“Your father would be proud of you”: Many thank Lee Hsien Yang for his political contributions

Singapore — Many people have thanked Mr Lee Hsien Yang for his contributions to the country’s political discourse, in response to his reflections on what the results of the recent elections mean for the future of the nation.

The People’s Action Party (PAP), which is led by Mr Lee’s elder brother Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, suffered its second worst result in any election and saw a hefty swing against it. The opposition emerged stronger than ever when the Workers’ Party (WP) won an unprecedented 10 seats in Parliament and wrenched yet another GRC away from the PAP.

Although Mr Lee — a Progress Singapore Party (PSP) member — did not contest the  elections, he was active on the campaign trail and lent his weight to opposition candidates through video broadcasts in which he urged voters to fearlessly cast their ballots for the opposition.

In a Facebook post published on Friday (July 17), exactly a week after the elections, Mr Lee reflected on his own political journey and said that he became more in tune with the struggles of ordinary Singaporeans after his father passed on in 2015.

Sharing his belief that his father’s vision for Singapore does not match what the nation is today, Mr Lee suggested that his father’s approach to governance was a product of his time. Affirming his love and gratitude for his father, he added that his father was always looking out for Singapore — not the perpetuation of the ruling party.

Mr Lee further highlighted that the outcome of the recent elections demonstrates that “Singapore wants different”. He urged Singaporeans to continue supporting the opposition and to speak up against injustice.

The 62-year-old also thanked his wife, their three sons and fellow Singaporeans for their support as he entered the political fray.

Singaporeans responding to Mr Lee’s post, which quickly garnered thousands of likes and shares on social media, thanked him for speaking up for the country and shared their belief that his late father would have been proud of him. Many said they were moved by his love towards his fellow countrymen. Read the top comments here:

/TISG