Prime Minister Modi remembers Lee Kuan Yew: What did Singapore’s founder think about ‘freebies?
Prime Minister Modi remembers Lee Kuan Yew: What did Singapore’s founder think about ‘freebies’?
Singapore honors the centennial birth anniversary of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and Prime Minister Modi pays respect to his visionary leadership.
On Saturday, Singapore commemorates the centennial birth anniversary of its founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, recognizing his crucial role in the island nation’s astonishing progress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his appreciation for Lee’s imaginative leadership.
My condolences to the great Lee Kuan Yew on the occasion of his 100th birthday. His imaginative leadership was important in Singapore’s growth. His vision and unwavering pursuit of perfection attest to his own brilliance. “His work continues to inspire leaders all over the world,” Modi said on the social networking site X.
Lee Kuan Yew’s Life and Career | 5 Key Points
1. Educational background: Born in Singapore in 1923, Lee Kuan Yew attended Raffles College under the Japanese occupation and afterwards Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he graduated with first-class honors in law in 1949.
2. Legal career: Lee was admitted to the London Bar in 1950 and practiced law in Singapore while simultaneously working as a legal counsel to several labor organizations.
Lee played a pivotal role in the establishment of Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP) in 1954, serving as its secretary-general until November 1992.
4. Prime ministerial tenure: Lee became Singapore’s prime minister in 1959 and served in that capacity for four times until his resignation in November 1990. Following that, he served as senior minister and minister mentor.
5. honors and decorations: During his lifetime, Lee won various honors and decorations, including Japan’s First Class Order of the Rising Sun (1967), the Order of the Companions of Honour (C.H.) (1970), and the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (G.C.M.G) (1972).
Other countries honored him as well, including Indonesia and Brunei.
Lee Kuan Yew’s ‘Grand Master of Asia’ Ideology
Lee’s legacy generates a variety of reactions. He is praised for his pragmatic approach to Singaporean governance, yet chastised for his dictatorial techniques. Lee emphasized that a healthy society must strike a balance between promoting brilliance and pushing regular people to grow. This implies, according to him, encouraging collaboration and healthy competition within the society.
Lee’s opinions on welfare:
“I soon realized that before I could distribute the pie, I needed to bake it.” So I abandoned welfare since it eroded people’s self-reliance and will to thrive and succeed.” In 2005, Lee presented the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture in New Delhi.
Lee’s perspective on democracy
“You’re referring to Rwanda, Bangladesh, Cambodia, or the Philippines.” They now have democracy… But do you want to live a civilized life? First and foremost, they desire economic progress. The leaders might say something different. You poll any number of individuals. What do they want? The freedom to write anything you want in an editorial? They want houses, medicine, employment, and schools,” as cited in Lee Kuan Yew’s 1997 book, The Man and His Ideas.
Lee’s perspective on residents’ privacy
I am often accused of meddling in folks’ private life. Yes, we wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t done that. And I say this without remorse: we wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t have achieved economic development if we hadn’t interfered in extremely personal concerns like who your neighbor is, how you live, how much noise you make, how you spit, or what language you speak. We make the call on what is right. “I don’t care what the people think,” he told the Straits Times newspaper in 1987.
