On this morning when I first heard the news of your passing, I merely felt shock initially. Only later did it sink in that you were not going to wake up and read the get well cards written by Singaporeans from all walks of life. That was when I realised that I had not even thought about the idea of you passing away, even though death is inevitable. That I had believed fervently that you will get up, get better and be once more the healthy man you had always been. But that is not to happen.
Is it possible to cry for someone you have never met in person? I now know the answer. You were Singapore's first prime minister, a leader with great foresight, but above all you were one of Singapore's forefathers, one whom all Singaporeans regarded as a father figure. Maybe some did not think you as the best leader, but nonetheless you were the leader that Singapore needed at that time. This nation and its people mourn the passing of a great man, one who gave up everything for a country during its most difficult and uncertain period.
John F Kennedy said, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". Not only did you ask, but you did it. No one else exemplified the meaning of contributing to their country as much as you did. You built Singapore from scratch. 'We don't need a monument for Lee Kuan Yew. Just look around us... Singapore is his monument.'
"I'm not saying that everything I did was right, but everything I did was for an honourable purpose." It was your perseverance, hard work, determination, countless sacrifices and willingness to make the right decisions no matter how hard that made Singapore who she is today. To transform a land scarce country with no natural resources into a bustling global hub, from third world to first in less than half a century is nothing short of a miracle. Had it not been you, I dare say this feat might have been impossible.
"Could I have lived my life differently? Maybe yes, but probably not," you said. As someone who had encountered hardships throughout your life, I admire your resilience. From experiencing the horrors of World War II to the struggles of building up a newly independent state, I can only imagine what obstacles you might have faced. As someone who firsthand experienced all this pain but never for a moment shied away, I salute you sir.
For never giving up, or running away, or taking the easier option out, for doing what had to be done, for the life you breathed into our homeland, and even for not regretting your choice to build this modern Singapore, I sincerely thank you.
"At the end of the day, what have I got? A successful Singapore. What have I given up? My life." You have reached the end of your long arduous journey now. May you rest in peace Mr Lee, you definitely deserve it.
'To many Singaporeans, and indeed others too, Lee Kuan Yew was Singapore.'
'To many Singaporeans, and indeed others too, Lee Kuan Yew was Singapore.'
