Closing Remarks by Minister Lim Hng Kiang at the Tribute Event for Mr Lee Kuan Yew at Raffles City Convention Centre

Dear Friends

Thank you for coming together as leaders of the business community to organise A Tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.  Prime Minister Lee deeply regrets that he is unable to be here today. He has asked me to attend on behalf of the Government.

2          Thank you for sharing your tributes to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.  Each of your stories showed how the late Mr Lee has touched our lives and shaped our nation.  Together, they illustrate the enormity of Mr Lee’s impact on Singapore and Singaporeans.

3          Mr Lee will always be remembered for bringing Singapore from Third World to First in a single generation.  Singaporeans are deeply grateful for this huge transformation in our lives. Living standards rose dramatically. Our physical landscape was transformed from mudflats to a metropolis.  We live in a clean and green city.

4          Mr Lee was always thinking of Singapore’s future.  He sought not just the improvements in the first instance. He was also intent on embedding into our society and institutions the values and ethos that would make sure the Singapore Story carried on strong even after his time. In other words, he was not just intent on creating the Singapore Story - he wanted to ensure that we keep the Singapore Story going.

5          Mr Lee often said that no one owed us a living. He was confident that Singapore would be able to survive on our resourcefulness and hard work of our people.  He pushed us to never be complacent, never rest on our laurels, work hard, and always put in that extra effort.

6          At the same time, Mr Lee was a realist who well understood that Singapore is too small to be self-sufficient, a point that I believe has been ingrained in every Singaporean’s psyche. That is the reason why we liberalised and embraced an open market-based economy, and today are able to draw in investments, talents and ideas from all over the world.

7          Mr Lee also recognised the critical importance of harmonious industrial relations. In our early days, Mr Lee’s government adopted a strategy of rapid industrialisation to attract foreign direct investment, to grow the economy and create jobs for Singaporeans. He was aware that frequent labour disputes would de-stabilise Singapore, decrease productivity, and hurt the investment climate. The Government thus supported the creation of our unique system of tripartism. Till this day, the strong cooperation between employers, unions and Government continue to serve as one of Singapore’s unique competitive advantages. It is a valuable and cherished institution that will continue to benefit business, workers and the economy.

8          Mr Lee also consistently emphasised the need for strong rule of law, for clean governance, and to live up to the commitments that we make so that trust and confidence in the Government is maintained.  I recall that Mr Lee would often cite how during the 1973 oil crisis, he decided that Singapore would share in any cuts that the oil refineries imposed on the rest of their customers outside Singapore, rather than blocking export of their stocks in the Singapore refineries. This was what he called “equal misery”. This decision increased international confidence in the Singapore government, and assured businesses that Singapore understood its long-term interests depended on being a reliable place for businesses. It is by no coincidence then that today, we are consistently ranked as one the best places in the world to do business.

9          Finally, Mr Lee recognised the importance of resilient institutions, and always having a team of capable and dedicated individuals that can work together to lead these institutions.  He believed that strong institutions and good leaders would ensure that his legacy lasts. Mr Lee spent his lifetime building robust institutions that were well organised, efficient and effective in delivering public services.  Right from the start however, Mr Lee recognised that he could not do this alone and therefore assembled a team of committed individuals, who together carved out a future for Singapore.  Always looking ahead, Mr Lee also groomed new leaders to take over from him.  His mentorship of successive generations of leaders will help ensure that the Singapore that he built will endure.

10        Dear friends, even as we mourn the passing of Mr Lee, let us remember the values and ethos that he spent his lifetime inculcating in our society. Guided by these values and ethos, let us confidently continue the Singapore Story. 

11        Thank you.