My Itchy Fingers

The Passing of A Giant – RIP Mr Lee Kuan Yew (1923-2015)

While the majority of Singaporeans were soundly sleeping on our beds, our Former Prime Minister and widely acknowledged as the Founding Father of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, passed away on the bed at the Singapore General Hospital at 3.18am local time. Hospitalised since February 5th this year for severe pneumonia, Mr Lee had missed the Lunar New Year celebration with his family. News of his hospitalization was only made public much later, about 17 days later. Since then the Prime Minister Office has been keeping the public informed and updated of Mr Lee’s condition. Though we read that his condition was critical and deteriorating at times, many Singaporeans were still praying and hoping for his recovery so that he can celebrate with us at our 50th National Day this coming August. So it still came as a shock for many of us when we woke up to the news of his passing this morning.

To Mr Lee Kuan Yew, rest in peace Sir, thank you for what you have done for Singapore.

‘I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There’s nothing more that I need to do. At the end of the day, what have I got? A successful Singapore. What have I given up? My life.’ – Lee Kuan Yew

Mr Lee’s wax figure at Madam Tussauds, Hong Kong, where Itchyfingers visited few years back