Tampines SAFRA to display Mr Lee’s ‘red box’
Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat (fifth from right) with some of the other Tampines MPs at the launch of the Lee Kuan Yew and Us exhibition yesterday. Photo: Ooi Boon Keong
SINGAPORE — The red box that Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew used as his briefcase will be on display this Sunday at Tampines SAFRA, where Education Minister Heng Swee Keat will host a dialogue to share his experiences working with Mr Lee.
“I am doing it because I wrote the story of the red box and after the story went out, lots of people have asked me to speak more about my experiences and about what it means for Singapore,” said Mr Heng yesterday, referring to his Facebook post about the red box a day after Mr Lee’s passing on March 23. The post quickly went viral.
“I’m glad to be able to do my part to talk about Mr Lee’s ideas and the inspiration we can draw from them,” added Mr Heng, who was speaking at a photo exhibition on the late Mr Lee in Tampines yesterday.
This will the first time the red box, which carried Mr Lee’s speech drafts, letters and notes, will be displayed outside the National Museum.
Mr Heng, a Tampines Group Representation Constituency Member of Parliament, was Mr Lee’s principal private secretary from 1997 to 2000.
He said the dialogue is also aimed at inviting fellow Singaporeans to talk about their hopes and aspirations for the future. Mr Heng added it has not been decided if the “red box dialogue” would be organised in other locations.
“Mr Lee was a giant of a leader in Singapore and on the world stage,” said Mr Heng. “It (Mr Lee’s passing) also stimulated curiosity in young people about our nation’s history. In schools, history came alive for them. And for the first time, the older generation shared how their lives were transformed by him.”
At yesterday’s Memory In Prints: Lee Kuan Yew and Us exhibition at Tampines Community Plaza, Mr Heng also launched a book featuring photographs that chronicle the outpouring of grief at the Tampines Community Tribute Site during the national week of mourning in March.
“I remember the flowers were in plastic packaging, and ministers had to kneel on the floor to open the wrapping and place them. It was very touching,” said analyst Mr Jason Pan, 28, one of the book’s contributors.
One person who looked visibly affected at yesterday’s exhibition was Mdm Yin Kiew Wong, a machine operator. The 50-year-old said Mr Lee’s passing had affected her profoundly, as she regarded him as her own father.
“This year’s National Day is very different without him. It’s very hard to explain how I feel,” she said, blinking back her tears and apologising for being too distraught to speak.
Career consultant Low Moon Chong, 43, was another resident who felt Mr Lee’s absence during the weekend’s Jubilee celebrations.
Keen to teach his children about Mr Lee’s contributions, he took his children, aged four and seven, to watch the funeral procession at the Padang.
“I’m full of respect for Mr Lee. I want my children to learn and understand about our leaders have done. Parents need to pass on this knowledge to them, too.”
