Kuan Yew Laid To Rest Sunday

By: Tengku Noor Shamsiah Abdullah SINGAPORE, March 30 (Bernama) -- Thousands of people including dignitaries all over the world bid farewell Sunday to one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century, Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore. Kuan Yew died on Monday morning at the age of 91. The heads of state and world leaders who attended the State Funeral included Malaysia's Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbot and US Former President Bill Clinton. In sombre mood and the rain falling, the state funeral procession for Kuan Yew passed through significant landmarks, such as the Old Parliament House, City Hall and the Padang, as well as heartland areas covering a distance of 15.4 km enroute to the state funeral service at the University Cultural Centre (UCC) located at the National University of Singapore. Despite, the rain, Singaporeans including public service officers from agencies braced the downpour and gathered along the route lining the streets to pay their final respects to the leader, who had transformed the country from a third world to one of the most modern and liveable cities in the world. At the UCC, as the funeral service began, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Kuan Yew's son, in his eulogy said: "This has been a dark week for Singapore." "The light that has guided us all these years has been extinguished. We have lost our founding father Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who lived and breathed Singapore all his life. "He and his team led our pioneer generation to create this island nation." He said Kuan Yew did not set out to be a politician, let alone a statesman, as a boy. "In fact, his grandfather wanted him to become an English gentleman! But his life experiences left an indelible mark on him. "He had been a British subject in colonial Singapore. He had survived hardship, danger and fear in the Japanese Occupation. These drove him to fight for independence," Hsien Loong said. Hsien Loong added: "From the ashes of Separation, Kuan Yew built a nation." He noted one of Kuan Yew's greatest legacies was preparing Singapore to continue beyond him. About 2,200 guests packed the University Cultural Centre for the Funeral Service of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. -- BERNAMA