Speaker of Parliament and PAP MP Halimah Yacob subsequently vacated her parliamentary position to contest the 2017 presidential election. Lee Hsien Loong echoed his father’s views in 2008, shortly after Barack Obama got elected as the first black president of the United States of America. The common space where everyone is growing up in is much larger than it used to be. He will be remembered by many for many reasons. At a blogger’s event specially organised for the launch, the “elephant in the room” in everybody’s head loomed large. That was almost 20 years ago. The building underwent major renovations from 1987 to 1991. This article is now fully available for you, Please verify your e-mail to read this subscriber-only article in full. Lee Kuan Yew also spelled as Lee Kwan Yew 李光耀 is known as a very successful politician, born in Singapore, Mr.Lee successfully turned Singapore from a third world to first world.The other 2 non western countries that managed to reach developed status are Taiwan and South Korea, but both are still behind Singapore in term of Human Development Index (HDI) and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, on a non-Chinese becoming prime minister of Singapore, DPM Tharman, who is also the Finance Minister, said: "Singapore is evolving. During a parliamentary sitting on Monday (Apr 5), members of Parliament (MPs) on... © The Independent News & Media Pte Ltd, Singapore. In 1992, craftsman Lai Kui Fang introduced authentic oil artworks of Lee Kuan Yew’s 1959 swearing-in service as prime minister, which are important for the National Museum of Singapore’s assortment. Days after Mr Barack Obama was elected in 2008, becoming the first black American president, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was asked whether Singapore was ready for a non-Chinese prime minister at a dialogue with Malay-Muslim community leaders. Mr Goh said making the presidency an elected one did not preclude Malays, but acknowledged that one man, one vote might see the Malay candidate struggling to get elected. We won't always get it the way we expect it to be, but we think very hard about succession in Singapore. I was to give the PM of Singapore the ancient city treatment for 40 minutes, and to remember to show him where Fa Hien the Chinese pilgrim cried, during his sojourn at the Abhayagiri monastery. Mr Deng, at … At yesterday's hour-long dialogue, a member of the audience asked Mr Tharman what he felt were the "key tenets of a more positive narrative of an ageing Singapore" and ways to achieve it. Lee Kuan Yew is no more. All three of Singapore’s Prime Minister since independence have been Chinese, and the person identified as the most likely to succeed PM Lee and become Singapore’s fourth Prime Minister – Heng Swee Keat – is also Chinese. 26 January. During his leadership, Singapore separated from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965 and grew from an underdeveloped colonial outpost with no natural … She told me: "Tell Lee Kuan Yew I will always support him. In 2012, despite PM Lee accepting a 36 percent pay cut to S$2.2 million, he is still the world’s most well paid head of government – four times Barack Obama’s yearly salary. I don’t think so, because you have to win votes. Singaporeans told Mr Tharman that he is still the clear “people’s choice” for PM when he later congratulated Mr Heng on his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister – an appointment which marked Mr Heng as the Government’s choice to become the next PM. He was best known as the first prime minister of Singapore, also regarded as the founding father of modern Singapore served for more than three decades from 1959 to 1990, making him the longest-serving PM in history. Close. A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 04, 2015, with the headline ''Matter of time' before S'pore has non-Chinese PM'. The 2017 election was subsequently reserved for Malay candidates since the Government said no one from the racial group had been president in the last five terms. Today corruption.net is looking at why he will be remembered for his relentless fight against ant-corruption. 35. Richard Harrington / Stringer Taking issue with this last statement, WP member Yee Jenn Jong asked why the PAP thinks Madam Halimah would have lost an open election based on her race since a minority candidate that has contested past presidential election has never lost in the history of independent Singapore. I know what he has done for me and Singapore." Lee Kuan Yew and his cabinet also took their oaths of office on June 5, 1959, in the City Hall Chamber. LEAVING HIS MARK ON SINGAPORE "Unless I am forced to be, and I don't think I will be forced to it because we've got choices. Speech by Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Minister Mentor, at the S. Rajaratnam Lecture, 09 April 2009, 5:30 pm at Shangri-La Hotel. It seems to me inevitable that at some point, a minority prime minister - Indian, Malay, Eurasian, or some mixture - is going to be a feature of the political landscape. They can read the article in full after signing up for a free account. Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew passed away at 03:18 am local time Mon., at the age of 91. Days after Mr Heng said that he does not believe Singaporeans are ready for a non-Chinese PM, a whopping 92 per cent of 19,900 individuals responding to a viral Facebook poll voted for Tharman Shanmugaratnam to succeed PM Lee and become the nation’s next head of Government, instead of Mr Heng. Madam Halimah’s seat at Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC has been vacant since she left the ward and the Government did not call for a by-election. All this explains his incredulity that poll results show that 90% of Singaporeans have no problem with having a non-Chinese PM. A Blackbox survey commissioned by Yahoo Singapore confirmed the results of our poll. PM Lee said he thought it was possible for Singapore to have a non- Chinese prime minister, but it may not happen soon. Lee Kuan Yew laid foundation for China-Singapore ties: PM Lee. While detractors have been quick to criticise Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, it is imperative to bear in mind that he is, after all, only human. In March this year, Heng Swee Keat said that Singapore might not be ready for a non-Chinese PM as he spoke to students at a Nanyang Technological University (NTU) forum. Posted by. In LKY’s universe, his ancient blood feud against … ", He added: "We've got a crop of people who are in the fray already and entering the fray who will provide future leadership.". Asserting that the fault lines of race, language and religion “have not really disappeared” and that the decision was made for the “long-term good,” he said: “We have to continue managing racial and religious issues closely and sensitively. “Please do not twist facts”: Netizens chide Education Minister after claiming rise in imported cases not due to travellers entering S’pore . And more importantly, to go beyond what Singapore has achieved in multiculturalism. China's then-Senior Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping being welcomed to Singapore by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Asserting that they are ready for a non-Chinese PM, some hoped for a “miracle” that Mr Tharman would assume the top post while others opined that they do not like Mr Heng as much as they like Mr Tharman. Pointing out that PM Lee’s statement on the importance of racial equality for the President contradicts the Government’s repeated claims that Singaporeans are not ready for a non-Chinese PM, Mr Yee asked: Addressing his party’s members and activists last Sunday, PM Lee said the PAP “must never, ever be afraid to do what is right for Singapore” and cited the 2017 reserved presidential election as an example of a “right thing” the PAP Government did, despite some backlash. Here it … All rights reserved. In the long term, such a scenario will foment deep unhappiness, and erode the founding values of our nation.”. Pointing out that it would have been the vote of Singaporeans if Madam Halimah did not win an open election and that Singaporeans should be trusted with their ability to discern, Mr Yee wrote on Facebook: Asserting that Singaporeans are not unhappy with Madam Halimah as a person but are frustrated with the process that deprived them of their opportunity to elect a president in an open contest, Mr Yee continued: PM Lee, his father Lee Kuan Yew and his presumptive successor Heng Swee Keat have all publicly said that they don’t feel Singapore is ready for a non-Chinese PM. "We've got a meritocracy, it is an open system," he said yesterday, noting that people share experiences like national service and are educated largely in English, and that the common space is expanding. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month for the first 3 months. Until we resolve the issues, subscribers need not log in to access ST Digital articles. All done! PM Lee, his father Lee Kuan Yew and his presumptive successor Heng Swee Keat have all publicly said that they don’t feel Singapore is ready for a non-Chinese PM. In the 1980s, founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said he had considered then-Minister for National Development, S Dhanabalan, to be the Prime Minister of Singapore, but decided that the country was not ready for an Indian head of government. I was born in 1948, and I am 48 years old (this was 1996). Was the reprint of the book a strategy to counter Tan Pin Pin’s To Singapore, with Love? The question of whether and when Singapore may