Eulogies
Last updated 15 July 2025
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This page was first published on 29 March 2015.
ESM Goh Chok Tong’s Eulogy
TRANSCRIPT OF EULOGY
BY EMERITUS SENIOR MINISTER GOH CHOK TONG
AT THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR LEE KUAN YEW
SUNDAY, 29 MARCH 2015
UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE AUDITORIUM
HE WAS MY TEACHER
Mr Lee Kuan Yew gave his life to us. To truly appreciate this, you had to have marched alongside him in his long political journey. Or studied him closely – his words and actions, his ideas and vision, his values and philosophy. Or carried along by his passion in building a nation and improving the lives of Singaporeans. Or lived his worries, day in and day out.
To Singaporeans, he was our first Prime Minister, our leader who fought for our Independence, the man who turned Singapore from Third World to First, our national father. For me, he would always be my teacher.
Eulogy by Dr Lee Wei Ling at Cremation Service
Family and friends, thank you for being here with us today.
After Mama died in October 2010, Papa’s health deteriorated rapidly. The past five years have been challenging. But as always, Papa was determined to carry on as normal as possible, as best as he could.
He developed Parkinson’s disease three years ago which severely limited his mobility. He had great difficulty standing and walking. But he refused to use a wheel chair or even a walking stick. He would walk, aided by his SOs.
Eulogy by Mr Lee Hsien Yang at Cremation Service
Honoured guests, friends and family
Papa was born in 1923 when Singapore was part of the British Empire, the Straits Settlements flag fluttered over Government House, and the people of Singapore sang ‘God Save the King’. He was given the name “Harry” at birth but he soon grew to feel that that did not fit him and the fact that he was a son of Singapore. When Papa was 10, his youngest brother Suan Yew was born. Papa who was only 10, persuaded his father and mother that it was not a good thing to give Suan Yew a western name. And so at 10 years old, he had prevailed in the household. Decades later, when Papa entered politics, he found the name Harry, to be a political liability. And many think it was for politics that he found it but in truth for two decades before that he had felt this was not right for him.
When Loong, Ling and I were born, Papa gave us only Chinese names, and in those days, there was no Hanyu Pinyin so he used the Wade Giles which was the prevailing system to spell the names. And as papa did not have a good commandment of Chinese and came from a Peranakan household, he sought the help from the court interpreter Mr Wong Chong Min in the choice of names. Two years ago, Loong while walking around in Queenstown met Mr Wong’s son, the man who had named the three of us.
Eulogy by Mr Li Hongyi at Cremation Service
Some years ago when I was preparing to go to university, Yeye gave me a camera. This was the first and only time he ever gave me a present. Over the next few years I got deeply into photography and took thousands of photos of my time in college. After I graduated I got a book printed with my favourite ones. I presented it to him as a thank you for his gift and hopefully to show him I had done something good with it.
Yeye was more than a grandfather to me. He was an inspiration. As a child, I looked up to him and wanted to grow up to be the kind of man he was. And even now, I still do.
Eulogy by Mr Li Shengwu at Cremation Service
Honoured guests, friends, and family.
When the grandchildren were very little, Ye Ye would take us on walks to feed the fishes at the Istana. We would perch on the edge of the pond, the ripples of our breadcrumbs breaking the mirrored surface of the water. He liked to have the grandchildren nearby as he rode his stationery bike on the green grass.
Sunday lunch with Ye Ye was an institution for our family. His voice and his hearty laugh would carry to the childrens’ table, talking about matters of state, recounting meetings with foreign leaders whose names we neither recognized nor remembered.
Mr G Muthukumarasamy’s Eulogy
TRANSCRIPT OF EULOGY
BY MR G MUTHUKUMARASAMY, GENERAL SECRETARY FOR AMALGAMATED UNION OF PUBLIC DAILY RATED WORKERS
AT THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR LEE KUAN YEW
SUNDAY, 29 MARCH 2015
UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENRE AUDITORIUM
Mr Lee Hsien Yang’s Eulogy
TRANSCRIPT OF EULOGY
BY LEE HSIEN YANG
AT THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR LEE KUAN YEW
SUNDAY, 29 MARCH 2015
UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE AUDITORIUM
Mr President
Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet
Distinguished guests here to honour my father
My fellow Singaporeans and friends of Singapore
Singapore has lost the father to our nation. For my family we have lost our beloved father and grandfather. We are bereft.
I was born in 1957, and for as long as I can remember, Papa was a public figure. As a child, I was only vaguely aware that my father was an “orang besar” or “VIP” in Malay. All little children must think their fathers are special; I do not remember when it dawned on me that he was not just my own special father and not just an ordinary “orang besar”, he was an extraordinary “orang besar”.
Mr Leong Chun Loong’s Eulogy
TRANSCRIPT OF EULOGY
BY LEONG CHUN LOONG
AT THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR LEE KUAN YEW
SUNDAY, 29 MARCH 2015
UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE AUDITORIUM
Mr President
Family members of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew
Friends
Today, we mourn the loss of our country’s first Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
I have been a grassroots leader in Tanjong Pagar Constituency for 39 years. I am privileged to be able to stand here today to pay tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. I consider him my leader and my friend. His departure is not only a loss to the country but also a deep personal loss for me. Having worked closely with him for so many years, I have developed a profound respect and admiration for Mr Lee. I now wish to share with you some stories of my encounters with this great man throughout these years.
