Founding father of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew passes away

Founding Father of Singapore and statesman Lee Kuan Yew has passed away on Monday at the age of 91. Lee was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on February 5 for severe pneumonia and was later put on life support.

Mr Lee is credited to have transformed Singapore from a small port city into a wealthy global hub.

Mr Lee served as the country’s Prime Minister for 31 years and continued to work in government until 2011. Highly respected as the architect of Singapore’s prosperity, Mr Lee was also criticised for his iron grip on power.

“In the end, my greatest satisfaction in life comes from the fact that I have spent years gathering support, mustering the will to make this place meritocratic, corruption-free and equal for all races — and that it will endure beyond me, as it has,” Lee said in his 2013 book, “One Man’s View of the World.”

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has declared a period of National Mourning from today upto 29th of this month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the demise of Mr. Kuan Yew. In a tweet, Mr. Modi termed him a far-sighted statesman and a lion among leaders.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that Lee Kuan Yew helped Singapore’s transition from a developing country to one of the most developed in the world, transforming it into a thriving international business hub.

US President Barack Obama, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and other leaders have also paid their tributes to Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.