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Singapore's Parliament holds special sitting to pay tribute to Lee Kuan Yew

Xinhua, March 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

A special parliamentary sitting was held Thursday afternoon to pay tribute to Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew who died at 91 on Monday.

A bouquet of white flowers was put in Lee Kuan Yew's vacant seat at Thursday's special parliamentary sitting. Members of Parliament and nominated members delivered their tribute to Lee Kuan Yew, the longest serving and most illustrious member of Singapore Parliament.

Speaker of Singapore's Parliament Halimah Yacob said "Mr. Lee Kuan Yew was never afraid to make hard decisions for Singapore."

Ng Eng Hen, Leader of the House and Minister of Defense, paid tribute to Lee Kuan Yew, saying Lee's tenacity rallied Singapore to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. "Singapore would not be what it is today without Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. He was that bright night star that guided us all, an impoverished and fearful nation through independence." said Ng Eng Hen.

Seng Han Thong, Member of Parliament (MP) of Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency (GRC), said "Singapore chose Lee Kuan Yew" in his tribute. He believed that Lee Kuan Yew not only left his thought for Singapore, but also the system including governance by the elites, racial harmony, economic development, strong foreign relations, bilingual education, honesty and integrity, garden city, metropolis, among others.

Wong Kan Seng, MP of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC also former deputy PM of Singapore, recounted that Lee Kuan Yew's sole mission was to create a better life for Singaporeans. He urged Singaporeans to uphold the core value of meritocracy, multi-racialism, and non- corruptibility, which Lee Kuan Yew strongly believed in, to make Singapore a unique, extraordinary country for the next generation.

Singapore's Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli shared that Lee Kuan Yew's legacy of meritocracy makes Malay community proud. He urged Singaporeans to build on Lee Kuan Yew's legacy.

Christopher de Souza, MP of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, remembered that Lee Kuan Yew encouraged him whenever he could although he was the youngest MP in the 2006 batch. He said that the Eurasian community have become successful through opportunities and merit despite being one of the smallest racial communities in Singapore.

Singapore's senior Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Education Indranee Rajah, MP of Tanjong Pagar GRC, shared the reason why Lee Kuan Yew chose Tanjong Pagar as his ward, that is, the people there were "very poor", and the place was "in need of improvement." The former prime minister's actions were driven by a desire to make things better for Singaporeans; and Singapore was his life's work.

The MPs rose for a minute of silence as a mark of respect to Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew at the end of the special sitting. Endi