Under The Angsana Tree: Remembering Lee Kuan Yew 2016

Update 19 May 2022: Lee Kuan Yew Doppelganger Spotted At Coffee Shop On 18 May

Resemblance Leaves Internet Shook

The term doppelganger is used to describe someone who is a spitting image of another, although they are entirely biologically unrelated. While it’s incredibly rare to meet one in person, it’s not entirely impossible, as seen in this video posted on 18 May.

In the clip, a man resembling the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew chows down on a meal at a coffee shop. Perhaps it’s the camera’s angle, but the uncanny resemblance left the Internet shook. The video, which a Facebook user shared in the Singapore Incidents group, left commenters reeling from laughter, and they spared no expense when cracking jokes.

One joked that the man was the late Mr Lee’s body double. He had probably lost his job since the Minister Mentor (MM)’s passing. With the latest release of the CDC vouchers, another person suggested that he might be taking the opportunity to use them to pay for his lunch. Considering how eerie it must be to see the likes of someone who has passed, a Facebook user said the OP should count his lucky stars that the encounter happened in broad daylight.

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Iving Iving 19 hrs

Look like LKY having his meal !!!

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Dabu County: The Ancestral Place of Lee Kuan Yew and Overseas Hakka
HOUSE OF LEE BOK BOON, THE PATERNAL GREAT GRANDFATHER OF LEE KUAN YEW

A trip to Dabu County of Meizhou Municipality in Guangdong Province, exploring the Hakka history, houses and heritage.

Why is the ancestral house of Lee Kuan Yew a Chaoshan-style house? Check out the video.

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LKY already has a memorial to his name in Chinese region he has never visited
The Ancestral Place of Lee Kuan Yew and Overseas Hakka

The Founders’ Memorial notwithstanding, there is already a memorial to the first Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kwan Yew. Mr Lee, on the other hand, had been known to say that he had no wish for a monument dedicated solely to himself. In Parliament on April 13, 2015, however, his son, now Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, called to honour his father but said that his father had been conscious that he had been part of a team that worked together to build the city-state. “One idea that has been suggested is to have a memorial for all of the founding fathers, perhaps coupled with an exhibition gallery to honour their legacy and educate future generations.

Indeed, Mr Lee himself had thought that there was value in such a memorial,” he said. The project broke ground last month and is set to open in 2028. The Business Standard reported two days after Mr Lee’s death on March 23, 2015, that many Chinese were coming to Mr Lee’s ancestral home in droves to pay homage to him. The report said that the village is located 500 kilometres away from Guangzhou “in search of a glimpse” into his life. It described the ancestral home as made of brick and wood, having been constructed in the traditional Chinese style in 1884 by Mr Lee’s great-grandfather, Li Muwen, with his earnings from Singapore. The home was called Zhonghandi. It also noted that the Lee family descended from the Hakka, a subgroup of China’s Han community, and came to Singapore in the middle of the 18th century. Local authorities refurbished the home and its surroundings between 2007 and 2008. Exhibitions of the Lee family tree, Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s family and political accomplishments, and an introduction to Mr Lee Kuan Yew were also set up within the structure.

In 2016, the year after Mr Lee passed away, authorities in Dabu County in Guangdong said that his ancestral home would be turned into a tourist attraction. Hong Kong’s Wen Wei Po daily reported at the time that the site would become an international rural tourist destination that incorporated Chinese Hakka cultural characteristics. A total of 40 million yuan, then equivalent to S$8.8 million, was allocated for the endeavor. Constructing the site had begun the previous year, and the first phase, Lee Kuan Yew Memorial Hall, was set for completion by the end of 2016.

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Was the reception to Lee Kuan Yew's passing just a knee-jerk reaction?

When Lee Kuan Yew passed, he was apparently no longer just a great man; in the eyes of many, he had become a perfect man too

I have no doubt that Singaporeans and many people around the world felt genuine, emotional stirrings at the death of this giant, but that it was so short-lived makes one wonder. I suppose we can't expect people to be writing eulogies to him every day. We all know that life goes on. However, I believe that if you asked the people who had either strongly negative or neutral feelings, or those who could rationalise how they felt about his life and passing, the conviction of their sentiments would be the same now as they have been for years and will be for years to come.

So what of the seven-day mourners? Was it a knee-jerk reaction? Was it that people didn't expect to feel as much as they did when he left us? Or was it just that many had never thought about it before and never weighed the importance of this man in our history and future until he was gone? How much of it stemmed from pure ignorance?

One of the main things that struck me was the disgust with which people who had anything other than a kind word to say about him were treated. They were called ungrateful and disrespectful. They weren't allowed their own opinions — God forbid any judgements — or their own parting words to a man they had a different relationship with. When Lee Kuan Yew passed, he was apparently no longer just a great man; in the eyes of many, he had become a perfect man too.

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Singapore marks first anniversary of Lee Kuan Yew’s death

A series of activities were held today to commemorate the one-year death anniversary of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the world’s longest serving prime minister, who passed away at the age of 91.

Born in Singapore on Sept 16, 1923, Kuan Yew, helmed the government for over three decades.

Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong in his posting on Facebook wrote: “A year ago today, Mr Lee Kuan Yew left us. Tens of thousands queued for hours to pay their last respects at Parliament House, where his body lay in state. As he made his final journey past the Padang, a 21-gun salute was fired.”

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More than 100 ground-up events to remember Lee Kuan Yew; remembrance sites set up

As the 1st anniversary of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's death approaches, groups of Singaporeans are planning activities to commemorate the legacy of the country's first prime minister.

At least 100 events are being organised by individuals and community groups for the month of March, People's Association (PA) deputy chairman Chan Chun Sing said at a press conference on Wednesday (Mar 2).

These activities include a tree-planting exercise at Jurong Lake Park - a nod to Mr Lee's campaign to green the country - and a brisk walk at Sembawang Park to celebrate his desire to stay healthy. The late Mr Lee had made it a point to exercise daily.

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Over 100 ground-up events to remember Mr Lee Kuan Yew

Almost 3 weeks before the first death anniversary of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, efforts to commemorate the occasion are already under way. At least 100 ground-up initiatives — ranging from tree-planting activities to remembrance sites and a family carnival — have been planned, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing on Wed (Mar 2).

Mr Chan, who is also the deputy chairman of the People’s Association (PA), said the low-key approach would be befitting of Mr Lee’s wishes. “(Mr Lee was) not the kind of showy person who emphasised the form. It was always about the substance. He would want us, the younger generation, to keep looking forward,” said Mr Chan.

The best way to remember Mr Lee is to build on Singapore’s success, he added. “It is not a session to grieve but a celebration of his life’s work ..,… The best way to honor him is to make sure that we continue to make Singapore a success.”

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The Straits Times - Remembering Mr Lee and his values

At one remembrance event yesterday, organised by Muslim welfare organisation Jamiyah, several children referred to him as a "Superhero" during a skit they performed.

He is like Ironman, because he once said "whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him", said 6-year-old Theodore Fun.

And he had bionic eyes because he saw 51 years ago that Singapore would be a successful, multiracial society, said Choo Shaoning, 8.

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Lee Hsien Loong Facebook - 16 March at 18:00

A year ago our nation came together to bid Mr Lee Kuan Yew a last farewell. The week of national mourning and the State Funeral that followed were an intense and emotional experience for us all (on.fb.me/1LpZkPs).

During the State Funeral Procession, gunners from the 21st Battalion, Singapore Artillery fired a 21-gun salute for Mr Lee from the Padang.

I asked the SAF to collect the 21 artillery shell casings, to be presented to people, institutions and organisations that we...re closely linked to Mr Lee.

The recipients include the eulogists at the State Funeral Service, the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force, Housing & Development Board, National Parks Board, PUB, The People's Association, Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, and the Parliament.

My deep thanks to all of them for the roles they played in my father’s life and for their contributions to the nation.

– LHL

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Nation to remember Lee Kuan Yew today

Across Singapore, events from tree-planting ceremonies to an academic forum and a morning walk take on special significance today.

They are among the activities planned by various groups to commemorate the death of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew at age 91 this day last year.

Organisers said these events are meant to celebrate his life as a reminder to Singaporeans of what it took for modern Singapore to be built, and what it will take to ensure the country's success.

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Various events organised to remember Mr Lee in March

In the run-up to the first anniversary of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's death on Mar 23, the National Youth Council, Youth Corps Singapore, and a company selling old-school Singapore games and snacks worked on an art installation.

It was a silhouette of the late Mr Lee's face, created by piecing together 4,877 rectangular erasers bearing the Singapore flag. It took six weeks and 110 young Singaporeans to construct the portrait, which was unveiled by Mr Lee's youngest brother, Mr Lee Suan Yew.

It was among some 100 events organised on the ground to remember the founding Prime Minister.

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Singapore remembers Lee Kuan Yew and what he stood for

Some laid down bouquets outside the Istana and Parliament House, and many, with heads bowed, observed a minute of silence at memorial events across the island yesterday.

However, gone were the red eyes, tear-streaked faces and the grief on display a year ago. Instead, there was gratitude as Singaporeans remembered Mr Lee Kuan Yew on the first anniversary of his death.

They credited the founding Prime Minister for inspiring resilience, fostering harmonious ties among people of different races and dedicating his life to building the nation.

related: REMEMBERING LEE KUAN YEW: ONE YEAR ON

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Dr Tony Tan Facebook - 23 March at 03:33

Today, my wife and I, together with some of the staff from my office, visited the Lee Kuan Yew Remembrance Site at the Istana Park. I was touched to see many Singaporeans - young and old, from all walks of life – who were present at the Remembrance Site to honour the memory of Mr Lee on the first anniversary of his passing. Mr Lee has indeed touched many Singaporeans through his lifetime of service to Singapore. I am confident that by continuing to remember and live out Mr Lee’s values and passion for Singapore, Singaporeans can overcome whatever challenges that may come our way as one people, and keep our beloved nation shining brightly for many more years to come. - TT

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Tributes to Mr Lee — 1 Year On (1923 - 2015)

"Singapore really was a venture then. Together with the pioneer leaders, he didn’t just raise funds, he mobilised a whole people. We were a people who had little else besides our spirit, but our pioneers energised us, gave us the faith, strength and vision to draw together as one and move forward in the same direction.