Mr Ong Pang Boon Eulogy
TRANSCRIPT OF EULOGY
BY ONG PANG BOON
AT THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR LEE KUAN YEW
SUNDAY, 29 MARCH 2015
UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE AUDITORIUM
第一次知道李光耀先生的名字是在1952年，邮政工人罢工的时候，当时我就读于马来亚大学。那时候的中英文报章，频频报道这位代表工会的法律顾问，为了工会和工人的利益，如何与殖民地政府抗辩，取得最后的胜利。
我和很多年轻人一样，对这位出色的工会律师，留下深刻的印象。
Mr S Dhanabalan Eulogy
TRANSCRIPT OF EULOGY
BY S. DHANABALAN
AT THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR LEE KUAN YEW
SUNDAY, 29 MARCH 2015
UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE AUDITORIUM
As one who worked closely with Mr Lee Kuan Yew for a period I just want to focus on just four aspects of his leadership that remain with me.
First, he had an absolute obsession to ensure an honest, corruption free political process and public administration system. He had seen the damage a nation and society suffer when well-meaning leaders allow those close to them to take advantage of their position. Mr. Lee demanded and expected honesty and probity from political colleagues, from his equivalent of “Long March” comrades, public servants and from all members of his family.
Ms Cassandra Chew’s Eulogy
TRANSCRIPT OF EULOGY
BY CASSANDRA CHEW
AT THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR LEE KUAN YEW
SUNDAY, 29 MARCH 2015
UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE AUDITORIUM
I did not know Mr Lee Kuan Yew personally for most of my life. We met while I was on two assignments as a journalist – documenting his life at home and collecting photographs for a picture book for his 90th birthday.
I met him up close six times, for meetings and interviews, from July 2011. Most were large, formal meetings at the Istana. Naturally I was on my best behaviour.
After all, this was the man who had led Singapore to independence, triumphed over his opponents in a storied political career spanning over 60 years, and transformed a sleepy colonial outpost into a bustling metropolis. And there he was, in person.
Mr Sidek Saniff’s Eulogy
TRANSCRIPT OF EULOGY
BY SIDEK BIN SANIFF
AT THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR LEE KUAN YEW
SUNDAY, 29 MARCH 2015
UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE AUDITORIUM
Presiden
Anggota-anggota Keluarga Mendiang Encik Lee Kuan Yew
Rakan-rakan
Saya terkejut apabila Encik Lee Kuan Yew meminta saya bertanding sebagai calon dalam Pilihan Raya Umum pada 1976. Keputusan saya menerima tawaran beliau untuk bertanding sebagai seorang calon PAP telah memberikan satu kejutan kepada masyarakat Melayu. Ini kerana hanya beberapa tahun sebelum itu, saya telah memberi pandangan-pandangan berbeza daripada Pemerintah mengenai pendidikan.
Beliau adalah seorang ketua yang tegas tetapi banyak memberi nasihat. Beliau mengingatkan supaya jangan sekali-kali berdolak-dalik. Bersikap terbuka. Sentiasa berwaspada. Tegas. Tetapi yang paling penting, mestilah bersopan santun. Nasihatnya ialah supaya kita tumpukan perhatian kepada pendidikan. Ini akan memastikan anak-anak kita menjadi pengamanah negara yang boleh dipercayai apabila mereka dewasa kelak. Saya amat berterima kasih kepada Encik Lee kerana telah memberi sokongan padu kepada penubuhan Yayasan Mendaki.
President Tony Tan’s Eulogy
TRANSCRIPT OF EULOGY
BY PRESIDENT DR TONY TAN KENG YAM
AT THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR LEE KUAN YEW
SUNDAY, 29 MARCH 2015
UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE AUDITORIUM
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
The Family of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew
Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Friends and Fellow Singaporeans
On behalf of all Singaporeans, my wife Mary and I convey our deepest condolences to Prime Minister Lee and the family of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew on Mr Lee’s passing.
Today, Singapore bids farewell to our country’s first Prime Minister — the founder of our modern Republic. As a nation, we mourn a man who made a difference. A man who shaped our very identity as a society. A man who was devoted to ensuring that Singapore succeeded when no one thought we could.
Prime Minister’s Eulogy
TRANSCRIPT OF EULOGY
BY PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG
AT THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR LEE KUAN YEW
SUNDAY, 29 MARCH 2015
UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE AUDITORIUM
President Tony Tan
Friends, Family and Fellow Singaporeans
This has been a dark week for Singapore.
The light that has guided us all these years has been extinguished. We have lost our founding father Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who lived and breathed Singapore all his life. He and his team led our pioneer generation to create this island nation, Singapore.
Prime Minister’s Eulogy at Cremation Service
Family and Friends
We are gathered here to say our final farewells to Papa – Mr Lee Kuan Yew. After the formalities of the Lying in State and the State Funeral Service, in this final hour Papa is with his family, his friends of a lifetime, his immediate staff who served him loyally and well, his security team who kept him safe and sound, and his medical team who took such good care of him.
So much has been said about Papa’s public life in the past few days. His public life is something we share with all of Singaporeans, with the world. But we were privileged to know him as a father, a grandfather, an elder brother, a friend, a strict but compassionate boss, the head of the family.
