PM Lee pays tribute to his late teacher who instilled in him a passion for the Malay language

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid tribute to his Malay teacher Cikgu Haji Muhammad Amin Shafawi, who passed away early this morning (1 Sept). Revealing that his late teacher instilled a passion for the Malay language in him, Mr Lee wrote on Facebook:

“Very saddened to learn that my old Malay teacher Cikgu Haji Muhammad Amin Shafawi passed away early this morning. Cikgu Amin taught me Malay, starting when I was a young boy of 5.

“His passion for the language rubbed off on me and gave me and his many other students a good foundation in the language for life.”

Mr Lee added that he visited Cikgu Amin sometime in March this year before the COVID-19 circuit breaker kicked in. Revealing that his former teacher still voted in the July election despite his declining health, the head of government thanked Cikgu Amin for his support and wrote:

“I was glad to have a chance to visit him in March before the circuit breaker. In spite of his illness, Cikgu made a great effort to vote in the recent GE. I am grateful for his support and friendship through the years.”

He added: “My condolences to Cikgu Jamilah Ghazali and the family.”