Paying tribute at Parliament House ‘more meaningful, worth the wait’

SINGAPORE — Despite officials repeatedly encouraging people to visit the community tribute sites to pay their respects to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, in view of the huge crowds around the Central Business District, those waiting in the queue leading to Parliament House said they felt it was more meaningful to pay their respects there instead.

Victoria Junior College students Winnie Wee, 17, and Han Yi’En, 18, for instance, had gone to a tribute site in Tampines, but they said being at Parliament House was different and they wanted to feel Mr Lee’s presence. On Wednesday (March 25), they joined the queue, but gave up waiting as they had school the next day. Yesterday, they were back in the line.

Ms Ashley Lee, 38, who works in the finance and accounting industry, also did not mind the wait. She said: “It’s a way of showing respect and saying goodbye. I think that if I don’t do it, I would probably regret it for the rest of my life.”

The high volume of people around the clock over the past three days had prompted Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean to voice concerns over public safety and the well-being of the elderly waiting for hours in the queue. Mr Teo said the number of people who turned up at Parliament House and the tribute centres has been “overwhelming, more than we ever expected”.

“We’ll try to accommodate as many people as possible. We hope for everyone’s understanding that the queues are very long ... and we encourage people to go to the tribute centres,” he said.

Adding that the wait at the priority queues was also very long, Mr Teo said: “Our main concern is really for the health and safety of the people who have to wait for a very long time, particularly those who may be a little older, those with children and so on.”

As of 11pm last night, more than 290,000 people had paid their respects at Parliament House. By yesterday, more than 420,000 people had also visited the community tribute sites. The lying in state has also been streamed live on the Internet and screened at the tribute centres since yesterday.

Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said he could understand the overwhelming response and noted that many people had gone to the tribute centres as well as Parliament House. “I am thankful that Singaporeans are very patient ... I think everyone wants to come and see him for the last time. In fact, one lady said, ‘I don’t mind waiting for eight hours; he has been waiting for us for the last 50 years.’ That is the kind of sentiment that is very powerful, so I am happy for that.”

He added that as the funeral service was scheduled for tomorrow, there would inevitably be people who are unable to pay their respects in person. That is why the lying in state is being streamed live, he said. REPORTING BY NG JING YNG, SIAU MING EN, LAURA PHILOMIN and JEAN KHOO