Thanking Singaporeans in the four official languages for walking the ground with him during the recent elections, Mr Lee Hsien Yang, younger son of the late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, wrote: “Please know that your support means the world to me.”
His initial Facebook post, “MY JOURNEY, OUR JOURNEY, OUR SINGAPORE”, was published on July 17, and Mr Lee had it translated into Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. The latest version, in Tamil, was published on Sunday (July 26).
Summing up his journey walking the ground as a member of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), Mr Lee wrote: “My biggest shout out has to be to the many capable and courageous men and women who stood as candidates on an alternative ticket.”
“The outcome of GE2020 was truly hard earned for Singaporeans. Stakes were high and so were the risks,” he added.
“My wife and three sons have stood by me throughout. They have been steadfast in their love and support even as they have had to face attacks because they are my family. Without asking, they have been my dream back-up team,” he said.
Recounting his own life, Mr Lee said that through his foray into politics, “I began to realise that there are now ‘two Singapores’ — one for those close to or in the circle of the PAP’s natural aristocracy, and another for ordinary Singaporeans, who live a life of fear and struggle in a maze where they search for crumbs”.
“Times have changed, Singapore has changed. People have changed and I, too, have evolved.
“We need a new compact between the government and our people.
“GE2020 has demonstrated that Singapore wants different,” he said.
In his multi-lingual message, Mr Lee pushed that “we need to keep the conversation going. Keep asking questions. Speak up and support political parties you believe in”. He urged Singaporeans to volunteer to help political parties they believed in.
“Push for an open government and a fair and free press. Decry rule by oppression and fear, and the use of an internet brigade. Shout out against conflicts of interest in government. Continue to make our voices heard on issues and volunteer in the ways and means we can. Participate in public petitions, scrutinise and comment on legislation. Speak up against legislation made for political gain. Speak truth to power,” he urged.
“We must do this because we care for our future.
And because we love our Singapore,” Mr Lee said.
He had the full message translated in all four languages, with a pdf version to the one in Tamil posted on his Facebook page as well.
“A friend helped translate ‘My Journey, Our Journey, Our Singapore’ into Tamil. As I have had difficulty with getting the fonts to display properly, I am uploadling it as image files,” Mr Lee wrote. /TISG