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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Use Singapore English|date=January 2014}}
{{Chinese name|[[Li (surname 李)|Lee]]}}
{{Peacock|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]
|name = Lee Kuan Yew
|native_name = {{nobold|李光耀}}
|native_name_lang = zh-sg
|honorific-suffix = [[Order of St Michael and St George|GCMG]], [[Companion of Honour|CH]], [[Order of the Crown of Johor|SPMJ]]
|image = Lee Kuan Yew.jpg
|caption = Lee Kuan Yew in 2002
|office = 1st [[Prime Minister of Singapore]]
|president = [[William Allmond Codrington Goode|William Goode]] {{small|([[List of Governors of Singapore|Governor]])}}<br>[[Yusof Ishak]]<br>[[Benjamin Sheares]]<br>[[Devan Nair]]<br>[[Wee Kim Wee]]
|deputy = [[Toh Chin Chye]]<br>[[Goh Keng Swee]]<br>[[S Rajaratnam]]<br>[[Goh Chok Tong]]
|term_start = 3 June 1959
|term_end = 28 November 1990
|predecessor = [[Lim Yew Hock]] (as [[Chief Minister of Singapore|Chief Minister]])
|successor = [[Goh Chok Tong]]
|office1 = [[Senior Minister|Senior Minister of Singapore]]
|primeminister1 = Goh Chok Tong
|term_start1 = 28 November 1990
|term_end1 = 12 August 2004
|predecessor1 = [[S. Rajaratnam]]
|successor1 = Goh Chok Tong
|office2 = [[Minister Mentor|Minister Mentor of Singapore]]
|primeminister2 = [[Lee Hsien Loong]]
|term_start2 = 12 August 2004
|term_end2 = 21 May 2011
|predecessor2 = Position established
|successor2 = Position abolished
|office3 = Secretary-General of the [[People's Action Party]]
|term_start3 = 21 November 1954
|term_end3 = 1 November 1992
|predecessor3 = Position established
|successor3 = Goh Chok Tong
|constituency_MP4 = [[Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency|Tanjong Pagar GRC]]<br>{{small|[[Tanjong Pagar Single Member Constituency|Tanjong Pagar SMC]] (1955–1991)}}
|term_start4 = 2 April 1955
|term_end4 = 23 March 2015
|predecessor4 = Constituency established
|successor4 = TBD
|birth_name = Harry Lee Kuan Yew
|birth_date = {{birth date|1923|9|16|df=y}}
|birth_place = [[Singapore]], [[Straits Settlements]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|2015|3|23|1923|9|16|df=y}}
|death_place = [[Singapore General Hospital]], [[Singapore]]
|party = [[People's Action Party]]
|spouse = [[Kwa Geok Choo]] {{small|b. 1920 d.2010; her death)}}
|children = [[Lee Hsien Loong]] {{small|(b. 1952)}}<br>Lee Wei Ling {{small|(b. 1955)}}<br>[[Lee Hsien Yang]] {{small|(b. 1957)}}
|alma_mater = [[Raffles Institution]]<br>[[London School of Economics]]<br>[[Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge]]
}}

{{Chinese|c=李光耀|p=Lǐ Guāngyào|myr=Lǐ Gwāngyàu|w=Li<sup>3</sup> Kuang<sup>1</sup>-yao<sup>4</sup>|mi={{IPAc-cmn|l|i|3|-|g|uang|1|yao|4}}|j=Lei<sup>5</sup> Gwong<sup>1</sup>-jiu<sup>6</sup>|h=Lí Kông-yeu|y=Leíh Gwōngjiuh|ci={{IPA-yue|le̬i kʷɔ́ːŋ jìːu|}}|poj=Lí Kong-iāu|tp=Lǐ Guangyào}}

'''Lee Kuan Yew''', [[Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George|GCMG]], [[Companion of Honour|CH]], [[Order of the Crown of Johor|SPMJ]] (born '''Harry Lee Kuan Yew''', 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), informally known by his initials '''LKY''', was the first [[Prime Minister of Singapore|Prime Minister]] of [[Singapore]], governing for more than three decades from 1959 to 1990, including through Singapore's independence from [[Malaysia]] in 1965. After Lee chose to step down as Prime Minister in 1990, Lee's successor, [[Goh Chok Tong]], appointed him as [[Senior Minister]], a post he held until 2004, when his elder son, [[Lee Hsien Loong]], became the nation's third prime minister. The elder Lee then assumed the advisory post of [[Minister Mentor]] until he left the Cabinet in 2011. In total, Lee held successive ministerial positions for 56 years. He continued to serve his [[Tanjong Pagar GRC|Tanjong Pagar constituency]] of nearly 60 years as an elected [[Member of Parliament]] until his death in 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://www.bangkokpost.com/print/199362 |title= Wife of Lee Kuan Yew dies at 89 |newspaper= Bangkok Post |date=2 October 2010 |agency=Agence France-Presse}}</ref><ref name="New York Times March 23, 2015">Buckley, Chris (23 March 2015). [http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/23/in-lee-kuan-yew-china-saw-a-leader-to-emulate/ "In Lee Kuan Yew, China Saw a Leader to Emulate"]. ''The New York Times'' (blog).</ref><ref name=BBCdeath/>

Lee is recognised as the founding father of independent Singapore,<ref name=CNNgrand>{{cite news |last1=Allison |first1=Graham |title=Lee Kuan Yew: Lessons for leaders from Asia's 'Grand Master' |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/28/opinions/singapore-lee-kuan-yew-graham-allison/|work=[[CNN]] |date=28 March 2015 |accessdate=2 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Weatherbee |first1=Donald E. |title=Historical Dictionary of United States-Southeast Asia Relations |date=23 April 2008 |publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]] |isbn=9780810864054 |page=213 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-boaAAAAQBAJ |accessdate=2 April 2015}}</ref> with the country being described as transitioning from the "[[third world]] to the [[first world]] in a single generation" under his leadership.<ref name=CNNgrand/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Strauss |first1=Steven D. |title=Planet Entrepreneur: The World Entrepreneurship Forum's Guide to Business Success Around the World |date=13 September 2013 |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |isbn=9781118810750 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=nYbXAAAAQBAJ |accessdate=2 April 2015<!-- NO PAGE NUMBER - CHAPTER: THE ENTREPRENEURIAL TSUNAMI -->}}</ref>

Lee graduated from [[Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge|Fitzwilliam College]], [[Cambridge University]], with a [[British undergraduate degree classification#Variations of first-class honours|double starred-first-class honours]] in law. In 1950, he became a [[barrister]] of the [[Middle Temple]] and practised law until 1959. Lee co-founded the [[People's Action Party]] (PAP) in 1954 and was its first [[Secretary General|secretary-general]], a position he held until 1992, leading the party to eight consecutive victories. He campaigned for Britain to relinquish its colonial rule, which Britain did in 1963, when Singapore merged with [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]], [[Sabah]] and [[Sarawak]] to form the new federation of [[Malaysia]]. Racial strife and political tensions led to Singapore's [[Singapore in Malaysia|separation]] from the Malaysian Federation two years later. With overwhelming parliamentary control, Lee and his cabinet oversaw Singapore's transformation from a relatively underdeveloped colonial outpost with no natural resources to an [[Four Asian Tigers|Asian Tiger]] economy. In the process, he forged a widely admired system of [[meritocracy|meritocratic]], corruption-free and highly efficient government and civil service. Many of his policies are now taught at the [[Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy]].

Lee eschewed [[populist]] policies in favor of pragmatic long-term social and economic measures. With meritocracy and [[multiracialism]] as the governing principles, Lee made [[English language|English]] the [[common language]] to integrate its [[immigrant]] society and to facilitate trade with the West. However, Lee also mandated [[bilingualism]] in schools for students to preserve their [[mother tongue|mother-tongue]] cultural identity.

Lee's rule was criticised, particularly in the West, for curtailing civil liberties (public protests, media control) and bringing libel suits against political opponents. He argued that such disciplinary measures were necessary for political stability, which together with [[rule of law]], were essential for economic progress.<ref name="rose">{{cite news |url= http://www.charlierose.com/search/?text=Lee+Kuan+Yew |title= Lee Kuan Yew Interview |work= Charlie Rose |date=22 October 2009 |first= Charlie |last= Rose }}</ref><ref name="WSJ-lky2">{{cite news |url= http://www.wsj.com/articles/lee-kuan-yew-singapores-founding-father-dies-at-91-1427056223 |title=Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s Founding Father, Dies at 91 |date=22 March 2015 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |location= New York}}</ref>

==His background==
{{see also|Lee Kuan Yew's family tree}}
Lee's English-educated parents named him “Kuan Yew”, which stands for “light and brightness”, with an alternate meaning “bringing great glory to one’s ancestors”. His paternal grandfather gave him the English name "Harry".<ref name=CNA-lky4>{{cite news |url= http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-s-first-prime/1720740.html |title=Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew dies aged 91 |date=23 March 2015 |publisher=Channel NewsAsia |location=Singapore}}</ref>

Lee was a fourth-generation Singaporean of [[Hakka people|Hakka]] and Chinese [[Peranakan]] descent.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9lwnUH5dLbYC&pg=PA111&dq=lee+kuan+yew++peranakan&hl=en&sa=X&ei=o08TVe6uIMLiaKKRgDg&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=lee%20kuan%20yew%20%20peranakan&f=false|title= Singapore |publisher= Lonely Planet |author1= Low, Shawn |author2= McCrohan, Daniel}}</ref> His Hakka great-grandfather, Lee Bok Boon, born in 1846, emigrated from [[Dabu County]], [[Guangdong]] province, China, to Singapore in 1863.<ref name=fromthirdworldtofirst>{{cite book |title= From Third World to First |author= Lee Kuan Yew |year= 2000|publisher= Marshall Cavendish|location= Singapore}}</ref> He married a shopkeeper's daughter, Seow Huan Nio, but returned to China in 1882, leaving behind his wife and three children. He died just two years after his return.<ref name=thesingaporestory>{{cite book |title= The Singapore Story|author=Lee Kuan Yew|year=1998|publisher= Marshall Cavendish|location=Singapore}}</ref><ref name=manandhisideas>{{cite book |title=Lee Kuan Yew The Man And His Ideas |author=Lee Kuan Yew |year=1998 |publisher=Times Edition |location=Singapore}}</ref> Lee Kuan Yew's grandfather Lee Hoon Leong, was born in Singapore in 1871. He was educated in English at [[Raffles Institution (Secondary)|Raffles Institution]] to standard V, which is equivalent to lower secondary school in Singapore today. Lee Hoon Leong then worked as a dispenser, an unqualified pharmacist, and later as a purser on a steamship of the Heap Eng Moh Shipping Line, then owned by an ethnic Chinese businessman, [[Oei Tiong Ham]].<ref name=fromthirdworldtofirst/>

While working as a purser, Lee Hoon Leong, age 26, married Ko Liem Nio, age 16, in [[Semarang]], [[Java]], [[Dutch East Indies]] (now [[Indonesia]]).<ref name=thesingaporestory/> It was an [[arranged marriage]], as was then the custom. Both families were middle-class, and the bride and groom were both English-educated. Lee Hoon Leong's maternal grandfather owned the Katong market, a few rubber estates and houses at [[Orchard Road]].<ref name=manandhisideas/> Lee Hoon Leong eventually became managing director of the Heap Eng Moh Steamship Company Ltd.<ref name=fromthirdworldtofirst/>

Lee Hoon Leong had two wives, which was common at that time, and fathered five daughters and three sons. His son Lee Chin Koon, also English educated, would marry Chua Jim Neo, a Peranakan,<ref>{{cite news |author= Chan, Robin; Tan, Sumiko |url= http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/remembering-lee-kuan-yew-devoted-husband-and-caring-father |title= Remembering Lee Kuan Yew: Devoted husband and caring father |newspaper= The Straits Times |location= Singapore |accessdate=27 March 2015}}</ref> who gave birth to Lee Kuan Yew, their first child, in 1923, at 92 Kampong Java Road in Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew had three younger brothers: Dennis Lee Kim Yew (1926 - 2003; lawyer and member of Lee & Lee), Freddy Lee Thiam Yew (1927 - 2012; former Chairman of stockbroker J Ballas and Company<ref>{{cite news |url= https://temasektimes.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/brother-of-lee-kuan-yew-freddy-lee-dies-at-85/ |title= Brother of Lee Kuan Yew, Freddy Lee dies at 85 |work=The Temasek Times}}</ref>) and Dr Lee Suan Yew (born 1933; President of Singapore Medical Council); and one younger sister, Monica Lee Kim Mon (born 1929).<ref name=fromthirdworldtofirst/> Like Lee Kuan Yew, his brother Dennis read law at the [[University of Cambridge]], and they set up a law firm, Lee & Lee. [[Edmund W. Barker]], Lee's close friend, also joined the law firm. Lee and Barker later left the law firm to enter politics. Lee's brother Freddy became a stockbroker; another brother, Suan Yew, read medicine at the University of Cambridge and opened a successful practice.<ref name=fromthirdworldtofirst/>

Lee Kuan Yew's grandfathers' wealth declined considerably during the [[Great Depression]], and his father, Lee Chin Koon, became a shopkeeper.<ref name=manandhisideas/> His aunt, [[Lee Choo Neo]], was the first female doctor to practice in Singapore.<ref name="swhf">{{cite web |url= http://www.swhf.sg/the-inductees/18-health/152-lee-choo-neo |title=Lee Choo Neo |publisher= Singapore Women's Hall of Fame}}</ref> Lee Kuan Yew once described his father as a man who affected his family negatively due to his nasty temper, and Lee Kuan Yew learned from young to keep his temper under check.<ref>{{cite book |author= Plate, Tom |title= Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew – Citizen Singapore: How to Build a Nation |publisher= Marshall Cavendish Editions |location=Singapore |pages=40–42 |year= 2010 |isbn=978-981-261-676-0}}</ref>

Lee and his wife, [[Kwa Geok Choo]], were married on 30 September 1950. Both Lee and Choo spoke English as their [[first language]]. Lee started learning Chinese in 1955 at age 32, before which he was illiterate in Chinese.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.channelnewsasia.com/annex/MM_30annvSMC_Eng.pdf |title= Speech by Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Minister Mentor, at Speak Mandarin Campaign's 30th anniversary launch |date=17 March 2009 |work=Channel NewsAsia |location= Singapore |accessdate=7 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Lee Wei Ling |title=No need for a 'uneqqee' name |location=Singapore |newspaper=The Sunday Times |date=21 March 2010}}</ref> Lee learned Japanese as an adult and he worked as a Japanese translator during the [[Japanese occupation of Singapore]].<ref name=fromthirdworldtofirst/><ref>{{cite book |author= Tan, Sumiko |author2= Fook Kwang Han |author3= Fernadez, Warren |title= Lee Kuan Yew: The Man and His Ideas |publisher= Times Editions |location=Singapore |year= 1998 |isbn=978-981-204-049-7}}</ref>

Lee and Kwa had two sons and one daughter.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cabinet.gov.sg/CabinetAppointments/Mr+LEE+Kuan+Yew.htm |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070204061907/http://www.cabinet.gov.sg/CabinetAppointments/Mr+LEE+Kuan+Yew.htm |archivedate= 4 February 2007 |title = The Cabinet&nbsp;– Mr LEE Kuan Yew |date=21 June 2006 |publisher= Government of Singapore |accessdate=7 April 2012}}</ref> Lee's elder son, [[Lee Hsien Loong]], a former [[Brigadier-General]], became Prime Minister of Singapore in 2004. Several members of Lee's family hold prominent positions in Singaporean society. His younger son, [[Lee Hsien Yang]], was also a former Brigadier-General and former President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of [[Singapore Telecommunications|SingTel]]. He is currently the Chairman of the [[Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore]] (CAAS).<ref name="hardtruths"/> Lee's daughter, Lee Wei Ling, is the head of the [[National Neuroscience Institute]]. Lee Hsien Loong's wife, [[Ho Ching]], is the Executive Director and CEO of [[Temasek Holdings]].<ref name=hardtruths>{{cite book |title= Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going |author= Lee Kuan Yew |year= 2011 |publisher= Straits Times Press |location= Singapore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.temasek.com.sg/abouttemasek/boardofdirectors |title=Board of Directors |publisher=Temasek Holdings |year=2012 |accessdate=7 April 2012}}</ref> Kwa Geok Choo died on 2 October 2010 in her sleep.

