be in peril, their security will be at risk and their women will become maids in other people's countries, foreign workers. I cannot have that!" - Justifying million-dollar pay hike for Singapore ministers” 
― Lee Kuan Yew

“If, for instance, you put in a Malay officer who's very religious and who has family ties in Malaysia in charge of a machine gun unit, that's a very tricky business. We've got to know his background... I'm saying these things because they are real, and if I don't think that, and I think even if today the Prime Minister doesn't think carefully about this, I and my family could have a tragedy.” 

― Lee Kuan Yew (this is why Malays don't get high ranks in the army)

“When you're Singapore's leader and your existence depends on performance - extraordinary performance, better than your competitors - when that performance disappears because the system on which it's been based becomes eroded, then you've lost everything... I try to tell the younger generation that and they say the old man is playing the same record, we've heard it all before. I happen to know how we got here and I know how we can unscramble it." - On one freak election result ruining Singapore” 
― Lee Kuan Yew

http://mothership.sg/2014/09/91-quotes-of-lee-kuan-yew-that-show-why-you-either-love-or-hate-him/

16. On Lee Hsien Loong (2): “If I were not the Prime Minister, he [Lee Hsien Loong] could have become Prime Minister several years earlier. It is against my interest to allow any family member, who’s incapable, to be holding an important job because that would be a disaster for Singapore and my legacy. That cannot be allowed. 2005 The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

17. On whether he was proud of his son being the PM: “Yeah, but at the same time, I must be very careful that he is not going to smudge the record.. Well, he has got a tough time, but he has got more resources than I had when I started.”  Tom Plate’s Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew 

20. On Chinese President Xi Jinping: “I would put him in Nelson Mandela’s class of persons. A person with enormous emotional stability who does not allow his personal misfortunes or sufferings to affect his judgement. In other words, he is impressive.” TIME Nov 19, 2007

21. On late DPM Goh Keng Swee: “Of all my Cabinet colleagues, it was Goh Keng Swee who made the greatest difference to the outcome for Singapore…When he held a contrary view, he would challenge my decisions and make me reexamine the premises on which they were made. As a result, we reached better decisions for Singapore.” Eulogy at the State Funeral service for Goh Keng Swee, May 23, 2010.

23. On unions: “I started my political life fighting for the unions as their legal adviser and negotiator. By the mid-1950s the communists had gained control of most of them, and both communists and non-communist unions had turned combative. To attract investments, we had to free unions from communist control and educate union leaders and workers on the need to create new jobs by getting investments”. From Third World to First: The S’pore Story: 1965-2000.

Lee Kuan Yew’s hard truths of life

24. On being complacent: “What I fear is complacency. When things always become better, people tend to want more for less work.” Speech at the 10th Anniversary Celebrations of the Jalan Tenteram Community Centre, 27th June 1970 Lee Kuan Yew in his own words, 1959-1970

26. On saying no: “You lose nothing by being polite. The answer is ‘No’, but please say it politely and give the reasons… Explain to me why ‘No’. Don’t change ‘No’ to ‘Yes’. Don’t be a fool. If there was a good reason why it is ‘No’, it must remain ‘No’, but the man must be told politely.” to Civil Servants at the Victoria Theatre, 30 Sep 1965, Lee Kuan Yew in his own words, 1959-1970

27. On life: “Life is not just eating, drinking, television and cinema…The human mind must be creative, must be self-generating; it cannot depend on just gadgets to amuse itself.” Speech at Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Haji Celebrations held at Joo Seng Community Centre, 28th Feb 1970, Lee Kuan Yew in his own words, 1959-1970

28. On importance of men in NS: “I have read several books written by generals about wars fought by other generals. The thing I am constantly reminded of is that from the moment the commander has pressed the button, control of the events goes over to the local commanders until the battle was over. During the heat of battle it is the captain, the lieutenant, the sergeant, the corporal, who makes the decisions.” Speech at the Opening Ceremony of Outram Park Complex, 8th May 1970, Lee Kuan Yew in his own words, 1959-1970

29. On interfering in S’poreans’ private lives: “I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn’t be here today. And I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn’t be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters – who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.” The Straits Times, 20 April 1987

30. On eugenics: “There are many sons of doctors who have married doctors. Those who married spouses who are not as bright are tearing their hair out because their children can’t make it. I have lived long enough to see all this play out.”

