Black Ribbon.

 

 

23 March 2015.

 

And it is with a very heavy heart that I penned this post, for today marks the day in which Singapore had lost a remarkable leader, a great man, our beloved forefather, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

With a passion for history, economics and politics, Mr Lee was no stranger in my academic life, and on a personal level, I was intrigued by the man who had literally pulled Singapore from poverty (with a GDP per capita lower than Jamaica mind you), the ‘kampong’ village (in English, a third world country) that we were to where we stand today; a tiny red dot that found its way and spot in the great big world. He ruled with an iron fist, border-lining authoritarian as some would say, but yet beneath that stern, hard-liner exterior is a caring, compassionate leader who pays a conscious effort to listen to his people, a man who just wants to give his people the best as what he could afford to, condemnation and popularity be damned. As a distinguished lawyer from Cambridge, he could have taken the easy route, entering the law field, reaping millions but yet, he chose to embark on the arduous political route, just to make the little fishing village a better place.

 

“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. At the end of the day, what have I got?

A successful Singapore.

What have I given up?

My life.’

A quote by LKY that left an impression on me since the first time I read it many years ago.

 

Through these years, with the power that was bestowed upon him as our city grew, he could have easily succumbed to the temptation of greed and wealth, turning Singapore to be yet another corrupted state situated in South East Asia, but here we are, 50 years since our independence; a country with one of the lowest, if not lowest corruption rate worldwide. Lee Kuan Yew was a man of integrity, enough said.

 

I may not agree wholeheartedly with every political decisions made by Mr Lee Kuan Yew, and sure, he made mistakes (no man is perfect) but before you jump onto the bandwagon and start hurling critics at him, one has to admit that the choices he made were the best alternative he had given the circumstances. And sometimes, sacrifices have to be made in order to achieve what we need most or most necessary. (Which really irks me whenever someone accuses LKY of being a heartless, selfish dictator who exploited the situation for his own monetary gains. Grrr.)

 

As what I read earlier in an article online, “When your Prime Minister starts sobbing on national TV, you know you’re in trouble.”
Half a century ago, you cried for us, for our bleak future, where there seemed to have no hope left, and today we cry for you, for a great man that was lost to us all.

 

An inspiration. A legacy. A leader like no other. Words cannot describe the gratitude I have for this man, for everything he has given to us. (Yes, everything in Singapore is bloody expensive, you can hear my wallet sobbing, but where else would be safe enough for a teenage girl to roam the streets in the wee hours alone without worrying for her safety after a night out with her friends at some random supper place?)

 

Simply put, Lee Kuan Yew is Singapore and honestly, I can’t fathom a Singapore without Lee Kuan Yew even if it has been more than 12 hours where the news of his demise had been released. And I’m so sorry that you wouldn’t be here witness SG50; a milestone of your sweat and tears. I’m devastated and it literally hurts so much just to be typing all of this out.

 

“Come, it’s time to go.”

 

 

 

 

Thank you, Mr Lee. And I sincerely hope that you’re at peace now in a better place, reunited once more with the love of your life, Mdm Kwa Geok Choo whom you lost dearly five years ago.

 

Thank you. #RIPLKY #RememberingLKY #Wewillmissyou

 

With my deepest condolences,

Chanella Hobz.

 

 

 

 

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