Your legacy lives on…

Today is D day… the day of our Founding Father laid to rest.

Along with the many Singaporeans, we remained glued to our television sets for the duration of the state funeral which was televised live. We decided to head down to Raffles Place to join the thousands to catch a glimpse of the gun carriage carrying Mr Lee’s body. But the skies turned grey and it started to drizzle a little.

I had hoped that the rain would go away but then the rain didn’t show signs of easing up and it poured heavily. Yet, despite that, Singaporeans didn’t head straight for the shelter. Instead, ponchos/ umbrellas sprung up and they stood by the roads, patiently waiting for Mr Lee’s cortege to pass by.

This reminded me of what I read in our history books – in 1968, it rained heavily on our National Day Parade. Mr Lee Kuan Yew sat in his seat at City Hall and despite the heavy downpour, he said ‘The whole world is watching us to see what we are made of. We will brave on.” And just like that, the people involved in the NDP then braved on.

Today, the mood was sombre all round and it’s like the heavens cried for him too, along with the people of Singapore…

PM Lee Hsien Loong said in his eulogy, ‘This has been a dark week for Singapore. The light that has guided us all these years have been extinguished.’ As I watched on, my tears silently fell. Yes, our Founding Father – Lee Kuan Yew – is gone but his legacy lives on and it’s up to us – the children of Singapore – to carry on the work that he has started. So, the light that has guided us has not been extinguished, it lives on in each and every one of us and let us be responsible to pass on that light to our children.

After the state funeral was over, I looked out of the window and saw the sun shining brightly. I know the weather in Singapore is fickle but on 29 March 2015, this weather is no freak incident. It’s a sign, I told my mom, the heavens have cried for him and now the skies have opened up and are welcoming him into heaven.

Your work here is done..Rest in peace, Mr Lee Kuan Yew…

He rallied a nation with a dream. Speaking to the Singapore Press Club in 1996, he said: “Thirty years ago, my colleagues, younger and more dreamy eyed, settled the words of our pledge. We did not focus our minds on our navels or we would have missed the rainbow in the sky. We pursued that rainbow and that was how we came to build today’s Singapore.”

Of his life, Mr Lee said: “I cannot say I planned my life. That’s why I feel life is a great adventure, exciting, unpredictable and at times exhilarating.”

His political genius swept Singaporeans along the arduous but rewarding journey of hope and discovery. And his courageous spirit continues to inspire Singaporeans, young and old, to take their country towards an even more meaningful tomorrow.

A fledgling nation, once floundering, now claims its place among the world’s most modern – all within the lifetime of an indomitable leader.

In his own words, Mr Lee said: “For the young, let me tell you the sky has turned brighter. There’s a glorious rainbow that beckons those with the spirit of adventure. And there are rich findings at the end of the rainbow. To the young and to the not-so-old, I say, look at that horizon, follow that rainbow, go ride it.”

(Excerpt taken from Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Public Man, Private Life article)

Letter to Sophie – Remembering our founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew

Dear Sophie,

This letter may be a little early for you, and you might only be able to truly appreciate it when you are much older. But Daddy thinks it’s really important for you to know how this man has given us the opportunity to live the life that we have today.

Today is a very sad day for our nation, our founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away at the age of 91 after spending his whole life building and protecting Singapore. Nothing more need to be said about his legacy. Under his leadership, we went from a tiny island that is unwanted by anyone (both Malaysia and UK discarded us at our most vulnerable times) to now a country that even the most successful people in the world coverts our citizenship. I’m sure you will be reading about him and his policies as you start your schooling life, but I really want to share with you how his policies had benefited our family.

It would be safe to say that all policies that Mr Lee implemented has some form of impact on our life. But the 2 most important ones to us would be his insistence on a society that’s build upon meritocracy, and that every child of Singapore would be provided with education, even if they can’t afford it.

Your granddad left us when Daddy was around 5 years old. Not only did he leave us, but he also left us with a large amount of debt. We did not have any money to pay for it, hence definitely won’t be able to afford to pay for school fees. But Mr Lee’s policies ensures that Daddy is able to continue to go to school. Without which, I would not have been able to even finish primary school, and life would probably be very different now.

His insistence that the society should be build upon meritocracy has allowed someone like Daddy, who have came from a broken family to aim for bigger things in life, as long as I work hard and show the results for it. Without his vision of a society build upon meritocracy, we would probably be left behind no matter what we do.

Today, we brought you to Istana to pay our final respects to the man that has created the opportunities for us to have the life we have today. At the tender age of 9mths, you probably would not even remember this day. But as you grow up, I want you to read this and remember that we would never be where we are without our founding father.

Thank u again Mr Lee Kuan Yew, we are all part of your legacy.