==Education==
During 1931, Lee Kuan Yew had his primary school education at [[Telok Kurau Primary School|Telok Kurau English School]]. He described his schoolmates at Telok Kurau as generally poor and not very bright. He then attended [[Raffles Institution (Secondary)|Raffles Institution]]
in 1935, where he had difficulties keeping up because he met the top 150 students from all over Singapore. Lee joined the [[Scouting|Scouts]] for three years, played [[cricket]], [[tennis]], and [[chess]], and [[debate]]d for the school. He obtained several scholarships, and came top in the School Certificate examinations in 1940, gaining the John Anderson scholarship to attend Raffles College (now [[National University of Singapore]]). Lee's future wife, [[Kwa Geok Choo]], was his classmate and the only girl at Raffles Institution at that time. Kwa, who was a brilliant student herself, was the only one to beat his scores in the English and Economics subjects.<ref name=fromthirdworldtofirst/>

Lee's university education was delayed by World War II and the [[Japanese occupation of Singapore]] from 1942–1945. After the war, Lee went on to study in England. He briefly attended [[London School of Economics]] as enrollment at University of Cambridge had already closed. He related that London overwhelmed him and he sought the more pleasant surroundings of Cambridge, where he read law at [[Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge|Fitzwilliam College]]. A fellow Raffles College student introduced him to the Censor of Fitzwilliam House, W. S. Thatcher, who admitted him for the 1947 Lent term. He matriculated in January 1947.

Lee graduated First Class in both parts of the Tripos with an exceptional Starred-First (perfect score) for Part II Law in 1949; this placed him at the very top of his cohort, and he was awarded the Fitzwilliam's Whitlock Prize. The college said he was placed above two contemporaries who later became Professors of Law in Cambridge. Lee was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in 1950. In 1969, he was elected an honorary fellow of Fitzwilliam College and was the most senior of the College's Honorary Fellows for many years. In 1971, Lee gave the Foundation Lecture - "East and West: the twain have met".<ref name=manandhisideas/>

==Early life==
Lee experienced the toughest years of the Japanese occupation from 1942–1945. During the war, Lee learnt Japanese and first worked as a clerk in his grandfather's friend's company—a textile importer called Shimoda. Lee then found work transcribing Allied wire reports for the Japanese, where he listened to Allied radio stations and wrote down what they were reporting in the ''Hodobu'' office (報道部&nbsp;– a Japanese [[propaganda]] department).<ref name = "Time 1999">{{Cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Terry |url= http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990823/lee1. html|title=Lee Kuan Yew |newspaper=Time Asia |location=Hong Kong |date=23 August 1999 |quote=Lee Kuan Yew towers over other Asian leaders on the international stage ...}}</ref> Towards the end of the war, by listening to Allied radio stations, he realised the Japanese were losing the war, and fearing that a brutal war would break out in Singapore as the Japanese made their last stand, he made plans to purchase and move to a farm on the [[Cameron Highlands]] with his family. However, a liftboy in his office told him his file had been taken out by the security department, and he realised he was being followed by Japanese security personnel (which continued for three months), so he abandoned those plans as he knew if he went ahead, he would be in trouble. Lee also ran his own businesses during the war to survive, among which, he manufactured stationery glue under his own brand called "Stikfas".<ref name=manandhisideas/><ref name="LKY My Lifelong Challenge">{{cite book |author=Lee Kuan Yew |year=2012 |title=My Lifelong Challenge: Singapore's Bilingual Journey |publisher=Straits Times Press |location=Singapore |isbn=978-981-4342-03-2 }}</ref><ref name=econ2015-lky>{{cite news|last1=The Data Team|title=Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore An astonishing record |url= http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/03/lee-kuan-yews-singapore |accessdate=27 March 2015 |work=The Economist |location= London |date=22 March 2015}}</ref>

On one occasion during the Occupation, Lee was asked by a Japanese guard to join a group of segregated Chinese men. Sensing that something was amiss, he asked for permission to go back home to collect his clothes first, and the Japanese guard agreed. It turned out that those who were segregated were taken to the beach to be shot as part of the [[Sook Ching massacre]].<ref name=fromthirdworldtofirst/><ref>{{Cite book |author=Josey, Alex |title=Lee Kuan Yew Vol. 1 |publisher=Times Books International |location= Singapore |year=1980 |page=41 |url= https://books.google.com/?id=xTIMAQAAIAAJ&dq=Lee+Kuan+Yew+Japanese+occupation&q=translator |isbn=978-9971-65-043-8 |origyear=1971}}</ref> The occupation had a profound impact on the young Lee, who recalled being slapped and forced to kneel for failing to bow to a Japanese soldier. He and other young Singaporeans “emerged determined that no one—neither Japanese nor British—had the right to push and kick us around ... (and) that we could govern ourselves.” The occupation also drove home lessons about raw power and the effectiveness of harsh punishment in deterring crime.<ref name=Branigin>{{cite news |last1=Branigin |first1=William |title=Lee Kuan Yew, who led Singapore into prosperity over 30-year rule, dies at 91 |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/lee-kuan-yew-who-led-singapore-into-prosperity-over-30-year-rule-dies-at-91/2015/03/22/00f7ccbe-d0d4-11e4-a62f-ee745911a4ff_story.html |accessdate=27 March 2015 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=22 March 2015}}</ref>

After the war, whilst studying in England, Lee campaigned for a friend named David Widdicombe, who was in the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]. He drove Widdicombe around in a lorry and delivered several speeches on his behalf. After seeing how the British had failed to defend Singapore from the Japanese, and after his stay in England, Lee decided that Singapore had to govern itself. He returned to Singapore in 1949.<ref name="fromthirdworldtofirst"/><ref name=manandhisideas/> He also decided to omit his English name, Harry, and simply be known as Lee Kuan Yew,<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2054444,00.html |title=Lee Kuan Yew |author=McCarthy, Terry |work=Time |location=New York |date=23 August 1999 |accessdate=6 September 2012}}</ref> although until the end of his life, old comrades and English friends would still refer to him as Harry Lee.

==Early political career&nbsp;– 1951 to 1959==
In his memoirs, Lee recounted that he had intended to return to Singapore to work as a lawyer. Upon his return, Lee worked in [[John Laycock]]'s law firm for $500 per month. He also worked as a legal advisor to the [[Trade union|trade]] and [[students' union]]s.<ref name=fromthirdworldtofirst/>
His first experience with politics in Singapore was his role as election agent for Laycock under the banner of the pro-British [[Progressive Party (Singapore)|Progressive Party]] in the 1951 legislative council elections.<ref name=fromthirdworldtofirst/>

===Formation of the PAP===
On 12 November 1954, Lee, together with a group of fellow English-educated middle-class men whom he described as "beer-swilling [[Bourgeoisie|bourgeois]]", formed the "socialist" [[People's Action Party]] (PAP) in an expedient alliance with the pro-communist trade unionists. This alliance was described by Lee as a marriage of convenience, since his English-speaking group needed the Chinese-speaking populace's mass support base.

At that time, almost 70% of Singaporeans spoke Chinese and various Chinese dialects as their native tongues. Those who spoke English as their first language comprised only 20% or so of the population and were therefore, a minority.<ref name="thesingaporestory"/> Their common aim was to agitate for self-government and put an end to British colonial rule.

An inaugural conference was held at the [[Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall|Victoria Memorial Hall]], attended by over 1,500 supporters and trade unionists. Lee became [[Secretary General|secretary-general]], a post he held until 1992, save for a brief period in 1957.<ref name=thesingaporestory/>

===In opposition===
Lee won the [[Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency|Tanjong Pagar]] seat in the 1955 elections. He became the opposition leader against [[David Marshall (Singaporean politician)|David Saul Marshall]]'s [[Labour Front]]-led coalition government. He was also one of PAP's representatives to the two constitutional discussions held in London over the future status of Singapore, the first led by Marshall and the second by [[Lim Yew Hock]], Marshall's hardline successor. It was during this period that Lee had to contend with rivals from both within and outside the PAP.<ref name=thesingaporestory/>

Lee's position in the PAP was seriously under threat in 1957 when pro-communists took over the leadership posts, following a party conference which the party's left wing had stacked with fake members.<ref>Mauzy, Diane K.; Milne, R. S. (2002). ''Singapore Politics Under the People's Action Party''. London & New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-24653-9.</ref> Fortunately for Lee and the party's moderate faction, Lim Yew Hock ordered a [[mass arrest]] of the pro-communists and Lee was reinstated as secretary-general. After the communist "scare", Lee subsequently received a new, stronger mandate from his Tanjong Pagar constituents in a by-election in 1957.<ref name="successs">{{cite book |title= Management of Success: The Moulding of Modern Singapore |author= Sandhu, Kernial Singh; Wheatley, Paul |page=73 |publisher= Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |year= 1989 |url= https://books.google.com/?id=ldKwPQ2PyBAC&dq=lee+kuan+yew+by-election+in+1957|isbn= 9789813035423 }}</ref>

==Prime Minister, pre-independence&nbsp;– 1959 to 1965==

===Self-government administration&nbsp;– 1959 to 1963===
In the [[Singaporean general election, 1959|national elections]] held on 30 May 1959, the [[People's Action Party|PAP]] won 43 of the 51 seats in the legislative assembly. Singapore gained self-government with autonomy in all state matters except defence and foreign affairs, and Lee became the first Prime Minister of Singapore on 3 June 1959, taking over from Chief Minister [[Lim Yew Hock]].<ref>{{Cite news
| url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/433440/1/.html
| title = State of Singapore came into being 50 years ago on 3&nbsp;June
| date = 2 June 2009
| location = Singapore
| publisher=Channel NewsAsia
| author=Hoe Yeen Nie
| accessdate = <!----3 June 2009---->}}</ref>

A key event was the [[Motion of no confidence|motion of confidence]] in the government, in which 13 PAP assemblymen crossed party lines and abstained from voting on 21 July 1961. Together with six prominent left-leaning leaders from trade unions, the breakaway members established a new party, the [[Barisan Sosialis]].

===Merger with Malaysia, then separation&nbsp;– 1963 to 1965===
{{Main|Singapore in Malaysia}}
After [[Prime Minister of Malaysia|Malayan Prime Minister]] [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]] proposed the formation of a federation which would include [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]], Singapore, [[Sabah]] and [[Sarawak]] in 1961, Lee began to campaign for a merger to end British colonial rule. He used the results of [[Singaporean national referendum, 1962|a referendum held on 1 September 1962]], in which 70% of the votes were cast in support of his proposal, to demonstrate that the people supported his plan; most of the other votes were blank, as Lee had not allowed a "No" option.<ref name="illusion">Lennox A. Mills, [https://books.google.com/books?id=7MuIsrsngaAC&pg=PA59&dq=lee+kuan+yew+vote+1962+blank&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kTcPVfLdKoajgwSk44H4BQ&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=lee%20kuan%20yew%20vote%201962%20blank&f=false ''Southeast Asia: Illusion and Reality in Politics and Economics''], University of Minnesota Press, p. 60.</ref>

On 16 September 1963, Singapore became part of the new Federation of Malaysia. However, the union was short-lived. The Malaysian central government, ruled by the [[United Malays National Organisation]] (UMNO), became worried by the inclusion of Singapore's Chinese majority and the political challenge of the PAP in Malaysia.

The [[1964 race riots in Singapore]] followed, such as that on 21 July 1964, near Kallang Gasworks, in which 23 people were killed and hundreds injured as Chinese and Malays attacked each other. It is still disputed how the riots started, and theories include a bottle being thrown into a Muslim rally by a Chinese, while others have argued that it was started by a Malay. More riots broke out in September 1964, as rioters looted cars and shops, forcing both Tunku Abdul Rahman and Lee to make public appearances to calm the situation.

Unable to resolve the crisis, Tunku Abdul Rahman decided to expel Singapore from Malaysia, choosing to "sever all ties with a State Government that showed no measure of loyalty to its Central Government". Lee was adamant and tried to work out a compromise, but without success. He was later convinced by [[Goh Keng Swee]] that the secession was inevitable.<ref name="asias">Arthur Cotterell, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Ml2ABAAAQBAJ&dq=lee+kuan+yew+secession+inevitable&source=gbs_navlinks_s ''A History of South East Asia''], Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd, 15 July 2014, p. 345.</ref> Lee signed a separation agreement on 7 August 1965, which discussed Singapore's post-separation relations with Malaysia in order to continue co-operation in areas such as trade and mutual defence.

