SINGAPORE: Today marks exactly 100 years since the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew was born, and his eldest son, current PM Lee Hsien Loong, acknowledged this occasion by promoting the events and activities the Government has organized to commemorate the late elder statesman’s centennial birth anniversary.
Mr Lee Hsien Loong wrote on Facebook: “Today would have been my father’s 100th birthday. Those of his generation saw and experienced how Mr Lee and our founding fathers shaped the values and ideals of a newly independent Singapore, and launched us on our journey of nation building. Succeeding generations of Singaporeans upheld these fundamental ideals — meritocracy, religious freedom and racial harmony, justice and equality, self-reliance, integrity and incorruptibility — and collectively created a vibrant, thriving metropolis.”
He then provided a list of the initiatives organised to mark his father’s birth centenary and said that these activities “highlights an aspect of Mr Lee and the values he upheld.”
How Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s remaining children view these events remains unclear. In response to events organized to commemorate their father’s first death anniversary in 2016, Mr Lee’s only daughter, Dr Lee Wei Ling, said he would have “cringed at the hero worship.”
In a Facebook post, she added, “…in looking at acts of commemoration in general, I would ask how the time, effort and resources used to prepare these would benefit Singapore and Singaporeans.”
Asserting that “Papa was dead set against a personality cult and any hint of cronyism,” Dr Lee said:
“Papa’s focus never wavered. What he did was all for the welfare of the nation and its people. Yes, it is good that we remember history. But it would be even better if we honour Lee Kuan Yew by working for the well-being of Singapore and Singaporeans.
Any veneration could have the opposite effect and lead future generations of Singaporeans to think that my father’s actions were motivated by his desire for fame, or creation of a dynasty. He strove hard and determinedly in life to advance Singapore, and not for his place in history, or leaving a great legacy. He is a rare politician and leader, who did what he had to do with no thought to any gain for himself.”
Dr Lee and her younger brother, Lee Kuan Yew’s youngest son, Lee Hsien Yang, are estranged from their elder brother, PM Lee Hsien Loong.
Dr Lee is now extremely unwell, diagnosed with a rare brain disorder with no cure. Mr Lee Hsien Yang, meanwhile, was served legal papers today (16 Sept) by two prominent members of his elder brother’s Cabinet as part of a defamation lawsuit.
Lee Hsien Yang asks the public to judge why Ministers are not suing him in the UK