Kwa Geok Choo
| Kwa Geok-choo | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 December 1920 |
| Died | 2 October 2010 (aged 89) |
| Alma mater | Methodist Girls' School University of Cambridge |
| Spouse | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Children | Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Yang Lee Wei Ling |
Kwa Geok Choo (Chinese: 柯玉芝; pinyin: Kē Yùzhī; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kua Gio̍k-tsi; 21 December 1920 – 2 October 2010)[1] was a Singaporean most widely known as the wife of Singapore's Minister Mentor and former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and one of the partners in the law firm Lee & Lee. Kwa was also the mother of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. She was a former pupil of Methodist Girls' School and read law at Girton College, Cambridge University, where she was a Queen's Scholar from Malaya.[2] In Lee Kuan Yew's biography, he stated that he first met Kwa in 1944 at a party, and courted her from 1946. Kwa married Lee Kuan Yew in secret in London in 1947 and then remarried in Singapore on September 30, 1950. They had two sons—Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Hsien Yang—and one daughter—Lee Wei Ling. Her brother, Dr. Kwa Soon Bee, served as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health. She had two sisters, Mrs. Yong Nyuk Lin (wife of retired cabinet minister Yong Nyuk Lin) and the late Mrs. Earnest Lau.
During Lee's years as Prime Minister and Senior Minister, Kwa was frequently seen with her husband, especially on diplomatic trips and meetings with other foreign ministers. After suffering two strokes in May and June 2008, she was bedridden and unable to speak, but remained conscious and able to understand speech.[3]
Kwa died in her sleep on 2 October 2010 around 5:40pm SST.[1]
[edit] Contributions to Singapore
When Singapore separated from the Malaysian Federation, Kwa drafted the clauses in the Separation Agreement for the guarantee of the water agreements between the State of Johor and Singapore. This guarantee was done via a constitutional amendment to the Federation of Malaysia's Constitution.[4]
It is also notable that before the merger with Malaysia, then Malaya, Kwa had told her husband Lee Kuan Yew that she did not feel positive about the merger. Her gut feelings were later proven through when the merger fell through shortly after it was passed.
[edit] References
- Citations
- ^ a b "Mrs Lee Kuan Yew dies at age 89". MediaCorp Channel NewsAsia. 2 October 2010. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1084739/1/.html. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
- ^ "Public service commission scholarships – History & Evolution – The 1950s". Government of Singapore. 2007. http://www.pscscholarships.gov.sg/SCHOLARSHIPS/History_and_Evolution.htm#50s. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
- ^ Government of Singapore (1 September 2010). "Lee Kuan Yew's interview with Seth Mydans". SG Press Centre. http://www.news.gov.sg/public/sgpc/en/media_releases/agencies/mica/transcript/T-20100901-1/AttachmentPar/0/file/TRANSCRIPT%20OF%20MINISTER%20MENTOR%20LEE%20KUAN%20YEW.pdf. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
- ^ "Special Tribute to Madam Kwa Geok Choo". Washington, D.C.: Center for Strategic and International Studies. 5 October 2010. http://csis.org/publication/special-tribute-madam-kwa-geok-choo. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
