Shell casings from 21-gun salute at Mr Lee’s funeral to go to groups, individuals
PAP MPs past and present, party activists and guests taking photos of the shell casing at the PAP headquarters. Photo: Ooi Boon Keong
SINGAPORE – Twenty-one artillery shell casings collected from the gun salute during Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s State Funeral last year will be given out to the organisers, the eulogists at the funeral service and several institutions and organisations that have been closely associated with Singapore’s founding Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Thursday (March 17) that the recipients include the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force, People’s Association (PA), Parliament, Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), Housing & Development Board (HDB), National Parks Board (NParks), PUB, National Trades Union Congress, Temasek Polytechnic and Tanjong Pagar Community Club.
The 21st Battalion, Singapore Artillery, fired the 21-gun salute with four ceremonial 25-pounder howitzers from the Padang during the State Funeral procession on March 29 last year.
At the PA’s headquarters in Jalan Besar on Thursday, about 600 staff, grassroots leaders and volunteers were present to see the PA’s deputy chairman and Minister in Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing receive the casing on the organisation’s
behalf.
The late Mr Lee was the founding chairman of the PA, which was formed in 1960 to help foster racial harmony and social cohesion. Mr Chan said the PA must continue to ensure that every generation “lives up to the ideals of our founding father and his leaders”.
“... We must also keep our eyes and ears close to the ground to make sure that we are constantly in touch with the fears and aspirations of our people so that we serve as an effective feedback channel for the Government to make better policies for our people,” he added.
While the PA will display the shell casing within its premises, the CPIB and HDB will be separately putting out their casings for public viewing.The HDB will display its casing at its gallery at the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh.
HDB’s CEO, Dr Cheong Koon Hean, noted that Mr Lee was “the key driver” of Singapore’s public housing. “Without his vision, Singaporeans today would not have a home they can call their own,” he said.
The CPIB will display its casing at a public exhibition, Declassified — Corruption Matters, which will be held from April 7 to May 22 at The Plaza @ National Library.
In a statement, the CPIB said: “Recognising the CPIB’s instrumental role in keeping the system clean, the late Mr Lee backed the bureau with the resources, the legislation and the independence to carry out its work without fear or favour.”
NParks will display its casing at the Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Museum from today, while PUB, which will display its casing at the Marina Barrage, will release details later.
Meanwhile, a three-minute video installation to show the coming together of Singaporeans during the week of mourning for Mr Lee will be shown at the National Museum from March 23 to Oct 2, from 10am to 7pm daily.
The installation by local film-maker Royston Tan, titled A Moment of Unity, was put together using images captured by photographers on the ground during that week.
Admission is free for Singapore citizens, permanent residents and children under the age of six.
During the same period, the public can also see a display of another shell casing in the Concourse Gallery, Level 1, at the museum.
