Research Paper on Lee Kuan Yew

1.0 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF LEE KUAN YEW

Lee Kuan Yew is the first president of Singapore since 1959 when Singapore achieve independence from the British Colony. Lee Kuan Yew had graduated from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom from his lawyer studies, in which he returned to Malaysia and set up the People’s Action Party in Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew had gain initial independence for Singapore through his negotiation for merger with Malaysia in 1963. Unfortunately, the merger was bitterly ended in 1965 from several disagreements towards political issues between Tunku Abdul Rahman and Lee Kuan Yew. At that point of time, Singapore was forced into independence with “no signposts to our next destination”, described by Lee Kuan Yew in one of his 2000 memoirs, where Singapore compose a population of approximately 1.9 million unskilled people, with a GDP per capita at a range of only merely US$512 each year. Besides, the unemployment rate during that time were around 10 to 12 percent, which result the country to have many waves of civil riots. Upon all those difficulties, Lee Kuan Yew had come up with many brilliant ideas that strategize and positioned Singapore into the successful country we all see today.

Lee Kuan Yew was borne with two sons and a daughter where one of his sons, Lee Tsien Long has become the current president in Singapore. However, they lived a frugal life in which one of the examples is that they did not have a shower head, only using a scoop and a bucket to bath, until Mrs. Lee, the late Madam Kwa Geok Choo got her first stroke in October 2003.

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1.1 FIVE OUTSTANDING TRAITS OF LEE KUAN YEW

After reading Lee Kuan Yew’s memoir entitled “The Singapore Story” (2012), I find Lee Kuan Yew a very inspirational person on how he has segregate parts of his life style, facing the public, his inner circle of friends, his fellow cabinet leaders, hence lastly the public. He had demonstrated roles in when he is with different people. However, there were a few special traits that I have realize from Lee Kuan Yew hence would like to list it down.

1.1.1 Living on the Basic Needs- Simplicity

Lee Kuan Yew have advocate for people around him to live on their basic needs. Once, when one of his cabinet leader was assigned to attend an official trip, hence needed coat and boots for the cold weather there. Lee Kuan Yew have gave some borrowed attire for the person to go to the meeting. Lee Kuan Yew was very strict on his family expenditure even though they have more than enough to spend most of the time. He wants them to understand that luxury is not a priority. Because one can be easily lured and get comfortable living on luxurious items, however when there is none, one might not be able to cope or be adaptable to the society, creating dissatisfaction, stress and unnecessary negative emotions for materialistic items. Lee Kuan Yew’s perception of meaningful and quality life is mainly his commitment to his family, and the most sacrificing tasks, all citizens of Singapore.