Thank you, Britain!

"Thank you, Mr Lee" has been the most spoken and written phrase this past week (23-29 March 2015). Mr Lee Kuan Yew was a giant of a man. Much has been said about him publicly and privately. He was truly great inside and out.

So many Singaporeans displayed this week what Mr Lee had built over 50 years of independence. Around 479,500 people stood patiently in line for hours and hours (the longest being 10 hours) to pay their last respects to our Founding Father. I waited 4.5 hours. Countless volunteers and uniformed personnel worked tirelessly and cheerfully to make sure that order prevailed and people were well fed and hydrated. We picked up trash after ourselves, chatted with strangers, braved the sun and the rain, with nary a contrary word. Mr Lee, our father, taught us all this. And he has taught us well.

Yet, as I reflected on this, I realised that we Singaporeans really need to say, "Thank you, Britain" for teaching Mr and Mrs Lee how to be civil and care for the disadvantaged and marginalised. Both Mr and Mrs Lee studied at English schools (as opposed to Chinese schools of the day). They both furthered their education at prestigious colleges in Britain. Their two sons also studied there. It was in Britain that Mr Lee saw how the British treated everyone fairly. Injustice was not tolerated. Standing in line, or queuing, is what Britishers do best.

If you look not too far back in the news, you will have noticed that when the students in Hong Kong protested against China in 2014, they set the gold standard for civil protest. They sat quietly on the streets, many with school work in hand, ate and drank and cleaned up after themselves. Volunteers cheerfully gave out food and drink and collected trash.

From where did they learn civil behaviour? Britain.

Both Hong Kong and Singapore share the same heritage as former British colonies. The British gave us an English education, taught us manners and instilled in us a sense of law and order. Yes, Hong Kong and Singapore have a majority Chinese population. So what? British influence prevails in society, while Chinese values are drilled in us at home. We have become better persons because of the two cultures instilled in us.

So, while the world says, "Thank you, Mr Lee" for all that you have done for Singapore, I want to add "Thank you, Britain" for teaching Mr and Mrs Lee what it means to have the milk of human kindness and how to behave in civil society.

We owe you much. Thank you.

#rememberingleekuanyew