Discover the Best Books Written by Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH, SPMJ (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), informally known by his initials LKY, was the first Prime Minister of Singapore, governing for more than three decades from 1959 to 1990, including through Singapore's independence from Malaysia in 1965. After Lee chose to step down as Prime Minister in 1990, Lee's successor, Goh Chok Tong, appointed him as Senior Minister, a post he held until 2004, when his elder son, Lee Hsien Loong, became the nation's third prime minister. 

The elder Lee then assumed the advisory post of Minister Mentor until he left the Cabinet in 2011. In total, Lee held successive ministerial positions for 56 years. He continued to serve his Tanjong Pagar constituency for nearly 60 years as an elected Member of Parliament until his death in 2015. Lee is recognized as the founding father of independent Singapore, with the country being described as transitioning from the "third world to the first world in a single generation" under his leadership.

Lee graduated from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, with double starred-first-class honors in law. In 1950, he became a barrister of the Middle Temple and practiced law until 1959. Lee co-founded the People's Action Party (PAP) in 1954 and was its first secretary-general, a position he held until 1992, leading the party to eight consecutive victories. 

He campaigned for Britain to relinquish its colonial rule. His view was shared by the British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (1957–1963), who was keen on a merger of British colonial territories across South East Asia, including Singapore, in order to hasten the end of British rule whilst sharing similar concerns to those of Lee about avoiding possible Communist infiltration in Singapore. Britain withdrew in 1963 when Singapore merged with Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak to form the new federation of Malaysia. Racial strife and political tensions led to Singapore's separation from the Malaysian Federation two years later. 

With overwhelming parliamentary control, Lee and his cabinet oversaw Singapore's transformation from a relatively underdeveloped colonial outpost with no natural resources to an Asian Tiger economy. In the process, he forged an effective system of meritocratic and highly efficient government and civil service. Many of his policies are now taught at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Lee eschewed populist policies in favor of pragmatic long-term social and economic measures. With meritocracy and multiracialism as the governing principles, Lee made English the common language to integrate its immigrant society and facilitate trade with the West. However, Lee also mandated bilingualism in schools for students to preserve their mother-tongue cultural identity.

Lee's rule was criticized, particularly in the West, for curtailing civil liberties (public protests, media control) and bringing libel suits against political opponents. He argued that such disciplinary measures were necessary for political stability, which, together with the rule of law, were essential for economic progress.