Lee Kuan Yew, who founded modern Singapore and was both feared for his authoritarian tactics and admired for turning the city-state into one of the world’s richest nations, died today. He was 91.
Lee was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on Feb. 5 for pneumonia and was later put on life support. The prime minister’s office said he “passed away peacefully.”
Lee guided Singapore through a traumatic split with Malaysia in 1965 and helped transform the sleepy port city into a global trade and finance center. He stepped down in 1990.
President Obama called Lee a “visionary” and “true giant of history.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei called him “a uniquely influential statesman in Asia and a strategist boasting oriental values and international vision.
Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain said Mr. Lee “was always a friend to Britain, if sometimes a critical one, and many British prime ministers benefited from his wise advice, including me. Mr. Cameron said that Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister, said “there was no prime minister she admired more than Mr. Lee for ‘the strength of his convictions, the clarity of his views, the directness of his speech and his vision of the way ahead.
“Lee Kuan Yew was a legendary figure in Asia, widely respected for his strong leadership and statesmanship,” said a statement from the spokesman for Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general of the United Nations. “During his three decades in office, he helped Singapore to transition from a developing country to one of the most developed in the world, transforming it into a thriving international business hub.
Singapore’s neighbor Malaysia also praised Mr. Lee. “I pay tribute to Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s determination in developing Singapore from a new nation to the modern and dynamic city we see today,” said Prime Minister Najib Razak. “His achievements were great, and his legacy is assured.
While comments from world leaders were overwhelmingly positive about Mr. Lee, human rights groups criticized his strong-handed politics. “Lee Kuan Yew’s tremendous role in Singapore’s economic development is beyond doubt, but it also came at a significant cost for human rights,” said Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch.
“And today’s restricted freedom of expression, self-censorship and stunted multiparty democracy is also a part of his legacy that Singapore now needs to overcome.”
