Residents send off their longest-serving MP
SINGAPORE — Residents of Tanjong Pagar turned up in full force to send off their longest-serving Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Lee Kuan Yew, their pride in being one of his constituents evident.
At the lower viewing decks of Pinnacle@Duxton, the housing development that has become a symbol of how far public housing in Singapore has come, residents and other members of the public gathered to witness Mr Lee’s final journey through the estate. He was elected MP for Tanjong Pagar in 1955.
Ms Jasmine Ajmal, 37, a resident watching the procession, was momentarily without words. “There are no words to explain ... great man. I’m very grateful to him. And proud to be in his estate,” she said.
Her neighbour, Mrs Sejatha Moorthy, 39, added: “We are very blessed by Mr Lee to be able to live here ... and in such beautiful HDB flats.”
Many started waiting for the cortege from mid-morning onwards. Rain fell heavily after 11am, but people were unperturbed, and merely opened up umbrellas one by one, or put on ponchos and continued their sombre vigil patiently. Some whipped out their smartphones and watched the live streaming of the procession, which began at Parliament House at 12.30pm.
Grassroots volunteers handed out handheld as well as full-sized Singapore flags for people to wave along the route, as well as refreshments.
Foreigners also turned up to watch the procession. National University of Singapore professor Peter Little, 53, was with his wife. “Mr Lee has built a country which has so many things I like — it is safe, a wonderful place to work, has a supportive society, achieved a huge amount for its people. I benefited a lot from that. This is the least I can do,” said Prof Little, who has worked in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Japan. “There are very few admirable politicians around and the world recognises him for it.”
The cortege arrived at about 1.10pm and emotions reached a high, with many residents calling out his name.
When it was over, some made their way to Tanjong Pagar Community Club, where two giant screens were showing a live broadcast of the procession and funeral service. Grassroots volunteers, some teary-eyed, gave out funeral programme cards and other memorabilia.
Despite the large crowd — some could not enter the hall at all — silence prevailed. But people began clapping after the first eulogy by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
After the state funeral ended, they rose to observe a minute of silence, recite the pledge and sing the National Anthem. Then, they filed out, back into the estate Mr Lee held as his seat for six decades.
