The Singapore Story: Memoirs Of Lee Kuan Yew (1998) - Plot & Excerpts
The Economist noted that there was no vainglory in the title of the 1st volume of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs: "The Singapore Story". http://www.economist.com/news/asia/le...Yet this is the essential story of how Singapore came to be, written by her founding father. It is a fascinating account of the life of Lee Kuan Yew from his birth on 23 September 1923 till till the independence of Singapore on 9 August 1965. In it LKY describes his early childhood years, and how he came to assume the role of de facto head of household in his teenage years. His blossoming romance with and his secret marriage to his life partner Kwa Geok Choo during their Cambridge days. His near brush with death during the harrowing period of Japanese Occupation and the brutalities of war, and another close escape when his Studebaker overturned as he did a U-turn on Thomson Road one rainy day in 1951.We learn of LKY's growing political awareness and his fight for independence from British colonialism. How he played a dangerous game of co-opting the communist and skilfully won the support of the Chinese majority in Singapore. His battle against the communists and Singapore's tumultuous period of strikes, riots and labor unrests. The Battle for Merger in 1961 followed by the 2 uneasy years in the Federation of Malaysia - a period marked by bloody racial riots, Konfrontasi with Sukarno's Indonesia and shadowy threats of arrests for LKY who has now become a thorn on the Tunku's side as the Singapore PM pushed for a "Malaysian Malaysia". Finally culminating in Singapore's ejection from Malaysia to become an independent sovereign country in 1965. This is the Singapore Story.I found this particular passage reflective of the passion and intensity that was so abundant in the arc of life of one of the greatest political leader of our time. It was during the period of December 1962 to September 1963 - 10 months that were described as the most hectic period in LKY's life, as he mobilised support for the next election while fending off constant skirmishes with the Malaysian ministers in KL and the communist Barisan party on the home front as Singapore faced looming threat of Konfrontasi with Indonesia: "I would start off at eight on a Sunday morning or shortly after lunch on a weekday. The afternoons were always hot, and during one tour I would make short speeches of 10 to 15 minutes every stop, which could add up to between 30 minutes and an hour because I had to speak in two or three languages. Sometimes I made as many as ten speeches in a day, each in Malay, English, and Hokkien or Mandarin. I would sweat profusely. I brought three or four singlets and shirts with me and would nip quietly into somebody's toilet or behind the partition inside a shop from time to time to change into dry clothes, and I carried a small towel to wipe the sweat off my face. I would come home with my right hand bruised and painful from hundreds if not thousands of handshakes, and every now and again a real power squeeze. My back, too, was bruised and blue from bumping against the metal crossbar of the Land Rover. I learnt to offer my left hand to relieve my right, and also to push my thumb and forefinger right up against the other person's to prevent my fingers from being squeezed, and I had a thick pad of towels would around the crossbar to act as a shock absorber." - Lee Kuan Yew, The Singapore Story
I finished reading ‘The Singapore Story’ by Lee Kuan Yew few days back. It was nearly 700-page book. But I could read it at a stretch since it was an inspirational story and it is written in a very simple, yet effective language. The book is about LKY’s childhood, youth and how Singapore became an independent state and LKY’s role in it.LKY’s childhood is interesting. He had been a brilliant student but his education was disturbed during Japanese occupation of Singapore during the World War II. But he was lucky enough (or courageous enough rather) to complete his education in the United Kingdom and become a lawyer. Not only that, he was able to become the Prime Minister of Singapore at the young age of 35.How LKY aligned people, trade unions, and his political party (People’s Action Party – PAP) towards winning elections is amazing. He is a smart, shrewd and cunning politician. He gets the support of the communists to win the parliament elections and then drops them when they become a nuisance. He survives coup attempts by his parliamentary colleagues as well. He never loses hopes for Singapore.LKY mentions Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) in several places in the book and also admires her. The way he describes his travels is very interesting. His travel accounts to different African nations to promote Malaysia are fascinating. He wants Singapore to become a part of a new country that was being formed with integration of Federation of Malaya, Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah regions. (Brunei later pulled out of the plan.) The new country was to be named Malaysia. Though LYK works hard for integration, later Mr. Abdul Rahman -the Tunku- the Chief Minister of Federation of Malaya decides to keep Singapore out of Malaysia for fear that LYK will one day become the Prime Minister of Malaysia. But LYK’s goal is different. He only wants to ensure that the Singaporeans will get equal rights within the state of Malaysia which they are not going to get as the Tunku tries to give priority to Malays in Malaysia over the rest of the nations. Once Singapore is snubbed by Malaysia, Singapore automatically becomes an independent state. The book ends there.What I most liked about the book was that the author even highlights the negative remarks others have made regarding him without considering the damage it does to his image. In fact the facts in the book become more reliable due to the very reason.The way how LKY developed Singapore to today’s status is not discussed in the book. It is in another book called ‘From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000.’ Must acquire it as soon as possible.The problem I have is that why did our late president, Mr. J. R. Jayawardene, with a 5/6unprecedented power, fail to do what LKY did in his country.
What do You think about The Singapore Story: Memoirs Of Lee Kuan Yew (1998)?
A good read generally. The book is an account of developments as told by LKY himself - straight-talking and opinionated. Obviously there are disagreements - even with those closest to him - some not just of opinion but fact. The English language used in the book is definitely of its time, with a rhythm and phrasings no longer encountered. But all in all a chunk of valuable history for pretty much everyone who wants to know about Asia generally and development in the second part of the 20th century specifically.
—Danny Quah
This is the first of two volumes of memoirs by Lee Kuan Yew, prime minister of Singapore for 30 years, and its most influential leader. It is not without reason that he titles his memoir The Singapore Story.His prose is disciplined and workmanlike, and he prefers stating facts over reminiscence. He passes over his very British early education, his childhood in Singapore, and even over the incredible brutality of the Japanese occupation with crisp mechanical description. He goes to work on the black market with astonishing discipline, almost casually describing how he escaped several massacres. After finishing his law degree with top marks, he describes his early forays into politics, and the founding of the People's Action Party, which has had a majority since 1959. He describes his political machinations with astonishing detail and candor, and is an adept judge of character. His description of urban politics, with mass mobilization campaigns, coalition building, and multi-lingual speeches and coalitions, is fascinating. His first aim, after British decolonization, was to unite Singapore with Malaysia. He speaks very favorably of "The Tunku" Abdul Rahman, but less so of the more local politicians. After tense and uneasy relationship, the union broke down after only two years, and Singapore was to be expelled from Malaysia, with the British soon leaving, and the once-supportive Communists planning an all-out uprising. The second volume, which I'm going to reread soon, covers the period of Singapore's independence and its economic transformation - arguably the inspiration for significant portions of Deng Xiaoping's system of reforms in China over the last quarter of the 20th century - and we know how those went, and how Singapore is now. An interesting view into East Asian politics.
—Hadrian
He is too fascinating a man, and has left far too large an imprint on modern Singapore history for this to be an uninteresting book. Having lived through many of the climactic moments surrounding the foundation of the modern Singapore state, this first volume of memoirs would have value in itself as a historical account of what happened. Still, one gets the sense in reading this of a didactic lecturer not seeking justification - he never has felt the need - but closer to that of a stern father instructing his wayward children. One gets the sense that the events, his personal image and everything else is presented through a very particular and finely polished patina. This is sad, as all too often, what lies beneath is far more interesting.
—Caleb Liu