In doing so, we showed the world that we are a people who can get things done, and we built something special and enduring – our Singapore.

I don't think Mr Lee would want us to grieve over his passing. I think he would expect us to keep that spirit alive, and carry on with the work of building this nation. He would hope that all of us continue to stay united and think long term; be courageous and bold to find new ways and to try and try again until we succeed; and to leave no one behind, and always do our best for one another and for Singapore."

Official Site: Remembering Lee Kuan Yew

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Remembering Mr Lee and his values

Individuals and community groups have planned about 100 events to mark the anniversary.

Said Mr Chan: "Mr Lee has touched the lives of many Singaporeans in many different ways and it's only right that Singaporeans from all walks of life remember him in their own special way."

At one remembrance event yesterday, organised by Muslim welfare organisation Jamiyah, several children referred to him as a "superhero" during a skit they performed. He is like Ironman, because he once said "whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him", said 6-yr-old Theodore Fun. And he had bionic eyes because he saw 51 yrs ago that Singapore would be a successful, multiracial society, said Choo Shaoning, 8.

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200,000 copies of new workbook on Lee Kuan Yew's life and values to go out to students

Stories of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's courage and tenacity, even his frugality, were among those selected for a workbook titled LKY: Follow That Rainbow, Go Ride It.

It was launched at Bendemeer Secondary School on Wednesday morning (Mar 23) to commemorate the first death anniversary of Singapore's 1st prime minister.

The 64-page volume is published by Straits Times Press and developed by The Straits Times Schools team. Sponsored by Mapletree Investments Private Limited and Singapore Power, up to 200,000 copies will be distributed to all secondary schools for free.

related: In memory of Lee Kuan Yew

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REMEMBERING LEE KUAN YEW: ONE YEAR ON

A year on, the nation that Lee Kuan Yew forged through sheer force of will continues to thrive. To keep doing so, Singapore will have to be bold and adapt to new challenges, just as he always did.

In the end, Mr Lee Kuan Yew was able to Rest in Peace.

Singapore's founding Prime Minister has not had to make good his pledge that "even from my sickbed, even if you are going to lower me to the grave and I feel that something is going wrong, I will get up".

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Remembering Mr Lee Kuan Yew

PCF remembers our Founding Prime Minister for all the things he has done for Singapore and in particular, for PCF. Mr Lee Kuan Yew was a great man and a visionary. Mr Lee and the other Founding Fathers of modern Singapore saw the need to lift Singaporean families out of the poverty cycles in the early days through education. The PAP Branches then started kindergartens that were accessible and affordable for all children. PCF has grown since then educating over 1.2 million children to date.

His love and support for PCF was evident from then till now. As the Branch Chairman for PCF Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru and through his personal efforts in fundraising, he helped to set up three kindergartens and one childcare centre in the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru constituency.

One of the most notable memories of Mr Lee was during the opening of a PCF kindergarten at the Pinnacle@Duxton on 15 August 2010. This kindergarten was built to meet the demand for preschool services for young families living in Tanjong Pagar.
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NParks Facebook - 23 March at 03:07

As part of a tribute to the greening movement set out by our Chief Gardener Mr Lee Kuan Yew, friends and family gathered alongside DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam to plant a total of 53 Mempat Trees right in the heart of Jurong Lake Gardens West.

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An intimate collection of essays, speeches and reports

RETIRED diplomat Joe Conceicao recalls a recent function he attended where Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew was present. The conversation turned briefly to Mr Lee's 80th birthday, and the former Katong MP remarked to the former Prime Minister that "people are talking about wanting to build monuments and statues and what-have-you". Mr Lee looked him in the eye and gave a response that drew from an 1818 sonnet by Percy Bsysshe Shelley. "Remember Joe," he said, "remember Ozymandias".

Remember who? Ozymandias was an Egyptian pharaoh with a penchant for self-aggrandizing monuments. The boast etched in a plaque below his statue commanded lesser mortals to "look on my works". Only that the vastness of desert sands is all that remains visible: no empire, no monuments, no great works. And the statue of Ozymandias lies half-buried in sand, wrecked and decayed.

In his advice to "remember Ozymandias", Singapore's own political colossus was cautioning against hubris, said Mr Conceicao, 79.

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'Never be satisfied, always try to improve': DPM Tharman on continuing Lee Kuan Yew's legacy

On the first anniversary of the death of the country's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam called on Singaporeans to continue the journey started by Mr Lee and "never be satisfied".

Speaking at a mass tree planting event at Jurong Lake Park on Wednesday (Mar 23), Mr Tharman recounted that Mr Lee was described as the "chief gardener", as he would send many proposals to the then-Parks and Recreation department to make Singapore green, and was always seeking to make improvements.

"As I go round Singapore today, every time I pass one of our overhead bridges and I see the red bougainvillea, my heart moves up a tick. That was Lee Kuan Yew - every detail, green, different colors, yellow flaming flowers, deep pink Frangipanis, making sure that every fence and every railing is covered with creepers," he said.

