Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew dies at 91
24 March 2015 10:58 PM GMT
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father who dominated the country’s politics for more than half a century and transformed the former British colony into a global trade and finance powerhouse, on Monday died aged 91.
Lee, Singapore’s first Prime Minister, “passed away peacefully at the Singapore General Hospital,” the government said. He had been under intensive care for pneumonia since early February 5. In an emotional televised address, his son and current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid tribute to him.
“He fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none, and made us proud to be Singaporeans. We won’t see another man like him.”
Junior Lee said that his father would lie in state from 25-28 March at Parliament House so the public could pay their respects.
The announced of Lee’s death in the early hours of the morning prompted a flurry of tributes from world leaders. A steady stream of people arrived at the hospital and the Istana, the prime minister’s office, to offer their condolences. Singapore declared seven days of national mourning starting today and will hold a state funeral for Lee on March 29.
The city-state’s prime minister for 31 years, Lee is widely respected as the architect of Singapore’s prosperity. Born in 1923, Lee became Prime Minister in 1959 when Singapore, a tiny spit of land with no natural resources and a polyglot population of Chinese, Malays and Indians, was still British territory and beset by riots and unrest. He presided over Singapore’s bitter split from Malaysia in 1965.
Lee’s core principles including a focus on clean and efficient government, business-friendly economic policies, and social order?helped attract massive investment and many of the world’s biggest companies to Singapore after he became prime minister, catapulting living standards to First World status from Third World levels in hardly more than a generation.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak paid rich tributes to Lee for developing the tiny island city into a “modern and dynamic nation” as he extended his country’s condolences on his death.
World leaders pay rich tributes to first PM
With tears in their eyes and prayers in their hearts, Singaporeans on Monday mourned the death of their first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew as world leaders hailed him as a “true giant of history” who transformed the tiny former British colony into a financial powerhouse.
Lee, 91, the country’s first Prime Minister passed away peacefully at the Singapore General Hospital in the wee hours of today after being in intensive care for pneumonia since February 5. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is also Lee’s eldest son and Singapore’s third Premier, declared a period of national mourning from March 23 to 29.
Singapore plunged into mourning and tributes from world leaders soon started pouring in as the news about Lee’s death spread. Prime Minister Lee issued a statement before dawn announcing the passing of his father.
“He fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none, and made us proud to be Singaporeans. We won’t see another like him,” he said in an emotional TV address.
Glowing tributes for Lee from world leaders started streaming in with US President Barack Obama praising Lee as a visionary and a “true giant of history”.
“A visionary who led his country from Singapore’s independence in 1965 to build one of the most prosperous countries in the world today, he was a devoted public servant and a remarkable leader,” Obama said.
“He was a true giant of history who will be remembered for generations to come as the father of modern Singapore and as one the great strategists of Asian affairs,” Obama said.
Lee, Singapore’s first Prime Minister, “passed away peacefully at the Singapore General Hospital,” the government said. He had been under intensive care for pneumonia since early February 5. In an emotional televised address, his son and current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid tribute to him.
“He fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none, and made us proud to be Singaporeans. We won’t see another man like him.”
Junior Lee said that his father would lie in state from 25-28 March at Parliament House so the public could pay their respects.
The announced of Lee’s death in the early hours of the morning prompted a flurry of tributes from world leaders. A steady stream of people arrived at the hospital and the Istana, the prime minister’s office, to offer their condolences. Singapore declared seven days of national mourning starting today and will hold a state funeral for Lee on March 29.
The city-state’s prime minister for 31 years, Lee is widely respected as the architect of Singapore’s prosperity. Born in 1923, Lee became Prime Minister in 1959 when Singapore, a tiny spit of land with no natural resources and a polyglot population of Chinese, Malays and Indians, was still British territory and beset by riots and unrest. He presided over Singapore’s bitter split from Malaysia in 1965.
Lee’s core principles including a focus on clean and efficient government, business-friendly economic policies, and social order?helped attract massive investment and many of the world’s biggest companies to Singapore after he became prime minister, catapulting living standards to First World status from Third World levels in hardly more than a generation.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak paid rich tributes to Lee for developing the tiny island city into a “modern and dynamic nation” as he extended his country’s condolences on his death.
World leaders pay rich tributes to first PM
With tears in their eyes and prayers in their hearts, Singaporeans on Monday mourned the death of their first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew as world leaders hailed him as a “true giant of history” who transformed the tiny former British colony into a financial powerhouse.
Lee, 91, the country’s first Prime Minister passed away peacefully at the Singapore General Hospital in the wee hours of today after being in intensive care for pneumonia since February 5. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is also Lee’s eldest son and Singapore’s third Premier, declared a period of national mourning from March 23 to 29.
Singapore plunged into mourning and tributes from world leaders soon started pouring in as the news about Lee’s death spread. Prime Minister Lee issued a statement before dawn announcing the passing of his father.
“He fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none, and made us proud to be Singaporeans. We won’t see another like him,” he said in an emotional TV address.
Glowing tributes for Lee from world leaders started streaming in with US President Barack Obama praising Lee as a visionary and a “true giant of history”.
“A visionary who led his country from Singapore’s independence in 1965 to build one of the most prosperous countries in the world today, he was a devoted public servant and a remarkable leader,” Obama said.
“He was a true giant of history who will be remembered for generations to come as the father of modern Singapore and as one the great strategists of Asian affairs,” Obama said.
Next Story
