He took care of Tanjong Pagar constituents every day
PA chief executive director Ang Hak Seng and staff paying tribute to founding chairman Mr Lee Kuan Yew at the PA headquarters yesterday. Photo: Robin Choo
When Tanjong Pagar Community Club was being upgraded years ago, Mr Lee Kuan Yew visited the site and expressed his opinion to make sure the needs of the residents would be fully catered to.
Mr Tang Chong Kuan, the manager at the community centre then, recounted this yesterday, illustrating how Mr Lee was a concerned leader who took care of his constituents’ everyday needs.
“Mr Lee had always been concerned about the needs of residents,” said Mr Tang, who was speaking at the tribute centre set up at People’s Association’s (PA) headquarters yesterday in memory of the organisation’s founding chairman.
Keenly aware of the importance of racial harmony and social cohesion in the nation-building years, Mr Lee set up PA on July 1, 1960, to oversee community centres in housing estates so the community had a place to bond. The PA also organises community visits by government leaders and fosters the emergence of community leaders, through Community Club Management Committees and Residents’ Committees.
Yesterday, past and present PA staff and members of the public began streaming in after the tribute centre opened at noon, with the numbers swelling to more than 3,000 within four hours. Queues formed to sign the condolence books, while many stayed behind to watch a tribute video to Mr Lee, which was played on a large screen.
A long-time PA staff member Peh Seow Kuan, who is now constituency manager of Tanjong Pagar CC, said Mr Lee inspired her and her colleagues to take their work seriously. “When Mr Lee was working, he was very serious and meticulous. And that made us feel like we should, in turn, try to be like him, and be serious in our work,” said the 66-year-old.
Mr Long Khin Suan, a former regional officer with PA, added: “Mr Lee was able to think of things in a wider picture, of things that we normally wouldn’t be able to think of.”
He remembered the time when he and his colleagues had made a mistake and felt bad and guilty about it. But Mr Lee did not blame them, saying that it was only a small matter.
But Mr Lee had a softer side that shone through when he attended events, said Mdm Peh.
“He was actually really amiable, despite how serious he was all the time. He was quite friendly — it was so easy for people to talk to him,” she said. “Mr Lee would talk to the children of staff members and participants while at events. He would ask the children questions, advise their parents, and joke with them. He was a person who would always take care of other people.”
These contrasting sides of Mr Lee was what PA chief executive director Ang Hak Seng admired the most about Singapore’s founding Prime Minister. “He was a leader — a leader who would not hesitate to make difficult decisions, a leader who cared for his people, a leader with vision who made people have faith in him and follow him,” he said.
