As former PM's health worsens further, people gather at SGH, Tanjong Pagar
By Fiona Chan, Deputy Political Editor, The Sunday Times, 22 Mar 2015
By Fiona Chan, Deputy Political Editor, The Sunday Times, 22 Mar 2015
A one-line statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) yesterday afternoon said Mr Lee's condition had deteriorated again. An announcement last Tuesday said he had taken a turn for the worse and daily updates since Wednesday said he remained critically ill.
About 1,000 people were at the art gallery of the Tanjong Pagar Community Club (CC) to leave cards and gifts and write messages on a giant banner that said: "Get well soon, Mr Lee Kuan Yew."
Mr Lee, 91, is an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, having represented the area since he won the 1955 legislative assembly election.
His son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, arrived at the CC in the afternoon with his wife, Ms Ho Ching, to thank those present and add their signatures to the hundreds covering the banner. It was PM Lee's first visit to the CC since he accompanied his father there as a child.
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He took photos of the cards, soft toys and flowers people had left. He also penned a short message on the banner: "Dear Papa, Hope you get better!"
Post by Lee Hsien Loong.
His son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, arrived at the CC in the afternoon with his wife, Ms Ho Ching, to thank those present and add their signatures to the hundreds covering the banner. It was PM Lee's first visit to the CC since he accompanied his father there as a child.
Well-wishers lined up to take photos with him and to say that they were concerned for his father.
Senior Minister of State for Law and Education Indranee Rajah, an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, also signed the banner yesterday. She said Singaporeans are worried about the health of the elder Mr Lee as they feel a bond with him "that goes beyond policies". Older citizens see him as a pioneer and comrade-in-arms, while younger ones grew up reading about him in the news every day. "He gave this nation pride," she said.
Travel agent James Wong, 55, and his wife wrote good wishes for Mr Lee on the banner before heading to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), where another area has been set up for people to leave flowers and messages. "We want to wish Mr Lee well as much as we can - going to both places is like double insurance," said Mr Wong, who lives in the Pinnacle@Duxton development in Mr Lee's ward of Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru.
Travel agent James Wong, 55, and his wife wrote good wishes for Mr Lee on the banner before heading to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), where another area has been set up for people to leave flowers and messages. "We want to wish Mr Lee well as much as we can - going to both places is like double insurance," said Mr Wong, who lives in the Pinnacle@Duxton development in Mr Lee's ward of Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru.
A few visitors were teary-eyed, such as sales manager Cindy Ang, 34, who brought her sons Lennon, seven, and Lewis, four, to tell them about Mr Lee's life and work. "It's the last thing we can do for him, to come here, to pray for him," she said.
Another four-year-old, Lim Kai Jun, skipped his English tuition class to visit SGH with his family and leave a daisy for Mr Lee. His father, Mr Adrian Lim, said: "I want my son to understand that we have to be grateful for what Mr Lee, our founding father, has done."
Grassroots leaders in Tanjong Pagar GRC and neighbouring Radin Mas ward told The Sunday Times they are making preparations for various activities. Said Mr Tan Bok Seng, a Radin Mas grassroots leader: "I go regularly to the temple and I pray for Mr Lee's recovery."
Ministers also said Mr Lee was in their thoughts. "We wish him well. We are all rooting for him," said Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang at the Chingay Heartlands celebration in West Coast GRC, where he is an MP.
At another event at Rivervale Mall, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean told reporters he had met PM Lee on Friday. "He really appreciates the outpouring of good wishes for Mr Lee and also for himself and his family. He thanks everyone for the good wishes," he said.
Additional reporting by Tham Yuen-C, Walter Sim, Rachel Au-Yong and Charissa Yong
Additional reporting by Tham Yuen-C, Walter Sim, Rachel Au-Yong and Charissa Yong
Clean rivers, thanks to Mr Lee
Ailing former PM lauded for his foresight at World Water Day events
By Melissa Lin and Pearl Lee, THe Sunday Times, 22 Mar 2015
Ailing former PM lauded for his foresight at World Water Day events
By Melissa Lin and Pearl Lee, THe Sunday Times, 22 Mar 2015
Former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's vision and role in cleaning up Singapore's rivers and starting the push towards water self-sufficiency decades ago were highlighted as World Water Day was celebrated here yesterday.
