SINGAPORE — The mood in chambers was solemn, and sniffles could be heard. Where the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew once sat was a bouquet of white flowers.

“I kept on looking to my left...Somehow we just felt that he should have been there - that was what was on my mind,” said Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, describing the the mood of the House yesterday (March 26) after parliamentarians gathered for a special sitting in memory of Mr Lee. Also present were former Cabinet Ministers Othman Wok, Ong Pang Boon and Jek Yeun Thong — some of the remaining members of Singapore’s first generation of leaders — and senior civil servants, grassroots leaders, students and other invited guests.

Eleven members spoke, including Leader of the House and Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, Workers’ Party chief Low Thia Khiang, and Speaker of the House Halimah Yacob.

After the session, all present, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, made their way to Mr Lee casket near the main entrance of the building and paid their respects, some of them for the second time.

Speaking after the sitting, Member of Parliament Baey Yam Keng (Tampines GRC) said the presence of the Old Guard was a reminder that it was a team that built Singapore. “Although Mr Lee was the leader, he had a very able team as well at that moment who helped him. I think by having everybody who could be there together, it’s also honouring people who had in their lives contributed towards the success of Singapore,” he said.

Mr Inderjit Singh (Ang Mo Kio GRC) said the sitting was “very emotional”. “Now we’re all busy with the tributes and all but when things settle down, we’ll realise that a big person is missing from our lives,” he said.

He added: “There will not be another Lee Kuan Yew again in my lifetime …so we just have to work harder to protect what he built up.”

Mr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong GRC) said Nominated MP Chia Yong Yong’s speech stood out for him. “She said that she’s the girl born with a disability and from a poor family. And because of the system that we have, she’s able to rise up, do well in her studies, become a lawyer and now become an NMP. So that was a very powerful thing even though she’s never met Mr Lee Kuan Yew, but because of the system that he’s created, she’s become a living testimony,” he said.

Former National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan (Tampines GRC) told reporters after the sitting that Mr Lee’s death left him at “loss for words”. Mr Lee, he said, gave Singapore “tremendous courage” at a time where the Republic was facing serious problems. “He never stopped worrying for Singapore. He told us basically it is your job to worry, he never stopped caring. He never stopped thinking about how to solve problems, not just big problems but small problems as well.”

Mr Peter Ong, head of the Civil Service, who was also present, said Mr Lee’s personal values have shaped public service. “His values of incorruptibility, of high standards of integrity...this has guided the way we have gone about teaching our own officers that they too must have very high standards of integrity,” he said.

Mr Goh, who was speaking to reporters at the community tribute centre in Kembangan later in the evening, said that since the send-off for Mr Lee from the Istana, he had begun to feel “a sense of upliftment”.

“There is this inspiration watching the way the country has come together,” he said. “This is a sad moment for all of us...knowing that Singaporeans felt so much for Mr Lee Kuan Yew, I felt a bit easier in my heart. So the heaviness became a little lighter....I was being lifted by overwhelming support and love Singaporeans had for Mr Lee.” LAURA PHILOMIN, TAN WEIZHEN, VALERIE KOH