Singapore History

Singapore's Founding Father Dies

Lee Kwan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, died in March 2015 at age 91. Tens of thousands of mourners turned out to pay their respects. Many waited as long as eight hours to view his coffin. Lee is credited with creating one of the wealthiest, most educated, cleanest, and safest countries in Asia. However, critics said such benefits came at the expense of individual rights.

Six months after the death of Lee Kwan Yew, the People's Action Party took 83 of 89 seats in parliament in an early election. With over 70% of the vote, it was a strong victory for the ruling party whose leader, Lee Hsien Loong, 63, is the son of the late Lee Kuan Yew.

See also Encyclopedia: Singapore

U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: Singapore.

Department of Statistics www.singstat.gov.sg/ .