Who was Lee Kuan Yew?
Lee was a Singaporean, born in 1923, who trained in law at Cambridge. At home he practised as a barrister, often acting for unions. He helped found the People's Action Party (PAP) in 1954. The PAP won the 1959 election and Lee became prime minister of a self-governing colony. He took Singapore into Malaysia in 1963. Two years later it was forced out and became a fully independent state. He held the top job until 1990. After that he stayed in cabinet with senior titles until 2011. He died in 2015, aged 91.
Political views
- Drew in multinational firms and foreign money for jobs, and had the state provide public flats, a compulsory savings scheme and big government-linked companies.Source: theguardian.com
- Promoted a multiracial state in which Chinese, Malay and Indian citizens were meant to be treated alike in language, culture and faith.Source: nas.gov.sg
- Argued that a tiny country next to bigger ones must be able to protect itself. This led to conscription and a well-equipped army.Source: nas.gov.sg
- Kept the power to detain people without trial under security laws, and in the early 1960s his government jailed many left-wing opponents.Source: theguardian.com
- Sued critics and publications for defamation, including the Far Eastern Economic Review in a 2008 case.Source: news.bbc.co.uk
- Credited east Asia's rise to discipline, order and deference to authority, a theory known as Asian values.Source: theguardian.com
- Wanted a non-communist, independent Malaya, and joined Singapore to Malaysia in 1963, before the split of 1965.Source: theguardian.com
Legacy
Singapore went from a modest port to one of the richest countries in the world during and after his years in power. Admirers credit his government with honest administration, good housing and schools, and peace between ethnic groups. Officially he is honored as the founding prime minister. Rights groups and other critics point to detention without trial, a controlled press and defamation suits that bankrupted opposition figures. They also object to schemes that rewarded graduate mothers, which they call social engineering. People still argue about how much of the country's success came from his methods.
In their own words
“We are going to have a multi-racial nation in Singapore. We will set the example. This is not a Malay nation; this is not a Chinese nation; this is not an Indian nation.”