I am never good with words, even worse when it comes to expressing grief or offer words of comfort, but this time tonight I really need to pen this out and so here goes.
All my life up till this point, I grew up, unknowingly, idolising this great man. He, his work, and his legacy imbibes my loyalty to this country, that I call home. His presence assures me that nothing will happen to Singapore as long as he is around. - I remembered some years back when SIA was on the verge of a strike, he said something along the line that even if something goes wrong and he is no longer around, he will make sure he jump out of his grave and make sure it is solved. Well, some may call it corny, lame devotion,idol worshipping, microscopic view,uncritical of facts etc, but like it or not, here I am griefing over the lost of Mr. Lee.
The above picture was a screen shot of 2013 NDP, where babe and I were sitting by Singapore River and watching the live transmission of the parade. That year, prior to the parade, rumors were everywhere that Mr. Lee had left us. Imagine our happiness and relief when we saw otherwise. To be honest, I'm never a great fan of the parade, of flowers, singing or dancing. To me, the march in and his arrival was sufficient and then it is time to return to my books / revision / outing. It is him and his presence solely that was worthy of my attention. Him - who made us so proud of being Singaporean.
To many of us, Mr Lee, is more than just a prime minister. He was a selfless being, dedicating his life to Singapore. Often, we criticise because we do not understand or appreciate the unknown. Because we look at ourselves and feel that more and more can be done to improve our lives. We forgot that many of our policy makers are sons, brothers, husband and father too. My grandparents spoke of how he gave them a new start, a new life, a direction, a hope in their future especially the fact they have the chance to own a property. ( To this, my grandpa refuse to sell his age towards the end of his life even when he was no longer living there) My dad, even though he criticises many of the govt policies, bought me Mr Lee's first memoir when I was just 11? . I suppose, no matter how unpopular some of the policies may be, one cannot deny that often these feelings of discontent is due to plain ignorance on the rationale behind policy making and to be fair, it is only when I step into the workforce do I face the many dilemmas and frustrations in reviewing policies.
Soon, I will need to talk , discuss and lecture on Him and his work. How can I present it without sounding like it is meant to be a propaganda, when I want them so badly to recognize that he is also just a man, a human being like any of us, to recognize just how selfless he can be, upright and true to his principles. He and he alone walked his talk and therefore have the right to judge and reprimand.
I am fortunate to be able to sit in for a dialogue with him during my undergraduate years, to witness his quick witted response to our many questions and most admirably, his devotion and care shown to Mrs Lee who accompanied him For he is just a man, but he did what most man can't - to have a heart that loves many beyond his loved ones.
And so, together with the nation, we grief as one.
But life will still move on,
work have to continue.
we need to have faith that we will turn out just fine,
because now we have another angel watching over us.
