Passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew

[Papsmearer]

LKY, Dictator and Oppressor of S'pore DIES!! Celebrate our first step to Freedom

Lee Kuan Yew, the statesman who transformed Singapore from a small port city into a wealthy global hub, has died at the age of 91.

Mr Lee served as the city-state's prime minister for 31 years, and continued to work in government until 2011.

Highly respected as the architect of Singapore's prosperity, Mr Lee was also criticised for his iron grip on power.

Under him freedom of speech was tightly restricted and political opponents were targeted by the courts.

The announcement was made "with deep sorrow" by the press secretary of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Mr Lee's son.

"The Prime Minister is deeply grieved to announce the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the founding Prime Minister of Singapore," his office said in a statement.

It said Mr Lee passed away peacefully at the Singapore General Hospital at 03:18 local time on Monday (19:18 GMT on Sunday).
'Meritocratic nation'

A charismatic and unapologetic figure, Mr Lee co-founded the People's Action Party, which has governed Singapore since 1959, and was its first prime minister.

The Cambridge-educated lawyer led Singapore through merger with, and then separation from, Malaysia - something that he described as a "moment of anguish".

Speaking at a press conference after the split in 1965, he pledged to build a meritocratic, multi-racial nation.

But tiny Singapore - with no natural resources - needed a new economic model.

"We knew that if we were just like our neighbours, we would die," Mr Lee told the New York Times in 2007.

"Because we've got nothing to offer against what they have to offer. So we had to produce something which is different and better than what they have."

Through investment in schooling, Mr Lee set about creating a highly-educated work force fluent in English.

He reached out to US investors to turn Singapore into a manufacturing hub, introducing incentives to attract foreign firms.

Singapore also became a centre for the oil-refining industry. The city-state grew wealthy and later developed into a major financial centre.

But building a nation came with tight controls - and one of Mr Lee's legacies was a clampdown on the press.

These restrictions remain today. In 2014, Singapore stood at 150 in the Reports Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, below countries like Russia, Myanmar and Zimbabwe.

Dissent - and political opponents - were ruthlessly quashed.

Today Mr Lee's PAP remains firmly in control. There are currently six opposition lawmakers in parliament.

Other measures, such as corporal punishment, a ban on chewing gum and the government's foray into matchmaking for Singapore's brightest - to create smarter babies - led to perceptions of excessive state interference.

But Mr Lee remained unmoved.

"Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him. Or give it up," he told a rally in 1980. "I've spent a whole lifetime building this and as long as I'm in charge, nobody is going to knock it down."

 

[dr.wailing]

In his past lives, LKY had accumulated vast amounts of merit and as reward, he became the first PM of Sinkieland. He accumulated huge amounts of material wealth for his family and established the new Tang dynasty.

However he persecuted countless numbers of his opponents when he was the de facto ruler of Sinkieland. For his reincarnation, he'll be judged for his evil deeds as well. One thing is for sure: his next reincarnation will not be a ruler, prince or the scion of a wealthy billionaire.

 

[xingguy]

Re: 放炮啊！grand celebration LKY 100% confirmed dead

The Last Leaf Has Finally Fallen!!

Old fart is the phantom of the paradise.

This is a song I specially reserve and now dedicate it to him.

[video=youtube;Vuikvl7zt3E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuikvl7zt3E[/video][/QUOTE]

 

[dr.wailing]

Re: LKY, Dictator and Oppressor of S'pore DIES!! Celebrate our first step to Freedom

In his past lives, LKY had accumulated vast amounts of merit and as reward, he became the first PM of Sinkieland. He accumulated huge amounts of material wealth for his family and established the new Tang dynasty.

However he persecuted countless numbers of his opponents when he was the de facto ruler of Sinkieland. For his reincarnation, he'll be judged for his evil deeds as well. One thing is for sure: his next reincarnation will not be a ruler, prince or the scion of a wealthy billionaire.

 

[dr.wailing]

Re: 放炮啊！grand celebration LKY 100% confirmed dead

In his past lives, LKY had accumulated vast amounts of merit and as reward, he became the first PM of Sinkieland. He accumulated huge amounts of material wealth for his family and established the new Tang dynasty.

However he persecuted countless numbers of his opponents when he was the de facto ruler of Sinkieland. For his reincarnation, he'll be judged for his evil deeds as well. One thing is for sure: his next reincarnation will not be a ruler, prince or the scion of a wealthy billionaire.

 

[dr.wailing]

Even my friend from turkey knew what a great person he is.

Your "turkey" friend is definitely a supporter of the Islamist party, the one that the current turkish president, Mr Erdogan, is a member of. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.

