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Lee Kuan Yew  

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"We should keep silent about those in power; to speak well of them almost implies flattery; to speak ill of them while they are alive is dangerous, and when they are dead is cowardly." [1] — Jean de La Bruyère

Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew (born 1923, age 86; also spelled Lee Kwan-Yew), was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. Since stepping down from office, he has remained one of the most influential politicians in Singapore.


2.   Born in Singapore, a fourth-generation Chinese Singaporean, Lee studied law at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge in the United Kingdom, graduating with Double Starred First Class honours. He returned to Singapore in 1949 to work as a lawyer in the legal practice of John Laycock.


3.   On November 21, 1954, Lee, together with a group of English-educated middle-class men, formed the socialist People's Action Party (PAP) in a marriage of convenience with the pro-communist trade unionists. The English-educated group needed the pro-communists’ mass support base, while the communists needed a non-communist party leadership because the Malayan Communist Party was illegal. Their common aims were to agitate for self-government and put an end to British colonial rule. Lee became secretary-general, a post he held until 1992, save for a brief period in 1957.


4.   Lee contested and won the Tanjong Pagar seat in the 1955 general election. He became the opposition leader, pitting himself against David Saul Marshall’s Labour Front-led coalition government. In the 1959 general election, the PAP won 43 of the 51 seats in the Legislative Assembly. Singapore gained self-government, with autonomy in all state matters, except in defence and foreign affairs. Lee became the first Prime Minister of the state of Singapore on June 3, 1959.


5.   After Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, proposed the formation of a federation in 1961, Lee began to campaign for a merger with Malaysia to end British colonial rule. On September 16, 1963, Singapore became part of the Federation of Malaysia. However, the union was short-lived. The Malaysian Central Government, ruled by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), became worried by the inclusion of Singapore’s Chinese majority and the political challenge of the PAP in Malaysia. Race riots followed. Unable to resolve the crisis, the Malaysian Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, decided to expel Singapore from Malaysia. Lee was adamant and tried to work out a compromise, but without success. He was later convinced by Goh Keng Swee that the secession was inevitable. Lee signed a separation agreement on August 7, 1965.


6.   After leading the PAP in seven victorious elections, Lee stepped down on November 28, 1990, handing over the prime minister position to Goh Chok Tong. He was then the world's longest serving Prime Minister ever. Nevertheless, Lee remained in the Goh's cabinet with a non-executive position of Senior Minister and played a role he described as advisory. On August 12, 2004, Goh stepped down in favour of Lee's eldest son, Lee Hsien Loong. Goh became the Senior Minister and Lee Kuan Yew assumed a new cabinet position of Minister Mentor.   more... at Wikipedia

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