The legacy of Lee Kuan Yew

Shortly after Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away, a young person shrugged his death off. "What has Lee Kuan Yew done for me?"

Well, you may not realize it, but your life has been affected in many ways by him. Whether you like him or not, your life has been undeniably shaped by him. Take a look at your Secondary Two history textbook or syllabus. (http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/syllabuses/humanities/files/history-lower-secondary-2014.pdf)

Perhaps an illustration of his impact on your daily life may help too.

1. You wake up in the morning in your HDB flat. Hmm... HDB? In 1960, Mr Lee Kuan Yew deployed Mr Lim Kim San to build public housing for all. Previous attempts at public housing in the form of SIT (Singapore Improvement Trust) was nowhere as successful.
2. You have a glass of water with breakfast. Don't take the drinkable tap water and reliable electricity supply for granted! (http://www.eco-business.com/news/lee-kuan-yew-the-architect-of-singapores-water-story/)
3. Next, you walk out of the HDB flat and greet your neighbours. Are all of your neighbours the same race as you? No. You get to encounter Chinese, Malay, and Indian neighbours due to Lee Kuan Yew's policy of preventing racial enclaves. For example, in a HDB neighbourhood, a maximum of 84% can be Chinese, and a maximum of 22% can be Malay. See http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10296p.nsf/PressReleases/C515273FA068DD58482576DD00169155?OpenDocument
4. You take the public transport to school. Lee Kuan Yew realized that an all-bus system was inadequate, and decided to start the MRT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Rapid_Transit_%28Singapore%29)
5. Next, you're at school. Who made Singapore's schools so good that they are a magnet for foreign students from all over the region? Take a look at this article: http://sekolahsg.com/lee-kuan-yew-meant-foreign-students-singapore/
And so on and so forth...

All this is not to say that Mr Lee's rule was without controversy. Indeed, there were some questionable policies such as the Graduate Mothers policy. However, do not forget his long lasting legacy, and the many good things he has done for us.