Lee Kuan Yew Remembered as Singapore’s ‘Father’ at State Funeral
- By: Sharon ChenAndrea Tan | Bloomberg
- Mar 30, 2015
- 4 min read
Lee Kuan Yew was remembered as the founder of modern Singapore at a state funeral after a procession through the city’s streets that drew more than 100,000 mourners despite heavy rain.
“We have all lost a father -- we grieve as one people, one nation,” Lee Hsien Loong, Lee’s son and the current prime minister, said Sunday in a eulogy. “Our shared sorrow has brought us together, and made us stronger and more resolute.”
Earlier, crowds lined an almost 10-mile stretch of central Singapore to bid farewell to the country’s first elected prime minister, as Lee’s body traveled in a gun carriage to the National University of Singapore for the funeral service. The procession was marked by a 21-gun salute, an air force aerial salute and a naval sailpast.
“We come together not only to mourn. We come together also to rejoice in Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s long and full life, and what he has achieved with us, his people in Singapore,” Lee Hsien Loong said during the service attended by 2,200 people, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
“Perhaps it’s appropriate that for his state funeral, the heavens opened and cried for him,” Lee said.
Thousands of people, many of them dressed in white -- traditionally a mourning color in parts of Asia -- lined roads on Sunday in the central business district as heavy rain fell. Huddling under umbrellas, many draped the red and white Singaporean flag over barricades. As Lee’s motorcade passed, some shouted “Lee Kuan Yew” and others cried, screamed and cheered.
‘Important Man’
“What’s a little rain?” said Danny Tan, 41, a lawyer with Allen and Gledhill LLP, who was waiting with his wife and toddler son to view the procession. “Mr LKY is an important man to this country. We may not agree with all that he’s done but there’s no denying he contributed much to Singapore,” said Tan, referring to Lee by his initials.
The funeral caps a week of mourning after Lee died March 23 at 91. More than 450,000 people waited in line for as long as 10 hours over the past four days to pay their respects as he lay in state.
As prime minister from 1959 to 1990, Lee helped turn Singapore into Southeast Asia’s richest nation by opening it to foreign investors while running a tightly controlled state that emphasized incorruptibility and stability. He stepped down from the cabinet in 2011.
‘Better Place’
“The world is a better place for Lee Kuan Yew,” said Henry Kissinger, President Richard Nixon’s secretary of state. “He taught us about the way Asians think about problems and he explained to us what development meant in a practical sense.”
Kissinger and Clinton represented the U.S. at the funeral. Clinton earlier shook hands with Modi -- who was dressed in traditional attire -- and the two chatted on a balcony on the second floor of the university’s cultural hall, with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott joining them as they took their seats along with Abe, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha in one row on the balcony.
Sitting several seats down from Abe in the same row was Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao. Indonesian President Joko Widodo sat in the row behind.
Singapore Cabinet ministers including Trade Minister Lim Hng Kiang and Communications Minister Yaacob Ibrahim sat on the first floor of the hall in the front row, along with former premier Goh Chok Tong. As President Tony Tan entered with his wife, people rose to their feet. An orchestra played as the motorcade carrying Lee arrived at the university.
Ten Eulogies
Lee Hsien Loong delivered the first of 10 eulogies, followed by Tan and Goh. The prime minister described his father as a “fighter.”
“In crises, when all seemed hopeless, he was ferocious, endlessly resourceful, firm in his resolve, and steadfast in advancing his cause,” he said.
A public warning system served as a call for the nation to observe a minute of silence. A private cremation ceremony followed.
“People decide to brave the heavy rain and send our founding father off, so we do what we can to make them feel more comfortable,” said Tan Ling, 15, a student at Chung Cheng high school who handed out ponchos to those packing the streets along with about 40 of her school mates.
Hundreds stayed on in the financial district after the procession passed, watching live coverage of the motorcade on a giant screen.
“We are all beneficiaries because of Mr Lee’s foresight and economic policies,” said Chee Junn Yeow, 44, whose wife Brenda sobbed as the gun salute rang out. “Whatever our political differences are, all Singaporeans are here today because of one man -- Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.”
To contact the reporters on this story:
Sharon Chen in Singapore at schen462@bloomberg.net
Andrea Tan in Singapore at atan17@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Rosalind Mathieson at rmathieson3@bloomberg.net
Stephanie Phang at sphang@bloomberg.net
Source: Bloomberg.com
By: Sharon ChenAndrea Tan
