Feature: Singaporeans wish ex-PM Lee Kuan Yew speedy recovery

The Singapore General Hospital (SGH) has designated an area outside Block 7, known as the Quad, for those who want to place cards or flowers for Singapore's ex- Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who remained critically ill according to the latest statement from Singapore's Prime Minister's Office ( PMO).

SGH set up this special zone on Friday afternoon, and people who wish a speedy recovery for Lee Kuan Yew started coming in to support him.

Representatives from Positive Intentions (PI), a social enterprise, training and development agency, stopped by with a poster filled with messages of support, saying "Thank you" and "We love you."

"If there's no Lee Kuan Yew, there's no Singapore," said Ethen Ong Yongsen, co-founder of the PI, "there's no way for us to thank him personally, but we need to do something."

"I love Lee Kuan Yew very much. He developed our country. He has done very good things to make Singapore one of the No.1 nations in Asia," said Ram, a Singaporean who came to pray for Lee.

Ram also told Xinhua that he hoped Lee Kuan Yew can celebrate Singapore's Golden Jubilee this year with them.

When asked why they came to pray for Lee, the couple of Nmrs Raju said that they wanted to thank the founding father for what he has done for the Singaporeans.

"We have beautiful homes, everyone has a home which is affordable. He has built a nation where every Singaporean can own a home," said Mrs. Nmrs Raju.

It is estimated that about 80 percent of Singaporeans live in the public housing units developed by the Housing and Development Board, a government department that plans and provides Singaporeans with quality homes and living environments.

Typically, the prices of these units are much lower than that of homes built by private developers.

Besides providing a living of good quality that "only other people can dream about everyday" in Koh Swee Keow's words, Koh thinks Lee has contributed in so many ways.

"He contribute to the relationship of different races here, building our economy, education..." said Koh Swee Keow, "I can't pick out only one aspect." She thought Lee has laid a good foundation for the city state.

Koh added that the former prime minister propelled a lot to make sure everybody is equally treated in Singapore although the country has Malaysians, Indians and Chinese, among others.

"Whatever the color of your skin, the religion you believe in, one race can't have an advantage. We just respect each other," said Koh.

She also mentioned that if Lee hadn't worked to build a multi- culture nation, Singapore would not have become a peaceful country, where fights and riots are rare.

Lee, 91, has been in hospital since Feb. 5, when he was admitted for severe pneumonia. The PMO said in a statement released earlier that Lee remained sedated and on mechanical ventilation in the ICU.

Lee co-founded the ruling People's Action Party and became the premier of the newly-born republic in 1965. He stepped down as prime minister in 1990. Endi