End of an Era

Much has been said about the passing of Lee Kuan Yew and there is little new I can add that has not been said already elsewhere.  Still a blogger based in Singapore cannot ignore the moment when the country lost the man who truly deserves the title of Nation Builder.

Singapore was blessed to have found him.  Those voters 50 years ago who were smart enough to elect him as leader got the best return on their votes of any electorate in Asia, or arguably the world for this generation.  He transformed his country.  His legacy is a population that enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the world, in a secure environment and with some of the best education and healthcare.  As his son said at the funeral : to see his memorial look around you. 

And all of this from such an unpromising start : a small island with no natural resources, bordered by unfriendly if not quasi hostile states, and on top of that divided internally with factions ranging from communists to triads.  He vanquished them all.  It cannot have been easy.  We could have used him in Britain.

Some – especially in the Western media - have been less than charitable about his methods and tended to downplay his achievements.  They should think twice and then compare Singapore to anywhere else in Asia.  They should set him in the appropriate context, and ask whether anyone else could have done better.  Of course some did better than others, and a few fell foul of a man who was passionate about his cause; but his cause was Singapore and you can never make 100% of the population happy.

I could not help but notice as I channel hopped in my hotel room in Hong Kong the day his death was announced that the critics were the journalists and news readers.  The BBC was particularly biased (nothing new there sadly).  Yet the guests, those experts called in to opine on Mr Lee and his legacy, were unanimous in their praise for what he had done and interviews inevitably ended with a positive endorsement of his accomplishments.

In any case does it matter what foreigners think?  I did feel, however, that the messages of condolences from world leaders were more genuine than usual, and often personal rather than formulaic.  One could sense the admiration for a great statesman, a politician who never lost touch with reality, and who managed to earn the respect and sometimes friendship of a diverse group of people; not just close colleagues or some exclusive elite clique.  Surely the fact that Singapore is now recognised as one of the top five financial centres in the world is testament enough.

Let Singaporeans speak for themselves.  It is their country and he was their leader.  The lines to pay last respects stretched halfway around the city centre.  People queued for up to 10 hours just to pass by his coffin.  All ages and ethnic groups – to use a phase I do not like much – came together to praise him.  I estimate that over 10% of the population managed to file past.  More wanted to as in the 3 days available the line never stopped.  Apparently over 30% of the local population went to a designated location to sign a condolences book.  Do not take my word for it : even the younger generation who really have no conception as to how far the country has come and who do not really understand just how much he did to make their lives better could sense it.  Watch the video.  Here is the link to You Tube 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loWRruq3B74
It may move you to tears.  It is the end of an era.  What next for Singapore?  Those of us who are privileged to be Permanent Residents hope it will not change too much.