Lee Kuan Yew

Prime Minister of Singapore

16 September 1923 Singapore, Straits Settlements

23 March 2015(2015-03-23) (91) Singapore

5 June 1959 – 27 November 1990

"LKY" redirects here. For other uses, see LKY (disambiguation). 1st Prime Minister of Singapore In this Chinese name, the family name is Lee (李). Lee Kuan Yew GCMG CH SPMJ DK 李光耀 Lee in 19751st Prime Minister of SingaporeIn office 5 June 1959 – 27 November 1990PresidentYusof Ishak (1965–70)Benjamin Sheares (1971–81)Devan Nair (1981–85)Wee Kim Wee (1985–93)DeputyToh Chin Chye (1959–68)Goh Keng Swee (1973–85)S Rajaratnam (1980–85)Goh Chok Tong (1985–90)Ong Teng Cheong (1985–90)Preceded by Lim Yew Hock (as Chief Minister)Succeeded by Goh Chok TongMember of Parliament for Tanjong PagarIn office 22 April 1955 – 23 March 2015ConstituencyTanjong Pagar (Assembly) (1955–65) Tanjong Pagar SMC (1965–91) Tanjong Pagar GRC (1991–2015) Offices after 1965 Minister MentorIn office 12 August 2004 – 20 May 2011Senior MinisterIn office 28 November 1990 – 11 August 2004Secretary-General of the People's Action PartyIn office 21 November 1954 – 2 December 1992Succeeded by Goh Chok Tong Offices before 1965 Member of the Malaysian Parliament for SingaporeIn office 2 November 1963 – 9 August 1965MonarchRaja Syed PutraPrime Minister Tunku Abdul RahmanLeader of the Opposition (de facto) of the Legislative AssemblyIn office 22 April 1955 – 31 March 1959Succeeded by Lim Yew Hock Personal detailsBornHarry Lee Kuan Yew (1923-09-16 ) 16 September 1923 Singapore, Straits SettlementsDied23 March 2015(2015-03-23) (aged 91) SingaporeCause of deathPneumoniaPolitical partyPeople's Action Party (1954–2015)Spouse(s)Kwa Geok Choo ​ ​(m. 1950; died 2010)​Children Hsien Loong Wei Ling Hsien Yang Parents Lee Chin Koon Chua Jim Neo EducationTelok Kurau English SchoolAlma materRaffles InstitutionFitzwilliam College, CambridgeSignature Lee Kuan YewLee's name in Chinese charactersChinese李光耀 TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinLǐ Guāngyào Wade–GilesLi3 Kuang1-yao4 Tongyong PinyinLǐ Guangyào Yale RomanizationLǐ Gwāngyàu IPA HakkaRomanizationLí Kông-yeu Yue: CantoneseYale RomanizationLeíh Gwōngjiuh JyutpingLei5 Gwong1-jiu6 IPA Southern MinHokkien POJLí Kong-iāu Lee Kuan Yew (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew; 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean statesman and lawyer who served as Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990, and is recognised as the nation's founding father. He was one of the founders of the People's Action Party, which has ruled the country continuously since independence. Lee was born in Singapore during British colonial rule, which was part of the Straits Settlements. He attained top grades in his early education, gaining a scholarship and admission to Raffles College. During the Japanese occupation, Lee worked in private enterprises and as an administration service officer for the propaganda office. After the war, Lee initially attended the London School of Economics, but transferred to Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, graduating with starred-first-class honours in law in 1947. He became a barrister of the Middle Temple in 1950 and returned to Singapore, and began campaigning for the United Kingdom to relinquish its colonial rule. Lee co-founded the People's Action Party in 1954 and won his first seat in the Tanjong Pagar division in the 1955 election. He became the de facto opposition leader in the legislature to chief ministers David Marshall and Lim Yew Hock. Lee led his party to its first electoral victory in the 1959 election, and was appointed as the state's first prime minister. To attain complete self-rule from Britain, Lee campaigned for a merger with other former British territories in a national referendum to form Malaysia in 1963. Racial strife and ideological differences led to Singapore's separation from the federation to become a sovereign city-state in 1965. With overwhelming parliamentary control at every election, Lee oversaw Singapore's transformation into a developed country with a high-income economy within a single generation. In the process, he forged a system of meritocratic, highly effective and anti-corrupt government and civil service. Lee eschewed populist policies in favour of long-term social and economic planning. He championed meritocracy and multiracialism as governing principles, making English the lingua franca to integrate its immigrant society and to facilitate trade with the world, whilst mandating bilingualism in schools to preserve students' mother tongue and ethnic identity. Lee stepped down as prime minister in 1990, but remained in the Cabinet under his successors, holding the appointments of senior minister until 2004, then minister mentor until 2011. He died of pneumonia on 23 March 2015, aged 91. In a week of national mourning, about 1.7 million Singaporean residents as well as world leaders paid tribute to him at his lying-in-state at Parliament House and community tribute sites. A stalwart supporter of so-called Asian values, Lee's rule was sometimes criticised by various observers from the liberal democracies of the West in response. While elections are free, critics had accused him of curtailing press freedoms, limits on public protests, restricting labour movements from strike action, and bringing defamation lawsuits against some political opponents. Nevertheless, his beliefs such as government transparency have been adhered to by successive administrations of the governing party, and Singapore continues to be considered one of the least corrupt countries compared to the rest of the world.