“So when the graduate man does not want to marry a graduate woman, I tell him he’s a fool, stupid. You marry a non-graduate, you’re going to have problems, some children bright, some not bright. You’ll be tearing your hair out. you can’t miss. It’s like two dice. One is Jack, Queen, King, Ace, other also Jack, Queen, King, Ace. You throw a Jack, Queen, King, Ace against dice two, three, four, five, six, what do you get? You can’t get high pairs, let alone a full flush.” Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going

31. On Muslims in Singapore (1): “No, I’m not saying that. I think the Muslims socially do not cause any trouble, but they are distinct and separate.The generation that worked with me – Othman Wok, Rahim Ishak – that was before the wave came sweeping back, sweeping them; that generation integrated well. We drank beer, we went canvassing, we went electioneering, we ate together. Now they say, “Are the plates clean?” I said, “You know, same washing machine.” Halal, non-halal and so on, I mean, they are all divisive. They are distinguishing me from you: “I’m a believer, you are not.” That’s that. Nobody doubts the hygiene. It’s got nothing to do with hygiene, it’s got to do with the religious conviction that this is not something you do.”
“In those days, you didn’t have a school tuckshop, so you bought two cents of nasi lemak and you ate it. And there was a kway teow man and so on. But now, you go to schools with Malay and Chinese, there’s a halal and non-halal segment and so too, the universities. And they tend to sit separately, not to be contaminated. All that becomes a social divide. Now I’m not saying right or wrong, I’m saying that’s the demands of the religion but the consequences are a veil across and I think it was designed to be so. Islam is exclusive.” Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going

LKY later concedes that this view of his was outdated, see quote #91.

32. On Muslims in Singapore (2): “We could not have held the society together if we had not made adjustments to the system that gives the Malays, although they are not as hardworking and capable as the other races, a fair share of the cake”. Tom Plate’s Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew 

(Ouch. He's is so frank. He says what he says, unafraid of offending people, as long as it's the truth. I'm sorry Malays and Muslims, but it is true generally. I know some of my Muslim friends who eat from non-Halal places as long as there's no pork/lard. And yet, there are some friends who are so religious but they smoke cigarettes. What?! Aren't they both prohibited?)

33. On S’pore youth today: “No (it is not possible to influence young people), you can influence the basic attitudes from the day they are born to about 16 or 17. [..] They have a mind of their own and they are influenced by what they see around them and by their peers.” One Man’s View of the World.

34. On why Heaven does not need a Population White Paper: “I wish I can meet my wife in the hereafter, but I don’t think I will. I just cease to exist just as she has ceased to exist – otherwise the other world would be overpopulated.” One Man’s View of the World. (Oh dear, he doesn't believe in heaven. What if on the other side of the world, we don't need food, water and air to keep us alive? Maybe there is rebirth to solve the overpopulation problem. Haha who knows)

38. On golfing: I used to play golf, but found it did not give me vitality because it’s a slothful game… Nine holes of golf will take you one and a half, two hours. I run in 20 minutes, I feel better off. So the cost benefit made me drop golf. Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going (yeah. Golf isn't a vigorous sport. Like archery and shooting.)

39. On love: I don’t believe in love at first sight. I think it’s a grave mistake. You’re attracted by physical characteristics and you will regret it. Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going (I think so too)

40. On corporal punishment: “I have never understood why Western educationists are so much against corporal punishment. It did my fellow students and me no harm.” 1998, The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew (I agree. I think adequate amount of physical punishment benefits children. They are at the age when some only listen to punishment and not advice. Like me, whoops)

42. On meditation: I used to meditate. I started meditation about 1992 when my friend, who was speaker of Parliament, retired, and was dying of lung cancer…I found my breathing slows down and I think my heartbeat goes down and my blood pressure goes down. So, I use that as a kind of escape from stress.” Tom Plate’s Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew (he meditates!)

43. On why he writes his books: “Well, my purpose in writing my books is to get the average ‘O’ level graduates, which is Grade 10 graduates, to read it and understand it.”  Tom Plate’s Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew

44. On homosexuality: “No it’s not a lifestyle. You can read the books you want, all the articles. You know that there’s a genetic difference. They are born that way and that’s that. So if two men or two women are that way, just leave them alone.” Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going (I never approved of it, but until I watched a video of a little girl who insists that she is a boy, I realised it was in the genes. They can't help it. But well, LKY and I can say this easily since it's not our family members. Will he say things differently if he has a kid who is homosexual or transgender? I don't think I will be able to accept that, truth be told."

