Retired MP Lee Yi Shyan said that founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew shaped generations of thinking in Singapore and continues to do so today. He hopes Singaporeans will continue to learn from the late Mr Lee.
Mr Lee told Petir that when he was in Primary 5 or 6 at a Chinese school, his father asked him to read the senior Lee’s speeches published in Nanyang Siang Pau and Sin Chew Jit Poh, two major Chinese newspapers in Singapore at the time.
“In that sense, Mr Lee Kuan Yew shaped a few generations of thinking in Singapore. Even today, much of our development philosophy and nation building reflects his legacy,” Mr Lee said. He mentioned that the senior Mr Lee, who passed away in March 2015, left the deepest impression on him during his 14-year political career.
The 64-year-old was Member of Parliament for East Coast GRC from 2006 for 14 years. During his tenure, he served as Minister of State and then Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Manpower, and National Development before returning to the backbench after suffering a minor stroke in May 2015.
Mr Lee first interacted with the late Mr Lee in 1997 while working at the Singapore Economic Development Board, where he served as Chief Representative for China and Deputy Chief Executive of China-Singapore Suzhou Development Pte Ltd. Based in Suzhou, China, he directly oversaw and supported the development of the Suzhou Industrial Park, a landmark government-to-government project between China and Singapore.
“The project team reported directly to Senior Minister Lee. Those of us, key personnel working in Suzhou Industrial Park would fly back regularly to report to him what happened on the ground. We called him the project director of Suzhou Industrial Park. From there, we learnt how he thinks.”
Mr Lee described the late Mr Lee as a charismatic and authoritative leader.
“He doesn’t do small talk or crack jokes. Maybe he does, but it doesn’t sound like a joke because he’s very serious all the time. So, we are serious too. When we went to see him, we were all a little tense,” he recalled.
“But we all know his love for Singapore is second to none—absolute. Because of that, he has convinced many of us to do our best to serve Singapore,” Mr Lee said. “He has had such an important influence in my life, maybe second to my father.”
Mr Lee said the senior Lee’s legacy became clear to him when he compared Singapore’s model with other countries during discussions with foreign friends.
“They said, ‘Oh, we do it this way.’ I replied, ‘We do it this way.’ When they asked why, I explained it’s because LKY said so. He set the tone and established the principles. I hope for future generations, we should continue to learn from this great man.”