The failure of the merger was a heavy blow to Lee, who believed that it was crucial for Singapore’s survival. In a televised press conference that day, he fought back tears<ref name="crucial">Alex Josey, [https://books.google.com/books?id=gQ-JAAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Lee Kuan Yew: The Crucial Years''], Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd, 2013, p. 608.</ref>
and briefly stopped to regain his composure as he formally announced the separation and the full independence of Singapore to an anxious population:

<blockquote>"everytime we look back on this moment when we signed this agreement which severed Singapore from Malaysia, it will be a moment of anguish. For me it is a moment of anguish because all my life ... you see, the whole of my adult life ... I have believed in Merger and the unity of these two territories. You know, it's a people connected by geography, economics, and ties of kinship..."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/pdfdoc/lky19650809b.pdf |title=Transcript of a Press Conference Given by the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, at Broadcasting House, Singapore, at 1200 Hours on Monday 9th August, 1965 |pages=21–22 |publisher=National Archives of Singapore}}</ref></blockquote>

On that same day, 9 August 1965, just as the press conference ended, the Malaysian parliament passed the required resolution that would sever Singapore's ties to Malaysia as a state, and thus the Republic of Singapore was created.

Singapore's lack of natural resources, a water supply that was derived primarily from Malaysia and a very limited defensive capability were the major challenges which Lee and the nascent Singaporean government faced.<ref>For one journalist's personal view of these events, see Pillai, M.G.G., {{Wayback |df=yes|date=20071013161748 |url=http://www.malaysia-today.net/columns/pillai/2005/11/did-lee-kuan-yew-want-singapore.htm |title=Did Lee Kuan Yew want Singapore ejected from Malaysia?}}, ''Malaysia Today'', 1 November 2005.</ref>

==Prime Minister, post-independence&nbsp;– 1965 to 1990==
Despite the momentous event, Lee did not call for the parliament to convene to reconcile issues that Singapore would face immediately as a new nation. Without giving further instructions on who shall act in his absence, he went into isolation for six weeks, unreachable by phone, on a Singapore island. According to Dr [[Toh Chin Chye]], the parliament hung in suspended animation until the sitting in December that year.<ref name="Chew 1996">{{cite book|last=Chew|first=Melanie|title=Leaders of Singapore|year=1996|publisher=Resource Press|isbn=981007333X}}</ref><ref name="Chew 1996"/>

[[File:LLKYReaganOct85.jpg|thumb|Lee Kuan Yew and his wife, [[Kwa Geok Choo]], with [[Ronald Reagan]], the US president, and his wife, [[Nancy Reagan]], on 8 October 1985|alt=explicitly state the names of Lee's wife and Reagan's wife]]

In his memoirs, Lee said that he was unable to sleep. Upon learning of Lee's condition from the [[High Commissioner (Commonwealth)|British High Commissioner]] to Singapore, John Robb, the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]], [[Harold Wilson]], expressed concern, in response to which Lee replied:

<blockquote>"Do not worry about Singapore. My colleagues and I are sane, rational people even in our moments of anguish. We will weigh all possible consequences before we make any move on the political chessboard..."<ref name="excess">{{cite book |title= Singapore: The State and the Culture of Excess
|author= Yao, Souchou |page=2 |publisher= Routledge |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=BKp8AgAAQBAJ&dq=Do+not+worry+about+Singapore.+My+colleagues+and+I+are+sane,+rational+people+even+in+our+moments+of+anguish&source=gbs_navlinks_s |location= London |isbn= 9780415417112 |year=2007}}</ref></blockquote>

Lee began to seek international recognition of Singapore's independence. Singapore joined the [[United Nations]] on 21 September 1965, and founded the [[ASEAN|Association of Southeast Asian Nations]] (ASEAN) on 8 August 1967 with four other South-East Asian countries. Lee made his first official visit to Indonesia on 25 May 1973, just a few years after the [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]] under [[Sukarno]]'s regime. Relations between Singapore and Indonesia substantially improved as subsequent visits were made between the two countries.

Singapore has never had a dominant culture to which immigrants could assimilate even though Malay was the dominant language at that time.<ref name="multi">Robert W. Hefner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=mhgzRW8NlfoC&dq=singapore+multicultural&source=gbs_navlinks_s ''The Politics of Multiculturalism: Pluralism and Citizenship in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia''], University of Hawaii Press, 1 January 2001, p. 4.</ref> Together with efforts from the government and ruling party, Lee tried to create a unique Singaporean identity in the 1970s and 1980s—one which heavily recognised racial consciousness within the umbrella of [[multiculturalism]].

Lee and his government stressed the importance of maintaining religious tolerance and racial harmony, and they were ready to use the law to counter any threat that might incite ethnic and religious violence. For example, Lee warned against "insensitive evangelisation", by which he referred to instances of Christian proselytising directed at Malays. In 1974 the government advised the Bible Society of Singapore to stop publishing religious material in Malay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.exploitz.com/Singapore-Religious-Change-cg.php|title=Public-domain information from the US State Department Country Guide.|work=exploitz.com}}</ref>

===Decisions and policies===

====National security====
The vulnerability of Singapore was deeply felt, with threats from multiple sources including the communists and Indonesia with its confrontational stance. As Singapore gained admission to the United Nations, Lee quickly sought international recognition of Singapore's independence. He appointed [[Goh Keng Swee]] as [[Minister for the Interior and Defence]] to build up the [[Singapore Armed Forces]] (SAF) and requested help from other countries, particularly [[Israel]], for advice, training and facilities.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Kuan yew|title=From Third World to First|year=2000|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.|isbn=0-06-019776-5|pages=14–15, 20, 25, 26}}</ref> In 1967, Lee introduced conscription whereby all able-bodied male Singaporean citizens age 18 and above are required to serve National Service (NS) either in the Singapore Armed Forces, [[Singapore Police Force]] or the [[Singapore Civil Defence Force]]. By 1971, Singapore had 17 national service battalions (16,000 men) with 14 battalions (11,000 men) in the reserves.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Kuan Yew|title=From Third World to First – The Singapore Story (1965–2000)|year=2000|publisher=Times Edition|isbn=981 204 984 3|page=41}}</ref> In 1975, Lee managed to convince [[Chiang Ching-kuo]] to permit Singaporean troops to train in [[Taiwan]], under the codename "Exercise Starlight".<ref>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Kuan Yew|title=From Third World to First|year=2000|publisher=Times Edition|isbn=981 204 984 3|pages=45, 622}}</ref>

====Economy====
One of Lee's most urgent tasks upon Singapore's independence was to provide stable jobs for its people, as unemployment was high. [[Tourism]] helped but did not completely resolve the unemployment problem. Together with his economic aide, [[Economic Development Board]] chairman [[Hon Sui Sen]], and in consultation with Dutch economist [[Albert Winsemius]], Lee set up factories and initially focused on the manufacturing industry. Before the British completely withdrew from Singapore in 1971, Lee also persuaded the British not to destroy their dock and had the British naval dockyard later converted for civilian use.

After years of trial and error, Lee and his cabinet decided the best way to boost Singapore's economy was to attract foreign investments from the [[multinational corporations]] (MNCs). By establishing a First World infrastructure and standards in Singapore, the new nation could woo American, Japanese and European entrepreneurs and professionals to set up base here. By the 1970s, the arrival of MNCs like [[Texas Instruments]], [[Hewlett-Packard]] and [[General Electric]] laid the foundations, turning Singapore into a major [[electronics]] exporter the following decade.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Kuan Yew|title=From Third World to First – The Singapore Story (1965–2000)|year=2000|publisher=Times Edition|isbn=981 204 984 3|pages=80–81}}</ref> Workers were frequently retrained to familiarise themselves with the work systems and cultures of foreign MNCs. The government also started several new industries, such as steel mills under [[National Iron and Steel Mills]], service industries like [[Neptune Orient Lines]], and the [[Singapore Airlines]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Kuan Yew|title=From Third World to First – The Singapore Story (1965–2000)|year=2000|publisher=Times Edition|isbn=981 204 984 3|pages=66–88}}</ref>

Lee and his cabinet also worked to establish Singapore as an international financial centre. Foreign bankers were assured of the reliability of Singapore's social conditions, with top-class infrastructure and skilled professionals, and investors were made to understand that the Singapore government would pursue sound [[macroeconomics|macroeconomic]] policies, with [[budget surplus]]es, leading to a strong, stable Singapore dollar.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Kuan Yew|title=From Third World to First – The Singapore Story (1965–2000)|year=2000|publisher=Times Edition|isbn=981 204 984 3|pages=89–102}}</ref>

Throughout the tenure of his office, Lee always placed great importance on developing the economy, and his attention to detail on this aspect went even to the extent of connecting it with other facets of Singapore, including the country's extensive and meticulous tending of its international image of being a "Garden City",<ref>See, for example, "The Route To Success&nbsp;— Keeping Singapore Green And Efficient" by [[Koh Buck Song]], ''The Straits Times'' 1 August 1996.</ref> something that has been sustained to this day.

====Anti-corruption measures====
Like many countries, Singapore had problems with [[political corruption]]. Lee introduced legislation giving the [[Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau]] (CPIB) greater power to conduct arrests, search, call up witnesses, and investigate bank accounts and income-tax returns of suspected persons and their families.<ref>{{cite book |author=Lee Kuan Yew |title=From Third World to First |year=2000 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=0-06-019776-5 |pages=159–163, 647}}</ref> Lee believed that ministers should be well paid in order to maintain a clean and honest government. In 1994, he proposed to link the salaries of ministers, judges, and top civil servants to the salaries of top professionals in the private sector, arguing that this would help recruit and retain talent to serve in the public sector.<ref name="natgeojan10">{{Cite news |url= http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/01/singapore/jacobson-text |title=The Singapore Solution |last=Jacobson |first=Mark |date=January 2010 |work=[[National Geographic Magazine]] |accessdate=26 December 2009}}</ref>

====Population policies====
In the late 1960s, fearing that Singapore's growing population might overburden the developing economy, Lee started a vigorous "[[Stop at Two]]" [[family planning]] campaign. Couples were urged to undergo [[Human sterilization (surgical procedure)|sterilisation]] after their second child. Third or fourth children were given lower priorities in education and such families received fewer economic [[Tax refund|rebates]].<ref name="natgeojan10"/>

In 1983, Lee sparked the "Great Marriage Debate" when he encouraged Singapore men to choose highly educated women as wives.<ref>{{cite book |author= Lee Kuan Yew |title=From Third World to First |year=2000 |publisher= HarperCollins |isbn=0-06-019776-5 |page=136}}</ref> He was concerned that a large number of graduate women were unmarried.<ref name="Lee 2000 140">{{cite book |author= Lee Kuan Yew |title=From Third World to First |year=2000 |publisher= HarperCollins |isbn=0-06-019776-5 |page=140}}</ref> Some sections of the population, including graduate women, were upset by his views.<ref name="Lee 2000 140"/> Nevertheless, a match-making agency, the [[Social Development Unit]] (SDU),<ref>{{cite book |author= Lee Kuan Yew |title=From Third World to First |year=2000 |publisher= HarperCollins |isbn=0-06-019776-5 |page=138}}</ref> was set up to promote socialising among men and women graduates.<ref name="natgeojan10"/> In the Graduate Mothers Scheme, Lee also introduced incentives such as [[tax rebate]]s, schooling, and housing priorities for graduate mothers who had three or four children, in a reversal of the over-successful "Stop at Two" family planning campaign in the 1960s and 1970s. By the late 1990s, the birth rate had fallen so low that Lee's successor [[Goh Chok Tong]] extended these incentives to all married women, and gave even more incentives, such as the "baby bonus" scheme.<ref name="natgeojan10"/>

====Corporal punishment====
{{Main|Caning in Singapore}}
One of Lee's abiding beliefs was in the efficacy of [[corporal punishment]] in the form of [[caning]].<ref name="Lee 2000 213–214">{{cite book |author=Lee Kuan Yew |title=From Third World to First |year=2000 |publisher= HarperCollins |isbn=0-06-019776-5 |pages=213–214}}</ref> In his autobiography ''The Singapore Story'' he described his time at [[Raffles Institution (Secondary)|Raffles Institution]] in the 1930s, mentioning that he was caned there for chronic lateness by the then headmaster, D. W. McLeod. He wrote: "I bent over a chair and was given three of the best with my trousers on. I did not think he lightened his strokes. I have never understood why Western educationists are so much against corporal punishment. It did my fellow students and me no harm."<ref>Lee Kuan Yew (21 September 1998). [http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1998/980921/lee_kuan_yew.html "The Singapore Story"], ''Time Asia'' (Hong Kong).</ref>

Lee's government inherited [[judicial corporal punishment]] from British rule, but greatly expanded its scope. Under the British, it had been used as a penalty for offences involving personal violence, amounting to a handful of caning sentences per year. The PAP government under Lee extended its use to an ever-expanding range of crimes.<ref>[http://www.corpun.com/singfeat.htm Judicial caning in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei] at World Corporal Punishment Research.</ref> By 1993 it was mandatory for 42 offences and optional for a further 42.<ref>[http://www.corpun.com/sgjur2.htm Singapore: Table of offences for which caning is available] at World Corporal Punishment Research.</ref> Those routinely ordered by the courts to be caned now include drug addicts and illegal immigrants. From 602 canings in 1987, the figure rose to 3,244 in 1993<ref>[http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/democracy/1995_hrp_report/95hrp_report_eap/Singapore.html ''Singapore Human Rights Practices 1994''], US State Department.</ref> and to 6,404 in 2007.<ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/100537.htm ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2007''], US State Department, released 11 March 2008.</ref>

In 1994 judicial caning was intensely publicised in the rest of the world when an American teenager, [[Michael P. Fay|Michael Fay]], was caned under the vandalism legislation.<ref name="Lee 2000 213–214"/>

[[School corporal punishment]] (for male students only) was likewise inherited from the British, and this is in widespread use to discipline disobedient schoolboys, still under legislation from 1957.<ref>[http://www.corpun.com/sgscr1.htm Regulation No 88 under the Schools Regulation Act 1957] (extract).</ref> Lee also introduced caning in the [[Singapore Armed Forces]], and Singapore is one of the few countries in the world where corporal punishment is an official penalty in military discipline.<ref>[http://www.corpun.com/sgarr1.htm Armed Forces Act, 1972].</ref>

====Water resources in Singapore====
Singapore has traditionally relied on water from Malaysia. However, this reliance has made Singapore subject to the possibility of price increases and allowed Malaysian officials to use the water reliance as a political leverage by [[Water conflicts between Malaysia and Singapore|threatening to cut off supply]]. In order to reduce this problem, Lee decided to experiment with water recycling in 1974.<ref name="water">[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZfKS0yKjEdwC&dq=singapore+water+recycling+1974&source=gbs_navlinks_s The Singapore Water Story: Sustainable Development in an Urban City State]
Cecilia Tortajada, Yugal Joshi, Asit K. Biswas
Routledge, 5 March 2013
p 26</ref> However, the water treatment plant was closed in 1975 due to cost and reliability issues. In 1998, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) initiated the Singapore Water Reclamation Study (NEWater Study). The aim was to determine if NEWater was a viable source of raw water for Singapore's needs. In 2001, PUB initiated efforts to increase water supplies for non-potable use. Using NEWater for these would help reduce the demand on the reservoirs for potable water.

