Display flag as a tribute, suggest grassroots leaders, residents
Mr Lim Swee Say (sitting, first from left) with the group who has called on the Government to let Singaporeans display the flag on Sunday in honour of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Photo: Tristan Loh
SINGAPORE — A group of 50 grassroots leaders and residents from East Coast GRC has called on all Singaporeans to display the national flag at their homes on Sunday — when the state funeral service for Mr Lee Kuan Yew will be held — as a tribute to him.
The group has submitted its proposal to the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) for its approval. The flag initiative comes in the midst of online debate on what is the best colour for Singaporeans to wear on Sunday (March 29).
According to the National Heritage Board website, the Singapore flag can be flown without a flag pole and night illumination between July 1 and Sept 30 each year for National Day celebrations.
A ministry spokesperson, confirming that a request had been submitted, said: “MCCY has noted the request from young Singaporeans and we are looking into it.”
The organisers said they had raised the idea of the flag with Mr Lim Swee Say, East Coast GRC’s Member of Parliament and adviser to the constituency’s grassroots organisations, on yesterday evening. They chose the flag because it is the one item representing the country’s unity that most Singaporeans would possess.
Mr Lim felt the idea of displaying the national flag is probably the best way to bid farewell to the Republic’s founding Prime Minister, since it would allow Singaporeans to demonstrate unity and confidence in building an even better Singapore by the time SG100 approaches. “We want to tell Mr Lee, ‘Don’t worry about us, rest in peace,’” Mr Lim, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, told reporters today.
The organisers said the flag display is also a way for Singaporeans to show they have the confidence to carry on Mr Lee’s legacy.
“You can express grief definitely, but you can at the same time express confidence in the future, confidence that we have what it takes as a people to punch above our weight and carry on the legacy that has been around for the past 50 years,” said Dr Yusuf Ali, 36, one of the grassroots volunteers and an assistant professor at Nanyang Technological University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine.
Another volunteer, 31-year-old Nicole Leong, who works in A*STAR as a technology-adoption programme assistant head, added: “We can show Mr Lee that we will stand together ... (and) assure him that ... we are (united) and Singapore will move forward to build on the foundation he has built.”
A Bedok resident, who wanted to be known only as Ms Lim, told TODAY: “The flag is a symbol of his (Mr Lee’s) hard work ... sending him off with the flag is a good idea.”
