Lee Kuan Yew’s Birthday Wish 1983
I must thank one of the readers in forwarding to me this piece of article from the past. In a difficult time facing a young nation like Singapore such as now, it is important for all concerned to reflect on the fact that the Honorable Mr. Lee Kuan Yew had wanted to keep his private affairs private.
I shall make my comments on this speech by Mr. Lee at the appropriate junctures within the quoted speech below.
Someone’s remarks at the beginning of the speech are also relevant here and this is quoted here:
“Over the years, Lee has kept his private life mostly private. He has not, for example, been one to celebrate his birthdays in public. Among those which he did was his 60th birthday, on September 16, 1983. On that occasion, celebrated at the Mandarin Hotel, he made this speech.”
Para # 1:
“I have had only one birthday publicly celebrated. It was in September 1973, ten years ago. Devan Nair, then Secretary-General of the NTUC (National Trade Union Congress), wanted to organize one to mark the occasion. After reflection, I agreed because I hoped it would serve a wider purpose of bringing the different segments of our society together rather than simply be an occasion for luxuriating in felicitations and congratulations. In the same way, I hope this dinner will serve more significant needs than those of my personal joy and satisfaction.”
This opening paragraph emphasizes Mr. Lee’s personal preference for privacy. This is important when we consider what his wish was for his residence 38 Oxley Road.
Para # 2:
“A momentous event took place on my 40th birthday twenty years ago. On September 16, 1963, Malaysia was proclaimed and Singapore became part of it. I celebrated my 40th birthday by going to Kuala Lumpur to attend the formal declaration of Malaysia at the Stadium Negara and returning the same evening to continue a crucial general election in Singapore.”
1963 was an important year. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s Peoples Action Party (PAP) had campaigned on the need for Singapore to be part of a wider group Malaya (West Malaysia) and Sabah with Sarawak (East Malaysia) to form Malaysia.
“LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY GENERAL ELECTION 1963
“This was remembered as PAP’s (People Action Party’s) toughest election battle in its history and the campaign coincided with Singapore’s joining of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. After two by-election defeats and two defections to UPP, PAP filed a no-confidence motion on 20 July 1961 and survived with a razor-thin 26 votes against 25 from the opposition and 13 PAP Assembly Members after wheeling in an ill PAP AM (Assembly Member) and former Singapore UMNO (United Malayan National Organization) activist, Mdm Sahorah Ahmat, from the hospital to vote in its favour. The 13 dissidents were subsequently expelled and formed Barisan, a new party PAP alleged was a front for the Communist Party of Malaya. On 3 July 1962, with the National Referendum on merger with Malaysia on everyone’s minds, AM Hoe Puay Choo resigned from PAP and joined Barisan on 11 August 1962. Five days later, UPP AM S. V. Lingam returned to PAP but in another five, Minister Ahmad Ibrahim passed away from liver cancer and PAP’s majority in the legislature whittled back to zero. Barisan intended to field its iconic leader Lim Chin Siong in the vacated Sembawang seat should there be a by-election but Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew decided not to hold one. Instead, he went for a fresh General Election to court a new mandate and if PAP did not win, the Malaysian authorities could deal with a pro-communist ruling party. Before that, the PAP government launched “Operation Coldstore” on 2 February 1963 and detained several Barisan leaders, including Lim Chin Siong.”
Para # 3 and Para # 4 - skipped. Please read from pdf files for page 1 (above, at the start of this post) and page 2 below.
Para # 5 and Para # 6:
“Well, what have I done in the ten years since 1973? I hope I have helped to consolidate Singapore’s advance in economic growth and social development. More importantly, I have got together a core group of younger ministers who can make for continuity of honest, effective, and responsive government.
“What have I learned since 1973? Some more basic unchangeables about human beings and human societies, the ways in which they can be made to do better, and the ever present danger of regression and even collapse, as in Cambodia.”
These two paragraphs are more important to Singaporeans than what they appear at first sight. Mr. LKY chose his lieutenants carefully through his own system of meritocracy. True, there were occasions when he chose a relative, for a position but such relatives had proved to Singaporeans as capable ones. But there were many outside-of-the-family capable ministers that he had drawn on. Of course, the first generation of leaders such as Toh Chin Chye, Goh Keng Swee, Rajaratnam, Eddie Barker, Fong Sip Chee, Ahmad Abrahim and even Teh Chiang Wan (just to name a few) were examples capable leaders outside the family.
Para # 7:
The most important lesson for us in this paragraph lies in the few sentences, and I quote “I have also come to understand the insignificance of personal achievements.” How very true! “For at 60, more than at 50, comes the realization of transient nature of all earthly glories and successes, and the ephemeral quality of sensory joys and pleasures, when compared to intellectual, moral or spiritual satisfactions.”
Paragraphs # 11 to # 13 are significant as LKY compared himself with his imaginary twin who would have lived in Hong Kong. How much was ‘nature’ (he called this ‘hardware’) and how much was ‘nurture’ (‘software’) in a person’s growth, he wondered. His twin in Hong Kong, because of the external factors, would be a rich man totally without the social fabrics of a worthy human being - a totally meaningless existence.
Then comes the concluding story in paragraphs # 17 to # 20 where he related his golfing experience with an elderly Japanese of 70. Read this story on pages 6 and 7. Just too inspiring!
His last paragraph # 21 is definitely worth repeating here as my ending too.
“The past 24 years were not preordained. (That much for fate or religion.) Nor is the future. There will be unexpected problems ahead, as there were in the past. They have to be met, grappled with, and resolved. For only a people who are willing to face up to their problems and are prepared to work with their leaders to meet unexpected hardships with courage and resolution deserve to thrive and to prospect. In responding to the toast, may I express the hope that Singaporeans will be such a people.”