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Discovery Channel pays tribute to the father of modern-day Singapore in 'Success Story: Lee Kuan Yew'


Former Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew – the man regarded as the father of the nation
Emerging from a rural backwater, Singapore has evolved into a vibrant, multi-cultural and contemporary 21st century metropolis and is regarded as one of the world’s great cities. Despite her lack of natural resources, she stands proud as a bustling economic powerhouse today. This leap from Third World to First can be attributed to Former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew – the man regarded as the father of the nation. 
 
In celebration of his 90th birthday on September 16, Discovery Channel presents Success Story: Lee Kuan Yew at 9 p.m., the riveting story of how one man survived World War II, took on the British Empire, staved off the Communists, fought for independence, and successfully transformed a tiny Southeast Asian island into one of the world’s wealthiest countries.
 
Born in Singapore in 1923 to an affluent Peranakan family, Lee grew up an Anglophile like his parents. At school he stood out among his peers, earning a place at Cambridge University in England to study law in 1946. Lee returned home after graduating from Cambridge with first class honors to face the most dramatic chapter of his life, one that would not only change his fate, but also that of an entire nation: he prepared for a monumental political battle to wrest back control of Singapore’s sovereignty and oust the British colonial rulers. He went on to a career in public service that stretched for five decades, becoming Singapore’s first prime minister on June 5, 1959 and staying in power until 1990. When he retired from politics in 2011, he was one of the longest-serving ministers in world history.
 
Lee Kuan Yew had a career in public service that stretched for five decades
Featuring interviews with the man himself, his late wife Kwa Geok Choo, historians, and those who worked closely with him including former President of Singapore, S. R. Nathan, this documentary presents Lee’s life through the ages. Lee reminisces about the difficulties that Singapore faced in its early years and shares the lessons he learned along the way: his experiences with the Japanese during World War II and his close shave with death during the Sook Ching Massacre in February 1942; the influence of his time as a student in England and how he was inspired by the welfare policies of Britain’s Labour Party; his bold and calculated alliance with the Communists, the formation of the People’s Action Party, and his appointment as the party’s Secretary-General; the effect of the race riots that erupted between Singapore’s ethnic Chinese and Malays in 1964; and what he deems as his biggest regret, the failure of Singapore’s merger with the newly independent Federation of Malaya and its expulsion from the union in 1965 after only three years, an event so significant it still haunts him till today despite his long and successful career.
 
Every leadership has its critics, but in Singapore, few will deny that they are living relatively prosperous lives. The educated population lives in harmony and enjoys one of the best standards of living in the world. When Lee took over, per capita income in Singapore was US$400 a year; now it is over a hundred times more.  Steering Singapore with his strict ethos, the country earned itself a reputation for having an uncorrupt and stable government. Lee and his government also introduced the world-renowned public housing scheme which helped provide every family in Singapore with a stake in their country. 
 
Emerging from a rural backwater, Singapore has evolved into a vibrant, multi-cultural and contemporary 21st century metropolis.
As Singapore’s prime architect, Lee’s lifetime of struggles, devotion, passion, and innovation has earned him the right to be called Singapore’s founding father. He has received international recognition and praise for his ideas and ideologies. U.S. President Barack Obama called him a legendary leader who helped trigger the Asian economic miracle, and TIME Magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 with U.S. former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger describing him in that issue as a visionary who shaped the fate of Singapore. 
 
Lee Kuan Yew’s place in history books is secure. He spent a lifetime building a solid foundation for the county and its future. His legacy is that Singapore is now firmly entrenched as a global leader. 

Press release and photos from Discovery Channel