Kuan Yew drove Singaporeans hard to toughen fledgling nation quickly - Goh Chok Tong
GOH: Kuan Yew had to account for the lives of millions of Singaporeans in his efforts to toughen fledgling Singapore quickly.
The late Lee Kuan Yew drove his people hard to toughen fledgling Singapore quickly, noted Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
As he put it, Goh said Kuan Yew had to account for the lives of millions of Singaporeans.
"He rallied and united a disparate population to share a common destiny. He braved necessary long-term painful policies. Farmers were resettled and land acquired.
"Old mosques and temples made way for public housing, roads and schools. Gangsters and drug traffickers were detained without trial.
Some people allege that these policies lacked compassion," Goh said in his tribute to the late Kuan Yew at the state funeral service held in the University Cultural Centre on Sunday.
But, he said, Kuan Yew taught the people how to fish and bring fish to Singapore's waters.
"He housed and schooled millions. He gave us safe streets and parks. He was a leader, not a populist politician. The outpouring of grief, gratitude and love for him says it all." Goh said Kuan Yew was Singapore.
"But it surprised me that he had earned that accolade just two years after Singapore’s independence."
In pushing for leadership renewal, Goh said Kuan Yew had to cut short the political careers of his old colleagues.
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