Monday, March 23, 2015

As Singapore enters mourning, world leaders praise Lee Kuan Yew...

World leaders praised Lee Kuan Yew, who died Monday at the age of 91, as a visionary statesman whose confidence and insight helped build Singapore into a prosperous and influential nation. Their tributes arrived as Singapore declared a week of national mourning to mark the death of the city-state’s founding father.

Singapore’s current prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Lee Kuan Yew, said during a televised address Monday morning that his father “fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none, and made us proud to be Singaporeans.”

“Singapore was his abiding passion,” his son said. “He gave of himself, in full measure, to Singapore. As he himself put it towards the end of his life: ‘I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There is 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.’”

The former leader’s body will lie in state at the Parliament House from Wednesday through Saturday, and a state funeral will be Sunday.

Lee Kuan Yew led Singapore from 1959, through its tumultuous separation from Malaysia in 1965, and remained at the helm until 1990, an era in which it rose “From Third World to First,” as he titled his 2000 book on the former British colony’s modern history. He remained an influential figure in local and world affairs for more than two decades after stepping down as prime minister. Full story...

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