The Passing of A Giant

I was born during times when Singapore was beginning to soar. I was never the history buff, but from my childhood memories, Singapore would have had already passed through the tough initial building years, industrial estates were set up, and the manufacturing sectors were starting to take off.

My first home was a 4 room HDB flat in Boon Lay, which I guess then, would be like what Sengkang is today - one of the satellite towns built to provide housing for the growing population of Singaporeans. Both my parents came from large families, and given the situation then, having a 4 room flat to call their own was their pride when smaller house of 2-3 room flats with family of 8 were the norm. Both of them were not highly educated - my dad was a welder who later became a business owner and director in a machinery plant, and my mum came from Malaysia to work at a young age, and thereafter was a stay home mum. 

I went to a neighbourhood primary school which was 5 mins walking distance away, did decently well, went to a good secondary school, did decently well again to go to a good junior college, did decently well again to become an undergraduate at NTU, joined the civil service, and have been doing decently well to date.

My story couldn't be any more ordinary or different from many other Singaporeans. But the extraordinary thing is, that the multitude of us can experience this Singapore story, is that someone or a team of people are keeping Singapore on an even keel, just so that we can pursue our development and aspirations without having to to worry about our basic needs of food, shelter and securities.

And the someone is of course, to me, Mr. Lee.

In my memories Mr Lee had always been the stalwart Prime Minister, the giant, that loomed in the background of my growing years. Then as SM, and later, MM. As I started working and dealing with the realities of adult life, I began to understand, maybe even only by a tiny fraction, the tension which Mr. Lee would have to face, when his party had next to nothing to work with when Singapore was pushed to become an independent state, and faced with so many problems which could threaten Singapore stability, even by a hair's breath but enough to bring Singapore to the rubble again.

Of course, history is never so straightforward. 

We read of his ruthlessness to his political opponents, high handed public policies and tough stance to anybody, local or overseas, who opposes his thinking or approach. These incidents are undeniable, and Mr. Lee did not even deny that those incidents did happen. If we continue fighting the communist then, would we be having a different political arena now? Would we be less materialistic and happier in a non-Singapore Inc country today? Nobody would be able to say.

Detractors say credit is not his alone - his old guards were equally credit worthy of their contributions, he merely rode on their achievements. However, if the converse is true, people would naturally say that its his fault for being an incapable leader.   

Is he really that great a man and a person? For someone who takes the approach "my way or the highway, I am sure it would rile up many people who got brushed over or felt squashed under the authoritative system, probably me included, if the the degrading policy of the whole fertility fiasco would have implicated me somewhat.  

But let the historians weigh things on a balance, and decide what they would make of him.

For me, I am just grateful for your foresight, tenacity and belief, that we could make it. And we did. 

All thanks to you Mr. Lee, our founding father, for your unwavering determination and will, that acted as a beacon that drew in the energies to make what Singapore has become today.

And I pray that we remember your spirit and vision for Singapore to be a great nation, to continue your work in our own capacity, and uphold your belief of Singapore will be, and shall be.

国父，一路走好