Lee Kuan Yew sheds tears on the day of independence, August 9, 1965.
* * Lee Kuan Yew: The man who turned a scarce island into an economic power * *
# # 1.Who is Lee Kuan Yoo? (Iron Man Almanac)
Lee Kuan Yew was born in 1923 to a Peranakan family that settled in Singapore. He grew up in the midst of a Western education, finishing his bachelor's degree in law with magna cum laude from the University of Cambridge, England.
The pressure of oppression in the British colonial era and the face of Japanese military atrocities in World War II shaped his strong condemnation that * * "the Singaporean people must determine their own destiny." * * He co-founded the People's Action Party (PAP) in 1954 and rose to become Singapore's first prime minister in 1959.
# # 2.Crisis of Fate: From the Bottom to Unchosen Freedom
1965 was the year Singapore faced its historic demise. After being expelled from the Malaysian Federation, Singapore became an independent country that no one thought would survive:
* * * No natural resources * * Even fresh water must be purchased from Malaysia.
* * * Racial conflict * * between Chinese, Malays and Indians with riot bombs
* * * The economy is crumbling * * The unemployment rate is high and surrounded by skeptical neighbors.
> "For me, it was a time of pain, my whole life...I have always believed in the integration and rapport of these two lands. "
> - * Lee Kuan Yew sheds tears on independence day, August 9, 1965 *
>
# # 3.Nation Building Strategy: Flip the "Left Land" to the "First World"
Lee Kuan Yew did not build a nation with idealism, but he used * * "cruel truism" (Pragmatism) * * and sharp vision through 4 pillars:
- * * Reform cleanliness and discipline (build trust) * *
* Late 1960s *
Turn the decadent island into a "garden city," enact a decisive crackdown law (CPIB) and enforce the law equally, because he believes that "cleanliness and order are the first things foreign investors look for."
- * * Opening the door to global capitalism (building the economy) * *
* 1970s *
In an era when emerging countries were against the West, Lee Kuan Yew did the opposite; he invited multinational corporations (MNCs) from America and Europe to invest, dredged ports, developed Singapore Airlines and turned the island into a world manufacturing and logistics hub.
- * * Create people and fuse nations (create stability) * *
* 1980s *
It requires "English" to be a common language for work and education, to connect Singapore to the global economy, while also enforcing the housing quota system (HDB), to require all races to live in the same building, to break down the barriers of conflict and create a "Singaporean" identity.
- * * Establish a global financial centre (sustainable wealth) * *
* 1990s *
Develop a strong, transparent, secure legal and financial infrastructure until Singapore becomes the "Switzerland of Asia."
# # 4.Compendium of achievements
Lee Kuan Yew stepped down as Prime Minister in 1990 (after a 31-year administration) and reached commuters in 2015, leaving a legacy as one of the world's highest per capita income countries with an internationally ranked education and public health system.
His success stemmed from a combination of * * leaders at Tongqin, decades of forward-looking vision, and unkind practical action against obstacles * *, transforming the problem from "a country that no one wants" into "a country that the world cannot live without," a historic Paruket inscribed with Lee Guan Yew as one of the world's greatest statesmen.
