The centenary of the powerful almighty Lee Kuan Yew

 Perception can be quite illusionary myopic depending from which aspect of the political spectrum you view from. There should not be any misperception of illusion in the current over-disingenuous or  flattering vehement efforts to immortalise the centenary commemoration of Lee Kuan Yew as a father figure for his so-called farsighted leadership in bringing Singapore to its first class world status today.  I I think there was never any doubt that he was perceived as the saviour who brought Singapore to its unprecedented prosperity both locally and internationally.

But nobody could know Lee Kuan Yew's ideosyncracies better than George Bogaars, his Director of Special Branch and my humble self who had been monitoring him since his return  to Singapore after getting his law degree in England. He was highly ambitious as a politician aspiring to become the highest political office holder one day. But he was pitifully lacking having a mass base for his political undertaking and the emergence of  Lim Chin Siong as leader of the Communist United Front afforded him the opportunity of latching on to Lim for his massive mass base support. But then it dawned on him that Lim Chin Siong was his Nemesis to his political ambition. He aspired to fill the post of prime minstership but conceded that Lim Chin Siong could be the prime minister instead.

Lee Kuan Yew was fighting a losing battle with the Communists for the hearts and mind of the people And if G|od had not stepped in Lee Kuan Yew and his close allies like Dr. Toh Chin Chye and Dr. Goh Keng Swee   would have simply be gobbled  up by the Communists. It so happened that God had provided two benefactors in the person of Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock and the Special Branch which saved Lee Kuan Yew from ending his career languishing in prime minister Lim Chin Siong's gael.

Lim Chin Siong and his Communist allies like DevanNair, James Puthucheary , S. Woodhull  and Fong Swee Suan were put away in cold storage by CM Lim Yew Hock and Special Branch and Lee Kuan  Yew and his political buddies were given a smooth path to capture power by a landslide victory in 1959 and became the first PAP democratic government in Singapore.

With his pugnacious reputation and political acumen as a people's fighter Lee Kuan Yew and his buddy comrades were received with such an euphoric welcome that Kee Kuan Yew could only gape with disbelief. Fresh from the hustings they plunged into their monumental task of ameilorating the livelihood of the deprived Singaporeans with a gusto of revolutionary fervour. Over time their undying efforts should tangible results and Singapore gradually evolved into the prosperous nation that it is today.

Is there any flaw in the persona of Lee Kuan Yew or that it was not perceived or were simply  glossed over by the public? The flip side of his persona showed a very ruthless and inhuman Lee  Kuan Yew possibly arising out of self-preservation from Communist threat in dealing with his political opponents like Chia Thye Poh incarcerated for over thirty years and Dr. Lim Hock Siew for over twenty years. Do you think that eminent historians find this amusing? Could they honestly find in their conscience a ray of justice to write an obituary on Lee Kuan Yew? So was he building his empire on the corpses of vulnerable people like his political opponents?

This was not his only flaw. But just allow his soul to rest in peace.