As a Singaporean, no matter how old you are, you would have heard from the news, the radio or even read from any social networking site that our great founding father, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew has passed away on Monday, 23rd March 2015. I remembered that it was a gloomy day. It was the start of school after the March holidays and his passing did not make the day any better for us students (not that he was obliged to do so in any way). I woke up as usual, went onto Facebook and the first thing I saw was an official statement from the Prime Minister's office that Mr. Lee had passed on. It was early in the morning.
I was stumped. Unnerved by the recent hoax regarding his death, I refused to believe it. But then, Mr. Lee was only human, and it is a stage of life that every mortal has to go through. Several minutes later, the whole of my family was aware of the news and the mood dampened.
I guess we all expected it. From the day he was admitted to the hospital in early February, his condition hardly improved and the whole nation was on edge digging for news regarding his condition, only to know that he only got worse and was critically ill towards the end of his life. And when he really left, it was hard for anyone to believe it. Why? Because in our hearts, he was a marvellous man. Some even think he was godsent (I believe it too) and such a person could not simply leave just like that. But he did. And our little red dot was thrown into a stage of mourning.
As I was making my way to school in the car, I looked out of the window and saw the many trees and buildings we have in Singapore. Even the highways, the clean streets and the fact that there were many cars and HDB buildings... they all reminded me of one man. The man who left us early that day, when almost everyone was asleep. Even though the building of the nation could not simply be attributed to one man, he was the one strong and determined enough to take the first step into rallying our forefathers to make our country what it is now. All the HDB buildings, all the highways and all the luxuries I am enjoying now, they came with a price.
I am not going to go into the achievements and all the contributions he made because it had been playing all over the media and it had served its purpose. Most Singaporeans understand what it was like for people back then, and the good change we had faced. I am just going to voice out my thoughts during the one week of mourning.
All this while, I'll admit that sometimes, my faith in Singaporeans seem to come and go. They don't stay for long. I can read about the good things Singaporeans do but it is almost always shadowed by the despicable things that some people are capable of. Why would you curse someone to die? Why would you create a hoax? I would ask why you hate Mr. Lee so much, but I have no right to stop you from deciding what and who you like or dislike. Are we really as the news and surveys report? Are we really that heartless, uncaring and unhappy? I couldn't help but think of this when I read about his recent death hoax.
Many Singaporeans are unhappy because we don't have enough of the jobs that we want, it is hard to pay for anything, it is hard to do this, it is hard to do that. It is hard enough to study well and get a degree to get a good job, all because the Singapore's education system is not as equal as it is claimed to be. Even if we have a degree, it is hard for us to get a job that we want because of the influx of foreign talent and they are taking up our places and job opportunities. Even if we have found our life partner and got married, we don't want to have children because the cost to raise a child is simply too high. We are barely scraping pass to make ends meet after purchasing a new home for ourselves. Singapore urges people to carpool or take the public transport to reduce carbon emission, but the travel fees are so high and the MRTs always break down and the buses hardly come. It is undeniable that there are many problems in Singapore, sometimes the problems arising faster than we develop. But would you exchange our flawed country with one that is in god-knows-what worse condition? I feel that Mr. Lee is a very important figure in leading his generation and successive generations of Singaporeans into the life we have now. I really cannot imagine what state we would be in if he hadn't taken us here.
Maybe we are being too materialistic. It is possible that we also have the tendency to feel a sense of entitlement, although we subconsciously know that no one owes us a living.
When things go the right way, we take it for granted, say that the government is obligated to do this much for its citizens. And when things don't, we find someone to blame. That's right, if not the government, who else? After all, the government is the one who has the final say, the one who ultimately decides the quality of MRT services, what to do to help lower income families etc. That's why, when something is wrong, they blame the government because the government made a mistake. Can you do that? Sure. But should you really?
Mr. Lee is often associated with the Singapore government, even towards the end of his life because he had so much influence on how Singapore was to be run. That's why when something bad happens, it always gets traced back to him. But have we ever taken a step back to ponder what the government was thinking when they implemented certain policies?
Although people may not agree with the policies the government came up with, it was what they thought was best for the country at that point in time. I think it is impossible to make everyone happy. Why? Because this is reality. Reality embraces individuality and is not a dystopian fiction where everyone is not entitled to their own opinions and thinking patterns. Naturally, we have different opinions on what is right and wrong.