see a minority prime minister has come up in recent years. When Mr Zakaria asked if he would do the job, Mr Tharman drew a sporting analogy. He said: “Will it happen soon? The sentiments Singaporeans expressed in the latest poll match the result of The Independent’s own poll over two years ago when we asked our readers who should be the next PM. PM Lee said he thought it was possible for Singapore to have a non- Chinese prime minister, but it may not happen soon. 198402868E. He said this to assure the minorities in Singapore that they would always be protected and … Lee Kuan Yew, (born September 16, 1923, Singapore—died March 23, 2015, Singapore), politician and lawyer who was prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. Singapore -- How does a wheelchair-bound woman move around when her HDB flat has no lift access? He informed me that PM Lee Kuan Yew would be arriving in Anuradhapura two days later, with Minister Gamini Dissanayake in attendance. "Let me put it this way. During his long rule, Singapore became the … But for an election, it becomes an issue.”, Referring to the reserved presidential election, Mr Heng defended the government’s position saying it is “not contradictory.” He reasoned: “It is precisely because we need to place this emphasis institutionally that we recognise that we have not arrived. Mr Yee asked whether PM Lee’s reasoning that minorities would feel disenfranchised and the founding values of the nation would erode if a non-Chinese almost never becomes President would apply to the Office of the Prime Minister. The fundamentals of our foreign policy were forged during those vulnerable early years. Harry and his wife Meghan... Singapore – Parliamentarians supported Singapore's US$20.57 million (S$27.7 million) contribution to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) initiatives to help the vulnerable and low-income countries cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. According to him, it’s all ‘utter rubbish’ and people are saying what is ‘politically correct’. Independence was thrust upon Singapore. Archived. 7 years ago. She subsequently won the election by walkover when two other presidential hopefuls were disqualified by the Elections Department. Mr Lee’s government amended the constitution to reserve presidential elections for a particular racial group if no one from that group has been president for five continuous terms prior to the 2017 presidential election. Share gift link below with your friends and family. The gift link for this subscriber-only article has expired. We've got a meritocracy, it is an open system. Mr Tharman said his vision for the country 50 years from now is one where people are encouraged, have a passion for learning throughout their lives and can age actively. 63 quotes from Lee Kuan Yew: 'I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. In remembrance of our founder, Lee Kuan Yew, we commemorate his third death anniversary with this video. In 1965, on the day we became independent, Mr Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore is “not a Malay nation, not a Chinese nation, not an Indian nation. Lee Kuan Yew was a very popular public figure in Singapore. NON-CHINESE PM? "It seems to me inevitable that at some point, a minority prime minister - Indian, Malay, Eurasian, or some mixture - is going to be a feature of the political landscape. After all, both PM Lee Hsien Loong and MCI Minister Dr Yaacob Ibrahimspoke out against Pin Pin’s film, stating that it gave a one-sided account of what occurred back in the 1960s and did not do justice to the people who gave their li… By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew is still The Man. Noting that many students might be happy to have a non-Chinese PM, Heng said that his “own experience in walking the ground, in working with different people from all walks of life, is that the views — if you go by age and by life experience — would be very different.”, He added: “I do think that at the right time when enough people think that we may have a minority leader, a minority who becomes the leader of the country, that is something that we can all hope for.”, Mr Heng asserted that he witnessed Singapore’s reluctance to accept a non-Chinese PM as he observed the elections: “I can tell you that it is not easy because it triggers all the feelings about race, which are not obvious. During his long rule, Singapore became the… March 23, 2016, marks the first death anniversary of Singapore’s founding father and long-serving Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Everybody will have a place in Singapore.”. Those observing the delegation Lee Kuan Yew led on his first official visit to China in 1976 would have noticed the presence of interpreters, even though both sides appeared to be ethnic Chinese.