RIP Lee Kwan Yew

[Monoriu]

Pageantry would not appear to be a Singaporean strong suit.

Well, Lee was known as a very practical person.  He also worked to keep the government lean.

[garbon]

So I've had one Singaporean friend who posted on fb about how he stood in line 3 hours to see the coffin and that though his young son wouldn't have understand, he hopes he will remember.  On the other hand, my other friend has been saying that it won't be soon enough till the man is put in the dustbin of history.

[Monoriu]

So I've had one Singaporean friend who posted on fb about how he stood in line 3 hours to see the coffin and that though his young son wouldn't have understand, he hopes he will remember.  On the other hand, my other friend has been saying that it won't be soon enough till the man is put in the dustbin of history.

It is no secret that Lee is a controversial figure.  I think Lee isn't a dictator who runs the country for his personal gain.  Rather, he is the representative of the middle class Singaporeans who seek stability and economic development above all else.  It is a dictatorship of the majority.  The electorate consistently give Lee and his party mandate after mandate to carry on what they do, and it seems to me that Lee is genuinely loved by the majority of Singaporeans.  He didn't run the country to enlarge his Swiss bank account.  He ran the country so that if he needs to flatten forests to make way for more airport runways, he can put the environmentalists behind bars and build the runway as soon as possible.