This can be traced back to the famous scene where Mr. Lee cried on national television after it was formally declared that Singapore was to be out of Malaysia. There are people who felt bad because in their eyes, the man in front of them was not the then Prime minister of Singapore. He was a man who felt a moment of anguish because he could not fulfill something that he really wanted and believed in. However, there were differing viewpoints. "He's just shedding crocodile tears." "He's just upset that he would no longer have the chance to be the leader of Malaysia." Of course, no one has the right to stop you from saying that.
Similarly, no one has the right to stop you from saying that the CPF policy was horrible, that it had made many Singaporeans' lives miserable. Particularly to the people who are against the CPF policy, I cannot and hence will not try to criticise you, because I respect your opinions. And since I am not suffering like you are because of the policy, I am in no right to say that I understand what you are going through and make some smart-alec comment. Perhaps in this big picture, you are on the receiving-end and unhappy about your circumstances, but what do you think could have been better? What do you suggest? What was the government thinking when they agreed to have this policy? In my perspective, the government definitely had a reason, and it was for the good of the country. You might be cynical at this point, but I believe that an authority cannot risk doing something self-regarding, because the people's support can make or break them. It was an 'all' or 'nothing' situation that they have to constantly face. That's why I also believe that they're doing their best for the people. But like I said before, you cannot make everyone happy. If there is no CPF policy in place and Singapore becomes a nation filled with spendthrifts who have no money when they're old, who are we going to blame again? You might be happy for a while, but ultimately who is suffering? Who is the one who is going to pick up our pieces? We may very well be sacrificing our progress for transient happiness.
There are indeed several sources of unhappiness that we Singaporeans cannot help but complain about. It is frustrating standing the MRT platform or under a bus stop and waiting for the train or that never seems to come, as we panic about being late for school or work. Sure, the government could have done better, but we often forget that behind our government is not an invincible and all-knowing entity, but a group of people who are as human as you and me. Why is it acceptable for you to make mistakes in school or work, but unacceptable for the government to have some slip-ups? Watchful eyes of hypocrites take every opportunity to point out something that isn't done right yet seem to forget that there were many things that were done well but discredited. I wonder if they could have done better if they were the government.
It is time we look around us and appreciate what we have instead of comparing ourselves to others who have things that we don't. The government has a responsibility to make standard of living high for the citizens, but there is no rule that states that the government is obligated to make life better at the rate that ours have been doing so at. It is even possible that a corrupted leader led us instead of people like Mr. Lee. Our leaders worked hard to bring us here, instead of settling for the bare minimum that would have been acceptable anyway. We are not entitled to all these luxuries that we are honoured to get to have in our lives. Yet, we have it all here. Water, food, more-than-decent facilities, entertainment etc. Try and say that you would exchange this for what Singapore was 50 years ago, as you read this through your computer or smartphone screen. Let me remind you that the reason you can read this is because you were educated.
Like it or not, what we have now is attributed to Mr. Lee and his generation of leaders. Look around you. Our drinking water? He secured one major source and went on to invest in reverse-osmosis technology that may very well be our future source of water. All the HDB flats around? He embarked on a lengthy journey, working tirelessly to build housings that we can call our homes now. Your jobs? He focused so much in maintaining good international relations and introduced Singapore as a business hub, encouraging foreign business owner to set up companies in Singapore. Besides these, there are much, much more.
If Mr. Lee wasn't the one who stepped up and together with his party, strived for a better Singapore, would things have been better? Maybe. But since we have no ability to travel to parallel universes (if they even exist), we cannot be sure of the outcome other than the one we have now. Rather than remember the man by what he did not do, let us never forget what he did indeed do. Let us allow the man who made such a huge impact in our lives leave with dignity and not shame, for he had lived a life full of meaning.
I cannot hope that 91 years of life well-lived could simply be balanced by a week's worth of mourning. Even if I spend 91 years mourning, it does not measure up to what he had given us, and what he ultimately left us with. He gave us a chance to make it in the big dangerous world out there, he left us a solid foundation of a country that has the potential to continue being successful, and lastly, imparted his love for Singapore to the younger generation. I am proud to be Singaporean. The only way we can ever hope to repay him, is by continuing his legacy, strive for his ideals and make it very clear that he country he spent his life building will not be knocked down easily.
Thank you, Mr. Lee, for our dedication, love and commitment to the country.
Farewell, good Sir.