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Remembering Lee Kuan Yew: Daughter Lee Wei Ling on Mr Lee as a father

Dr Lee Wei Ling, 60, the only daughter of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, pays tribute to her father in a piece published in The Straits Times on Mar 24, 2015.

In it, she notes how he wasn’t one to panic because “doing so would never positively affect the outcome of any situation”.

Mr Lee died at the age of 91 on Mar 23, 2015.

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Remembering who Lee Kuan Yew really was

Let us understand who Lee Kuan Yew was. Let us understand his values. He is someone who will do anything for his own benefit. During the Japanese occupation, Lee Kuan Yew was a collaborator.He worked with the Japanese Propaganda service (the Hodobu). At the Hodobu, Lee Kuan Yew translated English language news for the Japanese propaganda department.

He admitted to being well informed about the progress of the war “because for a year and a half….(he) was working in the propaganda department…” (Han, Fernandez, Tan 28)And yet, this hypocritical self-interested collaborator criticised the locals who collaborated with the Japanese during occupation. He said: “Young locals learnt enough Japanese to be employable, but beyond that most people were decent. They did not want to cooperate or collaborate with the enemy…”

Further, he referred to those who worked closely with the Japanese as opportunistic. The luckiest of the opportunists according to Lee Kuan Yew were “contractors whom the Japanese needed to obtain basic supplies, or who were in building construction.”

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Who is this Lee Kuan Yew that I do not know?

The real Lee Kuan Yew

So, it has finally been said – do not hero worship Lee Kuan Yew. The man himself would “cringe” at the blind adoration. So says his daughter, Lee Wei Ling, in a Facebook post on 25 March. (See here.)

The month-long bending of knees and bowing of heads among the Lee faithful have been amusing to me.

The praises levelled at the man verged on hysteria and the hysterically laughable, with some clearly delusional worshippers even witnessing the late Lee’s face in the clouds on his death anniversary.

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LKY hero worship is cringeworthy

The late LKY once said that even if he had to be lowered into his grave, if he saw something wrong, he would get up. Today, one year after his passing, he’s probably cringing from the other side, with Mdm Kua Gek Choo by his side consoling him: ‘Dear, at least it’s not a giant statue like Michael Jackson’s off his History album cover’, to which her soulmate would reply: ‘It’s damn rubbers. At least you could USE a $50 commemorative note with my face on it!’.

What his daughter is saying about the death anniversary commemoration is ‘Nice, but please don’t waste your time and just get on with your lives already’. An even more cringeworthy piece of news was that of an Indian child born a year ago today in Tamil Nadu, also called Lee Kuan Yew, in honour of His Greatness. There was a nationwide search for people with the same name. Breadtalk wisely refrained from capitalising on the surge in this ‘hero worship’.

Elsewhere, people observed a minute of silence, flocked to remembrance sites in Tanjong Pagar, shed a tear or two or, if they have too much time on their hands, create mega portraits made out of erasers, signatures, staples, nose hair, back pocket scraps or their own blood. No it wasn’t a mere hero that people were praying to. It’s a God-Emperor. Don’t forget to plan for Sept 16, your Heavenly Father’s 93rd birthday, devotees!

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The sickening sound of sucking up

Close-up of a billboard in Bukit Batok

Sometimes timber houses can look very solid from the outside, but a sharp eye may spot signs of rot in the wood. The excessive adulation of Lee Kuan Yew, on the first anniversary of his death, may be a sign of decay in the state apparatus.

Throughout last week, when social media collectively vomited in disgust at what looked like state-organised worship, I tried to check myself. Maybe it’s only the people active on social media who are feeling disgusted, I suggested to myself. Maybe there are indeed huge numbers of Singaporeans who think it entirely appropriate to prostrate themselves, light joss-sticks, perhaps even ululate in the streets (if they knew how), to mark the anniversary.

Then, in this morning’s Today newspaper, we have former prime minister Goh Chok Tong trying to distance himself from all this inflated zeal. “I, too, won’t want to remember him in a very big way,” he was quoted as saying.

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1923 – 2015 (One Year Later)

LKY. Need we say more. People say, has it been one year already. I remember last year, 23 March 2015 as a nation mourns. Today, the nation remembers him. Even the remembrance sites are low key, just how LKY likes it.

He is not a fanfare kinda guy and a fiercely private person. His son, Lee Hsien Loong, current Prime Minister of Singapore had this to say “Mr Lee was very careful never to allow a personality cult to grow around him, much less to encourage one himself. He was exceptional in this respect among post-colonial leaders and founders of countries. They were larger-than-life figures, and often developed personality cults around themselves.”

“Hence, you will not find portraits or busts of Mr Lee Kuan Yew all over Singapore. He did have his portrait painted and his bust made, but he did not allow them to be displayed publicly.”

“Mr Lee was also very careful when it came to lending his name to institutions and awards, said the Prime Minister. “When he consented, it was for causes that he was passionate about and where using his name served a greater purpose,” he said. “He was intent on showing his support for the cause or institution, rather than using the honour to glorify himself.”

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Even if LKY IS a cult figure

TOMORROW last year, our founding father Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away. Six days later, Singaporeans were standing in the rain watching Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s cortege travel along the streets of Singapore. Who can get by his first death anniversary without a thought for the man who played such a great part in building Singapore?

