Yesterday, Nigerians trooped out in their millions to vote for the president and others who will superintend political, economic and social affairs in the next four years.
President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were the two major contenders for president among other candidates.
The electorate voted with the conviction that whoever emerges winner will help bring hope to them, their children and the country, particularly now that most have lost hope in the leadership.
As I ruminated over the poll, my mind wandered to the news of the passing of the former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, and the tribute pouring in since his death was announced. Lee died on March 23, 2015 at the age of 91.
He was born into a wealthy Chinese family that had resided in Singapore since the 19th century and was trained as a lawyer after World War II at Fitzwilliam College in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
He had the opportunity of staying back in the UK after admission to the English Bar in 1950 with all the influence of the British culture and ting of superiority to eke out a living, but he could not ignore love of home, Singapore, the place of his birth.
Singapore at the time was a British colony and held Britain’s main naval base in the Far East. The country was ruled by a governor and a legislative council, comprising mostly wealthy Chinese businessmen appointed rather than elected by the people. Lee knew something was amiss.
In the early 1950s, Singapore buzzed with talk of constitutional reform and independence, and Lee joined forces with others to challenge the structure of the country. Breaking from this group and taking a more radical stance, he became the Secretary General of the People’s Action Party (PAP) in 1954.
PAP was instrumental to the political, economic and social reforms which his administration pursued after several moves were made for self-rule.
PAP took 43 of the 51 seats in the assembly, and Singapore gained self-governing status (except in defence and foreign affairs). Lee was sworn in as Prime Minister on June 5, 1959, the first to hold the post in an independent Singapore.
In 1962, he led Singapore into a merger with Malaysia, but three years later, Singapore left the union. He resigned in 1990. His son became prime minister in 2004.
A comment by Lee that looked like a valedictory speech says it all about the character of this man who started and ended in Singapore.
“I have no regrets. I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There is nothing more that I need to do. At the end of the day, what have I got? A successful Singapore. What have I given up? My life,” he said.
For the 31 years Lee was in the saddle, he knew what was lacking in his country – leadership, and he laid down his life to provide it. It is not surprising, therefore, that he once told his countrymen: “Even from my sick bed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave and I feel something is going wrong, I will get up.”
From United States President, Barack Obama, to former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key, to Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbot, the kind words used in describing Lee are simply extraordinary, but befitting a man who provided leadership at its best.
Singaporean Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, said: “The first of our founding fathers is no more. He inspired us, gave us courage, kept us together, and brought us here. He fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none, and made us proud to be Singaporeans. We won’t see another man like him.
“To many Singaporeans, and indeed others too, Lee Kuan Yew was Singapore. As Prime Minister, he pushed us hard to achieve what had seemed impossible. After he stepped down, he guided his successors with wisdom and tact.
“In old age, he continued to keep a watchful eye on Singapore. Singapore was his abiding passion. He gave of himself, in full measure, to Singapore.”
Obama, who said Lee was crucial in helping him formulate policies for the Asia Pacific region, described him as “one of the great strategists of Asian affairs.”
He wrote: “A visionary who led his country from Singapore’s independence in 1965 to build one of the most prosperous countries in the world today, he was a devoted public servant and a remarkable leader.
“Minister Mentor Lee’s views and insights on Asian dynamics and economic management were respected by many around the world, and no small number of this and past generations of world leaders have sought his advice on governance and development.”
Abbot said: “Our region owes much to Lee Kuan Yew.” Key noted that his “courage, determination, commitment, character and ability made him a formidable leader who held the respect of Singaporeans and the international community alike.”
United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, said Lee was a legendary figure in Asia, widely respected for his strong leadership and statesmanship. “During his three decades in office, he helped Singapore to transition from a developing country to one of the most developed in the world, transforming it into a thriving international business hub.”
Blair called Lee “a genuine political giant” while Modi said he was “a far sighted statesman and a lion among leaders” whose “life teaches valuable lesson to everyone.”
The seven-day mourning the Singaporean government declared as a mark of respect for Lee to lie in state elapses tomorrow.
I discovered online that, to many Singaporeans, Lee was synonymous with Singapore. That is what good and purposeful leadership achieves.
The family warned against laying of wreaths. Yet, the government now has to evacuate the flowers people are dropping every second at the hospital where Lee died.
That reminds me of the quantity of flowers South Africans “lavished” on Nelson Mandela when he died, in appreciation of what Madiba gave them as their leader.
Something also struck me – Lee was Asian. But I said, if Lee was from Asia, and perhaps far removed from us, one man close to us as Nigerians because he is African, Mandela, is still being talked about by folks in South Africa.
The two men showed examples of what good leadership can do in the lives of a people. Singaporeans and South Africans will forever give testimonies of what leaders they had in Lee and Mandela.
Is it not encouraging that Lee died in a general hospital in Singapore the way Mandela died in a South African hospital? What does that show if not that both men invested in the health sector of their countries, having at the back of their minds that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation.
Can we say that about the leaders of Nigeria, including the president about to emerge from yesterday’s poll?
