Singaporeans pay respects to Mrs Lee Kuan Yew
By S Ramesh | Posted: 04 October 2010 1355 hrs
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Singaporeans turned up in large numbers to pay their respects at the wake for Mrs Lee Kuan Yew, which was held at Sri Temasek | ||||||
SINGAPORE: Thousands of Singaporeans turned up at the wake of Madam Kwa Geok Choo, the late wife of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and mother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, on Monday.
Her wake is being held at Sri Temasek, the official residence of the Prime Minister and located within the Istana grounds, on Monday and Tuesday from 10am to 5pm.
When the gates of the Istana opened at 10am, people from all walks of life streamed through to pay their respects to Madam Kwa.
Foreign dignitaries and Singapore ministers also turned up, including Ministers Mah Bow Tan, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Lim Swee Say. Mr Lim was accompanied by leading members of the labour movement.
On hand to receive the visitors were Prime Minister Lee and his wife Madam Ho Ching as well as PM Lee's younger brother Mr Lee Hsien Yang.
Several buses also brought students from Nanyang Primary and Nanyang High School where children from the Lee family had studied.
Nanyang Primary plans to name the primary school library after Madam Kwa.
It added the board felt it was important that the younger generation remembers her contributions in the fight for the country's independence.
National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said: "She was so much a part of our history, our progress, development as a nation. And yet she chose to stay out of the limelight deliberately.
"She was always behind the scenes; I will always remember her every time I see her with (Minister Mentor Lee); she's always next to MM.
"She will be talking to him, advising him, guiding him, sometimes she would gently chide him. But she was always there to support him, always loving him."
While Madam Kwa had kept a low profile, many remember her kindness, particularly those who had worked in Minister Mentor Lee's constituency, Tanjong Pagar.
Zulkifli Baharuddin said: "I was then the general manager of Tanjong Pagar Town Council, and one of the things we had to do was to organise the events taking place at Tanjong Pagar. Minister Mentor then, even now, would give a major speech during the Chinese New Year. And you'd always see Mrs Lee there, but she's always at the back, making sure things were okay.
"I remember at one event, she actually went around making sure that we were very comfortable in what we were doing, not to be afraid or bothered by the whole atmosphere where MM (Lee) is involved.
"The fact that she wanted to make sure that all of us officers went about doing our job in the most comfortable way, she had a lot of respect and care for people like us. It's something that has left a lasting impression on me.
"Looking back, I think she is the most ideal Singaporean woman because she set the tone of how wives of public officers and VIPs do behave - in the most unassuming, humble and most respectful way."
Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said: "She also was, by the way, capable of having fun. I'll never forget the visit we took to St. Petersburg, the museum. She wanted to go and see the Great Silk Route, because she had a great interest in the Silk Route - they had a wonderful collection down there. She said, 'that's what I want to see'. So she walked down several flights of steps to go to a particular area and said, 'this is what I want to see'."
Special arrangements have been made for people to attend the wake, with buses ferrying the visitors from the main Istana gate facing Orchard Road to Sri Temasek and back.
At Sri Temasek, volunteers from Teck Ghee grassroots bodies were on hand to assist Singaporeans.
Singaporeans can continue to pay their last respects to Madam Kwa on Tuesday from 10am to 5pm.
-CNA/wk/ir
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