SG51 Post - Remembering LKY (Father of Modern Singapore)

On the eve of our nation's 51st birthday, let us take some time to remember our founding Prime Minister - Mr Lee Kuan Yew - without whom there will not be the Singapore that we are all so proud to call home...

Let's go back into time - some 50 years ago - and feel the stirring words of LKY...

Date: 5th February 1966
Location: Chinese Swimming Club
Background: Independent Singapore, less than a year old, had turned in a fine sporting performance at the 3rd SEAP Games held in December 1965.

11 year old swimming wonder, Pat Chan, on her SEAP Games debut swept 8 golds.

Pat Chan, Tay Chin Joo (SEAP Games' youngest gold medallist at 10 years old) and the rest of the swim team accounted for a lion's share of the (18 of 26) Gold Medals won by Singapore at the 3rd SEAP Games... Athletics won 3 Golds, Shooting 2 Golds, 1 each for Judo, Water polo & Weightlifting.

A fine start for independent Singapore!

Info-graphics courtesy 

of the Straits Times

"The very basis of our survival is politics; and sports is one of the ways in which you inculcate that physical discipline and stamina which alone can give you high performance... "
                                              -PM Lee Kuan Yew

His full speech
(Courtesy of National Archives of S'pore):

My small but growing collection

of LKY's thoughts about 

Merger & Separation (circa 1963-1965), printed by the then Ministry of Culture

Evergreen advice 

from Mr Lee Kuan Yew!