I have 2 stories to share about Mrs Lee. But I must confess their
veracity cannot be confirmed, unless LKY confirms the 1st and the
party involved in the 2nd instance is located.
I have a friend who was for many years attached to the Istana.His
father was a gardener during the 60s, and my friend followed suit
before becoming an Istana driver later on.
The first incident occurred sometime in the 60s, when LKY first
came to power. In fact it was reported he was very down to earth
and approachable. Given the problems in the PAP, such the Barisan
walkout etc, he did not believe he would remain in power very long,
just as David Marshall and Lim Yew Hock before him.
LKY did not become aloof or distant then, he would regularly chat
with the Istana staff, from the humble gardeners, butlers, drivers
all the way up.
However soon
after our independence, when it became clear that he would remain
power for much longer that 1st anticipated,staff overheard Mrs Lee
chiding him for fraternising with such staff so openly. She told
him there was a need to maintain a distance between him and them,
given his ‘new permanent status’ as the unchallenged leader of
Singapore.
Of course the only 1 who can truly verify this story will be Mr Lee
himself, and I doubt he will ever give confirmation. Yet, if one
observes his demeanour in public from the late 50s and early 60s,
to the late 60s onwards, one can see a marked difference in how
much direct contact he had with ordinary members of the public.
Obviously there are perhaps valid reasons for such a change, but my
point is to merely highlight the influence she had over him, to the
detriment of the common man in the street.
The 2nd incident was again at the Istana in the 80s. As is commonly
known, there are lots of fruit trees grown on the Istana grounds. I
believe local fruit trees like mangoes, jackfruit, bananas etc are
still grown there to his very day.
Like her husband and her sons, Mrs Lee was known to jog regularly
in the evenings on the Istana grounds. One such day she spotted 1
of the lower staff (gardener, driver etc, I can’t remember who
exactly because I was told this story many years back) picking up
some fruits that had fallen to the ground.
She made a check
with her security officers later on where, that staff had reported
the incident or kept the fruits to himself. It was later confirmed
that the staff had intended the fruits for his own consumption. He
was told to either return the fruits and resign, or be subject to
formal police investigations and face the possibility of being
charged. Naturally he took the first offer.
Again here,
technically speaking Mrs Lee was right because the fruits are
public property, however on a moral basis, one feels she could and
should have, let the matter rest.
Generally speaking that was typical of her and the standards she
expected, especially to those below her station in life. The human
factor was never as important as the belief, that everyone must
stick firmly to the rules, without exception. According to my friend, Istana staff
were terrified of her, because of her tendency to point out even
the smallest of infractions, or worse, bring to the attention of
her husband, which she did on several occasions. And when the Big
Man enquirers about such things, everyone jumps and greatly fears
his questioning.
So because of
these things that were told to me, I never really liked Mrs
Lee. I do believe LKY did set out to do things with
good intentions in the beginning, and he truly did a lot of good.
Unfortunately, in later years, I feel he no longer was the person
he was in the 50s and early 60s, a champion for the underdog, an
anti-Communist and a believer of basic rights. Instead now we see
him embracing Chinese Communist Party leaders like long lost kin,
promoting a culture that gives the elite a priority over the lower
classes. And in place of basic freedom and expressions, is a demand
that he and the party knows best, and the people should follow
without question.
And I firmly believe Mrs Lee played a very crucial role in that
change in him.
So with her passing, I am reminded of the speech by a UK MP
(quoting Cromwell) in demanding Prime Minister Chamberlain’s
resignation in 1940:
You have sat too long for any good you have been doing lately …
Depart, I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God,
go!
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/10/07/how-mrs-lee-kuan-yew-treated-the-istana-staff/
