Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀) CH GCMG SPMJ (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015) was the first prime minister of Singapore. Governing from 3 June 1959 to 28 November 1990, he is the longest serving prime minister in the world. He is often referred to as the founding father of Singapore.

Early Life and Education
Lee Kuan Yew was born to Chua Jim Neo and Lee Chin Koon on 16 September 1923 at 92 Kampong Java Road in colonial Singapore. He was named Harry Lee Kuan Yew at birth. Lee was the eldest child in his family, with three brothers — Dennis Lee Kim Yew (1925 – 2003), Freddy Lee Thiam Yew (1927 – 2012) and Dr Lee Suan Yew (born 1935); and a sister — Monica Lee Kim Mon (born 1930).

He led a typical, simple childhood of that time – flying kites, spinning tops and catching fighting fish from nearby drains.

She said she showed the alphabet to LKY only once and when she shuffled the letters, Lee, who was just a few years old, managed to put all the letters back in the right order. Lee Kuan Yew studied at Telok Kurau English School.

He excelled in his studies, topping an island-wide exam in 1935. He then went to Raffles Institution where, in 1940, he came in first in Singapore and Malaya in the Senior Cambridge examinations. He was admitted to Raffles College on a scholarship. However, World War II and the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in 1942 hindered his plans to study law in Britain. Soon after the war, he set sail for England on 16 September 1946. He first enrolled at the London School of Economics, before moving to Cambridge University in 1947. Lee Kuan Yew fought for self-Government of Singapore, then controlled by British colonial masters. Believing that this was the best option for Singapore’s future, he later led Singapore into merger with Malaysia. The merger did not last for long, and two years later the countries separated, with Singapore becoming a sovereign city-state.

Lee Kuan Yew built up a strong defence capability to protect Singapore's sovereignty, a vibrant economy which created good jobs, a sound education system and excellent infrastructure, housing and environment. Transitioning Singapore from a Third World to First World country.