The night before we last arrived in Singapore, December 2013, there had been an historic riot in Little India, and this morning we woke to the news that Lee Kuan Yew had passed away.
Both events highly significant to the local community, but the reverence and respect shown to Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister and the brains behind what is so appealing about Singapore, has been truly inspiring.
Calming classical music has been broadcast on every radio station in every taxi and shop we have been in today, and will continue until the official mourning period commences March 28 to 29 when he will be cremated. Even Chinatown, normally a noisy busy bustling hub was eerily calm thanks to the piano concerto broadcast over loud speakers.
What is so attractive about Singapore is the wonderful blend of contemporary creativity alongside recognition of and value for tradition. Our hotel for example, so new that most taxi drivers don’t know where it is, is a block away from a Buddhist meditation centre where anyone is free to light incense, take their shoes off and kneel in front of a shrine. Every taxi ride reveals another spectacular scene, from the iconic Raffles Hotel to the truly amazing Marina Bay Sands.
‘Make sure that we do not forgot our past as we build for the future’…
If only that philosophy was embraced and valued as much as success in all forms seems to be.
