My Tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew (Complete version in English)

The first Prime Minister a.k.a founding father of Singapore had passed away peacefully on March 23, 2015. This was a saddening news to hear, especially when I am not in Singapore.

There is a Chinese saying, which goes "Without the birth of Sages, it would be dark night for eons." 

(「聖人不出，萬古如長夜。」)

Well, you may not give the title "Sage" randomly to someone, even though he or she may be remarkably outstanding. But I would consider the founding father of Singapore (my homeland), Mr Lee Kuan Yew, as a Sage. If you think it's not appropriate, at least, I would consider His Excellency Lee Kuan Yew as "Great Person". He is truly extraordinary.

Without His Excellency Lee Kuan Yew (H.E. LKY.), I wouldn't know how long would the dark years in Singapore would have lasted. Not only did he put an end to the darkness, he brought prosperity to us, he gave us courage, uniting us as one, giving us a clean, safe and harmony environment. This wasn't an easy task. He exuded profound wisdom, which was built on great compassion and courage.

Who would have the courage to stand out to end the colonial days? Who would have the wisdom to resolve the limitations the tiny island had to face without the colonist? Who would have the broad mind, putting the needs of others (perhaps millions of people) ahead his personal needs? I believe there are numbers of people with such qualities existed on Earth. But H.E. LKY. was the most prominent figure, who spent so much of his life, building up this country. He wanted nothing in return, but a successful nation. How altruistic he was!

We all benefited from his policies. Maybe some critics may not agree with this. He is well known for pragmatic and uncompromising, which some people would feel restricted. Without these principles, the nation may turn out chaotic.

I am currently staying overseas, in a country where people put strong emphasis on democracy. People are allowed to voice out their problems so freely that, some lose their manners. I may feel stressful at times when facing uncompromising situations, but I think it let me learn a lesson, and become a more responsible person.

Of course there are still many problems waiting to be solved, there are still community of people who need the aids from the government. At least, the core foundation is built. I believe that Mr Lee wanted to reach out to every citizens too.

I admire his attitude upon facing the great adversities. Singapore was out from Malaysia. Though I wasn't born then, but the scene of him shedding tears for the nation is deeply etched in my mind. He didn't give up. After a few moment, his sadness transformed into determination! He wanted to proved that the independence of Singapore is possible! Yes, we made it!

He had been building friendship with many countries, giving everyone around the world a good impression for Singapore, leaving us with no enemy. I am truly thankful for that. It' snot easy to build a friendship and maintain them within a community. But he did it for the country, treating others genuinely, giving them a helping hand.

Keeping a multi-racial society in peace and harmony is not a simple task either. Thank you for keeping us together, allowing us to develope an open mind towards diversity since young. He also got the core of the Western thinking and Confucianism, making a perfect fusion out of them.

There are many things he had done for us, and these are the that moments I wouldn't know. I have schools to study, I have home to stay, I have clean water to drink, I learn how to respect other races and religions. These are truly his credits.

Besides from what he had done for the nation, as well as other countries, I learnt a lot from him as I read about his relationship and his family. In is personal life, we couldn't see any lavishness. It's all about selflessness. He treated his ministers and friends so sincerely, and the care he showered for his people is truly in depth. He is indeed a noble man, who practiced what was taught in "The Great Learning", which goes "First cultivate your person, then regulate your family, so as to rightly govern your state, to have the whole kingdom happy and tranquil." (修身齊家治國平天下）We all have dreams, maybe big ones like making the world a better place. He did it from inside out, from his heart to his family, then to the nation.

The demise of such an excellency is the grievous loss to the nation. It was the first time I felt deeply in pain, towards the passing of a political figure. I somehow feel insecure for the nation. The pain is equivilant to the pain to the passing of my most important spiritual teacher.

While mourning about his death, we are also learning from him. His death prompted kindness movements of the people. His death gives us a chance to perform virtuous deeds, like showing our respect and gratitude towards someone with dignity. Everyday, we might complain about a series of unlucky events happening in a day. But he stops us from complaining, and started feeling grateful for what we've got. Everyday, I see the news reporting about people being so generous and considerate while queuing to show respect to our late founding father. That's why he is a Sage to me.

His body might have left us, but his spirit lives within us. His abiding passion for Singapore will keep burning. I want to honor his spirits with the citizens, I promise to play my part well to live on his spirits. He had already build a strong foundation for us, let us continue striving together for a better Singapore.

No matter where I am, I love Singapore. H.E. LKY, you are always remembered.

May H.E. LKY rest in peace.

P.S. To PM Lee HL, Deepest condolences to you and your family. You are not just a leader to our nation, but also setting a good role model for me. You must be missing your father terribly, far more than how we miss him. Despite the grief and restlessness, you stand out to console us, reminding us to live on your father's spirit. You inspire us to be grateful, and also taught me how to be a filial child. Take care!

NOTE: The credit of such an appreciation goes to my spiritual teacher, who taught me how to observe merits and appreciate kindness. Without his guidance, I may only come out with a shallow tribute, because I wasn't that observant and appreciative back then.