 

[xingguy]

In his past lives, LKY had accumulated vast amounts of merit and as reward, he became the first PM of Sinkieland. He accumulated huge amounts of material wealth for his family and established the new Tang dynasty.

However he persecuted countless numbers of his opponents when he was the de facto ruler of Sinkieland. For his reincarnation, he'll be judged for his evil deeds as well. One thing is for sure: his next reincarnation will not be a ruler, prince or the scion of a wealthy billionaire.

Demi God will now meet his creator to repent for treating mortals as lesser mortal.

 

[THE_CHANSTER]

His passing has made it onto the Al Jazeera, BBC and CNN News Home Pages.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-32012346
http://edition.cnn.com
http://www.aljazeera.com

 

[Gotze]

Death of a Tyrant by Alfian Sa'at

Death of a Tyrant (by Alfian Sa'at)

Alfian bin Sa'at (born 18 July 1977) is a Singaporean writer, poet and playwright. He is a Muslim of Minangkabau, Javanese and Hakka descent.[SUP][1][/SUP] He is known for his provocative works and is often referred to as his country's enfant terrible.[SUP][2][/SUP]




it will not rain on the day of your passing.
the ground will be the sort that will not yield a grave.
fountains will be turned off, men will arrange chairs
near sun-dusted windows, watching as if expecting
your black-suited procession to visit their streets.
you will refuse, of course, to fit into your coffin,
and they will have to anchor down the eclipses
of your eyelids over those outraged suns.
they will parade you, a gulliver,
with one hundred corpse-bearers taking turns,
because anyone within three feet of you
will sweat at the palms. there will be
junctions where citizens will want to spit
at your passing, but the memory of fines
will keep them mum. what an entourage
it will be, with the walkie-talkied mourners
throwing affidavits like hell money,
(for nobody but you could endure so much
damages in one lifetime), the sunglassed
actresses turning your acronym
into orgasms of mourning, and the cwo
sweepers blushing from behind.
and heading it all, a frisky lettuce-lion, to yap
at the invisible (unlawful?) gathering of hanged ghosts
who will weave for you, like a mute band of brothers,
a wreath of nooses, soiled as stillborn snakes.
your eulogy will be an edifice of fire,
sheer lightning in a cloudless sky,
(O architect of charisma, glorious historical weeper)
a baptism that will char dead trees into totems.
in life, your snort was a decree, your fart a sermon.
in death, a nation's silence will follow you to the grave.
only then will you know what it means to be exiled,
only then will they know what they have
been holding their breaths so long for:
the stench of your corruption,
and the clear, newborn coughing,
on a dawn-rinsed, tearless morning.

-- Alfian Sa'at

 

[zeroo]

In a warmly-lit restaurant in Jakarta Christopher de Souza and I sat down with Mr #LeeKuanYew and Mrs Lee to a private dinner. We had the good fortune to be accompanying Mr Lee on this visit to the Indonesia's capital, during which he met former Indonesian President Suharto for the last time.
Mrs Lee was about to order the shabu-shabu when Mr Lee asked, "Are you sure? That's very fattening!". To which Mrs Lee had a ready rejoinder, "Well, it can't be worse than the ice-cream you'll be having later!"

It was always interesting to watch Mr and Mrs Lee together. As intellectual equals, they sparred over a wide range of topics. Mr Lee was never shy to offer his sharp analysis. Mrs Lee often listened intently, and then when one least expected it, pose a contradictory view in the most witty way. Sometimes, unable to disagree with her further, Mr Lee shook his head and let out a big chortle.

The warmth between them was palpable and Mrs Lee's disarming interventions greatly calmed the nerves of the newbies like me who had opportunity to travel with them on several occasions. He was frugal – carrying a small blue suitcase that’s straight out of the 70s and wearing a badly-frayed jacket when not meeting external parties.

Through these trips, I learnt that Mr Lee was a relentless promoter of Singapore's interests. He did not believe #Singapore was a natural country and it could ever be on auto-pilot. He sought to meet anyone who was in a position to influence relations with Singapore or make decisions that impacted our country. Never a man for small talk, he carefully thought through the best use of the time he had with these leaders. No one missed the opportunity of meeting him but I'm not sure they always walked away with a smile. Having thoroughly researched their preoccupations, Mr Lee took pains to debunk their misguided notions or to encourage them along certain paths, explaining what was in Singapore's interest in each instance.