The [[Singapore International Water Week]] was started in 2008; it focused on sustainable water solutions for cities. The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize was introduced in recognition given to outstanding contributions towards solving global water crisis. The prize has become an international award given out to individuals and groups worldwide.

===Relations with Malaysia===

====Mahathir Mohamad====
Lee looked forward to improving relationships with [[Mahathir Mohamad]] upon the latter's promotion to Deputy Prime Minister. Knowing that Mahathir was in line to become the next [[Prime Minister of Malaysia]], Lee invited Mahathir (through [[President of Singapore|Singapore President]] [[Devan Nair]]) to visit Singapore in 1978. The first and subsequent visits improved both personal and diplomatic relationships between them. Mahathir asked Lee to cut off links with the Chinese leaders of the [[Democratic Action Party]]; in exchange, Mahathir undertook not to interfere in the affairs of [[Malay Singaporeans]].{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}

In June 1988, Lee and Mahathir reached an agreement in [[Kuala Lumpur]] to build the Linggui dam on the [[Johor River]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1533_2009-06-23.html|title=Singapore-Malaysia water agreements|author=National Library Board, Singapore|work=nl.sg}}</ref>

==Senior Minister&nbsp;– 1990 to 2004==
[[File:Lee Kuan Yew Cohen.jpg|thumb|Lee Kuan Yew (middle) meets with [[William S. Cohen]], US Secretary of Defense, and [[Chan Heng Chee]], Singapore's Ambassador to the US, in 2000.]]

After leading the [[People's Action Party|PAP]] to victory in seven elections, Lee stepped down on 28 November 1990, handing over the [[Prime Minister of Singapore|prime ministership]] to [[Goh Chok Tong]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Lee Kuan Yew |title=From Third World to First |year=2000 |publisher= HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=0-06-019776-5 |page=672}}</ref> At that point in time he had become the world's longest-serving prime minister.<ref name="erlanger">{{Cite news |url= http://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/29/world/new-leader-takes-singapore-s-helm.html |title=New Leader takes Singapore's Helm |newspaper=The New York Times |date=29 November 1990 |first= Steven |last= Erlanger}}</ref> This was the first leadership transition since independence. Goh was elected as the new Prime Minister by the younger ministers then in office.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Kuan Yew|title=From Third World to First – The Singapore Story (1965–2000)|year=2000|publisher=Times Edition|isbn=981 204 984 3|pages=744}}</ref>

When Goh Chok Tong became head of government, Lee remained in the cabinet with a non-executive position of [[Senior Minister]] and played a role he described as advisory. In public, Lee would refer to Goh as "my Prime Minister", in deference to Goh's authority.

Lee subsequently stepped down as [[Secretary-General]] of the PAP and was succeeded by Goh Chok Tong in November 1992.

==Minister Mentor&nbsp;– 2004 to 2011==
From the decade of the 2000s, Lee expressed concern about the declining proficiency of [[Singaporean Mandarin|Mandarin]] among younger [[Chinese Singaporean]]s. In one of his parliamentary speeches, he said: "Singaporeans must learn to juggle English and Mandarin". Subsequently, in December 2004, Lee step down to another level, becoming a minister mentor and a year-long campaign called ''华语 Cool!'' (Huayu Cool!) was launched, in an attempt to attract young viewers to learn and speak Mandarin.<ref>[http://www.zaobao.com/chinese/pages1/chinese_sg071204.html 华语 Cool!]. zaobao.com (7 December 2004).</ref>

In June 2005, Lee published a book, ''Keeping My Mandarin Alive'', documenting his decades of effort to master Mandarin, a language that he said he had to re-learn due to disuse:
<blockquote>"...because I don't use it so much, therefore it gets disused and there's language loss. Then I have to revive it. It's a terrible problem because learning it in adult life, it hasn't got the same roots in your memory."</blockquote>

In an interview with [[China Central Television]] (CCTV) on 12 June 2005, Lee stressed the need to have a continuous renewal of talent in the country's leadership, saying:<blockquote>"In a different world we need to find a niche for ourselves, little corners where in spite of our small size we can perform a role which will be useful to the world. To do that, you will need people at the top, decision-makers who have got foresight, good minds, who are open to ideas, who can seize opportunities like we did... My job really was to find my successors. I found them, they are there; their job is to find their successors. So there must be this continuous renewal of talented, dedicated, honest, able people who will do things not for themselves but for their people and for their country. If they can do that, they will carry on for another one generation and so it goes on. The moment that breaks, it's gone."</blockquote>

On 13 September 2008 Lee underwent successful treatment for abnormal heart rhythm ([[atrial flutter]]) at [[Singapore General Hospital]], but he was still able to address a philanthropy forum via video link from hospital.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Singapore's Lee Kwan Yew hospitalized | newspaper=International Herald Tribune | location = Paris | date = 13 September 2008}}</ref>
On 28 September 2010, he was hospitalised for a chest infection, cancelling plans to attend the wake of the Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, [[Balaji Sadasivan]].<ref>{{Cite news | title = MM treated for chest infection | newspaper=The Straits Times | location = Singapore | date = 29 September 2010 }}</ref>

In November 2010, Lee's private conversations with [[James Steinberg]], US [[Deputy Secretary of State]], on 30 May 2009 were among the [[United States diplomatic cables leak|US Embassy cables leaked]] by [[WikiLeaks]]. In a US Embassy report classified as "Secret", Lee gave his assessment of a number of Asian leaders and views on political developments in North Asia, including implications for nuclear proliferation.<ref>{{Cite news | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/210110 | title =
Former Singapore PM on 'psychopathic' North Koreans | newspaper=The Guardian | location = London | date = 29 November 2010}}</ref> Singapore's [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] expressed deep concern about the leaks, especially when read out of context, and the need to protect confidentiality of diplomatic correspondence.<ref>{{Cite news |url = http://www.straitstimes.com/PrimeNews/Story/STIStory_609035.html |title=WikiLeaks: Singapore joins global chorus of disapproval | newspaper=The Straits Times | location = Singapore | date = 1 December 2010 | agency=AFP, AP}}</ref>

In January 2011, the Straits Times Press published the book ''Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_624097.html |title= Insight: Grilling the Minister Mentor |newspaper=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |date =14 January 2011}}</ref> Targeted at younger Singaporeans, it was based on 16 interviews with Lee by seven local journalists in 2008–2009. The first print run of 45,000 copies sold out in less than a month after it was launched in January 2011. Another batch of 55,000 copies was made available shortly after.<ref>http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_637019.html</ref>

After the [[Singaporean general election, 2011|2011 general elections]] in which the [[Workers' Party of Singapore|Workers' Party]], a major opposition political party in Singapore, made unprecedented gains by winning a [[Group Representation Constituency]] (GRC), Lee announced that he decided to leave the Cabinet for the Prime Minister, [[Lee Hsien Loong]], and his team to have a clean slate.<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1128878/1/.html |title= SM Goh, MM Lee to leave Cabinet |publisher =Channel NewsAsia |location =Singapore |date = 14 May 2011}}</ref>

==Retirement==

In a column in the ''Sunday Times'' on 6 November 2011, Lee's daughter Lee Wei Ling revealed that her father suffered from [[peripheral neuropathy]].<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15615921 |title=
Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew admits nerve illness |publisher=BBC News |date=7 November 2011}}</ref>
In the column, she recounted how she first noticed her father's ailments when she accompanied him to meet the former US Secretary of State [[Henry Kissinger]] in [[Connecticut]] in October 2009. Wei Ling, a neurologist, "did a few simple neurological tests and decided the nerves to his legs were not working as they should". A day later, when interviewed at a constituency tree-planting event, Lee stated "I have no doubt at all that this has not affected my mind, my will nor my resolve" and that "[p]eople in wheel chairs can make a contribution. I've still got two legs, I will make a contribution."<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[AsiaOne]] |url= http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20111107-309055.html |title=I've still got two legs, I will make a contribution |date=7 November 2011}}</ref>

==Failing health and death==
{{Main|Death of Lee Kuan Yew}}
On 15 February 2013, Lee was admitted to [[Singapore General Hospital]] after suffering a prolonged [[cardiac dysrhythmia]] which was followed by a brief stoppage of blood flow to the brain.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/lee-kuan-yew-hospital-because-suspected-transient-ischaemic-attack-201 |title=Lee Kuan Yew in hospital because of suspected Transient Ischaemic Attack |first=Jeremy |last=Au Yong |newspaper=The Straits Times |location= Singapore |accessdate=16 February 2013 |date=16 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |publisher=Channel NewsAsia |url= http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1254633/1/.html |title=Former MM Lee Kuan Yew hospitalised |date=16 February 2013 |accessdate=16 February 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Bloomberg BusinessWeek |location=New York |url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-02-16/lee-kuan-yew-hospitalized-after-stroke-like-event |title=Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew Ill After Stroke-Like Event |first=Linus |last=Chua |date=16 February 2013 |accessdate=17 February 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Washington Post |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/former-singapore-prime-minister-lee-kuan-yew-hospitalized-following-brain-related-blockage/2013/02/16/d7dcf8a6-7836-11e2-b102-948929030e64_story.html |title=Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, hospitalised following brain-related blockage |date=16 February 2013 |accessdate=17 February 2013 }}</ref> For the first time in his career as a politician, Lee missed the annual Chinese New Year dinner at his [[Tanjong Pagar Constituency]], where he was supposed to be the guest-of-honour.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Zee News |url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/singapore-s-first-pm-lee-kuan-yew-not-well-report_829414.html |title=Singapore's first PM Lee Kuan Yew not well: Report |date=16 February 2013 |accessdate=16 February 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|publisher=Channel NewsAsia |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1254502/1/.html |date=15 February 2013 |accessdate=17 February 2013 |title=Former MM Lee Kuan Yew misses Lunar New Year dinner |first=S |last=Ramesh }}</ref> He was subsequently discharged, but continued to receive [[anti-coagulant]] therapy.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=AsiaOne |url= http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20130217-402598.html |title=Lee Kuan Yew discharged from SGH |date=17 February 2013 |accessdate=17 February 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Sunday Times |location= Singapore |url= http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/lee-kuan-yew-discharged-sgh-and-resting-home-20130217 |title=Lee Kuan Yew discharged from SGH and resting at home |date=17 February 2013 |accessdate=17 February 2013 |author=Hoe Pei Shan }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Washington Post |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/lee-kuan-yew-singapores-first-pm-discharged-from-hospital-following-brain-related-blockage/2013/02/17/ae1b4ebe-78ea-11e2-9c27-fdd594ea6286_story.html |title=Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first PM, discharged from hospital following brain-related blockage |date=17 February 2013 |accessdate=17 February 2013 }}</ref>

[[File:National Flag at half-mast at Nanyang Technological University following the death of Lee Kuan Yew.JPG|thumb|National Flag at half-mast at [[Nanyang Technological University]] following the death of Lee Kuan Yew]]

[[File:Flags at half staff to mark the death of Lee Kuan Yew, College Green, Singapore Management University - 20150323-01.jpg|thumb|Flags at half-staff at [[Singapore Management University]] following the death of Lee Kuan Yew]]

The following year, Lee missed his constituency's Chinese New Year dinner for the second consecutive time owing to bodily bacterial invasion.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-39-founding-pm-lee-kuan-yew-hospital-000015667.html |title= Singapore's founding PM Lee Kuan Yew in hospital |date=4 February 2014 |publisher=Yahoo! News |accessdate=2 June 2014}}</ref> In April 2014, a photo depicting a cadaverous Lee was released online, drawing strong reactions from netizens.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://sg.news.yahoo.com/photo-of-a-very-thin-lee-kuan-yew-sparks-concern-042725872.html |title= Photo of a very thin Lee Kuan Yew sparks concern |date=24 April 2014 |last=Tan |first=Jeanette |publisher=Yahoo! News |accessdate=2 June 2014}}</ref>

On 5 February 2015, Lee was hospitalised with "severe [[pneumonia]]" and was put on a ventilator at the intensive care unit of Singapore General Hospital, although his condition was reported initially as "stable".<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.yahoo.com/singapores-founding-pm-intensive-care-stable-105010769.html |title=Singapore founding PM Lee Kuan Yew in ICU but 'stable' |date=21 February 2015 |first=Bhavan |last=Jaipragas |publisher=Yahoo! News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/lee-kuan-yew-in-hospital/1671808.html |title=Lee Kuan Yew in hospital with severe pneumonia, condition 'stabilised' |date=21 February 2015 |publisher=Channel NewsAsia}}</ref> A 26 February update stated that he was again being given antibiotics, while being sedated and still under mechanical ventilation.<ref>{{cite news |title= Doctors restart antibiotics for former PM Lee Kuan Yew |url= https://sg.news.yahoo.com/former-pm-lee-kuan-yew-on-mechanical-ventilation-in-icu--misses-cny-with-family-124549916.html |publisher=Yahoo! News |date=26 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.yahoo.com/singapores-founder-sedated-life-support-102050713.html|title=Singapore's founder sedated, on life support|date=26 February 2015|work=Yahoo News}}</ref> From 17 to 22 March, Lee continued weakening as he suffered an infection while on life support, and he was described as "critically ill".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Abbugao |first1=Martin |title=Singapore's founding leader Lee 'critically ill' |url= https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapores-founding-leader-lee-worsens-critically-ill-govt-061845324.html|agency= [[Agence France-Presse]] |publisher= Yahoo! News |date=18 March 2015|accessdate=21 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Mr Lee Kuan Yew's condition remains critical: PMO |url= http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/mr-lee-kuan-yew-s/1728064.html |publisher=[[Channel NewsAsia]] |location= Singapore |date=20 March 2015|accessdate=21 March 2015}}</ref><ref name=foramonth>{{cite news |title= Mr Lee Kuan Yew has weakened further: PMO |url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/mr-lee-kuan-yew-has/1731980.html |publisher=Channel NewsAsia |location= Singapore |accessdate=22 March 2015 |date=22 March 2015}}</ref>

On 18 March 2015, a [[death hoax]] website reported false news of Lee's death. The suspect is an unidentified minor who created a false webpage that resembled the PMO official website.<ref name=singaporepoliceidentifysuspect>{{cite news|url= http://www.wsj.com/articles/singapore-police-identify-suspect-in-false-web-post-about-lee-kuan-yew-1426857253 |title=Singapore Police Identify Suspect in False Web Post About Lee Kuan Yew |author= Chun Han Wong and P. R. Venkat |newspaper= The Wall Street Journal |location= New York |accessdate=6 April 2015 |date=20 March 2015}}</ref> Several international news organisations reported on Lee's death based on this and later retracted their statements.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/18/world/singapore-lee-kuan-yew/ |title=Singapore dismisses Lee Kuan Yew death report as hoax |first=Jason |last=Hanna |publisher=CNN |accessdate=6 April 2015 |date=18 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/police-looking-hoax-website-falsely-announced-death-mr-l |title=Police looking into hoax website that falsely announced death of Mr Lee Kuan Yew |author1= Chan, Fiona |author2= Sim, Walter |newspaper=The Straits Times |location= Singapore |accessdate=6 April 2015 |date=19 March 2015}}</ref>

