Mr Lee Kuan Yew, My Inspiration

I said that I would not watch the state funeral of our first Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew because I would just keep crying. And there I was, for the last 4 hours, watching the procession and crying.

As I listened to the 10 eulogies, I learnt more about Mr Lee Kuan Yew and many aspects of his life really inspired me. Below are some of Mr Lee’s quotes and quotes from the eulogies.

Putting Others Before Himself

“I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There’s nothing more that I need to do. At the end of the day, what have I got? A successful Singapore. What have I given up? My life.” — LKY

I’ll always remember this quote by him. He selflessly prioritise Singapore before himself.

Making The Right Decisions

“I always tried to be correct, not politically correct.” — LKY

“If you want to be popular all the time, you will misgovern”. — LKY

“I have never been overconcerned or obsessed with opinion polls or popularity polls. I think a leader who is, is a weak leader. If you are concerned with whether your rating will go up or down, then you are not a leader. You are just watching the wind…you will go where the wind is blowing. And that’s not what I am in this for.” — LKY

He made hard decisions which he knew was better for Singapore. Many decisions were unpopular such as increasing working hours and reducing the number of public holidays. Others were painful for him. He had to cut short the political careers of his old colleagues so that a new generation of leaders could be nurtured.

Visionary and Courage

“‎Lee Kuan Yew‬ was a consummate and far-sighted leader who had courage to realise his vision.” — Former Cabinet minister, Ong Pang Boon

Looking at what we have today, I really respect Mr Lee for having his vision for Singapore decades ago and to have the bravery to fight for it for so long.

Conviction and Flexibility

“I put myself down as determined, consistent, persistent. I set out to do something, I keep on chasing it until it succeeds. That’s all.” — LKY

“Papa was firm in his convictions, but open minded enough to accept fresh evidence and change.” — Lee Hsien Yang

Apart from being determined, he is also flexible enough to change when circumstances have changed. He stopped the “Stop at Two” policy when the birth rates were falling below the replacement level. He also reversed his views and supported building casinos in Singapore, despite having said that casinos would only be allowed “over his dead body” a few years before.

Integrity

“He demanded complete integrity from himself, family and colleagues.” — President Dr Tony Tan

While he demanded complete integrity from others, he also led by example. I feel the integrity is a form of respect for others.

Life Long Learning

He started learning how to use a computer at the age of 70. The last appointment he had before he fell ill and was taken to the hospital the next day was with his Mandarin tutor.

Appearance and Frugality

“I am of a different generation. I’m not interested in changing either my suit or my car or whatever with every change in fashion. That’s irrelevant. I don’t judge myself or my friends in their fashions. Of course, I don’t approve of people who are sloppy and unnecessarily shabby or dishevelled. You don’t have to be like that. But I’m not impressed by a $5000 or $10,000 Armani suit.”

So often, I feel the “need” to buy new clothes and new training equipment and would fall for the temptation. It’s time to change that mindset. Mr Lee wore the same exercise shorts for 17 years. Whenever he tore it, he or his wife would patch it up.

Doing His Best

“I have no regrets. I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There’s nothing more that I need to do.” — LKY

“All I can say is, I did my best. This was the job I undertook, I did my best, and I could not have done more in the circumstances. What people think of it, I have to leave to them. It is of no great consequence. What is of consequence is I did my best.” — LKY

As long as we do our best, it does not matter what others say or think. When we do our best, we can live with no regrets.

As the national period of mourning is coming to an end, I guess it’s time to move on.

Thank you for being such an inspiration, Sir.

Photo taken from Remembering Lee Kuan Yew Facebook page

All eulogies can be found on Channel News Asia’s website.