Remembering Lee Kuan Yew

It has been an emotionally charged week for many Singaporeans, myself included. The passing of one of the greatest leaders our city state has ever seen has left many emotionally void.

My thoughts are all jumbled up as I struggled to frame them for this post. So pardon me for it may all just come out as gibberish to you but it does make sense to me at this point in time.

For one, I didn’t think that his death would have such an effect on me. But yet, when it happened, I found myself tearing when watching the news on Lee Kuan Yew, on reading the numerous articles that only speak of his wisdom, revealed his great love for his wife and how he has been a great father not only to his kids but also to Singapore. The one thing I’ve learned about this man who appear to many hard on the outside but a gentle giant perhaps on the inside is his undying  love for his people, his nation and this country, Singapore. This is a man who truly is a father of our country, he may look stern but deep down inside, whatever he did right or wrong is truly out of love for his country. A man who moved nations and commanded the respect from many far and wide.

I think this photo speaks volumes. It’s hard to hold back those tears.
(Photo credit: Straits Times)

I barely knew the man other than his larger-than-life persona but yet this sense of national loss was great. I cried alongside my countrymen. I found myself glued to my mobile, refreshing pages to read the latest news and to watch the live feed of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s lying in state at the Parliament House. As a mark of respect, I found myself deliberately dressed in black/ white the past week. And of course, I tried holding back those tears when I read memorable quotes and news articles of him. I really love the article penned by Minister Heng Swee Keat’s on Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s Red Box. I wonder where that precious Red Box is now and what instructions/ words it held on 4 Feb 2015.

I found myself walking in a daze momentarily this week, being appreciative of what our little red dot has to offer and also being hugely proud of how our people banded together in this week-long of grieving. Perhaps like what Mdm Halimah Yacob has shared, ‘In grief, we have become more united as Singaporeans.’ In your death, you have united the nation and reminded us of the struggles you have once fought alongside your people to build up this prosperous nation.

The snaking long queues (some taking up to 10 hours) for people from all walks of life to pay their final respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew streamed steadily since Wednesday and yet, despite people calling us a nation of complainers, those people in the queues didn’t complain. All of them were willing to wait patiently in line under the punishing sun and the harsh burst of rain. There are no freebies but yet, people/ companies banded together to distribute food/ water/ umbrellas to the people in the queues. My social media feeds were filled with deep admiration for the man and the gratitude for those who worked hard behind the scenes.. I was deeply touched by these acts of kindness and gestures that many have given. My hope is that we continue to be united and live the legacy that LKY has fiercely built for our future generations to come.

I had wanted to head down to the Parliament House but didn’t. So we brought Bubba to a tribute site today where we joined many others to pay our respect to this great man.

Thank you our founding Father for all that you have done for your children of Singapore. 50 years ago, you wept for our nation. Today, the nation weeps for you.

On my homeland, I couldn’t be prouder to be called a Singaporean at this time. Yes, there are some things that I’m not happy about our tiny, red dot but as I gaze out and look around what we have today, I am thankful to be born into this city, my home. Thank you for giving us all these and more..