Lee Kuan Yew: The man who transformed Singapore forever

Not everything can be solved with democracy. Sometimes, especially in dire circumstances (such as Singapore before Lee Kuan Yew) an authoritative approach is needed. History has proven that in times of war (or when pivot is needed), the leaders that are most fit are more on the autocratic side and in peaceful times it is the opposite. In order for Singapore's reforms to become reality, two things were needed: a clear vision and firm hands to executed it. Lee Kuan Yew had both.

In one of his famous speeches, he compared Singapore with the fruit durian. He said that if Singapore was like an orange, the juice would already have been squeezed by the other more powerful players on the world stage. But instead even when it is small in size, it is more like a durian - highly nutritious, but hard to squeeze. If you attempt to squeeze it, your hands will get hurt.

Don't hope that people won't squeeze you, instead become hard to squeeze.

Lee Kuan Yew became the man of the people by deeply caring for the well being of the common man. He made it priority number one to increase the standard of living for everyone, hence why he was so loved by his people. Even today, people speak about him with utmost respect, love and gratitude for what he has done for the country. This was achieved not through self-indulgence or greediness, but instead through hard work and grand vision. In one of his speeches, he said that he views Singapore as his baby, due to the copious amount of effort and hard work he put into reforming the country.

Lee Kuan Yew's first priority was the well-being of the common man and not preserving the power that he had accumulated. Hence why he thought of a plan of succession before he stepped down from the prime minister role voluntarily. He knew that he would need a good plan of succession, if he wanted Singapore to continue prosper without him. Some even say that one of the best criteria for whether you did a good job in senior leadership, is the succession plan that you devise at the end of your career. Because did your results really matter, if everything is immediately destroyed once you exit?

After his role of prime minister, he still remained involved in politics until his late years where he acted as a mentor. He switched his focus on dispersing the vast amount of wisdom and knowledge he had accumulated through his years. He gave lectures, seminars and acted as a teacher for the new generation. 

Lee Kuan Yew was the man who transformed Singapore making it what it is today.

He did that with grand vision and firm hands. Even though he was closer to being a dictator, he still had the best interests of the country in mind and never made it about him having power just for the sake of having power. He had this mentality of being hard to squeeze (because people will try to squeeze you, especially when you are rich in nutrients). People loved and admired him as they understood he cared deeply for their well being.