Staying true to his ideals ‘best way to honour Mr Lee’
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Nanyang Technological University Ministerial Forum 2014. Photo: Ernest Chua
SINGAPORE — While the Government wants to honour the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, it must do so in the right way and it should not rush into making decisions on the matter, especially so soon after Mr Lee’s death, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.
“We should allow some time to pass, consider the ideas carefully, and make calm, considered decisions which will stand the test of time,” PM Lee said in Parliament.
“Most importantly, how we honour Mr Lee must be faithful to the ideals he lived by and fought for. Mr Lee made it very clear throughout his life that he did not need and did not want any monument.”
In a ministerial statement, PM Lee said that a committee — chaired by Esplanade chairman Lee Tzu Yang — will be set up to gather views from the public, and conceptualise a memorial for the Republic’s founding fathers — an idea that Mr Lee himself saw value in.
A set of commemorative notes and coins to celebrate the country’s Golden Jubilee will include a S$50 note bearing the image of Mr Lee with his fist raised, leading the crowd at a rally.
The commemorative notes and coins were meant to celebrate the Republic’s heritage and reflect the spirit of Singapore. They were planned last year and had already been designed before Mr Lee died.
Since the Republic’s founding Prime Minister died on March 23, there have been calls from the public to have a commemorative day, build or name existing monuments after Mr Lee, or have Singapore currency bearing his image. These calls made their way into the august Chamber, with three Members of Parliament (MPs) — Ms Lily Neo (Tanjong Pagar), Ms Foo Mee Har (West Coast GRC) and Mr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong GRC) — yesterday asking Mr Lee in his capacity as Prime Minister whether the Government would consider these suggestions.
The Prime Minister said the Government had hoped Mr Lee would launch the commemorative set of notes himself. “Sadly, that is not to be. But we have decided to continue with the project and will launch the notes later this year. They will form part of our SG50 celebrations, which will honour our founders, even as we pledge ourselves to continue their work,” he said.
An idea that has been suggested was to have a memorial for all of Singapore’s founding fathers, with perhaps an exhibition gallery to honour their legacy and educate future generations, Mr Lee noted.
The Prime Minister said his father was “always conscious that he did not act alone, but as a member of a team”. Referring to other members of the Old Guard, he added: “Mr Lee himself said he was only primus inter pares — first among equals. So it is appropriate that we consider how to honour not just Mr Lee, but also our other founding fathers.” He pointed out that it was not monuments, but ideals, that were Mr Lee’s chief concern. The Government “can pay no greater tribute to him than to uphold the principles upon which he built this country”, he said.
After the Prime Minister’s ministerial statement, several MPs continued to emphasise the need to honour and remember Mr Lee. On the committee, Ms Irene Ng, MP for Tampines GRC, said it should also look into other ways to honour Mr Lee, while Nominated MP Chia Yong Yong said its discussions should centre on how the memorial could meaningfully impact people.
In response, Mr Lee said the Government would, for the time being, focus on conceptualising the memorial, which in itself is a major exercise. He noted that with many memorials around the world, including the National September 11 Memorial in the United States, there have been huge debates over their form. In other countries, memorials may be ready only decades later. “Let time pass, let perspectives emerge gradually over the years and decades,” he added.
Citing examples such as the statue of war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Britain’s Parliament Square and the World War II memorial in the US, Mr Lee acknowledged that a monument would help to focus people’s minds and generate emotions.
“It focuses your mind and brings people together,” he said. “You need these symbols, these physical things, but (they are) full of meaning and not empty, this is what we are looking for”.
Recalling how choirs had sung at Parliament House during Mr Lee’s lying-in-state, the Prime Minister struggled to keep his emotions in check and paused for 20 seconds to compose himself. “As one of the school children said, it’s not a performance, it’s a tribute,” he said, choking back tears.
In schools, the Government will be rethinking the National Education content so as to also create the same impact, instead of passing on “empty messages” to children, he said.
