Who is lee kuan yew?

Lee Kuan Yew (Chinese: 李光耀; Pinyin: Lǐ Guāngyào; born September 16, 1923; also spelled Lee Kwan-Yew) was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 1959 to 1990.


After the war, he studied law at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge in the United Kingdom, of which he was subsequently made an honorary fellow, (graduating with Double Starred First Class honours), and briefly attended the London School of Economics. He returned to Singapore in 1949 to work as a lawyer in Laycock and Ong,


Legacy





During the three decades in which Lee was in office, Singapore grew from being a developing country to one of the most developed nations in the world, despite its small population, limited land space and lack of natural resources. Lee has often stated that Singapore's only natural resources are its people and their strong work ethic. He is widely respected by many Singaporeans, particularly the older generation, who remember his inspiring leadership during independence and the separation from Malaysia. He has often been credited as being the architect of Singapore's present prosperity, although the role was also played by his Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Goh Keng Swee, who was in charge of the economy.


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Controversies





On the other hand, some Singaporeans and foreigners have criticized Lee as elitist and even an autocrat, and that the economic prosperity under Lee was achieved at the expense of much political and social freedom. Lee was once quoted as saying he preferred to be feared than loved. Adamant that the ends justify the means, Lee often prescribed repressive measures to safeguard national security and interests.





Lee has been criticized for implementing some harsh measures to suppress political opposition and freedom of speech, such as outlawing public demonstrations without an explicit police permit, the restriction of the press freedom, and the use of defamation lawsuits to bankrupt political opponents, such as Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, Tang Liang Hong and Chee Soon Juan. On political matters, public opinion was rarely solicited. On this issue, Devan Nair, the third president of Singapore and who was living in exile in Canada, remarked in a 1999 interview with the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail that Lee's technique of suing his opponents into bankruptcy or oblivion was an abrogation of political rights. He also remarked that Lee is 'an increasingly self-righteous know-all', surrounded by 'department store dummies'. In response to these remarks, Lee sued Devan Nair in a Canadian court. The lawsuit was dismissed after Nair counter-sued Lee.





On one occasion, after a court ruling in favour of Lee was overturned by the Privy Council, the government abolished the right of appeal to the Council. Throughout Lee's premiership from 1959 to 1990, the Internal Security Act was invoked several times to arrest and detain a number of people without trial, often for alleged involvement in "pro-Communist" or "Marxist" activities. Chia Thye Poh, a former MP of the opposition Barisan Socialis, was detained for 32 years, including nine years on the resort island of Sentosa. In order to give full authority to the judges in their judicial decisions, Lee abolished the jury system in the courts. He argued that jurors are more liable to be swayed emotionally whereas a judge would be more objective and impartial.


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Memoirs





Lee Kuan Yew has written a two-volume set of memoirs: The Singapore Story (ISBN 0130208035), which covers his view of Singapore's history until its separation from Malaysia in 1965, and From Third World to First: The Singapore Story (ISBN 0060197764), which gives his account of Singapore's subsequent transformation into a prosperous first-world nation.


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Awards





* Lee has received a number of state decorations, including the Order of the Companions of Honour (1970), Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (1972), the Freedom of the City of London (1982), the Order of the Crown of Johore First Class (1984), the Order of Great Leader (1988) and the Order of the Rising Sun (1967).


* Lee also received other decorations which include the highest honour of Honourary Fellowship of the Edinburgh Royal College of Medicine (1988), and Man for Peace (1990)


* In 2002, Lee Kuan Yew was formally admitted to the Fellowship of Imperial College London in recognition of his promotion of international trade and industry, and development of science and engineering study initiatives with the UK.[4]

Who is lee kuan yew?
Lee Kuan Yew was the first Prime Minister of Singapore. He was Senior Minister when Goh Chok Thong was Prime Minister. He is now Minister Mentor and his son is the Prime Minister. If I had to give him a title, I'd call him the father of the nation.
Reply:LAU LEE MAKES SPORE STRONG
Reply:Lee Kuan Yew (Chinese: 李光耀; Pinyin: Lǐ Guāngyào; born September 16, 1923; also spelled Lee Kwan-Yew) was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 1959 to 1990.
Reply:singapore's first prime minister....
Reply:he was the prime minister of singapore....he's the father of the current prime minister and he's also known as the senior minister of singapore.

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