DPM Teo Chee Hean at book launch of “Up Close with Lee Kuan Yew, An Enduring Legacy in Singapore’s Public Service” on 15 March 2016

Colleagues

Friends of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew
Members of the Book Project Team
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening. Last March, we lost our founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. On the Padang, just across from where we are now, tens of thousands of Singaporeans queued up for hours to pay their last respects during Mr Lee’s Lying-In-State. I spent many hours walking through the queues several times that week, and spoke to Singaporeans from all walks of life who came with their family, friends, neighbours, colleagues. I also visited the community tribute sites in my constituency, Pasir Ris Punggol, where my residents brought their family members, young and old. I was deeply moved when many told me that they had come to remember Mr Lee and all that he had done for Singapore. On the day of Mr Lee’s funeral, more than 100,000 Singaporeans stood in the pouring rain to send him on his last journey. It was apt that in his passing, he brought us together, again, as one people. 

Tonight, we are gathered here to launch the book “Up Close with Lee Kuan Yew”. In this book, Mr Lee’s peers, close colleagues, and public officers who worked closely with him, recollect their most memorable personal encounters with Mr Lee, which many of us, including myself, did not know about. We thank all contributors for sharing your precious memories, and the project team for putting the book together – so that Singaporeans can also benefit from your personal insights and understand and know Mr Lee better as a person.

This evening, I will highlight three points about Mr Lee that came through most strongly for me from the anecdotes in this book. 

First, Mr Lee was a visionary leader, but he also paid close attention to fine details. Minister Heng Swee Keat’s story of how Mr Lee sent an email about trash in the Singapore River to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources on the day of Mrs Lee’s funeral is a poignant example of how Mr Lee never let the smallest detail go – even when he was going through such a difficult time emotionally. 

Second, Mr Lee was not just focused on economic outcomes, he also cared very much about people.  Mr Stephen Lee recalls how Mr Lee always thanked the musicians and performers after every performance at the Istana, and showed appreciation to SIA cabin crew members who served him on board. Many of Mr Lee’s personal staff also recounted his kindness to them in various ways. 

In the spirit of this book, I thought that I would also share a personal anecdote about Mr Lee, which brings these two points to life for me personally. One day, Mr Lee phoned me up to give me some personal feedback. He told me not to wave my hands about so much when speaking, because it was rather distracting. So if you noticed that I have not moved my hands much during my speech, it is because he noticed this small detail about myself, which I had not even been conscious of. And he cared enough to take the trouble to point it out to me, so that I could try to improve and do better. 

The third, and most important, point, was that what he did was not for himself, but for Singapore and Singaporeans. The one recurring theme across the stories, is how Mr Lee lived and breathed Singapore. Singapore was not just his life’s work. It was his life. Indeed, the personal anecdotes and recollections in this book bear testimony to Mr Lee’s lifetime dedication to building an exceptional country for all Singaporeans, with an honest, reliable and trustworthy system of governance. One that would outlast him or any individual leader. 

The Singapore that all of us have today is the legacy that Mr Lee and our Pioneers have left for current and future generations of Singaporeans. Let us cherish and remember what Mr Lee stood for, and all that he has done for all of us. The best and most appropriate way to honour his memory is for all of us to build on this strong foundation – united as one people – to do our part to make Singapore even better in the years to come.  Let us follow that rainbow, and ride it together, towards a better future. 

I hope that you will enjoy reading this book and derive many new insights, as I have.

Thank you.