Today marks the final day Singapore mourns the passing of her founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew or ‘Ah Gong’ as most born and bred Singaporeans lovingly referred him to even though he wasn’t exactly our father’s father. But Mr Lee Kuan Yew was grandfather to us all.
There had been numerous tributes to Mr Lee written on news platforms across the globe, not to mention the varying, more opinionated pieces people of blogosphere had to offer. Hundreds of thousands people formed long lines of queue snaking across the Padang at all hours of the day just to pay their respects to our Founding Prime Minister of Singapore. They braved the blazing hot sun and long hours of queues for a few seconds with the late Mr Lee. And now, just like Singapore’s very first National Day Parade, Singaporeans brave the heavy rain as they wait for the cortege to drive past.
Like most in my generation, we learnt about Mr Lee through textbooks and never got the chance to see Singapore develop from the 3rd world country it was during the 1960s to the thriving, metropolitan city we live in now. Without this man and his extraordinary vision, establishing our ‘Little Red Dot’ nation on the map, and building it from a ‘mudflat to a metropolis’ in such a short period of time is impossible.
I wake up every day in a well maintained HDB flat, with pristine running water from the tap and steady supply of electricity. The cables supplying the electricity are buried deep underground, yet we know that it works. Green trees, flowering shrubs lined the roads we drive past every day. Everywhere were tall, tall buildings shooting towards the sky representing the iconic Singapore skyline. 50 years ago, when my parents were still children, these were all but a dream. And they’ve reminded me over and over again to be grateful because they’ve seen how Singapore transformed from a fledgling nation to a successful country many countries in the world wanted to model after.
I am proud to be a Singaporean, to call Singapore the home that I’ll always come back to no matter how far and wide I travel. Sure, there are things about my country that many of the younger generations are frustrated about. But in the end, there isn’t a place as efficient, as clean and as multi-cultural as Singapore.
The future generation will never get to see the man whose vision made Singapore the way it is now, and the way it will progress in the future. Though the young kids in school have no idea why the national flag flies at half mast throughout the week, they know that a very important ‘Uncle’ had passed away. Soon they’ll learn what that ‘Uncle’ had done for them. They didn’t need to look far, looking at the HDB blocks around them is enough.
The past week we see a whole nation in mourning; people from all walks of life coming together to honour the life Mr Lee had led. I got to see Singaporeans putting aside their differences and offering what they could give for those sharing their grief. It’s a sight unlike any other I’ve seen and read in the news.
Today, while Singaporeans at home lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the cortege, or watching the State funeral coverage from the comforts of their home, I will watch it from my phone all the way in Darwin, Australia. I am a proud Singaporean wherever I may be.
As a young generation Singaporean, I thank you Mr Lee Kuan Yew for all your hard work in making what was once a swamp, a fledging tiny island left with no hinterland and hardly commendable domestic market, into a successful, ultra modern city we live in now. Thank you for shaping a better life for the generations of Singaporeans before me, and also paving the way for the generations after to follow and further improve. Above all, thank you Mr Lee for dedicating your life to our home, our beloved country, Singapore. I don’t think anyone else in the world have the same bragging rights you do, sir.
Sleep well, Mr Lee Kwan Yew.
