Many know the late founding Prime Minister of Singapore to be an iconic statesman, but what was it like interacting with him, and what was he like behind closed doors? CNA finds out in its documentary specials released to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth.
SINGAPORE: Retired police officer Noordin Abdul Rahman, 81, was a bodyguard to Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and often had to accompany him in car rides. He remembers Mr Lee to be “intimidating”, with his “piercing eyes” and sharp line of questioning.
He also reveals that Mr Lee was hardly ever “off-duty” and would even use his personal time to visit key infrastructure projects such as new housing estates. Mr Noordin and Mr Kandasamy’s personal anecdotes are part of CNA’s new documentary special I Remember Lee Kuan Yew. They also reveal what Mr Lee’s favourite cheat meal was – murtabak - even though he often ate simple meals, with no less than four different kinds of fruit.
Mr Ng, who contested unsuccessfully in the recent Presidential Election, says that even though Mr Lee “would often work around the clock”, he had a very compassionate side to him. For example, he had sent Mr Ng’s late wife a message of support when she was stricken with cancer. “He took an interest in what's happening on the ground, giving the common man a better life, a better stake in this country.”
“From the onset, we wanted the documentary to be much more than just a simple chronological presentation of Mr Lee’s soundbites. We sought to provide viewers with a unique perspective that challenges or augments what they already know about Lee Kuan Yew,” said Mr Charles Phang, series producer of Lee Kuan Yew: In His Own Words and I Remember Lee Kuan Yew.
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