KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — Gerakan extended condolences to Singapore and its prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and his family over the passing of Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew today.
Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong said Kuan Yew would be forever remembered for his contributions and outstanding achievements.
“We join the people of Singapore in mourning the passing of Singapore’s founding prime minister. He was a true giant of history and his legacy will live on forever,” he said in a statement.
Mah said Kuan Yew’s extraordinary vision and leadership had led to the transformation of the country from a colonial trading centre into one of Asia’s most prosperous nations.
He said Malaysia and Singapore shared a close relationship in terms of history, culture and many aspects, and “the losing of a profound man like Kuan Yew is a great loss to us”.
Kuan Yew, the father of Hsien Loong, died at 3.18 am today at the Singapore General Hospital where he had been admitted on Feb 5 for severe pneumonia. He was 91.
Singapore has declared a period of national mourning from today to March 29, during which the national flag will be flown at half-mast. — Bernama