On 23 March 2015, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced his father's death at the age of 91.<ref name=passingofleekuanyew>{{cite web|url=http://www.pmo.gov.sg/mediacentre/passing-mr-lee-kuan-yew-founding-prime-minister-singapore |title=Passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, founding Prime Minister of Singapore |publisher= Prime Minister's Office Singapore}}</ref> Lee had died at 03:18 [[Singapore Standard Time]] ([[UTC+08:00]]).<ref name=BBCdeath>{{Cite news|title=Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew dies at 91|url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-32012346|publisher=BBC News |location = London|date = 22 March 2015}}</ref><ref name=passingofleekuanyew /> After a declared period of public mourning,<ref>{{cite web|title=Lee Kuan Yew: A very Singaporean send-off |url= http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32082134 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |accessdate=30 March 2015}}</ref> a [[state funeral]] for Lee was held on 29 March and attended by world leaders.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lee Kuan Yew: Singapore holds funeral procession|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32102686|publisher=[[BBC News]]|accessdate=30 March 2015}}</ref> Later that day, Lee was [[cremate]]d in a private ceremony at the [[Mandai Crematorium]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Family bids final farewell to Lee Kuan Yew in private ceremony at Mandai|url=http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/family-bids-final-farewell-lee-kuan-yew-private-ceremony-mandai|publisher=[[AsiaOne]]|accessdate=30 March 2015}}</ref>

==International organisations==
Lee was a member of the [[Jacques Chirac Foundation for Sustainable Development and Cultural Dialogue|Fondation Chirac]]'s honour committee,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fondationchirac.eu/en/foundation/honour-committee/|title=Honor Committee|work=Fondation Chirac}}</ref> from the time that the foundation was launched in 2008 by the former French President [[Jacques Chirac]] to promote world peace.

Lee was also a member of [[David Rockefeller|David Rockefeller's]] "International Council", along with [[Henry Kissinger]], [[Riley P. Bechtel]], [[George Shultz]] and others. Additionally he was one of the "Forbes' Brain Trust", along with [[Paul Johnson (writer)|Paul Johnson]] and [[Ernesto Zedillo]].

==Personal views==

=== LGBT rights ===

The first time Lee was asked a question publicly about [[LGBT rights in Singapore]] was during a [[CNN]] interview in 1998. The question was posed by an unnamed gay man in Singapore who asked about the future of LGBT people there. Lee replied that it was not for the government to decide whether or not [[homosexuality]] was acceptable; it was for Singaporean society to decide. He also said he did not think an "aggressive gay rights movement" would change people's minds on the issue. He added that the government would not interfere or harass anybody, whether heterosexual or otherwise.<ref>{{cite web |title=CNN: Lee Kuan Yew and the gay question |publisher=Yawning Bread |url= http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_1998/yax-127.htm}}</ref>

Lee next answered a question about homosexuality at a Young PAP meeting in 2007. The questioner was [[Loretta Chen]], an openly lesbian young PAP member and a bilingual theatre director in Singapore. She asked if the current censorship rules in Singapore were too equivocal and where censorship was headed in the next two decades. Chen referred to a controversial play about Singaporean porn actress [[Annabel Chong]], which explored pornography and alternative sexuality. Lee was then asked if he believed homosexuality was a product of nature or nurture. He replied that he had asked doctors about homosexuality and had been told that it was caused by a genetic random transmission of genes.<ref>{{cite news |title= Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew questions homosexuality ban |date=23 April 2007 |url= http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/04/23/us-singapore-homosexuality-idUSSIN33351020070423 |agency=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= De Clercq |first=Geert |title=Singapore considers legalizing homosexuality: Lee |url= http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/04/24/us-singapore-lee-idUSSP5349120070424 |date=24 July 2007 |agency=Reuters}}</ref>

In Lee's book ''Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going'', he was asked about homosexuality again. The questions touched on his personal views of LGBT, [[LGBT people adopting children]] and hurdles for [[LGBT Singaporeans]]. He was asked how he would react if one of his grandchildren turned out gay. He replied that he would accept his grandchild because homosexuality is a genetic code.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tan |first=Sylvia |title=Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew will accept if grandchild is gay; discusses homosexuality in new book |url= http://www.fridae.asia/newsfeatures/2011/01/28/10599.singapore-s-lee-kuan-yew-will-accept-if-grandchild-is-gay-discusses-homosexuality-in-new-book}}</ref> One of the questions asked was if LGBT couples could adopt children. He did not think LGBT people were suited to bringing up a child as they have no maternal instinct aroused by the process of pregnancy.<ref>{{cite news |last=Toh |first=Elgin |title=Gay MP? 'Her private life is her private life' |url= http://www.pmo.gov.sg/content/pmosite/mediacentre/inthenews/ministermentor/2011/January/Gay_MP_Her_private_life_is_her_private_life.html |work=The Sunday Times |location =Singapore |date=23 January 2011}}</ref>

In Singapore, [[Section 377A of the Penal Code]] still criminalizes homosexual sexual intercourse between men.

===Religious views===
Lee was identified as an [[Agnosticism|agnostic]]<ref>{{Cite news|title=Days of reflection for the man who defined Singapore: A transcript of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's interview with The New York Times|url=http://www.todayonline.com/Print/Commentary/EDC100913-0000046/Days-of-reflection-for-the-man-who-defined-Singapore|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5siZa8Szv|archivedate=13 September 2010|newspaper=[[Today (Singapore newspaper)|Today]]|location=Singapore|date=13 September 2010|pages=14–17}}</ref> on several occasions, notably during an interview with Goh Keng Swee in 1983 when the latter identified [[S. Rajaratnam]] and Lee as agnostics.<ref>Chan Eng Cheng (4 February 1983). [http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19830204-1.2.6.aspx An Agnostic speaks]. ''The Straits Times'' (Singapore).</ref> Lee personally stated his agnosticism during an interview with ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 2010, but elaborated that he had practised [[Chinese folk religion]] while growing up. Lee ceased religious practices of Chinese folk religious customs following the death of his father in 1997.<ref name="SethMydans">[http://www.pmo.gov.sg/content/pmosite/mediacentre/speechesninterviews/ministermentor/2010/September/transcript_of_ministermentorleekuanyewsinterviewwithsethmydansof.html Transcript of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's interview with Seth Mydans of''New York Times'' & IHT on 1 September 2010.], Prime Minister's Office of Singapore. Retrieved 31 January 2014.</ref> He reinforced his religious views in his autobiography, stating, "I wouldn't call myself an atheist. I neither deny nor accept that there is a God."<ref>[http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/08/06/lee-kuan-yew.aspx/ "Lee Kuan Yew on death: I want mine quickly, painlessly"]. ''The Star'' (Kuala Lumpur), 6 August 2013.</ref> In 2009, Lee Kuan Yew identified himself as a member of the Buddhist/Taoist community in an interview with Mark Jacobson for the ''National Geographic Magazine''.<ref>[http://www.ibtimes.co.in/lee-kuan-yew-6-interesting-facts-about-singapores-founding-father-memorable-quotes-626971 Lee Kuan Yew: 6 Interesting Facts about Singapore's Founding Father; Memorable Quotes]</ref><ref>[http://www.news.gov.sg/public/sgpc/en/media_releases/agencies/pmo/transcript/T-20091228-1.html TRANSCRIPT OF MINISTER MENTOR LEE KUAN YEW'S INTERVIEW WITH MARK JACOBSON FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ON 6 JULY 2009 (FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE JAN 2010 EDITION)], SGPressCentre; retrieved 1 February 2014.</ref> Two of his younger brothers, Freddy Lee<ref>[http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120630-356315.html Lee Kuan Yew bids farewell to brother], AsiaOne.com, 30 June 2012; retrieved 1 February 2014.</ref> and Lee Suan Yew, have been active members of the Anglican and Methodist churches respectively.<ref name="SethMydans"/> During his state funeral, his son stated that he is not a [[Christian]].

==Legacy==

===Political legacy===

{{Quote box|width=30%|align=right|quote="I'm not saying that everything I did was right, but everything I did was for an honourable purpose. I had to do some nasty things, locking fellows up without trial."|source=<small>Lee in 2010, reflecting on his legacy<ref>{{cite web|title=Transcript of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's interview with Seth Mydans of New York Times & IHT on 1 September 2010|url=http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/pdfdoc/20100920006/transcript_of_minister_mentor_lee_kuan_yew.pdf|publisher=[[National Archives of Singapore]]|accessdate=1 April 2015}}</ref></small>}}

As Singapore's Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990, Lee presided over many of Singapore's advancements. Singapore's [[Gross National Product]] [[per capita]] rose from $1,240 in 1959 to $18,437 in 1990. The [[unemployment]] rate in Singapore dropped from 13.5% in 1959 to 1.7% in 1990. [[External trade]] increased from $7.3 billion in 1959 to $205 billion in 1990. In other areas, the [[life expectancy]] at birth for Singaporeans rose from 65 years at 1960 to 74 years in 1990. The [[Demographics of Singapore#Population|population of Singapore]] increased from 1.6 million in 1959 to 3 million in 1990. The number of [[Public housing in Singapore|public flats in Singapore]] rose from 22,975 in 1959 (then under the [[Singapore Improvement Trust]]) to 667,575 in 1990. The Singaporean [[literacy]] rate increased from 52% in 1957 to 90% in 1990. [[Telecommunications in Singapore#Telephones|Telephone lines]] per 100 Singaporeans increased from 3 in 1960 to 38 in 1990. Visitor arrivals to Singapore rose from 0.1 million in 1960 to 5.3 million in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Chan|first1=Fiona|last2=Ching|first2=Choon Hiong|title=The Singapore that LKY built|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20150329/ST_20150329_LKYGRAPH2_1187888.pdf|work=[[The Straits Times]]|accessdate=29 March 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329060239/http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20150329/ST_20150329_LKYGRAPH2_1187888.pdf<!-- OR webcitation.org/6XNr1UqVy -->|archivedate=29 March 2015}}</ref>

During the three decades in which Lee held office, Singapore grew from a [[developing country]] to one of the most [[Developed country|developed nations]] in Asia{{citation needed|reason=No source to say that one person grew an entire nation to success|date=March 2015}}. Lee said that Singapore's only natural resources are its people and their strong work ethic.<ref>{{cite book |last=Suryadinata |first=Leo |date=2012 |title=Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent, Vol. 1: A Biographical Dictionary |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=v9QEBAAAQBAJ |location=Singapore |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |page=525 |isbn=978-981-4414-14-2 |access-date=July 28, 2015 }}</ref>

Lee's achievements in Singapore had a profound effect on the Communist leadership in China, who made a major effort, especially under [[Deng Xiaoping]], to emulate his policies of economic growth, entrepreneurship and subtle suppression of dissent. Over 22,000 Chinese officials were sent to Singapore to study its methods.<ref name="New York Times March 23, 2015"/> He also had a major influence on thinking in Russia in recent years.<ref>Ben Judah, "The Curse of Lee Kuan Yew: The leader eulogized by Obama as a ‘giant of history’ is being used to re-legitimize tyranny." [http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/03/lee-kuan-yew-legacy-116317.html#ixzz3VaOkDclK ''POLITICO'' March 23, 2015]</ref>

Other world leaders also praised Lee. [[Henry Kissinger]] once said that Lee was "One of the asymmetries of history". Former British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] praised “his way of penetrating the fog of propaganda and expressing with unique clarity the issues of our time and the way to tackle them". A later British Prime Minister, [[Tony Blair]], called Lee "the smartest leader I ever met".<ref>Blackwill, Robert D; Allison, Graham (13 February 2013). [http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/seek-the-wisdomof-lee-kuan-yew-87620.html "Opinion: Seek the wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew"]. Politico.com. Retrieved 2 September 2014.</ref>

On the other hand, many Singaporeans have criticised Lee as authoritarian and as intolerant of dissent, citing his numerous – mostly successful – attempts to sue political opponents and newspapers who express an unfavorable opinion. [[Reporters Without Borders]], an international media pressure group, requested Lee and other senior Singaporean officials to stop taking libel suits against journalists.<ref>{{Cite news |title= Stop suing journalists: RSF tells Singapore leaders |newspaper= Bangkok Post |date= 26 March 2010 |url= http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/172827 |accessdate= 26 March 2010 |agency= Agence France-Presse}}</ref>

In addition to being authoritarian, Lee was accused of promoting a culture of elitism among Singapore's ruling class. Michael Barr in his book ''The Ruling Elite of Singapore: Networks of Influence and Power'' claims that the system of meritocracy in Singapore is not quite how the government presents it; rather, it is a system of nepotism and collusion run by Lee's family and their crony friends and allies. Barr claims further that although the government presents the city-state as multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan, all the networks are dominated by ethnic Chinese, leaving the minority Malay and Indian ethnic groups powerless. According to Barr, the entire process of selecting and grooming of future political and economic talent is monopolized in the hands of the ruling People's Action Party, which Lee himself founded with a handful of other British-educated ethnic Chinese that he met in his days at Cambridge.<ref>Barr, M. (2009). The ruling elite of Singapore: Networks of power and influence.</ref>

==Controversies==

===Devan Nair===
In 1999, the former Singaporean President [[Devan Nair]], who was living in Canada, remarked in an interview with the [[Toronto]] ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' that Lee's technique of suing his opponents into bankruptcy or oblivion was an abrogation of political rights. He also remarked that Lee is "an increasingly self-righteous know-all", surrounded by "department store dummies". In response to these remarks, Lee sued Nair in a Canadian court and Nair countersued. Lee then brought a motion to have Nair's counterclaim thrown out of court. Lee argued that Nair's counterclaim disclosed no reasonable cause of action and constituted an inflammatory attack on the integrity of the Singapore government. However, the [[Ontario Superior Court of Justice]] refused to throw out Nair's counterclaim, holding that Lee had abused the litigating process and therefore Nair had a reasonable cause of action.<ref>''Lee v. Globe and Mail'' (2001), 6 C.P.C. (5th) 354 (Ont.S.C.J.).</ref>

According to Lee's memoirs, Nair was forced to resign as President due to his alleged [[alcoholism]], a charge which Nair denied.

