Eulogy by Mr Lee Hsien Yang at Cremation Service

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.