SINGAPORE: On Oct 9 (Saturday), Lee Hsien Yang paid tribute to his sister, Lee Wei Ling, in a social media post.
Set to the opening lines of the song The Impossible Dream, Mr Lee wrote about Dr Lee’s courage and determination to do right at all costs on the second anniversary of her death.
He opened his post with the following quote from his sister: “What matters most is that I must do right, and I should do so even if I offend the people who have power over me.”
Mr Lee and Dr Lee are the children of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and the younger siblings of Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
He posted a screenshot of an opinion piece written by Dr Lee that was published in The Straits Times titled, “Medals don't matter, doing right does” on August 1, 2010. At the time, she was serving as the director of the National Neuroscience Institute.
Dr Lee recalled in her piece having found nine of the medals she had received for academic excellence during her years in medical school, acknowledging that she had worked very hard indeed for them.
But when she found them again in 2003, she no longer felt the triumph or joy she once had in them. With the passing of time, her priorities had changed.
In his post, Mr Lee quoted a section from the piece wherein he had once asked her why she stepped “on powerful and sensitive toes.”
Dr Lee answered him, "But if I don't, who will do so to put things right?”
Towards the end of her piece, she reiterated that while her temperament had not changed from her youth, her life purpose had.
“I try not to hesitate to speak up when my superiors or even the Government do something that I think is not in the best interest of Singapore. The criticism is made with the sincere wish to improve our system and to benefit Singaporeans,” wrote Dr Lee, adding that she owes the country a debt for the opportunities she had been given and that people in her position “should always do what they think is best for Singapore.”
Mr Lee’s post has since been widely shared and commented on, with netizens remembering Dr Lee’s character.
“I applaud her guts and audacity to set things right and to live by her principles. However, sad to say and note, not every common man is in a position to do so. We have to bear in mind that courage does come with a price, and let’s hope that we will all be brave enough to effect a good positive change come 2030,” wrote a Facebook user.
“Lee Wei Ling possessed the leverage to challenge leadership and advocate for meaningful reform, given that her father was the ultimate authority of that era,” added another, who also noted Dr Lee’s “public-spirited nature and dedication to the people.”
“I always admired LWL for her honesty and straight-talking, no-nonsense personality,” a third chimed in. /TISG