Singapore : The former prime minister of Singapore and the father of modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew is dead. Lee Kuan Yew was admitted to Singapore general hospital on February 5 for severe pneumonia and was placed on life support.
The prime minister's office in a statement said that the Lee passed away peacefully at the hospital at 3:18am Monday, local time. Born in 1923, Lee became the first prime minister of Singapore, he was the longest-serving prime minister. He was president during the traumatic split with Malaysia in 1965, and helped the country with no natural resources to becoming a global trade and economic powerhouse Singapore is known for today.
Some of Lee's legacy includes : A government with less corruption, low tax rates to attract foreign investors, Quality education system, clean and safe streets making the country livable for expatriates from other countries.
Though he was criticised for some of his tactics during office, he jailed some political rivals, and did not allow freedom of speech for journalists.
'I had to do some nasty things, locking fellows up without trial,' Lee said in an interview with The New York Times published in September 2010. 'I'm not saying everything I did was right. But everything I did was for an honourable purpose.'
He stepped down in 1990,and he is the first Asian strong person to do so. His wife, Kwa Geok Choo, who were both married for more than 60 years died in October 2010.