Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew (also spelt Lee Kwan-Yew) (born September 16, 1923) ({{zh-cp|c=李光耀|p=L? Gu?ngyào}}) was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He has remained the second most influential politician in Singapore (after the Prime Minister) since stepping down from office. Under the administration of Singapore's second prime minister, Goh Chok Tong, he served as Senior Minister. He currently holds the newly-created post of Minister Mentor under his son Lee Hsien Loong, who became the nation's third prime minister on August 12, 2004. He is also known informally as Harry to his close friends and family, although this first name is never used in official settings.

Values and beliefs

Lee was one of the leading advocates of Asian values, though his interpretation of Asian values is open to debate. Using his support of Asian values, Confucian, and to a lesser extent, Buddhist virtues were widely promoted by Lee in the 1980s. This was evidenced in his visits to Chinese temples.

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In an interview with The Straits Times, Lee said that he is an agnostic.

Related Topics:
The Straits Times - Agnostic

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Memoirs

Lee Kuan Yew has written a two-volume set of memoirs: The Singapore Story (ISBN 0130208035), which covers his view of Singapore's history until its separation from Malaysia in 1965, and ' (ISBN 0060197764), which gives his account of Singapore's subsequent transformation into a prosperous first-world nation.

Related Topics:
The Singapore Story - Singapore's history - Malaysia

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