Three remembrance sites have been open to the public since March 19, at Duxton Plain Park in Tanjong Pagar, Istana Park, as well as outside Parliament House along the Singapore River. Panels with photographs chronicling Mr Lee’s life’s work have been set up for viewing. There are more than 100 ground-up events commemorating the anniversary.

More books on the man have been published, including one which gave some personal insights on his character as told by people who know him. Artillery shells collected from a 21-gun salute at his State Funeral are being given out to people and groups linked to him. There will be concerts, a candle light rally and that’s a huge eraser-filled display of the man done by youths.

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Lee Kuan Yew looking over Singapore? Facebook group alludes to supernatural event

A Facebook group comprising mainly of rabid fans of the People’s Action Party, Fabrications About the PAP, shared a picture with the caption, “by Adrian Peh

Do you see what we saw. No photoshop. Taken at 4.11pm today at Gardens By the Bay East. Pls credit my friend. Garrick Lin.”

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Remembering LKY: The Great but Late Lee Kuan Yew is Not a Deity Lah!

The great but late Lee Kuan Yew is not a deity. There, we’ve said it, send in the ISD (but only the chio or lao chio Wendy Lim-type of officers, please).

Praying to Lee Kuan Yew will not help you strike 4D (we tried), increase the odds of a Murali win in Bukit Batok, or bump your kid’s PSLE Science marks from a B to an A.

But some people obviously don’t think so, like these guys:

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Fabrications About The PAP

Do you see what I see? #‎submitted‬ by Adrian Peh

Do you see what we saw. No photoshop. Taken at 4.11pm today at Gardens By the Bay East.

Pls credit my friend. Garrick Lin

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Papier-mache caricature of a Hero

It is not difficult to fathom the reason behind the fanatic glorification of the late Lee Kuan Yew on the first anniversary of his death. To say that it is a colossal effort by PM Lee Hsien Loong and his ilks to shore up the waning reputation of the PAP for future domination of Singapore is not way off. So it became imperative for the jocular PM Lee Hsien Loong to over-hype the so-called achievements of his late father, the papier-mache caricature of a hero, to rally gullible Singaporeans to bolster the erratic reputation of the PAP.

The PAP wallahs are trying to create the image of the questionable Lee Kuan Yew into some kind of a demi-god. But what do the students and younger Singaporeans, even older Singaporeans, know of the heinous character of Lee Kuan Yew? They simply follow the leader in exhibiting their enthusiasm of idolising the late Lee Kuan Yew without actually knowing the real meaning of it. And this is accentuated by the PAP propagandists, PM Lee and his ministers not exempted, by dwelling on Lee Kuan Yew’s so-called virtues and making him out to be the sole leader to transform Singapore to what it is today. They try to impress the public that they owe their living today to Lee Kuan Yew.

To put it cynically, nothing can be more preposterous. Lee Kuan Yew would be floundering like a drowning man if he did not have eminent ministers like Dr. Goh Keng Swee, Mr. Hon Sui Sen, Mr. S.Rajaratnam and last but not the least the eminent Dr. Albert Winseimus, to help him transform Singapore, economically and politically, to what it is today. And where is the sense of integrity and duty to the public for the PAP propagandists to say that it is a one-man show by Lee Kuan Yew to transform Singapore to its present stage? Do PM Lee and his flattering ministers think that this is a fair representation of the contributions of Dr. Goh and his colleagues, especially Dr. Winseimus who almost single-handedly transformed Singapore economically with his inimitable expert advice.

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The veneration of Lee Kuan Yew helps no one

Sometimes it feels as if we’ve heard more about Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew since his death than when he was alive.

He is, of course, a man worth remembering, and the first anniversary of his death was always going to be an event in Singapore. A man who has featured so prominently in the ‘Singapore Story’, and who has assumed such a larger-than-life persona in most Singaporeans’ imaginations, will not easily slip from our collective consciousness.

But what does it mean for society when we’re all so caught up in the veneration of Lee Kuan Yew? How can we scrutinise our history when our vision is eclipsed by one man and his narrative?

When Lee first died I wrote a personal reflection that was published in the Guardian. It was a piece that sparked anger and I was accused of being a traitor. My crime? For daring to suggest that Singapore might have done all right without Lee Kuan Yew. For having the cheek to imagine a Singapore that wasn’t tied to one man. Doubt was disrespect, questioning was ingratitude — in the eyes of some Singaporeans, there are no other paths apart from the one Lee chose for us, and any suggestion otherwise was unpatriotic.

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LKY portrait made up of his name written 18000 times

As the former prime minister remains in critical condition at time of writing, Singaporeans from all walks of life continue to throng SGH with gifts and tributes, and there’s no ode more outstanding than one transforming LKY into a painstaking piece of art.

Writing ‘Lee Kuan Yew’ 18000 times sounds like a punishment a patriotic history teacher would dish out on a student for getting the date of our Independence wrong. Trust an artist like Ong to turn what to most people is torture into an impressive tribute.

