Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

Labor pays tribute to the father of modern Singapore and a principal architect of harmony and prosperity in our region. Lee Kuan Yew owns a giant legacy of many dimensions, and today we recognise, briefly, what he accomplished. Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore was born in turbulent times at home and in the region. Nations across Asia felt the ragged edge of the British withdrawal and decolonisation. The Malayan Emergency, Konfrontasi and the Sukarno split threatened peace and stability, and there were internal as well as external perils.

As Prime Minister Bob Hawke—Lee Kuan Yew's great friend on the world stage and friendly rival on the golf course—recalled, Harry Lee faced profound challenges at home. To quote Bob Hawke:

He found himself leading a country deeply divided on religious and ethnic lines, surrounded by powerful potential enemies, with a weak economy and no natural resources at all.

From that uncertain platform he built a modern, prosperous nation—a leader in the region, especially through ASEAN—and a trading powerhouse in the world. But his ambitions for his people and his country reached higher than this. In 1997, at a celebration of the Chinese New Year, Lee Kuan Yew reflected on how far his nation had come and the measure of true success. He said:

We cannot measure our happiness just by GDP growth. It is how our families and friends care for each other, how we look after our old and nurture our young. They are what make for a closely knit society, one we can be proud to belong to.

Australians, in fact, owe a debt to Lee Kuan Yew. He built modern Singapore. Modern Singapore and modern Singaporeans are a dynamic people, amongst the first rank of Australia's friends and allies. Lee Kuan Yew, the proud father and tireless servant of the nation he brought forth, is now at rest. Our condolences to his family, his friends and all the people of Singapore who share grief at his passing.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

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