Mr Lee Kuan Yew cared for ideals, not monuments: PM Lee

SINGAPORE — The way in which the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew is honoured must be faithful to the ideals he lived by and fought for, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today (April 13) in Parliament.

The late Mr Lee, he said, did not care for monuments, but was chiefly concerned with the ideals and principals upon which he had built this nation. “Mr Lee made it very clear throughout his life that he did not need and did not want any monument,” said PM Lee.

Singapore’s founding Prime Minister had hoped that ideals such as multi-racialism, equality, meritocracy, integrity, and the rule of law would endure in Singapore beyond him, PM Lee added. “We can pay no greater tribute to him than to uphold the principles upon which he built this country.”

PM Lee was responding to several questions filed by Members of Parliament, who had asked if he would consider re-naming Singapore’s airport after the late Mr Lee and whether Singapore currencies could bear his image, among other suggestions.

While acknowledging that these are good ideas, PM Lee cautioned against rushing into making decisions on this matter, especially so soon after Mr Lee’s passing.

“We should allow some time to pass, consider the ideas carefully, and make calm, considered decisions which will stand the test of time. We want to honour Mr Lee, but we must do so in the right way,” he said.

Pointing out that Mr Lee was very careful when it came to lending his name to institutions and awards, PM Lee said he consented only for causes that he was passionate about, and where using his name served a greater purpose. He was intent on showing his support for the cause or institution, rather than using the honour to glorify himself, said PM Lee.

For example, he agreed to Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy because the Cabinet had convinced him that having such a school, and associating his name with it, would help establish “the Singapore brand of governance” and advance the school’s mission — to raise standards of governance in Asia, improve the lives of people and contribute to the transformation of the region, noted PM Lee.

“Mr Lee was very careful never to allow a personality cult to grow around him, much less to encourage one himself,” said the Prime Minister, adding that this is why there are no portraits or busts of Mr Lee Kuan Yew all over Singapore.

“He did have his portrait painted and his bust made in his lifetime, but he did not allow them to be displayed publicly and I know of only two exceptions to this,” said PM Lee, citing a bust of Mr Lee made in the early 1980s by British sculptor Sydney Harpley and another bust made by French sculptor Nacera Kainou.

“So it is with this mindset that we should assess proposals to honour Mr Lee,” said PM Lee.