Bo Han - Lee Kuan Yew's administrative pronouncements

Message

Lee Kuan Yew's words introduce the man who is widely regarded as Singapore's founding father. They also introduce the guiding principles that guided him and his team. They guided the country through its liberation from the British Empire. They then merged with Malaysia. They then navigated turbulent waters when they separated from Malaysia and gained independence on August 9, 1965. These principles guided them throughout.

He transformed Singapore, which had become an unintended nation, into a first-world country. Lee ensured that the best people were in charge. It was Lee Kuan Yew who made the values ​​of inclusiveness, clean government, and sound economics not only the foundation of Singapore but also the model for it.

Lee's influence is evident in the progressive changes in his prose. In his later years, he used simpler sentences in his books and speeches. He reduced the wordy tone of his earlier years. He wanted to make the country more accessible to as many Singaporeans as possible.

He explained everything as clearly as he could so that everyone would understand what they had to do to succeed. That's why it's important to be clear.

His wife, who died in October 2010, influenced his writing style. At the time of his wife's death, Lee was in the hospital with a chest infection. He was discharged from the hospital and stood as a pallbearer at his wife's funeral. He did not return to the hospital after the night was over. He sent a security team to take him to the riverbank.

He walked slowly along the riverbank. It was a place he usually walked with his wife. He stopped. He pointed to a piece of garbage floating in the water. He asked a security officer to take a picture. He said he would instruct his personal officer tomorrow how to handle the matter.

The Minister of Education, Han Ngwe Keat, who recounted the incident, was Lee's personal aide at the time. Lee's actions changed the attitude of the officials. One of them, who had been in the job for 30 years, said, "Mr. Lee is always country, country, country. And then country again."

How true these words are can be seen in the three volumes of Lee Kuan Yew's sayings, excerpted here.