LKY would have been a nobody had he not married up into the daughter of a local banking dynasty.
he would still be somebody as he was groomed by british intelligence (soe in south east asia until 1946 followed by sis until he was elected in malayan politics which included sg). between lcs and lky, the brits picked the latter as he was already liaising with soe prior to the jap surrender in 1945. as a morse/telegraph analyst for jap intelligence, he was a valuable asset to british intelligence as to the morale and disposition of jap inner workings in sg. he worked for the japs but he switched sides as he was first (even among jap intell) to foresee the demise and defeat of jap forces in burma and south east asia (as he was intimately transcribing intercepted morse codes of the allies in the s.e.a. theater). lcs to the brits was an unknown, and worse, suspected of being a prc commie sympathizer. moreover, between the commies in malaya and jap soldiers plus kempeitai who were left behind in malaya after ww2 the brits were in favor of the lesser of 2 evils during the "vacuum" or transition period, i.e. the japs. after ww2, jap soldiers were co-opted by the allies to continue to police surrendered territories, and the kempeitai were recruited by the british soe then the sis (mi6 today) to spy on the commies. the chosen local to lead and advance british interest in malaya then (until years after independence) was none other than lky. the marriage to local tycoon's daughter was just a bonus to cast him into the elite local circles of sg. how many young, impressionable, lonely and horny years did the couple spend their years together in the u.k. (where british intelligence was all over them to ensure they clicked)? chance and happenstance? nah.