PM Lee Hsien Loong: A view from up close

At the recent May Day rally, his last as prime minister, PM Lee radiated the aura of a leader who has given his absolute all.

He had by this time completed five of the six cycles of his chemotherapy, with each cycle lasting three weeks. The drugs were fed through tubes inserted into his chest. He was relatively young, at 40. For a leader used to being in charge, this was, in a sense, the hardest part for him – dealing with the unknowns and not being able to exert any control over the outcome. “Such an experience is bound to leave a mark on a person,” he told me without any hint of self-pity. “But I think work goes on, and life goes on.”

When Mr Lee was cleared of cancer cells in April 1993, he threw himself back into work. When the Asian financial crisis struck in 1997, he was out there leading the country to a rapid recovery. The eldest of two boys and a girl, Mr Lee Hsien Loong was not spared the shocks of political battle. Once during a troubled period in Malaysia in 1965, his father had asked him to look after the family should anything untoward happen to him, the Singapore PM. Mr Lee Hsien Loong was then 13.

The first interview was led by former minister Lim Kim San; the second by Mr Rajaratnam. PM Lee Kuan Yew, who had recused himself from the process, was not present at both interviews. Mr Lee Hsien Loong was carried by supporters after his victory in the general election in the Teck Ghee seat, on Dec 22, 1984. PHOTO: ST FILEAs one who has observed his leadership closely for many years, I believe that what motivated him to dedicate his life to political service was an appreciation of how special his country was, and an obsession to keep it special, not only for his generation but for future generations.

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