remembering mr lee kuan yew (1923 - 2015)

May I share my own personal experience. I don't exactly lack interest in political matters, I mean I read the news but I don't dabble too much in politics, of any kind. I also refrain from making comments unless I know a subject matter somewhat well. So, I have to admit, I didn't pay too much attention to national day speeches, rallies and world happenings until in recent years. If I were to really reflect deeply, I probably belong to the group that Mr Lee mentioned in one of his speeches, the complacent group that thinks Singapore will always remain stable and takes it for granted. For someone who is rather apolitical, what I have seen, heard and felt at Mr Lee's passing during this week of mourning caught me off guard totally. I knew that Mr Lee did a lot for us but I did not know it was that tremendous. He devoted his entire life to Singapore, even to the very last day of his life. 

Since the passing of Mr Lee, a lot of resources about him have been shared with the schools so that we could share them with the children. As I read about Mr Lee's work and watched his speeches in preparation for the lesson, before I could even start to share with the children, a rush of emotions and gratitude washed over me. I choked with tears. My colleague had to take over for a while. It was not something I expected. What an irony to discover that I was prepared and yet, in a big way, I was not. On retrospect, I realised that I had cried for various reasons : I was deeply moved by Mr Lee's love for Singapore and I felt a wave of regret that I did not show my appreciation to him when he was still alive.

I was touched to the core by his strong passion and unflinching conviction for what he has set out to do for our country, for our future. Whether one knows him personally or not, I would like to believe it would be hard for anyone who have heard of his life story to remain untouched and uninspired. In one of the pictures in the slides, Mr Lee was holding a broom and sweeping the streets of Singapore, literally, with a vision of a cleaner and greener home for everyone. A humble leader who will do absolutely anything for his country. Make no mistake about it. 

Along with my colleagues, the school bookshop auntie, a primary two child who was her grandchild, and the vegetarian canteen stall auntie who was half limping, I joined the queue yesterday from about 3.45pm to about 9pm. While I can also show my appreciation and pay my respect  to Mr Lee in other ways without joining the long queue under the blazing sun, something inside me pushed away the deterring thoughts and my determination took over. I was glad that I went. The long wait would be peanuts compared to the 52 years Mr Lee had put in for Singapore. In fact, there was no basis for comparison.

What I have experienced along the way would always be etched deep in my mind. The crowd was orderly. There were officers pointing out the priority route to those who needed it. At the tentage area, beverages and fans were offered. And mind you, it wasn't just plain mineral water, cold herbal drinks were offered too. Every now and then, a soldier would come and share with us the approximate length of waiting and informed us that it would be a long walk thereafter; so we were advised to sit in order to rest our feet in preparation for the journey ahead. I thought about how it would be like if it was a queue for an emergency situation instead? Would we still be as calm and patient and congenial as this? A sense of pride swelled in me. I think we would respond in the best way we can. 

As we moved on, while there were some chitchats, most of us were just quietly waiting and moving along when the queue moved. Good Samaritans were giving out umbrellas, food, drinks, wet tissue. It was obvious some of them bought them out of their own pocket. There was this lady holding a Watson's plastic bag and she took out a big pack of wet tissue and started distributing. One other man was giving out black ribbons and safety pins so that people could choose to wear them as a sign of mourning. As we passed the Cenotaph, a few guys were literally sprinkling water at the people to cool them down. It was really innovative what they did to the bottles. I looked closely and saw there were many many holes, poked throughout, in the middle of the bottle; and they bent it so that water spewed out. I imagined us to be parched but happy plants to be sprinkled with water like this. Another guy who was distributing water with a smile sang, as if he was performing in a musical, "Would you take some water?" Despite my heavy heart, I couldn't help but be touched and I smiled. As it was getting darker and nearer to dinnertime as we moved along, we saw something rather interesting; two ladies were eating fishball noodles, straight out of a take-away tupperware. We marvel at their logistical ingenuity. However, we were not exactly hungry.  

May I also mention that my principal was very kind. He carried my heavy bag of worksheets for a big part of the way. I didn't ask him for permission to share this and he probably would not know about this but I suppose it doesn't matter, appreciation, as long as it's heartfelt, should cut across ranks and situations. 

The little girl was getting tired but she tried her best to move along with us. She found ways to entertain herself and I was amused at her antics. Every now and then, at brief or prolonged stops, as we moved closer to our intended destination, she would find a comfortable spot and sit down. That was how she spurred herself on. At one point when London Choco Roll was being distributed, her whole body became alive. According to her grandma, she loved chocolate. No wonder. It was a lifesaver. Whoever bought those, thank you for knowing just what the kids needed! 

Her gandma also shared some of her life experiences as a child during the earlier eras of Singapore. She shared about how scared she was during one of the riots, when she was just 4, she was brought to the police station and everyone was seeking shelter there. She also shared about what used to be a stretch of waters along Beach road and she strolled on the banks. We were truly privileged to be in her company and it made the walk all the more meaningful as we thought about how far Mr Lee has brought us. 

Through it all, I felt it deeply for myself; Mr Lee's love for Singapore has reached deep into the hearts of the people. This is his legacy. Mr Lee, thank you for having the courage to march forward despite the dark times, for keeping to your promises, for forging friendships with other countries, for being such an astute leader that many other leaders were influenced positively by you, for always referring to 'we' and not 'I' when talking about the work done and for envisioning Singapore to be what it is today, but most of all, thank you for thinking of how to make Singapore beautiful and better, every single day of your life. You have given so much for us and for our future generations. For that, I am truly grateful and would build on your legacy by educating our young to be responsible citizens who love their country.