[Political Interest]

Singapore’s First Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew Dies Aged 91

Mr Lee leaves behind two sons and a daughter.

SINGAPORE: Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who was Singapore’s first Prime Minister when the country gained Independence in 1965, has died on Monday (Mar 23) at the age of 91.

"The Prime Minister is deeply grieved to announce the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the founding Prime Minister of Singapore. Mr Lee passed away peacefully at the Singapore General Hospital today at 3.18am. He was 91," said the PMO.

Arrangements for the public to pay respects and for the funeral proceedings will be announced later, it added.

Mr Lee, who was born in 1923, formed the People’s Action Party in 1954, then became Prime Minister in 1959. He led the nation through a merger with the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, as well as into Independence in 1965.

He leaves behind two sons – Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Hsien Yang – and a daughter, Lee Wei Ling.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-s-first-prime/1720740.html



Lee Kuan Yew 1923 - 2015

May he rest in peace.

[Rei Murasame]

Lee Kuan Yew's legacy will always be alive so long as 'Asian Values' are alive, and so long as Asian peoples understand that before everything, you need to hold economic power in order to sit at the negotiation table, and that getting that power is the key to everything. His story, and the history of the People's Action Party, will continue to be an inspiration to millions, and an incontrovertible proof that it is possible to throw off the bonds of oppression if you follow the correct steps with dedication and perseverance.

He was one of the greatest Asian strategists of the post-war era, he stands alongside other towering figures like South Korea's Park Chung-hee as having been persons who made some of the most impressive and delicate moves under the most constrained and adverse circumstances, and he never rested for a moment.

But he can rest now. The children of Singapore and elsewhere will pick up from where he left off, there's no doubt about that.

[Political Interest]

Lee Kuan Yew's legacy will always be alive so long as 'Asian Values' are alive, and so long as Asian peoples understand that before everything, you need to hold economic power in order to sit at the negotiation table, and that getting that power is the key to everything. His story, and the history of the People's Action Party, will continue to be an inspiration to millions, and an incontrovertible proof that it is possible to throw off the bonds of oppression if you follow the correct steps with dedication and perseverance.

He was one of the greatest Asian strategists of the post-war era, he stands alongside other towering figures like South Korea's Park Chung-hee as having been persons who made some of the most impressive and delicate moves under the most constrained and adverse circumstances, and he never rested for a moment.

All of this is very true. Under Lee Kuan Yew's leadership Singapore accomplished monumental developments in the face of tremendous odds. It was his strength of character, his iron will and resolute decision making that steered Singapore through the turbulent early years of the 1960s and 1970s into a first world country.

Lee Kuan Yew was a truly monumental character, one of the great men of the 20th century.

Let us always remember him.

[Goldberk]

A country with one of the highest per capita GDP in the world is an achievement, to achieve it by creating some of the highest inequality in a developed nation is less so.

[KlassWar]

Well, that's one right wing rat less to worry about.

[Paradigm]

R.I.P. Capitalist Lenin

[Potemkin]

R.I.P. Capitalist Lenin

^ Quoted for truth. Lee Kuan Yew's policies were essentially Lenin's NEP done right.

[unbalanced zealot]

I've spent a bit of time in Singapore and usually after a few days I'm pretty keen to head north to Malaysia or south to Indonesia. Unless you have a reason to be there ... it's expensive and overly conservative IMO.

LKY like Park Chung-hee started out with good intentions and they did what they needed to do, before they started to believe they owned the place. Lee was notorious for killing off opposition with defamation litigation. Despite that, my university (ANU) awarded him an honorary doctorate in law of all things.

And on the nepotism front glorious PM Lee Hsien Loong also has a lot of control over Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC ... and who knows what's been going down in regards to Temasek?

IMO - it's better to now be in the post LKW era and the post Mahathir Mohamad era will be a good thing too.

[Eauz]

It's too bad that when the pro-communists took over the leadership post of PAP, Lim Yew Hock ordered a mass arrest of the pro-communists, reinstating Lee as secretary-general. They should never have allowed these mass arrests to have occurred and Lee should never have been in power.

More justification that all rightists and supporters of the right should always be rounded up and executed before they can do anything destructive.

