Good morning to
Deputy Prime Ministers – Mr Teo Chee Hean and Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam,
Cabinet Ministers
Members of Parliament
Ladies and gentlemen,
There are many legacies that our Minister Mentor, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, had contributed to our nation. Of the many, to me, the Singapore River symbolises a unique identity which I personally resonate with Mr Lee.
He once said during the Singapore River Clean Up in 1977, that “It should be a way of life to keep the water clean. To keep every stream, culvert and rivulet, free from pollution.”
In his eulogy to Mr Lee of “The Red Box”, then Minister of Education, Heng Swee Keat, cited….. (Let me read to you the phrase)….“It was late in the night, and Mr Lee was in mourning. His security team hastened to give a bereaved husband a quiet moment to himself. As Mr Lee walked slowly along the bank of the Singapore River, the way he and Mrs Lee sometimes did when she was still alive, he paused. He beckoned a security officer over. Then he pointed out some trash floating on the river, and asked, “Can you take a photo of that? I’ll tell my PPS what to do about it tomorrow.” Photo taken, he returned to the hospital.”
Ladies and gentlemen, it caught me equally by surprise how this story had impacted me and made me think deep, living life as a young Singaporean. Today, I am indeed honoured to be here to share with you some life lessons that I learnt from
Mr Lee’s love for the Singapore River…
Living the Legacy of a ‘Clean’ Singapore
To me, Mr Lee’s love for nature and a clean green Singapore symbolises the importance of a transparent, clean and forward looking leadership. Over generations, our pioneers have seen how Singapore transform from a third world country to the first due to both the hard work of our strong leaders and the dedication of our pioneers, (special mention to my late grandparents and parents) to make Singapore a good home for younger generations. It is the culmination of their good values such as honesty, community spirit and leading by example that had groomed younger generations to be world ready and our little red dot to be a symbol of inspiration to the world.
Of Discipline, Vision and Consistency
Secondly, discipline, consistency and foresight for continuous growth and development are values that could be illustrated from this story. Mr Lee went beyond to materialize the vision to transform the riverfront into a meaningful, relevant and enjoyable community/common space for Singaporeans of all ages. To me, the Singapore River is an icon in itself, the heart around which Singapore’s progress could be charted and observed, through the paradigm of the many skyscrapers and unique grand structures built around the river. Likewise, one would not miss the Singapore skyline flying home as the plane approaches the city. These feats of establishment are not without strong values of discipline and foresight for continuous growth and development.
Embracing ‘Respect’
Last but not least, I learnt that one would probably have to infuse the value of ‘Respect’ in order to progress and grow. ‘Respect’ in this sense is not only limited to ‘Respect to Self’ and ‘Respect to others’ but also embracing the values of ‘Respect’ to our country as a whole, to its people, surroundings and structures.
Relating again to the River story, it amazed me that Mr Lee, during his low spirit then, had a strong clarity of mind to notice ‘some trash’ floating in the river. It made me think how the value of ‘self-responsibility’ towards public property may have been taken for granted.
Today, as a representative of my generation and my community, I would like to express my gratitude to Mr Lee, for leaving many legacies and life stories to us all. My generation may not have lived and seen the hard efforts of our forefathers that make Singapore what it is today, and may have taken the spirit of nation building cavalierly.
But these many narratives of your life lessons, strong values, dedication and love to Singapore will definitely be gems that we could exemplify to continue making Singapore and its people a bright red dot in the globe.
Thank you. I will now deliver my speech in Malay.
Assalamualaikum wr wb..
Selamat pagi, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Encik Teo Chee Hean dan Encik Tharman
Shanmugaratnam
Menteri-menteri Kabinet,
Ahli-ahli Parlimen,
Saudara-saudari sekalian,
Ketika buku Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going oleh mendiang Encik Lee Kuan Yew diterbitkan, saya berusia 18 tahun dan masih di sekolah. Saya masih teringat bagaimana teman-teman di sekolah mempertikaikan beberapa isu yang ditimbulkan dalam buku tersebut. Reaksi kami berbeza-beza. Ada yang marah dan ada juga yang hampa. Maklumlah kami masih remaja dan tidak begitu mengenali mendiang En Lee. Apa yang saya tahu tentang Encik Lee adalah menerusi media masa. Ketika itu, beliau pada mata saya adalah seorang yang tegas, bijak berpidato, dan tidak begitu ramah. Terlalu serius.
Setelah saya bertugas di MENDAKI, barulah saya berpeluang untuk mengenali dengan lebih terperinci mengenai sumbangan beliau kepada masyarakat Melayu/Islam di Singapura dan bagaimana beliau memainkan peranan penting
dalam pembentukan MENDAKI. Bak kata pepatah, tak kenal maka tak cinta.
Lebih mendalam saya mengenali tentang latar belakang MENDAKI, lebih kagum perasaan saya terhadap keikhlasan Encik Lee yang ingin melihat masyarakat Melayu/Islam maju bersama masyarakat lain untuk menikmati kejayaan Singapura.
Ungkapan-ungkapan beliau mungkin mencetuskan kontroversi tetapi ia nya juga memberi wadah untuk kita berdialog dan menanyakan diri sendiri kenapa beliau berpendapat sedemikian. Mungkin ada kebenaran di sebalik kata-kata dan pandangan beliau. Mungkin beliau kurang faham. Seperti yang beliau akui beberapa tahun selepas penerbitan buku Hard Truths, bahawa pandangan dan pendapat beliau mungkin “out of date”.
Dedikasi dan prinsip mendiang yang tidak mudah putus asa mengajar saya untuk senantiasa memberikan 100 peratus bagi setiap usaha saya. Seperti yang mendiang pernah berkata,” I am very determined. If I decide something is worth doing then I put my heart and soul to it” Kata beliau: “Saya seorang yang bertekad. Jika saya rasa sesuatu perkara itu perlu dilakukan, saya akan berikan segala jiwa dan raga saya.”
Dedikasi sahaja tidak mencukupi untuk memastikan kejayaan kita. Mendiang sangat berdisiplin bila melaksanakan sesuatu. Sejarah telah banyak menunjukkan bagaimana mendiang En Lee berjaya mencapai matlamat kerana disiplin diri yang tinggi. Mendiang pernah berkata” If you want to reach your goals and dreams, you cannot do it without discipline.” atau Jika anda ingin mencapai cita-cita dan impian anda, anda tidak akan berjaya tanpa disiplin.
Sebagai seorang belia, banyak lagi perkara yang ingin saya lakukan. Perjalanan untuk mencapai cita-cita dan impian saya, masih jauh. Namun saya yakin, berbekalkan tekad, disiplin, dan usaha gigih, saya akan mencapai impian dan citacita demi keluarga, masyarakat dan negara saya.
Terima kasih Encik Lee kerana memperjuangkan prinsip dan nilai-nilai ini hingga akhir hayat anda. Terima kasih kerana memberikan saya ruang dan peluang untuk berdiri pada pagi ini sebagai seorang rakyat Singapura sejati yang mewakili anak muda Melayu Islam.
Terima Kasih.