===FEER defamation case===
On 24 September 2008 the [[High Court of Singapore]], in a [[summary judgment]] by Justice [[Woo Bih Li]], ruled that the ''[[Far Eastern Economic Review]]'' (FEER) magazine (Hugo Restall, editor), defamed Lee and his son, the Prime Minister, [[Lee Hsien Loong]]. The court found the 2006 article "Singapore's 'Martyr': [[Chee Soon Juan]]" suggested that Lee had been running and continues to run Singapore in the same corrupt manner as [[T. T. Durai]] operated the [[National Kidney Foundation Singapore|National Kidney Foundation]] (NKF) and he has been using libel actions to suppress those who would question him to avoid exposure of his corruption."<ref name="bbc20080924">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7632830.stm "Editor 'defamed' Singapore leader], BBC News, London, 24 September 2008.</ref> The court sentenced FEER, owned by [[Dow Jones & Company]] (in turn owned by [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s News Corp), to pay damages to the complainants. FEER appealed<ref name="bbc20080924"/> but lost the case when the Court of Appeal ruled in October 2009 upheld the previous judgement.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8296157.stm "Singapore backs Lee in media case"] BBC News, 8 October 2009.</ref>

===''International Herald Tribune'' defamation case===
In 2010 Lee, together with his son Lee Hsien Loong, and Goh Chok Tong, threatened legal action against [[The New York Times Company]], which owns the ''[[International Herald Tribune]]'', regarding an Op-Ed piece titled "All in the Family" of 15 February 2010 by Philip Bowring, a freelance columnist and former editor of the ''Far Eastern Economic Review''. The ''International Herald Tribune'' apologised in March that readers of the article may "infer that the younger Lee did not achieve his position through merit". The New York Times Company and Bowring also agreed to pay S$60,000 to Lee Hsien Loong, S$50,000 to Lee and S$50,000 to Goh (totalling about US$114,000 at the time), in addition to legal costs. The case stemmed from a 1994 settlement between the three Singaporean leaders and the paper about an article, also by Bowring, that referred to "dynastic politics" in [[East Asia]]n countries, including Singapore. In that settlement, Bowring agreed not to say or imply that the younger Lee had attained his position through nepotism by his father Lee Kuan Yew. In response, media-rights watchdog [[Reporters Without Borders]] wrote an open letter to urge Lee and other top officials of the Singapore government to stop taking "libel actions" against journalists.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/business/media/25times.html?adxnnl=1&ref=global&adxnnlx=1269630126-/pOpabLI8eqVE1l9rvVbZw|title=Times Co. Settles Claim in Singapore|date=25 March 2010|author=Perez-Pena,Richard|newspaper=The New York Times|accessdate=25 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iT7AgeoMNlFm88Nv9zofXLyb8ljw|title=New York Times to pay damages to Singapore leaders|date=25 March 2010|agency=Agence France-Presse|accessdate=25 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/172827|title=Stop suing journalists: RSF tells Singapore leaders|date=26 March 2010|newspaper=Bangkok Post|accessdate=26 March 2010}}</ref>

===Islam===
In 1999, in a discussion forum, Lee Kuan Yew was asked if emotion bonds of various ethnic groups in Singapore can be a hurdle to nation building, Lee replied: "Yes, I think so, over a long period of time, and selectively. We must not make an error. If, for instance, you put in a Malay officer who's very religious and who has family ties in Malaysia in charge of a machine-gun unit, that's a very tricky business. We've got to know his background. I'm saying these things because they are real, and if I don't think that, and I think even if today the Prime Minister doesn't think carefully about this, we could have a tragedy.

"So, these are problems which, as poly students, you're colour-blind to, but when you face life in reality, it's a different proposition."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.singapore-window.org/sw99/90919lky.htm|title = Lee Kuan Yew's remarks on Malays|date = |accessdate = |website = |publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>

In 2011, [[Wikileaks]] published diplomatic cables attributing controversial comments on [[Islam]] to Lee. Wikileaks quoted Lee as having described Islam as a "venomous religion". Lee qualified his remarks by saying it was taken out of context, "I did talk about extremist terrorists like the [[Jemaah Islamiyah]] group, and the jihadist preachers who brainwashed them. They are implacable in wanting to put down all who do not agree with them. So their Islam is a perverted version, which the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Singapore do not subscribe to".<ref>{{cite book|last=Allison|first=Graham|title=Lee Kuan Yew – The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World|year=2013|publisher=MIT Press|location=Cambridge, MA|page=76}}</ref>

The incident followed hot on the heels of Lee's 2011 book release ''Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going''. In the book, Lee stated that Singaporean Muslims faced difficulties in integrating because of their religion, and urged them to "be less strict on Islamic observances".<ref>[http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/world/03/08/11/singapores-lee-backtracks-muslim-comments "Singapore's Lee backtracks on Muslim comments’"] Channel NewsAsia, 28 January 2011.</ref>

==Cultural depictions==
In 1979, oil painter [[Chua Mia Tee]] depicted Lee's return from London after the Merdeka Talk.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Marsita|first1=Omar|title=Chua Mia Tee|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1010_2008-07-30.html|website=Infopedia|publisher=National Library Board, Singapore|accessdate=4 June 2015}}</ref>

In 1991, Chua depicted Lee against a backdrop of Singapore's transformation. The specially-commissioned oil painting was presented to Lee himself.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lim|first1=Seng Tiong|title=A Tribute to Mr Lee|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=2 May 1991}}</ref>

In 1992, artist [[Lai Kui Fang]] presented historical oil paintings of Lee's 1959 swearing-in ceremony as prime minister, which are part of the [[National Museum of Singapore]]'s collection.<ref>{{cite web|title=History Paintings|url=http://www.laikuifang.com/history.htm|website=Dr Lai's Museum|accessdate=15 September 2014}}</ref>

In 2000, [[Lawrence Koh]] illustrated a best-selling book about Lee's childhood years, ''Growing Up with Lee Kuan Yew''. The book was updated and republished in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Toh |first1=Keiza |title=Former youth delinquent Lawrence Koh cleaned up and went on to illustrate a book on Lee Kuan Yew |url= http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/books/story/former-youth-delinquent-lawrence-koh-cleaned-and-went-illustrate-book-lee-kuan |accessdate=15 September 2014 |newspaper=The Straits Times |location= Singapore |date=21 July 2014}}</ref>

In 2006, artist-writer [[Jason Wee]] presented ''Self-Portrait (No More Tears Mr. Lee)'', a portrait of Lee made from 8,000 plastic shampoo bottle caps placed on an angled pedestal. The title references [[Johnson & Johnson]]'s baby shampoo and the iconic 1965 moment when Lee cried on TV while announcing Singapore's separation from Malaysia.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Helmi |first1=Yusof |title=Can Singapore accept political art? |url= http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/show/2013/04/28/can-singapore-accept-political-art |accessdate=15 September 2014 |newspaper=The Business Times |location=Singapore |date=28 April 2013}}</ref> Wee won a $5,000 Singapore Art Exhibition cash prize for being the voters' choice.<ref>{{cite news |title=Emerging artist bags richest art award |url= https://www.thesingaporepromise.sg/?tabid=2283 |accessdate=15 September 2014 |newspaper=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |date=7 October 2009}}</ref>

In 2008, artist [[Ben Puah]] unveiled ''Hero'', a solo exhibition of Lee portraits at Forth Gallery.<ref>{{cite web|title=OTHER: Exhibition @ Forth Gallery "Hero" by Ben Puah|url=http://www.adpost.com/sg/arts_crafts/3237/|website=Adpost.com|accessdate=15 September 2014}}</ref>

In 2009, artist [[Richard Lim Han]] presented ''Singapore Guidance Angel'', a solo exhibition of Lee portraits at Forth Gallery.<ref>{{cite web|title=Singapore Guidance Angel by Richard Lim Han |url= http://forthgallery.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/449/|website=Forth Gallery |accessdate=15 September 2014}}</ref> In the same year, comics artist and painter [[Sonny Liew]] depicted Lee as part of the series ''[[Eric Khoo]] is a Hotel Magnate'' at Mulan Gallery and freelance designer [[Christopher "Treewizard" Pereira]] began making caricature figurines of Lee, which range from 12&nbsp;cm to 30&nbsp;cm.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lucky Plazas 2|url=https://sonnyliew.wordpress.com/tag/lee-kuan-yew/|website=Sonny Liew's Secreter Robot Spy Factory|accessdate=15 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Teoh|first1=Hannah|title=Quirky artist takes pride in making Lee Kuan Yew figurines his life's work|url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/quirky-artist-takes-pride-in-making-lee-kuan-yew-figurines-his-life-s-work-144343906.html|website=Yahoo Singapore|publisher=Yahoo News Network|accessdate=4 June 2015}}</ref>

In 2010, [[Valentine Willie Fine Art]] gallery asked 19 local artists to imagine a future without Lee. The resulting exhibition, ''Beyond LKY'', included artist [[Jimmy Ong]]'s triptych of Lee as a father figure looming over a tiny kneeling figure with the words, "Papa can you hear me", scrawled across the watercolours; an installation of a broken piano with a tape recorder playing a crackling version of Singapore's [[Majulah Singapura|National Anthem]] by multi-disciplinary artist [[Zai Kuning]]; white ceramic chains hanging on a wall by ceramic artist [[Jason Lim]]; and an installation of hammers smashed together by artist [[Tang Da Wu]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shetty |first1=Deepika |title=Artist Boo Sze Yang sees Lee Kuan Yew as The Father |url= http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/show/2014/02/21/artist-boo-sze-yang-sees-lee-kuan-yew-father |accessdate=15 September 2014 |newspaper=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |date=21 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Chia |first1=Adeline |title=Portraits of a nation |url= http://www.vwfa.net/singaporesurvey2010/press.html |accessdate=15 September 2014 |newspaper=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |date=5 August 2010}}</ref>

In the same year, [[Objectifs]] Gallery curated ''MM I Love You'', a group exhibition featuring the works of [[Jason Wee]], [[Ho Tzu Nyen]], [[Amanda Heng]], [[Tan Pin Pin]] and [[Bryan Van Der Beek]]. The exhibition's title references Lee's former position as Minister Mentor and also the idea of "modern mythology".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Mayo |title=Two group exhibitions explore the legacy of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew |url= http://www.vwfa.net/singaporesurvey2010/press.html |accessdate=15 September 2014 |newspaper=Today |location= Singapore |date=3 August 2010}}</ref> Artist [[Ong Hui Har]]'s ''Harry'' exhibition at [[Old Parliament House, Singapore|The Arts House]] featured [[pop art]] paintings of Lee in his youth.<ref>{{cite web |title= Harry by Ong Hui Har |url= http://boonscafe.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/harry-by-ong-hui-har/ |website=Boon's Cafe |accessdate=15 September 2014}}</ref>

Away from Singapore, Korean artist [[Kim Dong Yoo]] depicted Lee in ''Lee Kuan Yew & Queen Elizabeth II'' (2010), an oil-on-canvas portrait of Lee using small images of [[Queen Elizabeth II]]’s head, a reference to Singapore being a former British colony and current member of the Commonwealth.<ref name="sea.blouinartinfo.com">{{cite news|last1=Kolesnikov-Jessop|first1=Sonia|title=8 Iconic Artworks Featuring Lee Kuan Yew|url=http://sea.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/955529/8-iconic-artworks-featuring-lee-kuan-yew|accessdate=15 September 2014|agency=BlouinArtInfo|date=8 September 2013}}</ref> Chinese artist [[Ren Zhenyu]] has also created [[expressionist]] portraits of Lee in electric hues such as shocking pink and lime green as part of his ''Pop and Politics'' series, while Vietnamese artist [[Mai Huy Dung]] crafted a series of oil painting portraits of Lee.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pop and Politics |url= http://www.odetoart.com/?p=artist&a=71,Ren%20Zhen%20Yu |website=Ode to Art |accessdate=15 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Paintings of Mai Huy Dung |url= http://www.unart.com.sg/artist_MHD.html |website=UnArt |accessdate=15 September 2014}}</ref> In addition, [[Brunei]]an painter [[Huifong Ng]] was discovered after painting a portrait of Lee and Ukrainian artist [[Oleg Lazarenko]] depicted Lee as part of his painting ''Lion of Singapore''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bandial |first1=Quratul-Ain |title=Bruneian painter lands first solo exhibition in S'pore |url= http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2014/08/27/bruneian-painter-lands-first-solo-exhibition-spore |accessdate=15 September 2014 |newspaper=Brunei Times |date=27 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Chong|first1=Andrea|title=Insight charity gala dinner |url=http://www.dreachong.com/2014/03/insight-charity-gala-dinner.html |website=Dreachong |accessdate=15 September 2014}}</ref> Indian-Swiss novelist [[Meira Chand]]'s ''A Different Sky'', published by UK's [[Harvill Secker]] in 2010, features Lee in his early years as a lawyer and co-founder of the [[People's Action Party]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jaggi |first1=Maya |authorlink=Maya Jaggi|title=A Different Sky by Meira Chand |url= http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/oct/02/different-sky-meira-chand-review |work=The Guardian |location= London |date=2 October 2010 |accessdate=21 March 2015}}</ref>

In 2011, the iris image of Lee's eye was captured and artistically rendered to resemble a sand art gallery piece. His eye image with his autograph was auctioned off to raise funds for the Singapore Eye Research Institute.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mr Lee Kuan Yew's Eye Image, Eyes That Tell Stories |work=East Coast Life blog |url= http://eastcoastlife.blogspot.sg/2011/07/mr-lee-kuan-yews-eye-image-eyes-that.html |accessdate=15 September 2014 |date=24 July 2011}}</ref>

In 2012, urban artist [[Samantha Lo]] (SKL0) depicted Lee in her controversial ''Limpeh'' series, featuring his image in [[Shepard Fairey]]-inspired stickers, mirrors and collages.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lo|first1=Samantha|title=The Limpeh Series|url=http://skl0.com/selected/the-limpeh-series/#!prettyPhoto|website=SKL0|accessdate=15 September 2014}}</ref>