[KlassWar]

More justification that all rightists and supporters of the right should always be rounded up and executed before they can do anything destructive.

Indeed. It takes a decade of merciless Red Terror to civilize a country.

[Gletkin]

If the Communist Party of China was more honest they'd replace the current Cult of Personality around Mao with that of LKY.

[Decky]

If the Chinese Communist Party were more honest they would be due a name change to the Chinese Capitalist Party.

[Gletkin]

I always liked C. Hitchens' suggestion of "the Red Star Rotary Club".

[fuser]

If the Communist Party of China was more honest they'd replace the current Cult of Personality around Mao with that of LKY.

Fitting but but its just a very veryyyyyyyyyyy prolonged NEP, isn't it.

[Godstud]

This thread started out so nicely... then went downhill REAL FAST!

[UnusuallyUsual]

Rot in hell! This dude was a fascist dictator. Just another KMT stooge. Chiang Kai Shek's ideological twin. Also see: Deng Xiaoping for more traitorous backstabbing fascist.

Singapore got wealthy because of its LOCATION people. There is something called ADJACENT TO KEY TRADE ROUTES.... giving some crappy despot all the credit is insanely stupid

[Rei Murasame]

By that logic, Yemen is right next to a trade route, and their governments should have already transformed Yemen into a paradise automatically, if it is really that easy. Oh, what's that you say? Yemen is a complete post-colonial shambles? I rest my case.

[UnusuallyUsual]

By that logic, Yemen is right next to a trade route, and their governments should have already transformed Yemen into a paradise automatically, if it is really that easy. Oh, what's that you say? Yemen is a complete post-colonial shambles? I rest my case.

A City-State is also far easier to govern.....

Plus they had more internal demographic unity

[Gletkin]

This thread started out so nicely... then went downhill REAL FAST!

What's "downhill" about acknowledging Deng's ideological debt to LKY?
LKY's transition from commie to capitalist dictator predated Deng Xiaoping's consolidation of power in China. Indeed Deng personally met Lee in late 1978 and learned much from him in running an authoritarian capitalist regime that seems to work.

Chiang Kai Shek's ideological twin

Chiang's ideological triplet.
Although Chiang was never a Communist whereas Lee was (even if the PAP never explicitly called itself "Communist" they were pretty close to the Communist Party). Lee and Deng shared a common history of starting out in then sliding away from leftist socialism.
But all three did share a common vision of capitalist prosperity growing under a benevolent iron fist.

Singapore got wealthy because of its LOCATION people. There is something called ADJACENT TO KEY TRADE ROUTES.... giving some crappy despot all the credit is insanely stupid

In Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea opinions of Lee, Chiang, and Bak Jung-Hee seem to fall within the following categories:
1) Heroes who guided their lands to wealth and advancement. If they were "tyrannical" it was a necessary evil. Unavoidable growing pains.
2) What happened happened and they deserve at least some credit for developing their countries, but their paths were not necessary. Similar results could've been achieved under more just democratic means.
3) Their countries advanced despite them, not because of them. Scumbuckets every one of them who did not one shred of good for their peoples.

Since Chiang's and Bak's deaths however, Taiwanese and South Korean opposition parties have won elections and been allowed to assume office. In Singapore, Lee's PAP still "just happens" to win every election. Of course they swear it's no different from late 20th-century Italy, Japan, and Sweden. There are complaints, sure, but for what it's worth Singaporeans probably won't take to the streets like the Hong Kongers recently did. Whether these re-elections are genuine or not, for the PAP to stay in power Singaporeans don't have to be "happy", just happy enough. But now that Lee's gone too, I guess time will tell how long this "one party democracy" will last.

Whether they publicly admit it or not, I think the CPC really does hope to replicate the successes of the PAP.

[UnusuallyUsual]

On your 3-part categorization of opinions I would place my own somewhere between 2 and 3 probably "2.5" is my choice I guess.

But keep mind - a city-state makes the head despot basically a MAYOR. Look at how many Mayors of big cities around the world act, and that might give more insight. Remember, in big cities 1-party rule is often the norm not the exception.