3/29/2015

LKY - A moment in history



As if he did not think the people know who he was, how powerful he was, he made the nation stood under heavy downpour for a solid one whole hour, to wait for him, even when he is dead. The area around the Padang was thronged with people to be with him on his last journey from this mortal world. The streets that his cortege would pass were lined with people to keep him company, to let him know he was not alone.

The man god of Singapore, where his name was not to be spoken freely, like YHWH, not to be spoken, was affectionately called LKY. And heaven opened up, wept for him with the people of a country he helped to found. They braved the tropical monsoon rain, all soaking wet, my two cameras ‘konked’ but not before taking a few shots for this post. I was prepared for shooting in the rain but not the kind of downpour this afternoon, as if by clockwork precision, on his command, it fell dogs and cats at 12 noon until his cortege went past City Hall, the very same spot he aroused a people to bring him into power for the last 50 years. He was the god of this island, have no doubt about this.

Singapore lost its most illustrious son, son, man or god, it is the holy trinity. The world lost an elder statesman they would miss for a long time to come. There would be no more Oracle to consult should any leader needs that badly needed words of wisdom. Yes, the Oracle is gone forever. But he would remain in the hearts of many Singaporeans. Today is history in the making, the final chapter of a man god who would not come again, maybe he would, if his words were to be believed.

Tomorrow Singaporeans would wake up in a Singapore without LKY.

The photos above were the last moments of this man god’s presence on this island, on earth. The photos were touched up to give a little brightness and colour. The originals were all dark and grey.  The sadness in the air was pervasive and a bit depressing. The people were there to witness this moment of a life time, to see the passing of an extraordinary man, a brief moment in history.

Captions of photos from top to bottom
1. Students and  spectators arriving at the Padang while the rain just started to fall
2. WW1 Cenotaph with umbrellas all up
3. City Hall and the former Supreme Court
4. Gunners preparing the gun in a flooded Padang
5. Water everywhere in the Padang while cortege passing in front of City Hall
6. Cortege passing St Andrew Catheral towards the Recreation Club
7. First salvo of the 21 gun salute
8. Spectators opposite the Durians
9. Spectators lining the whole of Benjamin Sheares Bridge


14 comments:

patriot said...

Was the Downpour an Omen? The Atheist me says NO.
BUT, I CANT helped feeling that the Passing of a bright star SHALL NATURALLY CASTS A GLOOM.
It is rainy and more so gloomy considering that it is midday whence our tropical climate tends to be bright even in heavy downpour..

Over the Years, I have hardly spent my life travelling, however the televisions had brought may news in many places to me. I have checked up many small independent countries and found that none of them copy the Course of Politic that Lee Kuan Yew had chosen for Sin.

I am most impressed with Bermuda, do google it. Others like Maldives, , Mauritius, Male, Palau etc are doing fine. Small and lowly populated countries like Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium etc even surpass Sin in living standard . A tiny Himalayan State Bhutan even far surpasses the Happiness Index of Sin though Sinkies would definitely consider ot backward or even primitive.

What's next from now on?
There is no sign that any in the Cabinet and in the Alternative Parties is of his calibre and stature.
Even his(LKY) very own children are not of his class.
So, whither Sin?

The Rain today was heavy and I take It as a blessing that it washed away dirt and dust making Sin cleaner despite the Dark and Gloomy Day.

May Sin prevails.

patriot said...

I watched Amos Yee's Video a few times and I wonder why 20 years ago, Sinkies did not see, perceive or look at the Sin Politics like him(Amos Yee).

I shall say the Video is very well done had Amos done away with the Profanities. However, he could have been very perturbed by the ENDLESS MEDIA BLISSES.
AND ALSO NOT TO RULE OUT THE ANGST IN MANY SINGAPOREANS.

patriot

patriot said...

Addendum to my Above Comment to:
ENDLESS MEDIA BLISSES OF LEE KUAN YEW'S DEMISE.

patriot

Veritas said...

He should died in 1985. Then he will be legendary. He is dead 30 years late, and now many young people are saying fxxx you KY.

Imagine if Kuan Yew died in 2025? That time, more and more scandal will see day light and he will be reviled.

So we must celebrate him kicking the bucket.

Anonymous said...

Who will now be crowned the Founding Father of Integrated Casinos in Singapore?

