A memorial that honours Singapore’s founders and keeps alive their ideals in our nation-building journey
By Ng Keng Gene, Correspondent, The Straits Times, 6 Jun 2024
Construction of the Founders’ Memorial – dedicated to Singapore’s pioneers and the values they exemplified – has officially started, and it is scheduled to open in 2028.
The memorial at Gardens by the Bay’s Bay East Garden will offer visitors an “integrated gallery and gardens experience”, said the National Heritage Board (NHB).
Within its two two-storey buildings, which will be connected by a common basement, will be a viewing gallery that overlooks Singapore’s city skyline, exhibition galleries, and multi-purpose rooms for workshops and programmes.
NHB said multiple paths will extend from the memorial into the larger Bay East Garden, with the memorial itself designed to depict a path – a symbol of the nation-building journey that Singapore’s founding generation and its leaders undertook.
The ground-breaking ceremony was held at Bay East Garden on June 5, and officiated by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong. It was on June 5, 1959, that the first Cabinet of self-governing Singapore was sworn into office.
At a reception held at Gardens by the Bay’s Flower Field Hall after the ceremony, SM Lee said the memorial will tell of how the nation’s founding leaders “overcame the odds to build a strong, united, and independent Singapore”. Stories will capture “how they led the people of Singapore through successive battles”, he said.
“First against colonialism, then communism, and finally communalism; and how they then built a nation based on the values and ideals embodied in the pledge, launching us on the journey that has led to the Singapore that we see today.”
He was joined at the ceremony by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee and Founders’ Memorial Committee co-chairs Lee Tzu Yang and Tan Tai Yong, as well as community representatives including students, memorial volunteers and donors.
Those who participated in the ground-breaking planted saplings that were grafted from trees planted by Singapore’s leaders during the early years of the nation’s greening journey.
Species planted included the yellow flame (Peltophorum pterocarpum), a native species that was planted by founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1971 at Tanjong Pagar Community Club; a sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera), planted by Dr Goh Keng Swee in 1975 at Labrador Park; and a sea apple (Syzygium grande), which Mr S. Rajaratnam planted in 1980 at Block 12 North Bridge Road.
The saplings planted on June 5 will be featured in the Founders’ Memorial’s landscaping in the future, said NHB.
The memorial – mooted in 2015 following Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s death – was previously slated to be completed in 2027, but its construction timeline was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its design by Japanese architecture firm Kengo Kuma & Associates, working in collaboration with Singapore firm K2LD Architects, was announced in March 2020 following an international competition launched in January 2019.
NHB said the memorial “aims to inspire Singaporeans to commit themselves towards a better future, as it will serve as a space to capture the spirit of our nation and unify Singaporeans”.
Between June and December in 2024, a mural titled Our Memorial, Our Singapore by local illustration studio 8EyedSpud will be displayed at Bay South Garden, near the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.
By scanning a QR code that accompanies the mural, people can select activities they are most keen to engage in at the memorial and Bay East Garden – “a continuation of the memorial’s public engagement journey”, said NHB.
They may also leave well-wishes, which may be part of future hoardings for the memorial during its construction.
Mr Lee Tzu Yang said the committee will continue to engage Singaporeans “because the Founders’ Memorial is envisioned as a space owned by every generation, including future generations of Singaporeans”.
Public workshops and a pilot exhibition – titled Semangat Yang Baru: Forging A New Singapore Spirit – have been held to gather feedback for the upcoming memorial.
More than 900 stories and artefacts have been received for the memorial thus far following a public call, and over 140,000 people attended the exhibition, Mr Lee Tzu Yang said.
A Project Citizens campaign will be launched as part of the engagement to invite Singaporeans to contribute stories about the country’s founding history.
Commemorating the nation-building journey
SM Lee said that besides focusing on key leaders in Singapore’s first two decades of nation-building, the memorial’s project team is curating an installation specially to commemorate the founding generation.
“Through their words and deeds, the memorial will bring alive the values and ideals these pioneers exemplified, championed, and inculcated into Singaporeans,” he added.
Citing the backdrop to Singapore’s independence in August 1965 – the race riots of 1964 and Indonesia’s Konfrontasi – SM Lee said that unlike the independence of other post-colonial nations, the mood in the Republic was sombre.
The founding leaders rallied the population, and Singaporeans, whatever their previous political allegiances, united behind them, said SM Lee, adding that they witnessed various milestones, such as the withdrawal of British forces and the development of the Singapore Armed Forces, as well as housing and educating the people.
Even more importantly, they established fundamental values and ideals that set the country’s long-term direction: democracy, justice and equality, meritocracy and a drive for excellence, an unwavering commitment to honest, clean government and, above all, a multiracial society, SM Lee said.
He added that while the founding leaders did not get everything right, they made the right choices on the most important issues and Singapore succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
Singapore’s origin story is unique, he said, noting that in the post-war era, many former colonies became independent countries like the Republic.
