MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew yesterday related an encounter with women clad in black from head to toe in the swimming pool of his hotel in Kelantan to show how a society's culture changed with rising religiosity.

He said the Singapore Government had seen the change in its two closest neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia, where more Muslims were now praying five times a day and covering themselves.

The Government's concern is not with specific developments in either of these countries, but with the broader and longer-term trend of Islamic resurgence, he said.

He traced the resurgence to the influence of the oil states, in particular Saudi Arabia for the Sunnis and Iran for the Shi'ites, which have set their more austere versions of Islam as the 'gold standard' for other Muslim countries to follow.

Mr Lee visited the Kelantan state capital, Kota Baru, on Sunday. The north-eastern state has been governed by the Islamic-based opposition party, Parti Islam SeMalaysia or PAS, since 1990.

While there, he went swimming in the hotel pool and saw some women clad in black.

'So I stopped at the pillar and went back, but Dr Ng was bolder. He swam into their midst and they waved at him and said: 'Oh, you're from Singapore.'

'They were clad, I suppose, in specially made swimsuits, showing only their faces, wrapped up to their wrists and ankles,' he said.

Education Minister Ng Eng Hen accompanied Mr Lee to Kota Baru.

While in Kota Baru, Mr Lee met PAS spiritual leader and Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.