Remembering Lee Kuan Yew

Remembering Lee Kuan Yew: Stories from March 31 edition of ST

Tribute cards headed for library archives

The hundreds of thousands of cards that Singaporeans have written on the death of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in the past week of national mourning will be sent to the National Library Board to be archived.

A selection of the cards collected from the Istana tribute site will be exhibited at the National Museum of Singapore starting today, said a spokesman for the National Heritage Board.

Meanwhile, the gifts - from handmade cards and posters to knick-knacks and craftwork - have been boxed up and will be delivered to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his family. READ MORE HERE

Political leaders share reflections on Mr Lee Kuan Yew's legacy

The day after the funeral of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, political leaders spent time reflecting on his legacy, with many sharing their thoughts online.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong changed his previously sombre profile picture to one of him gazing at the Kallang River, with a group of people kayaking on the blue waters.

"Back in the 1970s, the Singapore River and Kallang River were badly polluted. My father challenged the Ministry of Environment to clean them up in 10 years," he wrote. READ MORE HERE

Mr Lee Kuan Yew's red box to be displayed at museum

The red box used by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to store and transport his working documents will go on display at the National Museum of Singapore.

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday: "It is such a symbol of his dedication to Singapore, and we should let fellow Singaporeans have a view of this box and how much it is a part of Mr Lee's life, and how much it is a part of Singapore's history as well."

Speaking at an event in Changkat Primary School, he added: "It is so much a part of Mr Lee's life, all his life." READ MORE HERE

Why Lee Kuan Yew switched from golf to running

On Sunday, in his eulogy at a family farewell for his father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong referred to a speech Mr Lee had made in 1972,.

Titled "Life is better when it is short, healthy and full", it was delivered at the 5th Asian-Pacific Congress of Cardiology Delegates dinner at Shangri-La hotel in Singapore on Oct 13, 1972.

PM Lee shared on his Facebook yesterday: "I had looked it up recently, and re-read it with delight. Some of the medical bits are a little out of date, eg preferring lean beef to pork, but the speech is vintage LKY. Here it is." READ MORE HERE

The real Singapore model

The death of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founding father, offers an occasion to reflect on his legacy - and, perhaps more importantly, on whether that legacy has been correctly understood.

During his 31 years as Prime Minister, Mr Lee crafted a unique system of government, intricately balancing authoritarianism with democracy, and state capitalism with the free market. Known as "the Singapore model", Mr Lee's brand of governance is often mis-characterised as a one-party dictatorship superimposed on a free-market economy.

His success in transforming Singapore into a prosperous city-state is frequently invoked by authoritarian rulers as justification for their tight control of society - and nowhere more so than in China. Indeed, Chinese President Xi Jinping is pursuing a transformative agenda heavily influenced by the Singapore model - a relentless war on corruption, a broad crackdown on dissent and pro-market economic reforms. READ MORE HERE

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.