At the Singapore Sports Hub, where activities ranged from kayaking to Zumba, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said the country's clean rivers were a result of Mr Lee's determination and vision.
Referring to the Kallang River next to the Sports Hub, Mr Teo said: "Right here on this river in the 60s and 70s, where the water was black, oily and dirty, he had the vision to think of this place as a beautiful bay that we could clean up and enjoy."
Mr Lee is seriously ill at the Singapore General Hospital and yesterday, thousands of people went there and to the Tanjong Pagar Community Club to leave flowers and good wishes for him.
At the Sports Hub, Mr Teo said: "Let us all wish Mr Lee strength for his recovery."
At Jurong Lake, where people took part in a 2km walk and qigong, Ms Grace Fu, Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, said: "We owe it to Mr Lee that we can proudly say today that through 30 to 40 years of research and development, as well as hard work, we have almost reached water self-sufficiency."
She urged Singaporeans to continue to keep all the country's water sources clean, conserve water and treat it as a special resource.
"If we are able to carry on this good work, Singapore would have a bright future from where Mr Lee has left us," she added.
Ms Fu also announced that from October the minimum water-efficiency standards for washing machines will be raised from one tick to two ticks. Compared with one-tick models, two-tick washing machines can save more than 20 litres of water per wash on average.
Mr Teo urged visitors at the Sports Hub to practise simple water-saving habits, such as washing clothes on a full load at home.
In Singapore, each person consumes 150.4 litres of water per day on average. "We aim to lower this, slightly, to 147 litres per day by 2020," he said.
He pointed out how Singapore experienced a significant dry spell last year, with February 2014 being the driest month in almost 150 years. There was a repeat of dry weather earlier this year, although it was less severe.
Water demand is also expected to almost double by 2060 from the current 400 million gallons a day (mgd).
Singapore is investing in infrastructure ahead of demand, he said.
A second Newater plant at Changi, when completed next year, will see Newater capacity increase by another 50mgd.
A third desalination plant in Tuas, scheduled to be completed in 2017, will add another 30mgd to Singapore's water supply.
Aspiring artist writes Mr Lee Kuan Yew's name 18,000 times to create this amazing portrait
By Lee Min Kok, The Straits Times, 21 Mar 2015
By Lee Min Kok, The Straits Times, 21 Mar 2015
But look closer, and the amount of effort - and creativity - that went into this aspiring artist's labour of love will astound you.
Armed with only drawing pens and his own imagination, the 20-year-old, who is waiting to enrol in Nanyang Technological University's School of Art, Design & Media, spent 15 painstaking hours writing Mr Lee's name roughly 18,000 times.
The result is a portrait of Singapore's founding father, who was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on Feb 5 for severe pneumonia.
The portrait, along with videos detailing the drawing process, was uploaded on his Instagram account over the past two days. It has since gone viral.
In one Instagram post, he wrote that he was reminded of two things while drawing it - success requires dedication and perseverance, and mistakes are inevitable.
"Whatever wrong decisions Mr Lee has made in the past (if any) does not change the fact that he dedicated his life into building this small nation since independence and brought us to where we are now. We should be appreciative of that, certainly."
Mr Ong told The Straits Times in an e-mail interview that he had been caught off-guard by how quickly his portrait was spread on social media. It was shared by, among others, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's wife Ho Ching on Facebook.
"I decided to do a drawing of Mr Lee on bigger canvas as a symbol to a great leader," said Mr Ong. "To make it more challenging, I wanted to try name-writing as a way to shade his facial features."
He revealed that the portrait is not for sale, despite strong interest from several buyers.
"I would prefer the focus to be on Mr Lee at this point of time," he added. "He is still in critical condition and we should all pray for his recovery."