In the recently released book,“Up Close with Lee Kuan Yew”, Mr S R Nathan, former President of Singapore, wrote a chapter that quoted Mr Lee Kuan Yew as saying: “I must honour what they have given me.”
He elaborated on this in his section on “Mr Lee’s influence” that ran as follows:
“I (Mr Nathan) saw his (Mr Lee’s) good moments, his angry moments but, above all, I saw the exceptional way he conducted himself in public, and I strived to emulate him during the 12 years I was President.
“I noticed that on official trips overseas, Mr and Mrs Lee never asked to see any stage shows or go on sightseeing tours. There was a clear line between the official time and private time. Likewise, I did that too during my Presidency.
“I remember a trip to Zambia where we were provided with bungalows. University students had been assigned to serve Mr Lee but they did not even know how to poach an egg! I went to him and asked if I should arrange for him to stay in a hotel. His reply surprised me. He said, ‘I must honour what they have given me.’”
We all can certainly learn from Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s commitment to Honour.