Even non-Singaporeans benefited
Remembering Lee Kuan Yew
The world praises LKY.
Allow me to pen my feelings for Singapore though “My
Introduction To Singapore” is trivial.
My Introduction To
Singapore | It was on the Merlion’s City State National Day that I came to
know Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.
I was a small boy, age 10. In 1970, Teck Trading on Newcome
Road, delivered our first black and white television set to our home. They
erected a pole of three G.I. pipes each of length 6 meter. After getting the
finest direction for the fish-bone antenna, they tested Channel 5 and Channel 8.
Tuned to Singapore, we are lucky to learn endless creative, innovative,
user-friendly, community-friendly, and environmental-friendly ideas. The
imported Japanese television set was our window to follow this progressive
nation.
Among a few favourite programmes for the day, or in fact for
the year, vividly I
remembered just two we like on the glass. Jack Lalanne Show is one. Singapore’s
National Day Parade is the other.
Mr. Lee Kuan Yew had impressed a non-Singaporean young boy
of age 10 like me at first sight.
Mr. Lee spoke in English Language followed by Chinese
Language when he addressed the nation on August the 9th.
My respect for Mr. Lee Kuan Yew escalated continuously ever
since I began to watch NDP graced by Benjamin Sheares and thereafter, Chengara
Veetil Devan Nair right up to the 49th NDP last year. It was awesome
to learnt that the Inaugural President was Yusof Ishak.
Mr. Lee and his colleagues built Singapore by treating
everyone equally, regardless of race, language or religion.
“My eyes would lock to the Sharp Box-TV on
Aug 9 each year from 1970s onwards. Why ?
This is because the greater show for each year
is aired and is none other than the Singapore National Day Parade. Come August,
I’ll remember a man worked from young to old not for himself but for the future
of Singapore’s children. He is Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.
Early this week, I’ve read e-news about his
latest book, “One Man’s View of the World” and am touched with his toughts. Mr.
Lee Kuan Yew’s 50-years struggle to transform Singapore from a polyglot former
British colony into a united nation is a reality today, no more a vision.
Singapore has many success stories and Singapore improved from parade to parade
with the foresight of Mr. Lee.
I had the good fortune of learning from
Singapore National Day Parade. Singaporeans standing up for the parade, walking
down the memory lane will feel the mystic aura of the charm and charisma of
this great nation and the unblemished tradition set by Mr. Lee.”
On
Transportation
Mr. Lee
Kuan Yew saw the need from the early days. In 1979, the buses were already
appearing on every bus-stop when I visited a friend who did his Engineering
Course in the NUS. The roads are clean and I cannot remember I see a road pot
hole on the road.
On
Environment
The making
of a Garden City is engineered by Mr. Lee and he and his team even evaluated
details as to the plant types, the drainage systems and the topography of the whole nation. I noted the greening in
the same trip in 1979.
On Housing
Everyone
owns a home and that amazed me when back home many still couldn’t afford to own
one these times.
Even though
I am a non-Singaporean, I learnt a lot from him from listening to his speeches,
and from reading his books. Mr. Lee is my lifelong teacher at far.
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