45. On homosexuality (2): If in fact it is true, and I have asked doctors this, that you are genetically born a homosexual – because that’s the nature of the genetic random transmission of genes – you can’t help it. So why should we criminalise it?” 2007, The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

46. On the media: “Freedom of the press, freedom of the news media, must be subordinated to the overriding needs of the integrity of Singapore, and to the primacy of purpose of an elected government”, Address To The General Assembly Of The International Press Institute At Helsinki, 9th June, 1971

47. On why he chose Tanjong Pagar: “Tanjong Pagar is a working class area. No other division has such a high proportion of workers, wage-earners, small traders and such a low proportion of wealthy merchants and landlords living in it. I wanted to represent workers, wage earners and small traders, not wealthy merchants or landlords. So I chose Tanjong Pagar not Tanglin,” Election Speech – Why I Chose Tanjong Pagar, 17th March, 1955

48. Role of an MP: “An MP must now not only be good at speaking but also at getting things done. When an estate is dirty, out of order, and rubbish not regularly and properly collected, that is when residents realise that without regular maintenance, the value of their flats will drop.” 1992, The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

49. On Americans: “The Americans are great missionaries. They have an irrepressible urge to convert others.”, 1992, The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

50. On fashion: “I’m not interested in changing either my suit or my car or whatver with every change in fashion. That’s irrelevant. I don’t judge myself or my friends by their fashions. Of course, I don’t approve of people who are sloppy and unnecessarily shabby or dishevelled… But I’m not impressed by a $5,000 or $10,000 Armani suit.” 1995,  The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

51. On democracy: “But we either believe in democracy or we not. If we do, then, we must say categorically, without qualification, that no restraint from the any democratic processes, other than by the ordinary law of the land, should be allowed… If you believe in democracy, you must believe in it unconditionally. If you believe that men should be free, then, they should have the right of free association, of free speech, of free publication. Then, no law should permit those democratic processes to be set at nought.” – as an opposition leader, April 27, 1955

52. On political opposition: “If we had considered them serious political figures, we would not have kept them politically alive for so long. We could have bankrupt them earlier.” – Straits Times, Sept 14 2003 (he is scary)

53. On political opposition (2): “And I don’t think it’s the numbers in the opposition which counts. It’s the quality of the alternative which you put before the people”. Transcript of ABC “Four Corners” Segment No.855, For Assembly in Sydney, recorded in Melbourne, Australia. Lee Kuan Yew in his own words, 1959-1970

54. On repression: “Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love-it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack. All you have to do is to dissolve organizations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies. Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface. Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they’re conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict.” – as an opposition PAP member speaking to David Marshall, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Debates, 4 October, 1956

55. On the art of governance: “Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him. Or give it up. This is not a game of cards. This is your life and mine. I’ve spent a whole lifetime building this and as long as I’m in charge, nobody is going to knock it down.” Rally speech at Raffles Place, 1980 (he is the real Iron Man)

56. On the art of governance: “I have no headline material to offer you tonight. In fact, I believe that the art of Government is, in part, the art of not creating headlines in the world press.” Speech at Foreign Correspondents Association, 16th Sep, 1959, Lee Kuan Yew in his own words, 1959-1970

57. On the art of governance (2): “[i]f I were in authority in Singapore indefinitely, without having to ask those who are governing whether they like what is being done, then I have not the slightest doubt that I could govern much more effectively in their own interests.” May, 1962, at the Royal Society of International Affairs, London, Lee Kuan Yew in his own words, 1959-1970 (Well I guess people are not really wrong that he is a dictator? But you know he wants everything to be for our own good)

58. On waking up late: “Today, I was a bit late because I took some time in getting up; slept late last night; some work to be done; two functions in the evening. But that is important. I like to tell you this because I think this is what we all must do: ‘sleep well of nights’. You know Shakespeare, ‘Give me men that sleep well of nights’. That is what he said. I think it right. Men who worry, you know, read all this, and they start shouting all this they get worried themselves, night time comes, they can’t sleep. Next morning they wake up, mind befuddled, wrong decisions, more trouble!” Tanjong Katong School, during tour of Mountbatten Constituency, 13th June, 1965 Lee Kuan Yew in his own words, 1959-1970