In 2013, poet [[Cyril Wong]] published ''The Dictator's Eyebrow'', a thinly-veiled and surreal collection revolving around a Lee-like figure and his eyebrow’s thirst for recognition and power.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Dictator's Eyebrow |url= http://www.ethosbooks.com.sg/store/mli_viewItem.asp?idProduct=323 |website= Ethos Books |accessdate=15 September 2014}}</ref> In the same year, a group of [[Tamil language|Tamil]] poets from three countries, including [[Singapore Literature Prize]] winner [[Ramanathan Vairavan]], produced ''Lee Kuan Yew 90'', a collection of 90 new poems celebrating Lee's legacy.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chang |first1=Rachel |title=Tamil poets honour Mr Lee with poetry book |url= http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/tamil-poets-honour-mr-lee-poetry-book |accessdate=15 September 2014 |newspaper =The Straits Times |location=Singapore |date=25 September 2013}}</ref> Artist [[Sukeshi Sondhi]] also staged ''An Icon & A Legend'', a solo exhibition at ArtOne21 featuring about 20 [[pop art]] style paintings of Lee.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Yusof |first1=Helmi |title=Kuan Yew gets the Warhol treatment |url= http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/show/2013/08/18/kuan-yew-gets-warhol-treatment |accessdate=15 September 2014 |newspaper=The Business Times |location=Singapore |date=18 August 2013}}</ref> Speed painter [[Brad Blaze]] was commissioned to craft a portrait of Lee, ''Trailblazer: Singapore'', to raise funds for Reach Community Services Society.<ref>{{cite web |title= Trailblazer: Singapore |url= http://speedpainter.com/tag/brad-blaze/ |website=Brad Blaze |accessdate=15 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Yusof |first1=Helmi |title=Pop Art iconography a hit with collectors |url= http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/pop-art-iconography-a-hit-with-collectors |accessdate=25 February 2015 |newspaper=The Business Times |location= Singapore |date=13 February 2015}}</ref>

In February 2014, artist [[Boo Sze Yang]] presented ''The Father'' at iPreciation Gallery, a solo exhibition featuring eight oil-on-canvas portraits of Lee in unconventional settings, like an embellished throne or a scene that depicts the [[Last Supper]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shetty |first1=Deepika |title=Artist Boo Sze Yang sees Lee Kuan Yew as The Father |url= http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/show/2014/02/21/artist-boo-sze-yang-sees-lee-kuan-yew-father |accessdate=15 September 2014 |newspaper=The Straits Times |location= Singapore |date=21 February 2014}}</ref> In regard to his opinion of Lee, Boo was quoted as saying, "I look at him as how I would look at my own father, a powerful and distant figure for whom I have mixed feelings - a lot of gratitude, but also doubt."<ref name="LKY Mania">{{cite news|last1=Helmi |first1=Yusof|title=LKY Mania|url=http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/lky-mania|accessdate=25 February 2015|newspaper=The Business Times|location=Singapore|date=13 February 2015}}</ref>

In May 2014, illustrator [[Patrick Yee]] produced the children's [[picture book]] ''A Boy Named Harry: The Childhood of Lee Kuan Yew'', published by [[Epigram Books]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = A Boy Named Harry: The Childhood of Lee Kuan Yew|last = Yee|first = Patrick|publisher = Epigram Books|year = 2014|isbn = 978-981-4615-29-7|location = |pages = }}</ref> Yee joined [[Lawrence Koh]] of ''Growing Up with Lee Kuan Yew'' on a panel named "A Different Side of the Man" at the 2014 [[Singapore Writers Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|title=A Different Side of the Man|url=https://www.singaporewritersfestival.com/nacswf/nacswf/program-listing/festival-events/A-different-side-of-the-man.html|website=Singapore Writers Festival|publisher=National Arts Council|accessdate=15 November 2014}}</ref>

In July 2014, it was reported that photographers [[Samuel He]] and [[Sam Chin]] were on the search for people with the same name as Lee for an upcoming book project to mark Singapore's golden jubilee in 2015. So far, the photographers had found Lee Kuang Yeo, a former fish farmer, who shares the same Chinese name as Lee.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Au-yong|first1=Rachel|title=Search ongoing for namesakes of former PM Lee Kuan Yew|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/search-ongoing-namesakes-former-pm-lee-kuan-yew-20140729|accessdate=15 November 2014|newspaper=The Straits Times|location=Singapore|date=29 July 2014}}</ref>

At the 2014 Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention in September, artist [[Chan Shiuan]] presented ''Lee Kuan Yew Cosplay'', a series of caricatures of Lee as five fictional characters - from [[X-Men]]'s [[Magneto (comics)|Magneto]] to ''[[Star Wars]]''' [[Yoda]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Foo|first1=Jie Ying|title= Artist on her caricatures of ex-PM Lee Kuan Yew: Inspired to draw him as superhero |url= http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/artist-her-caricatures-ex-pm-lee-kuan-yew-inspired-draw-him-superhero|accessdate=15 September 2014|newspaper=The New Paper|location=Singapore|date=10 September 2014}}</ref> She was later quoted as saying of her popular series, "Mr Lee is an intriguing and well-known local personality, and I thought it could be interesting to do a mash-up with other well-known fictional characters...It was an attempt to do something heartfelt and different with a local flavour."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Helmi|first1=Yusof|title=LKY of heroic proportions|url=http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/lky-of-heroic-proportions|accessdate=25 February 2015|newspaper=The Business Times|location=Singapore|date=13 February 2015}}</ref>

In October 2014, it was revealed that veteran actor [[Lim Kay Tong]] will play Lee in the upcoming film celebrating Singapore's Golden Jubilee, ''1965''<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ng|first1=Gwendolyn|title=Lim Kay Tong to play founding PM Lee Kuan Yew in the movie 1965|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/movies/story/lim-kay-tong-play-founding-pm-lee-kuan-yew-the-movie-1965-20141008|accessdate=8 October 2014|newspaper=The Straits Times|location=Singapore|date=8 October 2014}}</ref> In the same month, cartoonist [[Morgan Chua]] released ''LKY: Political Cartoons'', an anthology of cartoons about Lee published by [[Epigram Books]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = LKY: Political Cartoons|last = Chua|first = Morgan|publisher = Epigram Books|year = 2013|isbn = 978-981-4615-29-7|location = |pages = }}</ref> The [[Madame Tussauds]] Singapore museum also unveiled a wax figure of Lee and his late wife, Madam [[Kwa Geok Choo]] seated and smiling together against a backdrop of red flowers formed in the shape of two hearts. The statues were created based on a photograph that was taken by Madam Kwa's niece, Ms Kwa Kim Li, of the pair on Valentine's Day in 2008 at [[Sentosa]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Singh|first1=Bryna|title=Wax figures of Lee Kuan Yew and his late wife unveiled at Madame Tussauds Singapore|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/wax-figures-lee-kuan-yew-and-his-late-wife-unveiled-mada|accessdate=24 October 2014|newspaper=The Straits TImes|location=Singapore|date=23 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Kuan Yew & late wife immortalised in romantic tribute at Madame Tussauds|url=http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=384771:kuan-yew--late-wife-immortalised-in-romantic-tribute-at-madame-tussauds&Itemid=4|accessdate=24 October 2014|work= Malaysia Chronicle|date=23 October 2014}}</ref> Another wax figure of Lee Kuan Yew is also unveiled in [[Madame Tussauds Hong Kong]]. In addition, [[Cultural Medallion]] recipient [[Tan Swie Hian]] completed a painting of Lee and his late wife titled ''A Couple''. The painting, which took Tan five years to complete, was partially damaged by a fire in 2013. It depicts Lee and Kwa in their youth, is based on a 1946 black-and-white photograph of the couple in Cambridge University, and incorporates in its background Tan's poem in memory of Kwa. ''A Couple'' was purchased by art collector Wu Hsioh Kwang.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ang|first1=Benson|title=Damaged portraits of Mr and Mrs Lee completed|url=http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/damaged-portraits-mr-and-mrs-lee-completed|accessdate=27 October 2014|newspaper=The Straits Times|location=Singapore|date=27 October 2014}}</ref>

In November 2014, [[Math Paper Press]] published ''A Luxury We Cannot Afford'', a poetry anthology named after Lee's infamous saying, "Poetry is a luxury we cannot afford...What is important for pupils is not literature, but a philosophy of life."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sandhu|first1=Kernial Singh|last2=Wheatley|first2=Paul|title=Management of Success: The Moulding of Modern Singapore|date=1989|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|location=Singapore|isbn=978-9971988968|page=528|edition=First}}</ref> The book, edited by [[Christine Chia]] and [[Joshua Ip]], features poems by [[Edwin Thumboo]], [[Robert Yeo]], [[Alfian Sa'at]] and others about Lee.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Luxury We Cannot Afford|url=http://booksactually.com/mathpaperpress/poetry/aluxurywecannotafford.html|website=BooksActually on Big Cartel|accessdate=21 November 2014}}</ref>

At [[Art Stage Singapore]] 2015, Singapore's [[Art Plural Gallery]] presented a solo exhibition by Chinese artist [[Nan Qi]], comprising a selection of intricate ink paintings of politicians, including a series of portraits of Lee.<ref>{{cite web|title=Art Plural Gallery Art Stage Singapore 2015|url=https://www.artsy.net/show/art-plural-gallery-art-plural-gallery-at-art-stage-singapore-2015-1|website=Artsy|accessdate=26 January 2015}}</ref> Also in January, at the [[M1 Singapore Fringe Festival]] organised by [[The Necessary Stage]], artist-writer [[Jason Wee]] presented ''Mambo Night for a King''. The online exhibition consisted of performances by Singaporeans doing moves from Mambo Jambo theme nights at [[Zouk (club)|Zouk]] to texts drawn from Lee’s book ''From Third World to First: The Singapore Story''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mambo Night for a King|url=http://www.singaporefringe.com/fringe2015/mambo-night-for-a-king.html |publisher=M1 Singapore Fringe Festival|accessdate=26 January 2015}}</ref>

In February 2015, ''[[Business Times (Singapore)|The Business Times]]''' Helmi Yusof reported on how "In the last few years, artworks featuring Lee Kuan Yew have turned into a flourishing cottage industry".<ref name="LKY Mania"/> These artworks included artist [[Jeffrey Koh]]'s seven LKY Pez candy-dispenser sculptures (created with Indonesian artist [[Budi Nugroho]]) and paintings of Lee created in the manner of [[Van Gogh]]'s swirly brushstrokes, and Korean sculptor [[Park Seung Mo]]'s three-dimensional image of Lee made using stainless steel wires for Ode To Art Gallery.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Yusof |first1=Helmi |title='Papa' Pez dispenses sagely advice |url= http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/papa-pez-dispenses-sagely-advice |accessdate=25 February 2015 |newspaper=The Business Times |location=Singapore |date=13 February 2015}}</ref> In the same month, illustrator [[Patrick Yee]] launched the second title in the first picture book series about Lee, called ''Harry Grows Up: The Early Years of Lee Kuan Yew'' at an exhibition at the [[National Library, Singapore]] and a clip of actor [[Lim Kay Tong]] as Lee announcing the separation of Singapore from Malaysia was released.<ref>{{cite web|title=Meet The Authors: Patrick Yee and Lawrence Koh |url= http://www.nlb.gov.sg/golibrary/Programmes/Read/61316/Meet_The_Authors__Patrick_Yee_and_Lawrence_Koh.aspx|website=National Library Board |accessdate=25 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Watch Lim Kay Tong play Lee Kuan Yew in upcoming movie ''1965'' |url= http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/movies/story/watch-lim-kay-tong-play-lee-kuan-yew-the-upcoming-movie-1965-20150217 |accessdate=25 February 2015 |newspaper=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |date=17 February 2015}}</ref>

In March 2015, [[Ong Yi Teck]] created a portrait of Lee by writing Lee's name around 18,000 times over 15 hours. Ong created the A2-sized portrait in tribute to Lee, who was critically ill. The portrait, along with videos detailing the drawing process, went viral on social media. Prime Minister [[Lee Hsien Loong]]'s wife [[Ho Ching]] shared it on Facebook.<ref>{{cite news |author=Lee Min Kok |title= Aspiring artist writes Mr Lee Kuan Yew's name 18,000 times to create this amazing portrait |url= http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/visual-arts/story/aspiring-artist-creates-amazing-portrait-mr-lee-kuan-yew-writing-mr-lees |accessdate=21 March 2015 |work=The Straits Times |location= Singapore |date=21 March 2015}}</ref>

In April 2015, an exhibition of 300 oil paintings on Lee and Singapore opened at [[Suntec City]]. Presented by art collector Vincent Chua, ''The Singapore Story'' featured 80 portraits of Lee and a life-size statue of Lee shaking hands with [[Deng Xiaoping]] when the Chinese statesman visited Singapore in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lim|first1=Yan Liang|title=Oil paintings of Mr Lee Kuan Yew go on display at exhibition at Suntec City|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/oil-paintings-mr-lee-kuan-yew-go-display-exhibition-sunt|website=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|accessdate=4 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Grosse|first1=Sara|title=About 300 oil paintings on Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore on show at Suntec|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/about-300-oil-paintings/1785896.html|website=Channel NewsAsia|publisher=MediaCorp|accessdate=4 June 2015}}</ref>

In May 2015, ''Singapura: The Musical'' opened at the [[Capitol Building, Singapore|Capitol Theatre]]. Previously reported as a musical "about" Lee, ''Singapura'' instead only featured an obliquely-named character, "Man In White", drifting across the stage.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tan|first1=Corrie|title=Two musicals on Lee Kuan Yew in the works|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/two-musicals-lee-kuan-yew-the-works-20140207|accessdate=15 September 2014|newspaper=The Straits Times|location=Singapore|date=7 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Tan|first1=Corrie|title=Theatre review: Kitschy Singapura: The Musical barely does Singapore history justice|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/theatre-dance/story/theatre-review-kitschy-singapura-the-musical-barely-does-singapore-his|website=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|accessdate=4 June 2015}}</ref> Its creator and composer [[Ed Gatchalian]] credited the first volume of Lee's memoirs as the musical's initial inspiration.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lai|first1=Karin|title=Theatre review: Singapura The Musical|url=http://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/arts-reviews/theatre-review-singapura-musical|website=TODAY|publisher=MediaCorp|accessdate=4 June 2015}}</ref> In the same month, illustrator [[Patrick Yee]] released the third title in his best-selling picture book series on Lee, ''Harry Builds a Nation: The Legacy of Lee Kuan Yew''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Harry Builds a Nation: The Legacy of Lee Kuan Yew|url=http://shop.epigrambooks.sg/products/harry-3|website=Epigram Books|accessdate=4 June 2015}}</ref>

In Aug 2015, approaching Singapore's 50th national day, [[Singapore Press Holdings|SPH]]'s [[AsiaOne]] reported a talented sand artist depicting Lee in a touching sand art tribute on Youtube entitled ''(Sand Art) Touching Tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew [SG50 Jubilee]'' <ref>{{cite web|title=Talented sand artist creates touching SG50 tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew|url=http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/talented-sand-artist-creates-touching-sg50-tribute-mr-lee-kuan-yew|website=SPH - AsiaOne|accessdate=5 August 2015}}</ref>

==Memoirs==
Between 1998 and 2000, Lee Kuan Yew published a two-volume set of memoirs. ''The Singapore Story'' (1998) covers his view of [[History of Singapore|Singapore's history]] until its separation from [[Malaysia]] in 1965, and ''From Third World to First: The Singapore Story'' (2000) gives his account of Singapore's subsequent transformation into a developed nation. In 2005, Lee published ''Keeping My Mandarin Alive: Lee Kuan Yew Language Learning Experience'', which documents his challenge learning Mandarin in his thirties and why it is important for overseas Chinese to learn and speak Chinese. In 2011, Lee published ''My Lifelong Challenge Singapore's Bilingual Journey'' which chronicles his struggle adopting Singapore bilingual policy in a multiracial society. Also in 2011, Lee published ''Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going'', a 458-page questions-and-answers book, in which he is interviewed by journalists from [[Singapore Press Holdings]] on issues which include the challenges he faced when Singapore first gained independence, the future political landscape, opportunities for youth in Singapore and also his personal views on homosexuality and family.

