a summary of the great leader
LONG LIVE lee ky
the people love you ....
Lee Kuan Yew was born in Singapore on September 16, 1923. He is a
fourth-generation Singaporean born into a family with hardy Hakka roots.
His great-grandfather had left Dapu County, Guangdong Province for
Singapore at the age of 16. Lee's grandfather, Hoon Leong, went to an
English school and began a career as a pharmacist, a trade dominated by the
Hakkas. Lee's father, Chin Koon, first worked as a storekeeper at Shell and
later at a jewellery shop.
Lee's birth was an occasion for great rejoicing in the Lee household. He
was the first-born and he was a boy, important to the Chinese for
perpetuating the family name. He gave his grandfather such great pride that
the old man declared that the child should be educated to become the equal
of any Englishman, that is, the model of perfection. The name chosen for
him , Kuan Yew, means "the light that shines far and wide".
Lee emerged as the top Malayan boy in the Senior Cambridge examinations. At
the age of 19, his studies were interrupted by the Japanese invasion. After
the war, he took law at Cambridge University, where he scored a double
first (first-class honors in two subjects) in law.
In November 1954, led by 25-year-old Lee, a group of British-educated,
middle-class Chinese who had returned to Singapore in the early 1950s after
studying in Britain formed the People's Action Party. The party sought to
attract a following among the mostly poor and non-English-speaking masses.
Lee became the first offically elected Prime Minister of Singapore. He
stayed in office from 1959 to 1990, when he voluntarily stepped down from
office to let a group of second-generation leaders take over the running of
the government.
Lee's intellect and energy shaped bold -- and often uncompromising --
responses to the challenges of wresting rule from the British and building
a nation. His government sought to build a multiracial and multilingual
society that would be unified by a sense of a unique "Singaporean
identity".
During Lee's long rule, Singapore experienced remarkable economic growth
and diversification. In addition to enhancing its position as a world trade
centre, it has developed powerful financial and industrial sectors.
Singapore has the most advanced economy in Southeast Asia. An island of 600
square kilometres, with three million people, it is the ninth richest
country in per capita terms today.
Even in his graying years, the founding prime minister of Singapore wields
very strong influence. He is regarded as virtually a national institution
at home. Governments elsewhere solicit his advice on development, and his
insights on a changing world, particularly the rise of Asia, are widely
respected.
Eldest son Brigadier-General Lee Hsien Loong is deputy prime minister, one
of the second-generation leaders to whom Lee and his cohorts have handed
over power. He is strongly tip to be the next Prime Minister of Singapore
after present Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.
Many of the ministers during Lee's era were Hakkas: Howe Yoon Chong, Hon
Sui Sen, Yong Nyuk Lin and Lee Khoon Choy. Today, the Hakkas still hold the
most important portfolios in Hakka-minority Singapore (Hakkas constitute
less than 6% of the population). Besides Lee and his eldest son, Richard
Hu is the Finance Minister and Yong Pang How is the Chief Justice.
The story of how Lee transformed Singapore is a fascinating one because no
other leader in the modern world has had such a hand in influencing and
directing his country's progress from independence to developed nation
status the way he has. None has straddled the two worlds with as much
success: the revolutionary world in the first half of this century for
independence from empire, and the development world in the second half for
wealth and progress.
That Singapore is a success today and the success is largely attributable
to Lee, there can be few doubts, even among his most severe critics.
** The above was extracted from various sources. I summarized the important
points, to make it easier for readers, especially those outside South-east
Asia, who may not know much about Lee.
http://www.asiawind.com/pub/forum/fhakka/mhonarc/msg00587.html