Like Ong, digital artist Kevin Sim created a composite image of LKY using images of bundles of wire late last year. Not sure what the significance of wire is. Maybe something to do with how ‘connected’ Singapore has become.

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10 heartwarming photos of people in S’pore making the late Lee Kuan Yew cringe

Madame Tussauds Singapore, located on Sentosa, have put on display the figures of Lee Kuan Yew and his wife, Kwa Geok Choo, at the courtyard outside their attraction for public viewing.

Sculptured in 2014 based on a photo taken by Madam Lee’s niece in Sentosa on Valentine’s Day 2008, the display of the wax figures is for locals and tourists to take complimentary photos with them and lay flowers at their feet if they wished to do so to mark the first-year anniversary of the elder statesman’s passing.

A special “Book of Memories” will also be put out in which people may pen their thoughts about what they remembered Lee Kuan Yew for and how he has inspired them in one way or the other.

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Kindergarten kids bow in front of Lee Kuan Yew’s banner

In what looks like a trailer for a parody movie, a video of tiny kindergarten kids being made to bow three times in front of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s banner has been making its rounds online. The video has been shared over 1,700 times (at time of writing) since it was uploaded on Monday (21 Mar).

Understandably, people want to pay their respects to a man worth remembering, especially now that we are a day away from the first anniversary of his death. But the kids probably have no idea what they were doing bowing in front of Ah Kong.

This video verges on posthumous worshipping and has drawn its fair share of critics.

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Photo Gallery: Singapore went full retard on Lee Kuan Yew

Read notice boards about Lee Kuan Yew just about anywhere in Singapore

Singaporean red necks are spoiled for celebrations this week with over 100 commemorative events of Lee Kuan Yew’s death anniversary organized by the Singapore government.

The Lee Kuan Yew campaign is now in full drive ahead of the anniversary this Wednesday (Mar 23). In case you are not convinced Singapore is actually North Korea in disguise, here are some of the chest-thumping fanatic works in this LKY campaign (get ready your tissues if you are one of the red necks):

Search for people bearing Lee Kuan Yew name by state media TodayOnline [Link]

Mega lift size portrait of Lee Kuan Yew made of Singapore flag erasers

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Youths Form Portrait With 5000 Country Flag Erasers To Commemorate Lee Kuan Yew’s Death Anniversary

Our Father, Our Country, Our Flag

It’s been nearly a year since the passing of our late founding father, Lee Kuan Yew. To commemorate his death anniversary, a group of youths came together and constructed a portrait of him.

The portrait was made out of common stationery — country flag erasers from our childhood.

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Lee Wei Ling - FaceBook April 1

i will no longer write for SPH as the editors there do not allow me freedom of speech. in fact, that was the reason why i posted the article on LKY would not want to be hero-worshipped

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Lee Wei Ling - FaceBook March 25 at 3:43am

Lee Kuan Yew would have cringed at the hero worship just one year after his death.

The response of Singaporeans during the seven days of national mourning when my father, Lee Kuan Yew, died last March was unanticipated – even by Singaporeans themselves, not to mention foreign observers. As his daughter, I too was astounded by the intensity of Singaporeans' feelings towards my father.

In that collective mourning, we learnt something new about ourselves; and the rest of the world also learnt something new about us.

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ST editor tells Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter to be happy that “we don’t spit on your dad’s grave

Mr Chia Han Keong acknowledges that his opinion was too strongly worded.

We publish his clarification in full:

“Hello all, Earlier today, I posted a Facebook post expressing my views about Dr Lee Wei Ling’s views about how Singaporeans have been remembering her father on his death anniversary. In hindsight, the post was too strongly worded. I’ve since taken down the post. I would also like to add that as this is my private account, my views do not represent that of my company, the Singapore Press Holdings Ltd, nor those of my newspaper, The Straits Times."

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Remembering Lee Kuan Yew: Is PM Lee at odds with his sister Dr Lee Wei Ling and ex-PM Goh Chok Tong?

The founding Prime Minister of Singapore’s daughter, Dr Lee Wei Ling, published a viral Facebook note which has now been shared about 7000 times. In her note she cringed at the hero-worship of her father and said that her father would have disapproved of it if he was alive.

Commenting on Dr Lee’s views on the numerous commemorative events held islandwide in remembrance of Mr Lee, Singapore’s second Prime Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong said that he agreed with her.

“I, too, have known Lee Kuan Yew for some 40 years. I know his sentiments … He would prefer us to reflect on his values, what he had done for Singapore, as a foundation for building Singapore in the future,” he said.

related: Lee Kuan yew would have cringed at hero worship says his daughter

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Lee Wei Ling says her dad “would have cringed at the hero worship just one year after his death

Trust the late Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter, Lee Wei Ling, to say it like it is.

After all, this was what the man, who is known for his plain-speaking attitude, told his only daughter,

“Your misfortune is that you have my genetic traits, but in so exaggerated a form that they have become a disadvantage for you.” The Straits Times

The medical professor who once said that she is “most like my father in temperament”, wrote a lengthy Facebook post that pretty much hits out at the “more than 100 events” happening in observance of her father’s passing this week.

The post, which was published on Friday evening (March 25), was shared nearly 2,000 times by Saturday (March 26).

