Post by Isaac Ho on Mar 31, 2015 17:29:19 GMT -5
FAREWELL TO THE LATE MR. LEE KWAN YEW, FOUNDING FATHER OF
MODERN SINGAPORE (1922-2015).
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Written by Isaac Ho, the Admin & Founder of this Forum
The Holy Scriptures said that all that lives must die someday - as from dust man was created and to dust man must return to its
original state.
We are all mortals and since the fall of our first family- Adam and Eve - we must die someday - either to the City of God or else
to the inferno which is reserved for those unrepented souls.
Indeed, it is with much sadness and reluctance that we say a final farewell to the late Mr. Lee Kwan Yew, the Modern National
Founder of today's Singapore.
Mr. Lee single-handedly and at the helm of his party People's Action Party (PAP) together with his colleagues build Singapore, a small and insignificant fishing village (first discovered by Sir Stamford Raffles on behalf of Great Britain) and transformed it within three decades since 1965 to become a thriving, advanced and modern island-state; it is second to none and the envy of all developing nations in Southeast Asia.
Mindful that Singapore possess no natural resources whatsoever, save the determination, resolve and diligent of its frugal and
hardworking people led by resourceful and wise leader named Lee Kwan Yew.
In 1963, Lee Kwan Yew knew that in order to contain the destructive communist elements in the British-ruled Singapore, he
had to win the hearts and minds of the people and strive to gain independence.
But the British colonialists were not so easily convinced to hand over the government of Singapore to the likes of Lee Kwan Yew.
Lee then joined Malaysia under the Prime Ministership of Tunku Abdul Rahman and the "battle for political merger" with Malaysia
was formed and he succeeded to join the island of Singapore with Malaysia - the majority were Muslim Malays and some of them
were fanatics and extremists...!
Lee Kwan Yew thus became just an ordinary member of the Malaysian Parliament, even though he was the Prime Minister of tiny
Singapore.
As an ex-Malaysian (now Canadian), I remembered very vividly the oratorical skills of Lee Kwan Yew in both fluent English and
local Malay language as well as Mandarin, his propounding principles of a fair and equal fair-minded Malaysia in which, regardless of racial origins, languages and customs, all Malaysians must be treated as Malaysians and not as former immigrants, so long as
they are all born in the country.
He expounded at length and fought very vigorously in the Malaysian Parliament the important concept of MALAYSIAN MALAYSIA
and not a Malay Malaysia, nor a Chinese Malaysia, nor even an Indian Malaysia.
His political views angered and enraged the extremists and ultras within the majority party in Malaysia at that time (UMNO),
or the United Malays National Organization) which vehemently refused to share even the basic human rights with the non-Malays,
which are the Chinese, Indians and others...!
At one stage, these extremists contemplated to jail Lee Kwan Yew under false charges and "traitor to the cause of Malay Malaysia!
Often these Malay political extremists unfairly accused Lee Kwan Yew of betraying the country and pointed lying fingers against
his actions.
Lee Kwan Yew, being Cambridge-educated lawyer, out smarted these extremists and sued them in court successfully.
Indeed, Lee became an object of scorn and of attack in Parliament...it came ahead and the only way to avoid racial violence
and bloodshed, the Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman finally had to "divorced" or separated Singapore from
Malaysia for good.
In 1965, Mr. Lee Kwan Yew, his PAP and Singapore was informally by an act of the Malaysian Parliament expelled or expunged
from Malaysia forever...!
At the TV Singapore interview, Lee Kwan Yew broke down and shed genuine tears of sorrow from being politically divided and
permanent separation from the Malaysian Chinese people which he lovingly called the next of kinship...!
Mr. Lee Kwan Yew than concentrated and single-handedly led Singapore to full independence and with his thoughts and charisma
he created Singapore to become a first class developed nation.
Lee earned the respects and recognition of his political peers which included Deng Shaoping, Henry Kissinger and all the Western
leaders of United Europe.
Hence at his funeral several international leaders from China, United States, South Korea, Japan, Indian, Cambodia and Vietnam
attended the last rites of Lee Kwan Yew.
A million Singaporeans lined the tree-lined streets to bade him farewell and unison called emotionally his name LEE KWAN YEW
repeatedly as the hearse bearing his remains drove down the modern thoroughfares.
Their cries were even heard from the sky above sorrowful Singapore...the passing of a great man of LKY stature...!
The timely rain came and sheded its load which many believe that even the august heaven cried for the departing LKY.
May the soul of LKY rests in eternal peace forever more...as the baton has been passed on to his son, Lee Hsien Loong, the
present Prime Minister of Singapore along with all able cabinet ministers.
For readers and visitors who have read my message and wish to know more about the life and times of the late Mr. Lee Kwan
Yew, they are cordially invited to visited the official website of the Singapore Straits Times:-