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Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew receives
Rotary International Award of Honor
By Chuang Peck Ming of "The Business Times" - Singapore

Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has joined the likes of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former US President Bill Clinton and former South African President Nelson Mandela to be honored with Rotary International's highest recognition.

He was conferred the Rotary International Award of Honor on 6 March 2009 at a ceremony in Singapore.

So far, about 12 people have been given the award, which recognizes exemplary contributions to humanitarian services through leadership on major policies or initiatives.

Rotary International president Dong Kurn Lee, who presented the award to Mr Lee, stated that this year Rotary is focusing this year on reducing infant mortality.

Lee Kuan Yew With RI President DK Lee

He said that Mr Lee has created an unrivalled education and public health care system that has made Singapore the country with the world's lowest infant mortality rate.

'I respect him very much,' said the Rotary International president who is chairman of Bu-Bang and Bubang Technron in South Korea, companies that deal with textile manufacturing, shopping malls and electronic components.

Responding to the award, Mr Lee quoted a Chinese proverb that says “When the coffin is closed, then the final verdict.”

'When I am praised on occasions, such as for honorary degrees, I keep my sense of proportion by recalling this proverb,' he said. 'After I have left the scene, the biographers, historians and editors will track my career and pronounce their verdicts.'

Mr Lee who, with Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, is an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Singapore, said that Rotary Clubs were formed before civic organizations became so numerous.

'They helped the deprived, the infirmed and the disadvantaged,' he said. 'Successful businessmen and professionals with a conscience contribute to such worthy causes.'

Lee Kuan Yew Ceremony with Rotary eClub 3310 attendees

Mr Lee said that in developed societies, especially the US, voluntary welfare organizations have sprouted like mushrooms and offer help beyond what the state can give.

'When help is funded and administered by enthusiastic supporters, the benefits are greater and there is more appreciation for the donors,' he said. 'State-funded welfare, administered by officials, is impersonal and taken for granted. After a while, the welfare benefits are considered entitlements.'

The Rotary Club of Pandan Valley, Singapore, the organizing club for the award ceremony, also presented S$70,000 to Northbrooks Secondary School.

The money will help children from lower-income families with school uniforms, pocket money, transport and stationery.

ABOUT MINISTER MENTOR LEE KUAN YEW
Lee Kuan Yew was born 16 September 1923. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 1959 to 1990.

As leader of the People's Action Party (PAP), he oversaw the separation of Singapore from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965 and the subsequent transformation of Singapore to a developed capitalist economy. He has remained one of the most influential political figures in the South-East Asian region.

Under the administration of Singapore's second Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong, he served as Senior Minister. He currently holds the post of Minister Mentor created when his son, Lee Hsien Loong, became the nation's third Prime Minister on 12 August 2004.