Why I will bring my kids down to pay our respects to Lee Kuan Yew, rain or shine

Our children have little knowledge of politics – not to say that I do. We’ve all grown up in a time of political stability, prosperity and peace with no exposure to riots and the such. Politics and the government are things humming in the background, like the roads, traffic lights and water which the newer generation have been born into - thinking that it has always been that way. Imagining an older time is not even possible – like trying to fathom of a life without mobile phones.

Lee Kuan Yew was the founding father of Singapore. He fought hard to ensure our country was established with the right values and culture that set us on the road to success. Even after he stepped down as the Prime Minister, he continued to guide the government and was a highly sought after mentor by other leaders worldwide.

But our children didn’t know that, they might have heard his name and were maybe told he was the first PM, but that is it. And now that he has left us, there are no longer chances for them to listen to him in person or watch him live – so this is all that is left for us to do.

Hopefully by visiting his funeral memorial, part of that experience would be ingrained in their memories – they might remember the day they visited the wake of Singapore’s Founding Father, and were told that if it was not for his life’s sacrifices and will to fight for his country and people, many of us would likely not be around, or still be living in the backwaters next to a smelly river full of rubbish.