I also worked with Mr Lee on Business China. He placed me on the Board when it started. I wasn't just the only member, I was also the only female then. And I later became its CEO. Answering my mobile phone one evening, I was a little apprehensive upon realizing that Mr Lee wished to speak with me. "What makes our programmes successful?" he asked. Mr Lee didn't pretend to have all the answers and never hesitated to ask. In my recollection, except for when he was pushing Singapore's agenda, he was always asking questions - "so?", "and then what?" and "why?" being among the most oft-heard.

Sadly, the questions have stopped and the much-dreaded time has come to say goodbye to Mr Lee.

More than tears and eulogies, I believe Mr Lee prefers that we get on with the pressing job of strengthening our little red dot.

I don't know if anything else mattered more to him, ever.

And that's something I can’t forget, ever. Rest Well, Mr. Lee -- Josephine Teo

Thank you Mr Lee Kuan Yew

 

[virus]

Re: LKY, Dictator and Oppressor of S'pore DIES!! Celebrate our first step to Freedom

Too bad he leaves without being presecuted by law

 

[Papsmearer]

Re: LKY, Dictator and Oppressor of S'pore DIES!! Celebrate our first step to Freedom

Too bad he leaves without being presecuted by law

This is the biggest regret. That he never had to face the music for what he did. But then neither did many other dictators and plunderers such as Marcos, Suharto, etc. Our remaining hope lies in prosecuting the existing crop of leeders for corruption, CBT, conflict of interest, etc. They are not as smart as he was. And as far as I know, Gay Loong was one of the ones receiving discounts on Nassim Jade condos. There is enough shit on them.

 

[Papsmearer]

Re: LKY, Dictator and Oppressor of S'pore DIES!! Celebrate our first step to Freedom

However he persecuted countless numbers of his opponents when he was the de facto ruler of Sinkieland. For his reincarnation, he'll be judged for his evil deeds as well. One thing is for sure: his next reincarnation will not be a ruler, prince or the scion of a wealthy billionaire.

His next reincarnation is a Japanese Dog? Like an Inu? Or is that too close to his previous life?

 

[zeroo]

 

[zeroo]

I mourn the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, our founding Prime Minister. He dedicated his entire life to build up Singapore. He lifted our nation. His vision and commitment enabled poor families like mine to move up and give my children a better life today. I owe him a debt of gratitude.
Mr Lee was unwavering in his belief that a small state like Singapore needed a strong SAF and introduced National Service to build a modern military force. In his own words, “If you, who are growing up, do not understand that you have to defend this, then in the end, we will lose. Other people will come, smack you down and take over.”
There will not be another Lee Kuan Yew, who made us better than we are or could be. Thank you Mr Lee. I am so honored to have lived and served with you. Rest in peace.
My wife and I extend our deepest condolences and prayers to the family of Mr Lee. The nation mourns with you.
- Ng Eng Hen

 

[sirus]

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/22/asia/singapore-lee-kuan-yew-obit/index.html

Lee Kuan Yew: Modern Singapore's founding father, dead at 91
By Katie Hunt and Susannah Cullinane, CNN
Updated 2119 GMT (0519 HKT) March 22, 2015

CNN)Lee Kuan Yew, the first prime minister of Singapore and the man credited with transforming the mosquito-ridden colonial trading post into a prosperous financial center with clean streets, shimmering skyscrapers and a stable government, died early Monday at the age of 91, according to a statement released by the office of Singapore's current Prime Minister and Lee's son, Lee Hsien Loong.

Lee had been hospitalized since February 5 with pneumonia.

Born in 1923, Lee became Prime Minister in 1959 when Singapore, a tiny spit of land with no natural resources and a polyglot population of Chinese, Malays and Indians, was still British territory and beset by riots and unrest.

He presided over Singapore's bitter split from Malaysia in 1965 and molded the independent country into the global economic powerhouse it is today. "I was trying to create, in a third-world situation, a first-world oasis," Lee told CNN in 2008.

Lee's thinking also had an international impact. His brand of capitalism -- which stresses the role of government rather than the free hand of the market -- has provided a blueprint for China's landmark economic reforms.

But Lee was also a divisive figure, attracting criticism for stifling media freedom and for the harsh treatment of political opponents.

In 2013, protests over plans to allow more immigrants into the city-state indicated growing unease among Singaporeans about the vision of the country set forth by the People's Action Party -- the party co-founded by Lee that has ruled Singapore for five decades.

Lee voluntarily stepped down as Pime Mnister in 1990, the first Asian strongman to do so.

However, he played a role in the country's Cabinet until 2011 when his eldest son, Lee Hsien Loong, was elected for a second term as prime minister.

