MM Lee Kuan Yew ~ yongjie

Hi Vikram,
The leader who I admire and will be writing on is Mr Lee Kuan Yew. One thing I admire him for is his immunity to corruption, unlike many other leaders who have fallen to that.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew was born on 16 September 1923. He was the first Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. Ever since he stepped down from office, he has remained as one of the most influential politicians in Singapore. He was succeeded by Mr Goh Chok Tong, who became Singapore's second Prime Minister(Mr Goh is currently holding the position of Senior Minister). Mr Lee became the Senior Minister under the administration of Mr Goh Chok Tong. Mr Lee now holds the specially created post of Minister Mentor. His older son, Mr Lee Hsien Long, is the third Prime Minister of Singapore and has served in office since 12 August 2004.

On November 21, 1954, Lee, together with a group of fellow English-educated middle-class men formed the socialist People's Action Party (PAP) in an expedient alliance with the pro-communist trade unionists.

On 16 September 1963, Singapore became part of the Federation of Malaysia. However, the union was short-lived. Mr Lee signed the separation agreement on 7 August 1965. The failure of the merger was a heavy blow to Mr Lee, who believed that it was crucial for Singapore’s survival. In a televised press conference, he broke down emotionally as he announced the separation to the people.

During the period that he served as Prime Minister, his three main concerns were national security, the economy, and social issues – during his post-independence administration. He also strengthened Singapore's national security and improved Singapore's economy. He is like the spark that starts a fire, and the credit for what Singapore is today goes to him and the ministers that served since Singapore separated from Malaysia.

~yongjie