Lee Kuan Yew (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew; 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean politician who ruled as the first Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He is widely recognised as the founding father of the modern Singaporean state. His leadership, often categorised by academics as being dictatorial but benevolent, helped transform post-independence Singapore into a highly developed country during his tenure.
In 1954, Lee co-founded the People's Action Party (PAP), which won significant support among the working class and trade unions. He secured a seat in the Tanjong Pagar division during the 1955 general election, becoming the de facto leader of the opposition. In 1959, Lee led to the PAP's first electoral victory, becoming Singapore's first Prime Minister. Seeking full sovereignty from Britain, Lee campaigned for a merger with Malaya along with the other former British territories, namely Sarawak and Sabah, in a national referendum to form Malaysia in 1963. Racial strife and ideological differences later led to Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia and...
Adrianna Tan
All GNU social JP content and data are available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.