Lee Kuan Yew often referred to by his initials LKY was first prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990.
Born 16 September 1923, he expired on 23rd March 2015.
"In 1965, Singapore was forced out of Malaysia. No army. No resources. No fresh water.
A tiny island of 2M people living in slums. Then ONE man's ruthless vision built modern Asia's greatest success...," tweets Oscar Hoole,
It is true, Malaysia thought Singapore would beg to return.
Lee Kuan Yew had other plans.
"We'll survive. We'll grow. And we'll show them all."
The transformation began...
Lee Kuan Yew faced impossible odds:
No natural resources.
Hostile neighbors. 75% living in slums. Race riots everywhere. Malaysia cut off their water supply.
His first move shocked everyone: Built the strongest military in SE Asia. "If you want to be friends, that's great. But if you don't, we're ready."
Survival came first.
Hoole also wrote -
Then came the master plan:
1. English as main language
2. Zero tolerance for corruption
3. Forced racial integration
4. Mandatory savings for all workers
The world called him a dictator.
His housing policy was radical:
Demolished every slum.
Built public housing.
Forced Chinese, Malays & Indians to live together.
No ethnic enclaves allowed.
Social engineering at scale.
Note:
An advocate for Asian values and a proponent of Realpolitik pragmatism, Lee's premiership was described as authoritarian by the Western world or as a sort of guided democracy by scholars and the media.
He was criticised for curtailing press freedoms, imposing narrow limits on public protests, restricting labour movements from industrial or strike action through anti-union legislation and co-option, and bringing defamation lawsuits against prominent political opponents.
Lee directly responded to such critiques by stating that "If Singapore is a nanny state, then I am proud to have fostered one".
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