A FITTING WAY TO REMEMBER MR LEE KUAN YEW

A year ago, the nation was in a state of mourning over the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. At the week-long Lying-in-State, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) paid Mr Lee its highest compliments as the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) and all three Service Chiefs stood watch over Mr Lee s body during the first set of vigil guard duties.

And on a rainy Sunday afternoon, gunners from 21st Battalion, Singapore Artillery fired off a 21-gun salute as his cortege passed City Hall.

After the State Funeral Possession, Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong asked the SAF to collect the 21 artillery shell casings to be presented to people, institutions and organisations that were closely linked to the late Mr Lee.

Of the 21, two were given to the SAF and the Singapore Army.

At the artillery shell casing presentation ceremony on 22 Mar, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen said that the shell casings represented the Government s deep appreciation and thanks to the SAF and the Singapore Army for organising the State Funeral last year.

"The SAF meant a lot to Mr Lee. He had firm views on the need for a strong defence. Without Mr Lee's convictions, the SAF could not be where we are today."

During the ceremony, Dr Ng presented the shell casings to CDF Major-General (MG) Perry Lim and Chief of Army Brigadier-General (BG) Melvyn Ong, who received them on behalf of the SAF and Singapore Army respectively.

The shell casings will be placed at SAFTI Military Institute's (MI) Heritage Gallery and the Army Museum.

Dr Ng said he hoped that when people see the shell casings, they would remember how the SAF came together as one force to honour Mr Lee.

"I hope they will also remember Mr Lee's vision of building a strong and capable SAF to defend our way of life and will commit themselves to achieving that vision. That will be our most fitting way to remember Mr Lee," he added.

Building Singapore's foundation

The Ministry of Defence and the SAF also conducted a series of activities to commemorate the first anniversary of Mr Lee s passing. One of them was a Remembrance and Reflection Session held at SAFTI MI on 23 Mar.

Singapore's former President S.R. Nathan and the SAF's first CDF, Lieutenant-General (LG) (Ret) Winston Choo, were invited as guest speakers to talk about the late Mr Lee s contributions, values and legacy.

LG (Ret) Choo fondly recalled the times when Mr Lee threw unexpected questions his way about the SAF's proposals for the purchase of equipment, training or diplomatic relationships with neighbouring armed forces.

"I learnt very quickly when working with the pioneer generation of leaders to always expect the unexpected," he said.

During his stint working with Mr Lee, what struck LG (Ret) Choo most about the former PM and his team of leaders was their working relationship.

Citing how Mr Lee always supported Dr Goh Keng Swee (Singapore s first defence minister) in all matters defence and worked with him closely to ensure the SAF s success, LG (Ret) Choo said: "This camaraderie and close teamwork were how the pioneer generation of leaders got things accomplished in the face of difficult odds."

During the sharing session, Mr Nathan revealed that the late Mr Lee s two main concerns about Singapore were its survival and success.

Although these two concerns may not seem important to the younger generation, Mr Nathan noted that they will always remain relevant to Singaporeans. "This survival instinct was primarily what motivated the SAF to continue in what we (have) achieved Our success depends on (doing our best) by trying and trying as the world keeps changing."

The late Mr Lee was also a firm believer in multi-culturalism, and this was reflected in the SAF. As young boys learn to live and work together during National Service, they no longer look at each other as being of different race or religion, but as brothers, said Mr Nathan.

He added that to him, Mr Lee was a "master teacher who demanded the best" and the "leader who led us to what he had promised - a future".

Staying strong in the face of challenges

When asked for advice on how to explain the crucial need for survival to the younger generation, LG (Ret) Choo said that for every day that the SAF does not go to war, it has achieved its mission of deterrence and diplomacy.

"We have to show people that we are a force to be reckoned with," explained LG (Ret) Choo.

He also encouraged the senior SAF commanders and leadership attending the sharing session to treasure the men under their charge.

"All commanders have to bear in mind that your people are the most important asset. Train them well. The moment you lose them, you're in trouble."

LG (Ret) Choo ended off the session by reminding the audience not to take Singapore's success for granted and to draw inspiration from Mr Lee and his team of pioneers to address future challenges.

"We must continue to strive, like our pioneer generation of leaders did, to ensure Singapore's success and survival for generations to come."