The elder Lee retained his influence around the world. "This is one of the legendary figures of Asia in the 20th and 21st centuries," U.S. President Barack Obama said during a meeting with Lee at the White House in October 2009.

"He is somebody who helped to trigger the Asian economic miracle," Obama added.

But there were indications Lee's health had been slipping in recent years.

In 2010 he was admitted to the hospital with a chest infection and in early 2013, Lee -- then 89 -- was hospitalized and treated treated for "stroke-like symptoms."

He was again admitted to the hospital on February 5 for severe pneumonia and more than six weeks later remained on a ventilator.

A fourth-generation Singaporean, Lee's family originally emigrated from southern China.

A bright student, he gained a place in the city's elite Raffles Institution and went on to study law at Fitzwilliam College at Cambridge.

He attributed his decision to go into politics to his experiences during the Japanese occupation of Singapore.

"I learned how people survived and how people had to submit because you need to eat and your family needs to live, so I learned the meaning of power," he told CNN in 2002.

The city Lee took control of in 1959 was still recovering from the ravages of war and could not have been more different from today's Singapore. However, Lee told CNN he had no "great vision of transformation."

He concentrated on attracting investment and creating jobs; first finding a successful niche in electronics manufacturing by touting Singapore as an alternative to Hong Kong, which he said was in turmoil due to the Cultural Revolution in China.

While Lee has been lauded for his economic accomplishments, he also created a Singapore bound by stringent laws and regulations that dictated most, if not all, aspects of society -- including media and political freedoms, censorship and even the selling of chewing gum.

The country ranks 150th in Reporters Without Borders' 2014 Media Freedom Index, putting it just above the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico and Iraq.

The New York Times, The Economist, the International Herald Tribune and the Asian Wall Street Journal have all been targeted with the "judicial harassment" employed by the Lee family, according to the media watchdog.

In a 2014 article for CNN, opposition politician Dr. Chee Soon Juan criticized Singapore's authoritarian system, blaming a lack of dissenting views for economic inequality and worsening working conditions.

"The ranks of the opposition, civil society and labor movement have been decimated in the last 50 years through imprisonment without trial and criminal prosecution, and nearly every newspaper, TV channel and radio station is owned and run by the state," Chee said.

But in a 2008 interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Lee rebuffed charges that Singapore was too domineering or coercive a state.

"I want social peace and stability within the country. I am not following any prescription given to me by any theoretician on democracy," he said.

While Lee is likely to be remembered with affection and pride by many Singaporeans, a younger generation, with no memory of the poverty and violence that marked the country's birth, is questioning the Lee dynasty's control of Singaporean politics and pushing for greater democracy.

In 2011, the People's Action Party lost six seats to the opposition, prompting Lee, then the party's "minister mentor" and another former prime minister, Goh Chok Tong, to resign.

In a joint letter to parliament, the two explained they "decided to leave the Cabinet and have a completely younger team of ministers to connect to and engage with this young generation in shaping the future of our Singapore."

How Singapore copes with these democratic demands will be key to its success in its second half-century, but those demands are unlikely to detract from Lee's achievements in its first 50 years. In 2010, Time magazine listed Lee as one of world's 100 most influential people.

"The mark of a great leader is to take his society from where it is to where it has never been," wrote former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the article on Lee. "There is no better strategic thinker in the world today."

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

 

[THE_CHANSTER]

His Obituary from The Economist.

http://www.economist.com/news/asia/leekuanyew?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/ed/LKY

 

[STUCK_HERE]

Re: 放炮啊！grand celebration LKY 100% confirmed dead

In his past lives, LKY had accumulated vast amounts of merit and as reward, he became the first PM of Sinkieland. He accumulated huge amounts of material wealth for his family and established the new Tang dynasty.

However he persecuted countless numbers of his opponents when he was the de facto ruler of Sinkieland. For his reincarnation, he'll be judged for his evil deeds as well. One thing is for sure: his next reincarnation will not be a ruler, prince or the scion of a wealthy billionaire.

Unemployed PMET:

There are loads of Singaporeans who have undergone intensive trainings and collected a file full of certificates from WDA’s sponsored courses but have yet to land a proper job consequent of the flood of F-Trash.

Furthermore, these Singaporeans are already holders of diplomas and degrees from our tertiary institutions.

If we still need to supplement our diplomas and degrees with all the perfunctory courses from WDA and other governmental training institutes that says our polytechnics and universities are not up to the mark in churning out graduates “job ready”. Then MOE is screwed up.

Added to that these certificates issued by WDA related institutes are not even recognised by employers, good only for dog poops. Waste of freaking time and resources.
Some even have years of experiences from previous PMET jobs lost to the influx of F-Trash.

