Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s little-known sides unveiled in new book

SINGAPORE — On the day of his wife’s funeral, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew went past the Singapore River and saw debris. He asked his staff to snap a photo of the scene to send to the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources to fix. On another occasion, the famously health-conscious man ordered two scoops of ice cream for dessert to satiate his sweet tooth, inviting teases from his colleagues.

Such tales of the little-known sides of Mr Lee have been captured in a new book, titled Up Close with Lee Kuan Yew.

Individuals from the private sector, including Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong and Alexandra Health Systems chairman Jennie Chua, mooted the idea of the book in April 2014. They got 37 individuals who had worked or interacted closely with Mr Lee, from his days at Raffles College in 1941 up till his death last March, to contribute the short essays in the book. The contributors include 13 of his principal private secretaries and special assistants; Madam Yeong Yoon Ying, Mr Lee’s press secretary of 21 years; former President S R Nathan; and former Chief Justice Yong Pung How.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who spoke at the event held at the National Gallery Singapore and attended by more than 120 of Mr Lee’s close former colleagues and friends, said he picked up three important points from the book.

First, Mr Lee was a “visionary leader, but he also paid close attention to fine details”. Second, he was “not just focused on economic outcomes, but also cared very much about people”, always thanking musicians and performers at the Istana as well as Singapore Airlines cabin crew members.

Third, Mr Lee did everything “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,” Mr Teo said.

Senior Minister of State (Culture, Community & Youth and Finance) Sim Ann, who attended the event, told reporters she wished she had spent more time with Mr Lee — she served a brief stint as his principal private secretary before joining politics.

“My deepest impression was that he recognised women’s work and hoped that women could balance work and family life. When I went for the interview and told him I was planning to have my third child, he said immediately: ‘That’s good’,” she said in Mandarin.

Mdm Yeong said she chose to write about Mrs Lee instead, because of her character and quiet way of relating to the staff. “I used Mrs Lee to show how she supported Mr Lee’s thinking in helping Singaporeans on how to improve themselves ... I learnt a lot by watching how they interacted, like what is husband and wife,” she added.

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat’s essay on Mr Lee’s red box, which was published on his Facebook page the day after Mr Lee’s death, was also published in the book.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Heng said he hoped Singaporeans could learn from Mr Lee’s inspiring qualities, such as “his unwavering dedication to Singapore and the way he valued relationships with people”.

“There are many big ideas in the governance of a small state, and it is very important for us to continue to reflect on these ideas to see how these ideas remain relevant to Singapore, improve on them and take Singapore forward,” he added.