Singapore's Founding Father, Lee Kuan Yew
20 June was Father’s Day. It reminds me of Singapore’s founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, a great historical figure who contributed a lot to Singapore’s economic progress.
Do you know about his life? How he propelled a small nation from the Third world to the First under his leadership? From his early years and education in Raffles College (now known as the National University of Singapore) to his experiences in World War II and his work as a lawyer, what were the events that shaped Mr Lee’s ideals that would lead him towards championing the rights of the people and the fight for an independent Singapore? Let’s catch a glimpse into the life of the man before he made history.
The Boy Named Harry Lee
September 16, 1923. Mr Lee was born in an ethnic Chinese Hakka family. This English-speaking family was well-off, due to the fortune his paternal grandfather Lee Hoon Leong had amassed. However, sparked by the Wall Street stock market crash in 1929, the great depression soon followed. Rubber price plummeted to a tenth of its original price, dealing a crippling blow to his grandfather’s investment in rubber plantations. The family gave up their house and moved in with his mother’s parents living in the Telok Kurau suburbs. This all happened when Mr Lee was six years old.
With all his efforts, he managed to obtain the top score and scholarship in school.
A Gentleman’s Pride
On December 8, 1941, Japan declared war against America, Britain and the other countries of the Allied Powers. Having invaded Malaysia, the Japanese army began its siege on Singapore. Raffles College was temporarily closed and turned into a makeshift hospital. On February 15, 1942, the British Army surrounded the Japanese. Singapore had fallen.
All Chinese males aged 18 to 50 were required to have a screening, which aimed to purge communists, those with anti-Japanese sentiments, British co-conspirators. Unfortunately, an informant or a traitor nodded at Mr Lee. Mr Lee was about to be hauled onto a truck and brought to Changi beach for execution. He was aware of the danger and made the excuse to collect his belongings before boarding the truck. Luckily, he managed to escape from the execution.
Whatever it Takes
In 1943, there was a food shortage under the rule of the Japanese. Mr Lee grew tapioca for food. Not just food, a lot of other things were in short supply as well. Moreover, the Japanese army kept printing banana notes, which caused inflation that made the situation even worse.
Lee Kuan Yew took on all sorts of jobs for survival - a clerk, a typist, an English-language editor at the Hodobu (Japanese Department of Information), and even a black market broker. He also made a successful business of producing glue with Yong Nyuk Lin.
In August 1945, atomic bombs were detonated over Japan, and the Japanese surrendered to the Allies on August 15. Thus, the Second World War was brought to an end.
On September 12, 1945, the Japanese Army signed the instrument of surrender at City Hall. Singapore once again returned to British control.
Mr Lee then decided to study law in England.
I’ll Be Called Lee Kuan Yew
Mr Lee decided to move to Cambridge to focus on his law studies in January 1947. There, he faced colour prejudice and had difficulty renting a house to stay.
During his education abroad from the year 1946 to 1950, Mr Lee studied at the London School of Economics and the University of Cambridge, where he was called to the bar.
Whilst studying in England, he befriended a member of the Labour Party and attended Parliament Assemblies quite frequently.
In 1947, Kwa Geok Choo joined him in England after obtaining the Queen’s Scholarship. During that year’s Christmas holidays, they went on a trip to Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, where they registered their marriage.
After experiencing racial discrimination himself, Mr Lee started to think of Singapore’s future, the importance of gaining independence from Britain. He had the urge to build a society that is fair, just and equal to all.
He did not want to be involved with vestiges of colonialism, thus he called himself Lee Kuan Yew from that time onwards.
Labourers on Strike
Mr Lee completed his studies abroad and returned to Singapore in August 1950. He worked as a lawyer and fought for the fair and just requests of the labourers. He set up a political party to fight for independence, known as the People’s Action Party (PAP).
Communist Unrest
A strike at the bus company resulted in a clash with the police. Lim Chin Siong, a communist, was using the PAP as a political shield to start a revolution. Mr Lee declared his stance to break down the colonialism system through peaceful means, instead of violence.
In 1957, Lee Kuan Yew flew to England as a member of a delegation to participate in talks for independence. After negotiations, Singapore was granted the right to internal self-governance.
In 1959, with the continued support of the China-born populace, the PAP won a landslide victory in the General Election. The PAP won 43 out of a total of 51 seats, and Lee Kuan Yew assumed the position of Prime Minister.
Negotiations
After Mr Lee became Prime Minister, he worked towards unification with Malaya. In September 1962, as a result of a national referendum, the merger that Lee Kuan Yew strongly advocated for, received an overwhelming 70% of votes from the people.
Merger and Separation
In September 1963, Singapore became a state of Malaysia. However, things were off to a thorny start. Indonesia announced a policy of Confrontation (Konfrontasi) against Malaysia, intensifying international tensions. Meanwhile, Tunku had no intention of changing Malay-First policies, as he feared that the Chinese in Singapore may seize control of Malaysia.
Worries about racial clashes soon became a reality. On July 21, 1964, a procession of 25,000 Malays celebrating the birth of the prophet Muhammad clashed with the Chinese, resulting in the death of 23 people.
Prime Minister Rahman and Mr Lee could not come to an agreement. On August 9, 1965, Lee Kuan Yew declared Singapore’s independence.
Follow that Rainbow
50 years later, on March 23, 2015, Lee Kuan Yew passed away at 3.18 am. He was 91 years old. After gaining independence from Malaysia, he strove to build good relations with neighbouring countries to protect Singapore. He reformed the education system, built houses, dealt with unemployment, and developed water resources to stabilise the lives of the people. ‘Clean and Green’ was his motto for creating a comfortable environment for all.
He also attracted many foreign companies to Singapore, turning her into one of the most affluent countries in the world. Mr Lee Kuan Yew made a miracle happen on this little island country that had no land or resources.
‘There is a glorious rainbow that beckons those with the spirit of adventure. To the young and the not so old, I say, look at the horizon, follow that rainbow, go ride it.’
As a younger generation, we learn about Mr Lee through books and other media sources. Read the story of Mr Lee in an interesting and engaging comic book! A good choice for children to know more about history as well!