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Actually I was hoping that lightning would strike the hearse/ gun carriage, and that a few of those "oblong dick suckers" (to quote the young, but excoriating Amos Yee) also got zapped by a lightning bolt or two ;-)

It wouldn't matter to Lee, being already mati-lah, but it would have made great TV, and being roasted by millions of volts could have saved some gas at the crematorium...

...alas, but no. Tomorrow, everyone back to work lah. Same shit, different day.

If the PAP are smart, they will call an election soon. It would be a shame to waste all that "attachment" emotion. Singapore needs to install another Dictator, ASAP.

Heil Harry, Singapore Über alles!

Abao said...

and as we mark the passing of LKY, Littlespeck had went silent as well...

http://myip.ms/littlespeck.com
Littlespeck.com - Site Is Temporary Down or the Domain is Permanently Deleted by the Owner !
Last known website IP Address is 202.157.142.44 on 18 October 2014

Grandma of Singapore said...

How can a heavy down-pour be interpreted as a good omen? God crying for LKY? Absurdity to the EXTREME!!!

According to my grand mother's belief, when there is a heavy down-pour during a funeral that means the deceased had been very stingy and selfish all his life.

And when there is a heavy down-pour during a wedding, that means the bride is a very stingy or selfish person.

Believe it or not is up to you.

Anonymous said...

Redbean your recent posts about lky also overstate his importance to Sg. Is that the reason not many wanna buy your book? If include more lky articles, your book sure sell out. Have you crossed to the Dark side?

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Let's give the man his due credit. My posts were from the point of an observer of history and in a time like this, there is no point in making unpleasant remarks. He did good and he did things that we don't agree and some got hurt badly.

He is afterall a man and we are never perfect in whatever we do. He had his flaws but the aggregates are more positive than negative.

Hi Grandma of Singapore, welcome to the blog. That is another version. I have witnessed a case as a boy when the rain was so heavy that the coffin floated on water during the funeral. The comments were like what you said.

It is a subjective and superstitious thing and everyone is free to make his own interpretation, like the owl visiting the Istana a few months ago.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

The problem with Singapore is what comes after LKY. And things are looking not so good.

patriot said...

I CANT agree more with Redbean in his Comment above this yhat I am making. I shall say that the Moment Lee Kuan Yew went into critical condition or even before it, the Tussle to grab for power would have began.
It is only natural that when a big tree fell, the Monkeys will scramble to take over the Territory. In the Sin Cabinet, therr are many young military turks versus the Older, both in age anf service, Members who are mainly academics and professionals. The Tussle and Strife is imminent.

As for other problems, they include the Lack of a dictator to rein in the Monkeys. Yhe Most Crucial however, is there is little or nothing left for Sin to exploit EXCEPT THE PEOPLE LIVING IN THIS TINY DOT. This ONLY (HUMAN) RESOURCE UNFORTUNATELY HAS TO HAVE OTHER RESOURCES TO SUSTAIN.
DO SIN HAS THEM(RESOURCES)?

patriot

Historian With Vision said...

Yes, Red Bean, fully agree with you: LKY is HISTORY!

After more than 50 years living under a Knuckle Duster Dictator, life must be very tough. I truly take my hat off for all Singaporeans, for being able to swallow all the shiits, lock stock and barrel. While I respect the Singaporeans' resolve, I also pity them for becoming an obedient, subservient, boneless and courage-less (kiasu and kiasi) people.

Really tragic for a new nation.

You have such a Great Man at the Helm, yet you have such a bunch of Small Little People as followers.

Not another single, not even half of him, has been nurtured and groomed to take over Leadership. The only half-measure produced has to be a Lee-dership.

Ironic but true. Tragic.

Despite all the glorious achievements over the last 50 years, a meteoric rise, Singapore is doomed, a meteoric passing.


With LKY gone, Singaporeans as a whole, had better start to get use to the idea of going back to be with Malaysia, or even as part of the Greater Indonesia.

Yes LKY is HISTORY and SINGAPORE will soon be History too.

Good Luck, Singapore. Hope you can find a better LEADER, real leader, soon and quickly.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Welcome to the blog Historian with vision.

Wait till you read about the silliness over a boy called Amos Yee. Things can get worse when you have psychopaths pretending to be normal people and aspiring to be leaders of this 'cosmopolitan' city state.