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ST REPORTER CALLS LEE WEI LING A SOURPUSS BUT RETRACTS STATEMENT

After LKY's daughter Lee Wei Ling wrote a Facebook note to criticise the excessive veneration of her father, Straits Times’ Assistant Sports Editor, Chia Han Keong, voiced his unhappiness over the former PM's daughter's writing, calling her a sourpuss.

Chia wrote, "Come on lah, Ms Lee, you unfunny, un-fun sourpuss. We work and work and work, sometimes willingly, sometimes reluctantly, just because your dad said so. Now we rest a bit to remember fondly this patriarch, but you must come and KPKB and tell us to get back to work??? Yah, yah, we may have overdone things, but come on, relax lah, the country won't fall because of this. In fact, if we hadn't done these barrage of tributes, some political enemies might write bad things about us yah? Something like, "deep down inside, every Singaporean actually hates LKY..."

So please, stop self-flagellating, relax and be glad we don't spit on your dad's grave. But later Chia took down the post and stated that the post does not represent The Straits Times.

related: DR LWL: MY FATHER WOULD CRINGE THE EXCESSIVE HERO WORSHIP

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Is This Career Suicide?

ST editor retracts “strong worded” statement about daughter of Lee Kuan Yew.

The Assistant Sports Editor of The Straits Times, Chia Han Keong responded to Ms Lee Wei Ling’s post about the hero worship of her father and late founding father Mr Lee Kuan Yew. With it being the first anniversary of Lee Kuan Yew’s death, many Singaporeans have taken to social media and the streets to pay respect to the man that turned the tide for Singapore.

While it has been an overwhelming week with many commemorating LKY’s death, his daughter feels that the adulation might have taken a turn for the obsessive. Straits Times have led the charge with the remembrance and tributes. So to see one of their own lash out in a moment of folly, especially one with considerable influence was a tad off-putting.

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Lee Wei Ling Speaks Up About Singaporeans Hero-Worshipping LKY, Pisses ST’s Assistant Sports Editor Off

One year is too fast to start worshipping LKY, says daughter.

Last Wednesday (23 Mar) was Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s first death anniversary and some Singaporeans came together to commemorate his passing.

For instance, a group of youths came together to create a portrait of our first Prime Minister out of 5,000 erasers.

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Lee Wei Ling: My father would be disgusted by the recent hero worshiping like Communist China

Former dictator Lee Kuan Yew’s eldest daughter, Lee Wei Ling, posted on Facebook revealing that her father would have been disgusted by the slew of events held by the Singapore government to commemorate the first anniversary of his death.

Titled “Lee Kuan Yew would have cringed at the hero worship just one year after his death”, Lee Wei Ling said she was astounded by the intensity of the feelings towards him. She said she decided to voice out after the government-controlled media headlined a story of a 2.3m by 3.1m portrait of Lee Kuan Yew. Lee Wei Ling said this reminded her of communist China:
“It was a well-meaning effort but it made me wince.

Here is why:

The photo brought back memories of my first visit to China with my father in 1976. It was the end of the Cultural Revolution and I have vivid memories of our delegation being greeted by young children lining the streets chanting loudly: “WELCOME, WELCOME, A VERY WARM WELCOME.”

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LKY’s Daughter Feels the Brunt of Daddy’s Legacy, Declares SPH Boycott Over Censorship

The daughter of the late Lee Kuan Yew has declared a boycott on Singapore Press Holdings.

Lee Wei Ling has been a regular columnist for SPH, but today she announced on Facebook that will no longer be writing for the company.

This comes after the paper refused to publish a piece she wrote condemningthe over-the-top week-long commemoration of Lee Kuan Yew that took place last week – a year after his death.

related: ST Editor Not Sorry for “Spit on LKY’s Grave” Comments & Lee Wei Ling Insults

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Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter says she will no longer write for SPH

Dr Lee Wei Ling has said in her Facebook that she “will no longer write for SPH as the editors there do not allow me freedom of speech.”

She further disclosed that it was the reason why she posted her article suggesting “Mr Lee Kuan Yew would have cringed at hero-worship‘ in her Facebook.

In her note Dr Lee particularly called out The Straits Times for leading the hero-worship. She said, “What made me write this article was a front page report in The Straits Times (Mar 21). It carried a photo of an outline of Papa’s face made with 4,877 erasers that form an installation which is 2.3 m wide and 3.1 m tall, titled Our Father, Our Country, Our Flag.”

related:
Dr Lee Wei Ling will no longer write for SPH
Mr Lee Kuan Yew would have cringed at hero-worship

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Lee Wei Ling: I will no longer write for SPH as the editors there do not allow me freedom of speech

At around 1pm on April 1, also April Fools’ Day, Lee Wei Ling, daughter of late-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew posted an update on her personal Facebook page stating that she would no ‘longer write for SPH’.

Lee has columns regularly published in The Straits Times, a publication by the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH).

In the update, Lee also said that editors at SPH do not allow her freedom of speech.

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Lee Wei Ling’s stance against The Straits Times reminds the newspaper to be unbiased in its reporting

Many have previously observed that The Straits Times often works against free speech by refusing to publish letters, articles and comments which go against the opinion they wish to present. In many incidences of such alleged censorship, reports on public interest issues have been arguably slanted and unobjective.