The government’s mantra of life-long learning and training has been over-played.

The government is in self-denial, the root cause of the problem is the mad immigration policy and massive conversion of F-Trash into new citizens to buttress the ruling party’s political power in the face of a rapidly declining support from indigenous Singaporeans.

Only a massive swing in votes away from the PAP in the next GE will the problem be solved.

PAP’s dominance in parliament has got to be reduced by less than half so that there will be proper check and balance.
The problem of getting high enough wages has little to do with education and training, even though both are absolute necessities to equip Singaporeans with the right qualification and the skills that match job demands.
In reality, the tension between capital and labour that underpin the modern economy’s ability to deliver rising standards of living is extremely skewed in Singapore towards capital, i.e. shareholders and corporations. This is a worldwide phenomenon but in Singapore it is made more extreme by the overly business friendly policies of the govt which favour the corporations, business owners and shareholders (remember the govt is a massive shareholder through Temasek’s ownership of GLCs).

 

[sirus]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/05/opinion/chee-singapore-democracy/

Like Hong Kong, Singapore needs democracy
By Dr. Chee Soon Juan
Updated 11:23 PM ET, Wed November 5, 2014

Hong Kong's democracy movement has raised issues such as income inequality and an increasing cheerless economic outlook, especially for the younger generation. Not coincidentally, these are the same issues that are causing Singaporeans to despair over their future.

Despite the fact that, according to the Economic Intelligence Unit, Singapore lays claim to the dubious honor of being the most expensive city in the world, there is no minimum wage in Singapore. Is it any wonder then, that amongst comparable economies, the island-state has one of the highest levels of income inequality? Singapore has the highest proportion of millionaires in the world but nearly 5% of the workforce have an annual income of less than U.S. $5,000, according to a 2011 report by The Straits Times.

And it's not just the lower-income workers who are getting pounded. The middle-class squeeze is as prevalent as ever. Nearly 50% of Singaporeans subsist from paycheck to paycheck, saving less than 10% of their monthly incomes. An alarming 14% have no savings at all. If and when an economic whirlwind visits, many will be left unable to cope.

Dr. Chee Soon Juan
Dr. Chee Soon Juan
Working conditions have also deteriorated. For years, Singaporean workers have worked more hours than in most countries, and, perhaps unsurprisingly it has resulted in an extremely unhappy workforce.

The death of innovation

What facilitated such a dismal outcome? One major factor is the lack of dissenting views. The ranks of the opposition, civil society and labor movement have been decimated in the last 50 years through imprisonment without trial and criminal prosecution, and nearly every newspaper, TV channel and radio station is owned and run by the state. Without an opposing voice, the echo chamber in government simply grew louder.

Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew has argued that the practice of democracy serves only to undermine political stability and, therefore, economic progress. The strategy that Lee articulates, what might be called the Singapore model, bifurcates the economics of a community from its politics, the goal being to maintain absolute power while pursuing economic growth.

But this authoritarian system has backfired. It has robbed the Singaporean society of the verve needed to take the economy to the next level where ideas and innovation are essential. Steve Wozniak said that Singapore could not produce a company like Apple because the system has destroyed "creative elements" that give rise to innovative companies.

Helping Hong Kong's poor
Helping Hong Kong's poor 00:58
PLAY VIDEO
Capitalism and income inequality
Capitalism and income inequality 08:01
PLAY VIDEO
Rich flock to Singapore
Rich flock to Singapore 02:20
PLAY VIDEO
While Singapore's mercantilism appears the epitome of success, it is an economy unable to regenerate itself. The situation has deteriorated to the point that it has to rely on foreigners to stimulate growth. Lee Kuan Yew, its first prime minister and architect of the country's one-party rule, said, in a stunning admission, that "without [foreigners], the jobs will not be there to begin with."

Singapore is like a Ponzi scheme which needs new immigrants just to keep the economy ticking over, but which also reduces the quality of life for its current citizens. And yet, there are no signs that the current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew's son, understands the urgent need for reform. "I don't think there is salvation in saying we need more democracy and that will make these countries prosper," he said in a recent interview.

Among those words is surely a line of self-interest.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was, perhaps, a little more candid when he said that the poor would have to be listened to if elections in the territory are genuinely free.

Clearly, Singapore and Hong Kong are at a crossroads. While the path of democracy may not be a panacea for all of society's ills, political freedoms, especially in an age of innovation and rapid change, are crucial to keep the economy moving forward. The road of keeping the people silent, on the other hand, is a one-way ticket to mediocrity and eventual irrelevance.