Programmes about Mr Lee to be available on DVD

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday paid a tribute to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, saying Singapore’s first Prime Minister had shaped the ethos of the Singapore Public Service, where he instilled values of excellence, incorruptibility and meritocracy.

“His commitment to clean government is legendary,” Mr Teo said during the Administrative Service Dinner and Promotion Ceremony yesterday.

When Mr Lee won the mandate to form the government, he also strengthened anti-corruption laws and gave the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau wider powers to investigate and eradicate corruption, Mr Teo said.

Mr Lee, who died on March 23 at the age of 91, also believed in meritocracy. “He was adamant that public officers should be promoted and appointed on the basis of their abilities, effort and achievements, not connections,” Mr Teo added. “As we look ahead to the next 50 years, let us build on Mr Lee’s legacy and re-dedicate ourselves to the mission of public service — to improve the lives of Singaporeans and build a better Singapore.”

Meanwhile, programmes about the late Mr Lee will be made available on DVD, said MediaCorp yesterday.

The programmes were broadcast during the period of national mourning.

The three-part documentary Time Nor Tide was part of a series of special programmes to commemorate Mr Lee’s life and legacy. Special box-set editions of Time Nor Tide in English and Mandarin will be available at S$24.90 from Monday. They will be sold at all Poh Kim Video outlets and POPULAR/CD-RAMA stores. For bulk orders — more than 100 copies — members of the public can email merchandise [at] mediacorp.com.sg. A set of these programmes in Malay and Tamil will be available two weeks later.

MediaCorp is donating the net proceeds of the first public sale of DVDs to the Community Chest. SIAU MING EN, CHANNEL NEWSASIA