In 2013, Lee published two new books, ''The Wit and Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew'' and ''One Man's View of the World''. ''The Wit and Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew'' contains almost 600 quotations which provides a summary of his views on a wide range of topics on Singapore and the world. In ''One Man's View of the World'', Lee draws on his experience and insight to offer his views on today’s world and what it might look like in 20 years.

==Awards==
[[File:Dmitry Medvedev in Singapore 15-16 November 2009-5.jpg|thumb|Lee receives the [[Order of Friendship]] from [[Dmitry Medvedev]], [[Russian President]], on 15 November 2009 in Singapore.]]
* Lee received a number of [[state decoration]]s, including the [[Order of the Companions of Honour]] (1970), Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (1972), the [[Freedom of the City of London|Freedom]] of the [[City of London]] (1982), the [[Order of the Crown of Johor|Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor]] (1984), the Order of Great Leader (1988) and the [[Order of the Rising Sun]] (1967).<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.pmo.gov.sg/AboutGovernment/CabinetAppointments/MMLeeKuanYew|title=Bio of Lee Kuan Yew|publisher=Government of Singapore|accessdate=10 September 2008}}</ref>
* In 1999, Lee was named one of [[Time]]'s Most Influential People of the 20th Century. He was cited as a ''Master Planner'' <ref name=Time1999>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990823/lee1.html |title = Asians of the Century: A Tale of Titans |magazine = TIME |date = 23 August 1999 |first = Terry |last = McCarthy}}</ref>
:{{Quotation|Lee Kuan Yew towers over other Asian leaders on the international stage...Lee loves Singapore. What really sets this complex man apart from Asia's other nation-builders is what he didn't do - he did not become corrupt, and he did not stay in power too long.}}
* In 2002, Lee was formally admitted to the Fellowship of [[Imperial College London]] in recognition of his promotion of international trade and industry, and development of science and engineering study initiatives with the UK.<ref name="Imperial College London">{{Cite news|title=Commemoration Daypride|url=http://www.imperial.ac.uk/college.asp?P=3736|work=Reporter|publisher=Imperial College London|date=13 November 2002}}</ref>
* In 2006, Lee was presented with the [[Woodrow Wilson Awards|Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service]] by the [[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]].
* In 2007, Lee was conferred an honorary Doctorate in Law at the [[Australian National University]] in [[Canberra]], albeit amid protest from students and staff.<ref>{{Cite news|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=28 March 2007|last=Skehan|first=Craig|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/03/28/1174761533651.html|title=Hostile welcome for Lee Kuan Yew}}</ref>
* In October 2009, Lee was conferred the first Lifetime Achievement award by the US-Asean Business Council at its 25th anniversary gala dinner in Washington, DC. In his tribute, the former [[United States Secretary of State]] and 1973 [[Nobel Peace Prize]] winner [[Henry Kissinger]] said:<ref>{{Cite press release|title=Warm tributes from old friends|publisher=The White House|location=Washington DC|date=29 October 2009|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-obama-and-minister-mentor-lee-kuan-yew-singapore-meeting}}</ref>{{Quotation|He has become a seminal figure for all of us. I've not learned as much from anybody as I have from Mr Lee Kuan Yew. He made himself an indispensable friend of the United States, not primarily by the power he represented but by the quality of his thinking.}}
:Meeting the [[President of the United States|US President]] at the [[Oval Office]] in the [[White House]] a day later, [[Barack Obama]] introduced him as "one of the legendary figures of Asia in the 20th and 21st centuries. He is somebody who helped to trigger the Asian economic miracle."<ref>{{Cite news|title=Obama welcomes 'legendary' Lee Kuan Yew|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=29 October 2009|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gCvuRK0yenAnx8seMxjlAG59nC7w}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release|title=Remarks by President Obama and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore before Meeting|publisher=The White House |location =Washington DC|date=29 October 2009|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-obama-and-minister-mentor-lee-kuan-yew-singapore-meeting}}</ref>
* On 15 November 2009, Lee was awarded the Russian [[Order of Friendship]] by [[President of Russia|President]] [[Dmitry Medvedev]] on the sidelines of [[APEC Singapore 2009]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1018440/1/.html|title=Russia, S'pore move towards closer ties with new governmental body|publisher=Channel NewsAsia|location=Singapore|author=Hoe Yeen Nie|date=16 November 2009|accessdate=22 March 2011}}
</ref>
* On 29 April 2010, Lee was named in the TIME 100 list as one of the people who most affect our world. He was profiled as a ''Thinker'' <ref name="Time2010">{{Cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1984685_1984745_1985491,00.html|title=Lee Kuan Yew&nbsp;– The 2010 TIME 100|work=Time|location=New York|accessdate=29 April 2010|date=29 April 2010}}</ref>
:{{Quotation|When Lee took over, per capita income was about $400 a year; now it is close to $40,000...Because of his leadership, a medium-size city has become a significant international and economic player, especially in fostering multilateral transpacific ties. There is no better strategic thinker in the world today. Two generations of American leaders have benefited from his counsel.}}
* On 14 January 2011, Lee received the inaugural Gryphon Award from his alma mater, Raffles Institution, given to illustrious Rafflesians who have made exceptional contributions to the nation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1104544/1/.html|title=S'pore must preserve meritocracy in govt schools, says MM Lee|publisher=Channel NewsAsia|location=Singapore|accessdate=13 January 2011}}</ref>
* On 19 October 2011, Lee received the Lincoln Medal in Washington DC&nbsp;— an honour reserved for people who have exemplified the legacy and character embodied by [[Abraham Lincoln]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Marks|first=Simon|title=Former MM Lee Kuan Yew receives Lincoln Medal|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1160377/1/.html|publisher=Channel NewsAsia|location=Singapore|date=19 October 2011|accessdate=20 October 2011}}</ref>
* On 21 February 2012, Lee was conferred the Kazakhstan [[Order of Friendship (Kazakhstan)|Order of Friendship]] by Ambassador Yerlan Baudarbek-Kozhatayev, at the [[Istana]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1184327/1/.html|title=Lee Kuan Yew conferred Order of Friendship by Kazakhstan|publisher=Channel NewsAsia|location= Singapore|author=Chan, Joanne|date=21 February 2012|accessdate=21 February 2012}}
</ref>
* On 10 September 2013, Lee was conferred Russia's [[Order of Honour (Russian Federation)|Order of Honour]] by Ambassador [[Leonid Moiseev]] for his contributions for forging friendship and cooperation with the Russian Federal and scientific and cultural relations development.<ref>
{{Cite news|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/lee-kuan-yew-conferred/945006.html|title=Lee Kuan Yew conferred Order of Friendship by Kazakhstan|publisher=Channel NewsAsia|location=Singapore|author=Kumar, Chitra|date=6 January 2014|accessdate=6 January 2014}}</ref>
* On 22 May 2014, the title of Honorary Doctor of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was presented by the Russian government to Lee.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/moscow-honours-lee-kuan-yew-doctorate-20140524|title=Moscow honours Lee Kuan Yew with doctorate|date=24 May 2014|newspaper=The Straits Times|location=Singapore}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==

===Primary sources===
* {{cite book|title=The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew, Vol. 1 |date=1998 |isbn=9789812049834|publisher=Times Editions |last=Lee |first=Kuan Yew|ref={{SfnRef|Lee|1998}} }}
* {{cite book|authormask=2|title=From Third World to First: 1965-2000: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew, Vol. 2|date=2000|first=Kuan Yew|last=Lee|publisher=[[Harper (publisher)|Harper]]|isbn=9780060197766}}
* {{cite book|authormask=2|title=Keeping My Mandarin Alive: Lee Kuan Yew's Language Learning Experience|date=2005|first=Kuan Yew|last=Lee|publisher=World Scientific Publishing Company|isbn=9789812563828}}
* {{cite book|authormask=2|title=Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going|date=2011|isbn=9789814266727|publisher=Straits Times Press|first=Kuan Yew|last=Lee}}
* {{cite book|authormask=2|title=My Lifelong Challenge: Singapore's Bilingual Journey|date=2012|isbn=9789814342032|publisher=Straits Times Press|first=Kuan Yew|last=Lee}}
* {{cite book|authormask=2|title=One Man's View of the World|last=Lee|first=Kuan Yew|date=2013|location=Singapore|isbn=9789814342568|publisher=Straits Times Press|ref={{SfnRef|Lee|2013}} }}
* {{cite book|authormask=2|first=Kuan Yew|last=Lee|title=The Wit and Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew|publisher=Didier Millet|date=2013|isbn=9789814385282}}
* {{cite book|authormask=2|first=Kuan Yew|last=Lee|title=Lee Kuan Yew: A Life in Pictures|publisher=Straits Times Press|year=2014|isbn=9789814342582}}

===Other sources===
{{lacking ISBN|section|date=March 2015}}
* {{cite book|title=Lee Kuan Yew: Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States and the World|year=2013|isbn=9780262019125|publisher=MIT Press}}
* [[Koh, Buck Song]] (2011). ''Brand Singapore: How Nation Branding Built Asia's Leading Global City''. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish.
* Plate, Tom. ''Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew: Citizen Singapore: How to Build a Nation'' (Giants of Asia Series). Marshall Cavendish 2010 (ISBN 9812616764)
* Barr, Michael D. 2000. ''Lee Kuan Yew: The Beliefs Behind the Man''. Washington D.C.: [[Georgetown University Press]].
* [[Sunanda K. Datta-Ray|Datta-Ray, Sunanda K.]] 2009. ''Looking East to Look West: Lee Kuan Yew's Mission India''
* [[Uri Gordon|Gordon, Uri]]. 2000. [http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/apcity/unpan002548.pdf Machiavelli's Tiger: Lee Kwan Yew and Singapore's Authoritarian regime]
* [[Alex Josey|Josey, Alex]]. 1980. ''Lee Kuan Yew&nbsp;– The Crucial Years''. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur: Times Books International.
* King, Rodney. 2008. ''The Singapore Miracle, Myth and Reality''. 2nd Edition, Insight Press.
* Kwang, Han Fook, Warren Fernandez and Sumiko Tan. 1998. ''Lee Kuan Yew: The Man and His Ideas''. Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings.
* {{Cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990823/lee1.html|location=Hong Kong|title=Lee Kuan Yew|last=McCarthy|first=Terry|newspaper=[[Time Asia]]|accessdate=22 March 2015}}
* Minchin, James. 1986. ''No Man is an Island. A Study of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew''. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lee Kuan Yew}}
{{Commons category|Funeral of Lee Kuan Yew}}
{{Library resources box|onlinebooks=no|by=yes}}
* [http://www.lee-kuan-yew.com Lee Kuan Yew website]; accessed 22 March 2015.
* {{C-SPAN|leeyew}}
* {{Charlie Rose view|1346}}
* {{Worldcat id|lccn-n50-39577}}
* {{NYTtopic|people/l/lee_kuan_yew}}
* {{Nndb|044/000110711}}
* [http://www.tributetolky.org/ ली क्वान यू और उनकी विरासत | Lee Kuan Yew and his legacy]
* [http://www.shabdankan.com/2015/03/lee-kuan-yew-founding-father-and-first-premier-of-singapore-dies-at-91.html Tribute to Lee Kuan Yew]
* [http://leekuanyew.straitstimes.com/ST/index.html The Straits Times - Remembering Lee Kuan Yew]
* [http://leekuanyew.straitstimes.com/ST/guide/index.html The Straits Times - Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s funeral procession]

;Interviews and articles
* [http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/49691/fareed-zakaria/a-conversation-with-lee-kuan-yew A Conversation with Lee Kuan Yew], [[Fareed Zakaria]], [[Foreign Affairs]], March–April 1994
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/asia/ War of Words] Alejandro Reyes, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 25 September 1998.
* [http://www.postcolonialweb.org/singapore/government/leekuanyew/chron.html Lee Kuan Yew: A Chronology, 1923–1965] Largely based on Lee Kuan Yew, <cite>The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew</cite>. Singapore: Times, 1998.
* [http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/09/22/gps.singapore.story.cnn?iref=videosearch Part 1], [http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/09/22/gps.singapore.story.part2.cnn Part 2]: ''[[CNN]]'', Fareed Zakaria talks with Lee Kuan Yew about his life as prime minister of Singapore, 22 September 2008
* [http://www.sify.com/news/Daddy-knows-best-The-Lee-Kuan-Yew-story-imagegallery-features-kjew7Rfcfih.html Daddy knows best: The Lee Kuan Yew story], Tom Plate, ''[[Sify.com]]'', 2010(?)
* {{Wayback|df=yes|date=20090221190948|url=http://www.parliament.gov.sg/AboutUs/Org-MP-MP-Prof-LeeKuanYew.htm|title=Official Profile}} at the [[Parliament of Singapore]]
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.archives.arc.652377|name=Interview with Lee Kuan Yew (1967)}}

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{{Singapore PMs}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Persondata
|NAME = Lee, Kuan Yew
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Lee, Harry Kuan Yew
|SHORT DESCRIPTION = Singaporean politician; first Prime Minister of Singapore
|DATE OF BIRTH = 16 September 1923
|PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Singapore]]
|DATE OF DEATH = 23 March 2015
|PLACE OF DEATH = [[Outram, Singapore]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Kuan Yew}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics]]
[[Category:Cold War leaders]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia]]
[[Category:Fellows of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Honorary Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor]]
[[Category:Members of the Cabinet of Singapore]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Singapore]]
[[Category:People's Action Party politicians]]
[[Category:People from Dabu]]
[[Category:Prime Ministers of Singapore]]
[[Category:Raffles Institution alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Friendship]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun]]
[[Category:Singaporean agnostics]]
[[Category:Singaporean anti-communists]]
[[Category:Singaporean Confucianists]]
[[Category:Singaporean lawyers]]
[[Category:Singaporean people of Hakka descent]]

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