The danger to that is that the public’s right to information is compromised because of The Straits Times apparent agenda. To compound things, The Straits Times is the only major English publication in Singapore which the government openly recognises and quite possibly the only English print media outlet that the government grants interviews and directly engages with. Given their privilege of access, it is concerning that it then seemingly uses this privilege to influence the public to a certain view which many have deemed as biased.

Dr Lee Wei Ling, daughter of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew has just announced that she will no longer write for The Straits Times because of the “editorial curbs” that have been imposed by the publication (http://theindependent.sg/lee-kuan-yews-daughter-says-she-will-no-longer-write-for-sph/) I can only speculate that this decision has something to do with the paper’s refusal to publish her views over the “hero worship” of her father after her Face Book posts.

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Dr Lee Wei Ling gagged?

WELL, well. Dr Lee Wei Ling is really letting it rip. She now says that she posted on her Facebook page her criticism of the hero-worship surrounding her father’s death anniversary because The Straits Times wouldn’t publish the piece. She says she was denied freedom of speech and won’t be contributing pieces to the newspaper anymore.

You can see all the sniggering that followed her post; I don’t need to post any here. But they revolve around how her father was probably instrumental in “gagging” the media and that it was ironic that she was now on the receiving end of media controls.

In what looks like a reaction to comments, she replies with a post about her father’s reactions to the book by former chief editor Cheong Yip Seng, OB Markers, on the Singapore media. She let on something that has been debated in some circles: why Mr Lee Kuan Yew wrote the foreword for the book which exposed the G’s relationship with the media in Singapore. I use the word “exposed” deliberately because it brought to light the private dealings between editors and the G, including lunches and Istana briefings. Things that I thought I would take with me to the grave were aired in public.

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Who will end the cult of LKY?

On March 21, the front page of the Straits Times carried a photograph featuring a stylised portrait of Singapore’s first, now deceased, prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. The installation formed, out of 4,877 erasers, was 2.3 metres wide and 3.1 metres high and titled Our Father, Our Country, Our Flag.

Now the first question that came to my mind was... why erasers?

But other commentators had different reactions, with one woman in particular asking why so much column space was being devoted to a man who was determined not to see his legacy descend into a personality cult.

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PAP Community Foundation pre-school orders its students to bow to great leader Lee Kuan Yew’s poster

Facebook user Tengmu Fuming who shared the video clip captioned it: “The kindergarten at my block asking the children to bow three time out of respect to the photo of Mr Lee after telling them a short story of him. Do the children understand?”

Commenters to the post have remarked that what the young children are made to do “does not seem right.”

In a second video, the teachers can be heard explaining to the students that they had to bow three times to the poster of Lee Kuan Yew because he is a “great leader”.

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LWL was right. Take a look at this

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Online squabble about "Hero-Worship" of the late Lee Kuan Yew

Churchill and Mao might have caused the rift between The Straits Times (ST) and its popular column contributor, Dr Lee Wee Ling.

Dr Lee revealed on her Facebook page yesterday the contentious part of her article, that mentioned the death commemorations of the two legendary world leaders, and which ST editors said were "irrelevant", according to her.

She had produced her article in full earlier on Facebook on March 25 without making any comment.

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Family feud over how to mark LKY's death spills out online

Dr Lee, in an earlier FaceBook post, said this picture of an art installation of 4,877 erasers in the likeness of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's image, which was featured on the front page of ST on Mar 21, had made her wince.ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Over the past fortnight, Dr Lee Wei Ling had written on her personal FaceBook page about her disagreement with the way the 1st death anniversary of her father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, was marked across the country last month.

Yesterday, she made public a series of e-mails on the matter, only to take them down from her Facebook page several hours later.

In the e-mails between her and Straits Times associate editor Ivan Fernandez, who was editing her columns, Dr Lee said she was "at odds" with her brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

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Social Media on the Late LKY’s children Online Squabble

“What social media has introduced for sure is an element of ‘live’ politics; you need to be able to react much faster – within hours – while bearing in the mind the consequences of what you are about to post,”

My earliest and most vivid recollection is of being held by my ears over a well in the compound of a house where my family was then living, at what is now Tembeling Road in Singapore. I was about four years old.

I had been mischievous and had messed up an expensive jar of my father's 4711 pale-green scented brilliantine. My father had a violent temper, but that evening his rage went through the roof. He took me by the scruff of the neck from the house to this well and held me over it. How could my ears have been so tough that they were not ripped off, dropping me into that well? Fifty years later, in the 1970s, I read in Scientific American an article explaining how pain and shock release neuropeptides in the brain, stamping the new experience into the brain cells and thus ensuring that the experience would be remembered for a long time afterwards.

I was born in Singapore on 16 September 1923 in a large two-story bungalow at 92 Kampong Java Road. My mother, Chua Jim Neo, was then 16 years old. My father, Lee Chin Koon, was 20. Their parents had arranged the marriage a year previously. Both families must have thought it an excellent match, for they later married my father's younger sister to my mother's younger brother.

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