61. On a typical S’porean: “You know the Singaporean. He is a hard-working, industrious, rugged individual. Or we would not have made the grade. But let us also recognise that he is a champion grumbler. 1977 The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

63. On Americans’ view of Singapore: “They don’t know where Singapore is, they are not interested. They think of only Michael Fay, then maybe caning, chewing gum… strange odd place this Singapore”. Tom Plate’s Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew 

64. On anyone who made the most interesting case that he felt he had to listen to: “A few Harvard professors, I can’t remember”.  Tom Plate’s Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew (ouch, but HAHAHA)

65. On being PM today again, hypothetically speaking…“If I were in charge of Singapore today, I would introduce a baby bonus equal to two years’ worth of the average Singaporean’s salary.” One Man’s View of the World.

66. Madame Tussaud: “When I visited Madame Tussaud’s as a student in the 1940s…there were two groups of figures: the famous and the notorious, either British kings and famous leaders, or notorious murderers. I hope Madame Tussaud’s will not put my likeness too close to the notorious.” 1998 The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

67. On losing his temper: “I have never, I never try to lose my temper. Maybe I have occasionally, but I try to control it…If I am really angry, my body language will show that I am most dissatisfied” Tom Plate’s Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew 

68 JBJ’s birthday present: “Jeyaretnam says he has drawn Cheng San out of a hat and that an election win will be a birthday present for him. It will be a very expensive birthday present for the people of Cheng San.” 1996, The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew (Oof!)

70 On leadership (2): “Amazingly, throughout most of the contemporary Western world leaders in government require no special training or qualification. Many get elected because they sound and look good on television. The results have been unhappy for their voters.” 1996, The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

71 On his critics: “Not all who oppose the PAP are communists; some are communists, some reactionaries, some opportunists and some merely confused.” 1961, The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

72 On governing: “You’ve got to do one of two things when you’ve got to keep people happy: either, give them something that will satisfy them, better food, better clothes, better homes; or if you can’t do that, then give them the vision of greatness to come”. Luncheon held by the Australian Institue of Management at the Australia Hotel, Sydney, Australia, 22 March, 1965, Lee Kuan Yew in his own words, 1959-1970

Lee Kuan Yew and his analogies

74. No news is good news: “I have always thought it strange that a country figures prominently in the world press mainly when it is in trouble…Nobody in the rest of the world heard much about Singapore until it was captured by the Japanese in 1942 or again until there were riots in 1955 and 1956 in the course of one of which two members of your fraternity were killed. I have come to believe that, so far as the foreign press is concerned, no news is good news.” Speech at Foreign Correspondents Association, 16th Sep, 1959, Lee Kuan Yew in his own words, 1959-1970

75. “Rest on laurels? I wish I could do that. No, you rest when you’re dead”. 1978, The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

76. “I always tried to be correct, not politically correct.” 2000 The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

77. S’pore as a nanny state: If Singapore is a nanny state, then I am proud to have fostered one. (From Third World to First, The Singapore Story: 1965-2000)

78. On Machiavelli’s The Prince: “I have never been over concerned or obsessed with opinion polls or popularity polls. I think a leader who is, is a weak leader. Between being loved and being feared, I have always believed Machiavelli was right. If nobody is afraid of me, I’m meaningless. (The Singapore story: memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew)

79. Of S’poreans and Dogs: “If you can select a population and they’re educated and they’re properly brought up, then you don’t have to use too much of the stick because they would already have been trained. 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.” (The Man and His Ideas)

80. Car Analogy: “The theory of the democratic state is that there is a good motor car in good mechanical condition, with mechanics, fitters and so on to keep it sound. And there is a driver there to take the minister where he wants to go. It is for the minister, having been elected by the people, to decide where the driver is to go and how and by what route. It is the business of the civil service – the driver, the fitters and the rest – to keep that car in sound mechanical condition.” The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

81. Manna and Heaven: “The poor know that you don’t get manna falling from heaven, not in Singapore anyway”, 1976, The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

82. Nobody’s stooge: “I am nobody’s stooge. I am not here to play somebody else’s game. I have a few million people’s lives to account for. And Singapore will survive will trade with the whole world and will remain non Communist”, Press Conference at City Hall, 26th August 1965, Lee Kuan Yew in his own words, 1959-1970

Comments only LKY can make

84. I make no apologies that the PAP is the Government and the Government is the PAP. Petir, 1982 (he's damn bad ass)

85. Even from my sick bed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave and I feel something is going wrong, I will get up. (1988 National Day Rally)

86. If Aljunied decides to go that way, well Aljunied has five years to live and repent, General Elections 2011 (LOL. This is why someone on Fb decided to write a post about LKY creating Singapore in 7 days.)

