Skip to main content

How Lee Kuan Yew Loved His People

By now over several million of people from Singapore and the workd have paid their tribute to the late Lee Kuan Yew, who passed away on 23 March 2015. 

Lee Kuan Yew loves the world, especially Singapore, very much.  In 1965, he shed tears in front of national television when he announced the separation of Singapore from Malaysia. Fifty years later in 2015, the entire nation shed tears for him.  Singapore and the world are showing Lee now how much they love him too.

The funeral on Sunday 29 March 2015 reads like a 'Who's Who's' of the world leaders.  No other world leader's funeral has attracted so many visitors, not even the late Princes Diana in 1997. 

How does Lee Kuan Yew love his people?  Many young people may not appreciate what he has done for the nation, because they perceive him to be a strict and fierce parent.  One thing for sure: he does not love them by spoiling them, he loves them by developing them.  From watching over hundreds of hours of videos and articles on Lee, I think Lee loves his people in 8 ways:
  1. Kindness.  Lee always have the peoples' interests at heart.  He sacrificed his whole life to work hard for the people's interests. He is tough when it comes to leadership on critical issues, yet soft when it comes to his own family and humanity issues
  2. Equanimity, which means equal-ness of mind, being objective and not subjective.  Lee practises equanimity with free market policies and use the power of the 'invisible hand' or laissez faire.  Most importantly, he gives people space to perform by adopting meritocracy policies. 
  3. Happiness is upper most at Lee's mind. His relentless pursuit of opportunities for Singapore is with one purpose: to create a better and happier life for all
  4. Compassion means to reduce other people's suffering. Without doubt Lee is a man of compassion, for he spent his entire life to improve the lives of Singaporeans and lifted it from poverty in 1959 to one of the top 3 richest country in the world by 2015. 
  5. Suggestion. Lee always gives suggestions readily, especially to world leaders.  The late Deng Xiao Ping of China attributed China's success to learning from Lee. Yet he is also open to suggestions
  6. Praise.  Lee gives credit when it is due and is never stingy in giving praises to encourage people
  7. Advise. Lee's advise are always ahead of the times and have far-sightedness not seen elsewhere
  8. Criticism. This is what Lee is most well known of.  He is known to take a tough stand, and would not hesitate to demolish people if he thinks that they are on the wrong path.  Isn't this what a loving parent would do to their children?
by Andy Ng of Asia Trainers, details of courses at www.asiatrainers.com/SeminarsList.php.  Related articles: 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kindness as a Way of Life: How Kindness can Reward You 6 Times Over

Kindness as a Way of Life by Andy Ng Kindness is a universal language that transcends cultural boundaries, enriches human connections, and has the power to transform lives. It goes beyond mere acts of charity or random good deeds. To me, kindness, when practiced as a way of life, becomes a profound philosophy that can shape our interactions with others, the world around us, and even our own well-being. In this article, we will explore the multifaceted aspects of kindness as a way of life, touching on non-violent communication, the limitations of traditional charity, the potential harms of helping, the deliberate cultivation of kindness, and the incredible rewards it brings. 1.       Non-Violent Communication Non-violent communication (NVC) is a key component of practicing kindness as a way of life. Developed by Marshall B. Rosenberg, NVC emphasizes empathetic communication that seeks to understand and connect with others on a deeper level. It encourages active listening, empath

New Age Mobile Numerology

Many people look at 'mobile number change luck' with skepticism, they say, how can just one simple mobile number change create so many changes in a person's life?   Also, the mobile numbers are given to us by random by the telcos, how can our fate be assigned by the telcos at random? Besides, isn't it true that our lives and fates are determined by birth and what we do, how can a small mobile number, which is a modern invention, have any effect?  How about people in the past without mobile numbers?  You mean they don't have a life without mobile numbers, right? One more thing: you cannot just change your mobile number and expect your life to change. If this is so, wouldn't everybody be rich just by changing their mobile numbers? Finally, isn't this kind of fortune-telling thing more of psychology and blind faith than science?   If so, how can we trust anything that is not proven and not science? Today let's resolve all these doubts and I welcome your co

If Not You, Who Else?

I learnt this very powerful 5-word phrase from Singapore's highest ever box-office movie ever: "Ah Boys to Men II". In one scene, the recruits were about to start their 3-day field camp.  Their Officer-in-Command asked them, "Before we moved out, anybody not feeling well?"  All the soldiers replied loudly, "No Sir!!!" "Gentlemen", continued the Officer, "Every time the training gets tougher, one thought comes to your mind, 'Why Must I Serve National Service?' "My answer to you is, 'If Not You, Then Who Else?'" Wow!  What a powerful phrase!  If Not You, Who Else may mean: You are the most suitable person, and we can't find anyone better than you.  This is appreciation at the highest level How can you push this responsibility to someone else? I am making a request to you specifically, please don't reject my request Can you find me another person more suitable than you? Please refer me anot