SINGAPORE – The community has put forward ideas for marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. These include conferences to examine Mr Lee’s legacy, publications that draw from his values and life experiences, and activities to engage the younger generation of Singaporeans, said Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng.
Many groups in the community, such as business leaders, the grassroots, academia and the media, felt it was important to remember Mr Lee’s contributions to Singapore and the ideals he represented, Dr Tan said in Parliament on Tuesday.
“They especially wanted to raise awareness of Mr Lee’s contributions amongst Singaporean youth, many of whom were very young or not yet born when Mr Lee stepped down from the Cabinet.”
Dr Tan was responding to Mr Sitoh Yih Pin (Potong Pasir), who asked if the Government was planning to observe the anniversary of Mr Lee’s birth on Sept 16, 1923, and mark his contributions to the nation and the values he stood for. Mr Lee died in 2015.
Business leaders have put forth a proposal to set up a fund for private donations that will go towards supporting educational causes, said Dr Tan, adding that education was a cause dear to Mr Lee’s heart, and they felt that the fund would be a fitting tribute to him.
The Government will work with the various parties to coordinate the efforts, Dr Tan said. “We welcome these ground-up initiatives, and the spirit in which they have been conceived.”
Government agencies have also planned initiatives to commemorate the anniversary.
For example, the National Heritage Board has an ongoing travelling exhibition for the upcoming Founders’ Memorial as part of a public call for artefacts and stories from the nation-building years. Later in 2023, there will be a more extensive exhibition at the National Museum on key historical milestones that Mr Lee and other founding leaders rallied Singaporeans through.
The National Parks Board will celebrate the 60th year of Singapore’s greening journey by holding various activities to mark the milestone. Mr Lee launched the first tree-planting campaign in 1963.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore will also issue a commemorative coin in 2023.
More details will be announced later.
