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Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Lee Kuan Yew

The Singaporean statesman and lawyer Lee Kuan Yew, also known by his initials LKY and in his earlier years as Harry Lee, was born Harry Lee Kuan Yew on September 16, 1923. He served as Singapore’s first prime minister from 1959 until 1990. From 1955 until his passing in 2015, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Tanjong Pagar.

From 1959 through 1990, Lee Kuan Yew, sometimes referred to as the “Founding Father” of Singapore, oversaw its government.

Kuan, Singapore’s first prime minister, died on March 22, 2015, at the age of 91. Even after quitting the position, he continued to serve as the Senior Minister under the second Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Kuan, one of the longest-serving ministers in history, is also referred to as the “Architect of Modern Singapore.”

These top 10 intriguing facts about Lee Kuan Yew will help you discover more about his fascinating life.

1.When Lee Kuan was in his thirties, he began studying Mandarin and Hokkien

If you have friends who say they can’t learn a new language because they’re “old,” tell them Lee Kuan Yew did it like a boss. And he could speak English, Mandarin, Malay, and Hokkien so well that he could put native speakers to shame.

2.Lee Kuan was a chain smoker in the past

He would smoke a pack of cigarettes while waiting for his turn to speak at rallies to “get in the mood.” However, he soon realized that it was interfering with his ability to campaign effectively, so he stopped.

Ironically, he later developed a hypersensitivity to smoking and would frequently request that his Cabinet ministers refrain from smoking in the Cabinet room.

3.He came close to death during the Japanese occupation

Mr. Lee was summoned by the Kempeitai (Japanese military police) to a group of young Chinese men who were most likely to be killed in the Sook Ching massacre. Mr. Lee, on the other hand, cleverly asked the Japanese police if he could go back and retrieve his belongings first – but he never returned.

4.Mr.Lee works out every day, physical health is important to him

He was the Prime Minister, a father to both his children and the country, and he had to travel frequently, but he still found time to exercise every day. That alone would have embarrassed many of us.

5.Lee introduced improved anti corruption measures

Lee introduced legislation to give the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) more authority to conduct arrests, search, summon witnesses, and investigate suspects’ bank accounts and income tax returns.

 Lee believed that ministers should be well compensated in order to keep the government clean and honest.

On November, 1986, Lee received a corruption complaint against then-Minister of National Development Teh Cheang Wan.  Lee gave the CPIB permission to investigate Teh, but Teh committed suicide before any charges could be brought against him.  

In 1994, he proposed tying ministers’, judges’, and top civil servants’ salaries to those of top professionals in the private sector, arguing that this would help recruit and retain talent.

6.Mr.Lee made Singapore’s economy grow rapidly

One of Lee’s first priorities after Singapore gained independence was to address the country’s high unemployment rate. Lee established factories and initially focused on the manufacturing industry with the help of his economic aide, Economic Development Board chairman Hon Sui Sen, and in consultation with Dutch economist Albert Winsemius.

Before the British withdrew completely from Singapore in 1971, Lee persuaded them not to destroy their dock, and the British naval dockyard was later converted for civilian use.

Lee and his cabinet also worked to make Singapore a global financial centre.

Foreign bankers were assured of the dependability of Singapore’s social conditions, which included world-class infrastructure and skilled professionals, and investors were assured that the Singapore government would pursue sound macroeconomic policies, with budget surpluses, resulting in a stable Singapore dollar.

7.Lee Kuan Yew was a pioneer in the forming of PAP

Lee co-founded the People’s Action Party in 1954, and in the 1955 election, he won his first seat in the Tanjong Pagar division. In the legislature, he became the de facto opposition leader to chief ministers David Marshall and Lim Yew Hock.

Lee led his party to its first electoral victory in 1959, and he became the state’s first prime minister. In order to gain complete independence from Britain, Lee campaigned in a national referendum in 1963 for a merger with other former British territories to form Malaysia.

Singapore seceded from the federation in 1965 to become a sovereign city-state due to racial differences.

8.During World war II Mr Lee worked for the Japanese propaganda department

In August 1942, Lee obtained a Japanese language proficiency certificate and began working as a clerk in a friend’s company, then the Kumiai, which controlled essential items.  

In late 1943, he joined the Japanese propaganda department (Hdbu) and worked as an English specialist for the Japanese occupation force.  

He was assigned to listen to Allied radio stations for Morse code signals while working at the top of the Cathay Building.   By late 1944, Lee was well aware that Japan had suffered several major defeats.

He planned to relocate his family to a farm in the Cameron Highlands in anticipation of fierce fighting if the British re-invaded. He realized he was being followed and decided to abandon the plan.  

9.He has mild dyslexia

Simply put, dyslexia is a genetic condition that causes a person to struggle with language learning. As a result, they are usually more creative (to balance that difficulty). Albert Einstein and Tom Cruise are two other well-known and famous dyslexics.

10.Mr.Lee suffered from a long term illness

The Sunday Times’ Lee Wei Ling reported in an essay on November 6, 2011, that her father has peripheral neuropathy. She described how she became aware of her father’s ailments for the first time in the column while accompanying him to a meeting with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in Connecticut in October 2009.