87. “At the end of the day, if you are in Aljunied, ask yourself: Do you want one MP, one Non-Constituency MP, one celebrity who has been away 30 years, and two unknowns to look after you? Or would you prefer me and my hand-picked colleagues?” General Elections 2011

88. “My colleagues are not intimidated by me. Far from it. They speak their minds. Nothing has happened to them. But if we allow vicious, evil attacks to pass unchallenged – then the whole system must be undermined.” 1988 The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

89. “I have been accused of many things in my life, but not even my worst enemy has ever accused me of being afraid to speak my mind.” 1955, The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew (Of course. OTL)

90. “One-man-one-vote is a most difficult form of government.. Results can be erratic.” –  Dec 19 1984

91. “Hard Truths was a book based on 32 hours of interviews over a period of two years. I made this one comment on the Muslims integrating with other communities probably two or three years ago. Ministers and MPs, both Malay and non-Malay, have since told me that Singapore Malays have indeed made special efforts to integrate with the other communities, especially since 9/11, and that my call is out of date. I stand corrected, but only just this instance! I hope that this trend will continue in the future.” ( he admits he's out of date.)

https://vulcanpost.com/175221/founding-father-lee-kuan-yew/ 

“You’ve got to do one of two things when you’ve got to keep people happy: either, give them something that will satisfy them, better food, better clothes, better homes; or if you can’t do that, then give them the vision of greatness to come”.

— At a luncheon held by the Australian Institute of Management at the Australia Hotel, Sydney, Australia, 22 March, 1965

“I am nobody’s stooge. I am not here to play somebody else’s game. I have a few million people’s lives to account for.”

— At a Press Conference at City Hall, 26th August 1965

“I wouldn’t call myself an atheist. I neither deny nor accept that there is a God.” (apparently this is called agnostic)

“There is an end to everything and I want mine to come as quickly and painlessly as possible, not with me incapacitated, half in coma in bed and with a tube going into my nostrils and down to my stomach.”

— From One Man’s View of the World

“Rest on laurels? I wish I could do that. No, you rest when you’re dead.”

— From The Wit & Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

“I wish I can meet my wife in the hereafter, but I don’t think I will. I just cease to exist just as she has ceased to exist – otherwise the other world would be overpopulated.”

— From One Man’s View of the World. (Maybe reincarnation is the solution to the other world's overpopulation)

It's 24/3/15 now. It has 1+ day since you passed away on 23 March 2015 at 3.18am. I still tear up when I read the obituaries on the news. Will you find a heaven after these 7 days? If only you could tell us.

Edit:

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/brother-used-his-wits-help-family-20150324#xtor=CS1-10
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/my-wonderful-big-brother-20150324#xtor=CS1-10
http://www.todayonline.com/rememberinglky/he-will-never-say-do-do
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/remembering-lee-kuan-yew-daughter-lee-wei-ling-mr-lee-fa
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/mr-lee-kuan-yews-red-box-heng-swee-keat-20150324#xtor=CS1-10http://
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/orchid-named-after-mr-lee-kuan-yew-matches-the-hybrid-na#xtor=CS1-10 http://
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/pm-mr-lee-kuan-yew-when-you-needed-him-he-was-there-2015#xtor=CS1-10http://
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/remembering-lee-kuan-yew-father-gave-advice-let-us-decid#xtor=CS1-10http://
https://vulcanpost.com/175221/founding-father-lee-kuan-yew/

Edit edit: I went to Central Library today and left a condolence message for Mr Lee's family.

Edit edit edit: Yesterday I went to the Parliament House to pay my respects to LKY. 4+pm to 9.30pm = 5 hours. 10 seconds to walk past his coffin. His coffin was on a platform and at a distance, so I couldn't see his face. Maybe I saw his nose, or maybe that wasn't his nose. :( Disappointed. But at least I got to bow to him.