Headlines
Singapore bids farewell to founding father Lee Kuan Yew
Singapore, March 29
The funeral of Singapore's
founder and first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was held on Sunday with
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing him as "among the tallest
leaders of our times" and a friend of India.
Lee, 91, died on March 23 at the Singapore General Hospital where he was warded for severe pneumonia since February 5.
Modi
was among the world leaders who gathered here to pay their last
respects to Lee, who nurtured a sleepy port city since its separation
from Malaysia in 1965 to turn into one of the richest city states.
"The passing away of Lee Kuan Yew marks the end of an era. He was among the tallest leaders of our times," Modi told the media.
"He
was a global thinker who saw things ahead of others. He was an advocate
of economic progress, but also made tireless efforts to advance peace
and stability in our region," he added.
Stating that Lee's
personal life was an "inspiration for many like me", the prime minister
wrote in the condolence book: "He (Lee) was a torchbearer of hope, not
just for Singapore, but for all of Asia."
"Today, the flame is no
more, but this was a torch that lit the lamp of hope in many new
nations. As long as these lamps flicker, he will continue to inspire,
eternally."
"...I bow to this committed Karma Yogi, this great man. On behalf of all Indians, I pay homage to him."
Over
1.4 million people came to pay their last respects to Lee on Sunday,
according to a source at the funeral's organising committee.
About
415,000 people came to pay their homage to the late prime minister in
the four days while his body lay in state in parliament's building from
March 25 to 28.
Sunday's programme began with his casket being
carried out of Parliament House and taken in a funeral procession to the
University Cultural Centre (UCC) located at the National University of
Singapore (NUS) for the funeral service even as the skies opened up.
Officers marched in the rain, escorting Lee's casket as the procession moved out of Parliament House.
Hundreds of onlookers gathered in the streets to bid farewell to the founding father of Singapore.
At
the funeral service in UCC, in a moving eulogy, Singapore Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is Lee Kuan Yew's eldest son, said: "The
light that has guided us all these years has been extinguished."
"This has been a dark week for Singapore," he said.
"From the ashes of separation he built a nation."
Paying
his tributes, Indian-orgin trade unionist G. Muthukumarasamy on Sunday
acknowledged that the late leader helped improve the fiancial status of
the ethnic Indian community in the city state.
Muthukumarasamy
recounted how, when he was young, his father would often tell him about
Singapore's founding father, the Straits Times reported.
"Lee saw
the hardships experienced by the Indian community at the time and he
was determined to help and make a difference," Muthukumarasamy said in
Tamil in his eulogy at the funeral.
"During those days, most Indian families had single incomes because they did not allow their women to work."
He credited Lee for encouraging Indian women to join the workforce, to learn a skill and help their families financially.
Ethnic Indians comprise a little over 9 percent of Singapore's total population of 3.9 million.
Former cabinet minister S. Dhanabalan, a Tamil, in his eulogy described Lee as truly the “Father of Singaporeâ€.
Dhanabalan said that while Lee could be seen as a hard hearted man, he had agonised over his decisions in private.
Dhanabalan
also highlighted how much energy Lee put into preparing his younger
Cabinet colleagues for the responsibilities ahead.
Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam said there will never be another Lee Kuan Yew.
"Over
the past week, we have mourned the passing of a man and an era. There
will never be another Lee Kuan Yew," he said towards the end of his
eulogy.
"No one person can take his place nor do what he did."
The
funeral service ended with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong laying a
wreath on behalf of the family. Lee Kuan Yew's wife, Kwa Geok Choo, had
passed away in 2010.
President Tony Tan Keng Yam laid a wreath on behalf of the state.
A
minute of silence was observed all across Singapore once the service
ended followed by the playing of the national anthem and pledge.
The cortege then moved from the UCC to Mandai crematorium for a private service.
Apart
from India's Modi, among the galaxy of leaders who attened the funeral
service were former US president Bill Clinton, Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.