“But not many successfully shifted from the independence struggle to nation-building, from rousing revolutionary mobilisation to the patient slog of improving people’s lives. Singapore did,” he said.
He added that while Singapore has several memorials that mark significant events in its modern history – the Civilian War Memorial and Kranji War Memorial, for instance – “we do not yet have a memorial to commemorate our nation-building journey”.
“Now, almost 60 years after Separation, and 80 years after the Second World War, the time has come for us to build one,” said SM Lee.
He added: “I hope this Founders’ Memorial will become a space where Singaporeans reflect on our ongoing nation-building journey; appreciate our precious inheritance from the founding generation; and resolve to continue building a harmonious and successful Singapore, based on our foundational values and ideals, for generations to come.”
E. W. Barker’s family was worried he and Lee Kuan Yew would not return from parliament sittings in Kuala Lumpur
By Ng Keng Gene, Correspondent, The Straits Times, 6 Jun 2024
When Mr E.W. Barker, who became Singapore’s first law minister in 1964, accompanied founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew to Kuala Lumpur for parliamentary sittings in the 1960s, his family was concerned he might be unable to come back home.
His daughter, Ms Carla Barker, told The Straits Times on June 5: “There was always the worry that maybe they wouldn’t come back”, adding that there was concern that the Singapore leaders would be arrested over their views that were unpalatable within the Malaysian government.
Disagreements were intense about what it meant to be a Malaysian citizen, and the equal rights of citizens of different races and religions.
Ms Barker, 72, who was then in her early teens, said: “I was old enough to understand what was going on. My father used to talk to us.
“He used the word ‘dangerous’... We knew it was a risky time,” she said of Mr Barker, who was law minister from 1964 to 1988.
Ms Barker is among the family members and close associates of Singapore’s founding leaders to be interviewed by a project team as part of the development of the Founders’ Memorial – an institution dedicated to Singapore’s pioneers and the values they exemplified – and the curation of its galleries.
She told ST at a reception following the ground-breaking ceremony for the memorial – to be located in Gardens by the Bay’s Bay East Garden – that while the situation in the early 60s was uncertain, the Barker family was “too young to be scared”.
“My mother and father were very positive,” she said. “They were young – as Lee Kuan Yew was – and they were very idealistic. And they were very confident, as all young people are.”
In spite of this, Ms Barker said her father always made preparations in case he did not return. “He didn’t let us be frightened. He said, ‘Don’t worry about it, I have a little money put by. Mummy can look after you’,” she said.
Ms Barker said her father made time for family and his four children amid the challenges of governing a fledgling nation. She recalls playing badminton in their garden, board games in the evenings, and family holidays in a Changi chalet.
“We were never allowed to go into the sea unless he was sitting and watching us,” she said.
Also present at the reception on June 5 was Madam Tan Siok Sun, 75, the daughter-in-law of Dr Goh Keng Swee, who held various portfolios during his political career from 1959 to 1984.
She said her conversations with Dr Goh involved discussions over how he led various ministries – he had been the minister for finance, defence and education at various points.
“Finance was easy; he was an economist,” she said, adding that she asked him how he set up the Singapore Armed Forces without prior experience. He told her: “Get good advice. Singapore’s a young country – whatever we want to do, some other countries much older than us would have gone through it. Why reinvent the wheel? You’re wasting your time.”
She said the Education Ministry portfolio was the most challenging for him as he was frustrated that he could not tell if his policies were effective. “He understood that whatever new policies you implement, it will only be seen to be successful two generations, three generations later. So he said, ‘How do I know whether what I’m doing is right?’,” said Madam Tan.
She is in favour of the memorial’s values-driven narrative approach as this recognises not just the founding leaders, but independent Singapore’s founding generation and the values they collectively demonstrated, she said.
“The founding fathers were committed to building a better society for each generation, so they believed in thrift, saving up, building up the reserves,” she said, adding that Dr Goh was himself thrifty and that he “would wear his shoes down until there were holes in them”.
She said: “Singapore’s making has a cast of thousands. It’s not just the founding fathers, important though they are, there were many Singapore citizens who were committed and contributed to what Singapore is today.”
Among those who have contributed to the Founders’ Memorial’s collection of more than 900 artefacts and stories thus far is Mr Leng Ng Tai, 77, who donated a deed of apprenticeship and a certificate from his time studying and working at the British naval dockyard in Sembawang in the 1960s. Another ex-apprentice, Mr Anthony Woo, donated handmade tools.
Mr Leng had taken on a five-year apprenticeship at the dockyard when he was 15 years old at the advice of a primary school teacher after realising that his parents did not have enough money to fund his education past secondary school.
Apprentices received education – they were taught by British military officers – and were also trained to work in the dockyard servicing warships.
“Almost all of us apprentices came from poor families. We couldn’t afford to go for further studies,” he said.
“The moment we got an apprenticeship, we received an allowance and most of the allowance contributed to the family,” he added.
“We strived in the early days, and when we gained education and work education we thrived in the field we were employed,” said Mr Leng, who worked for Shell for more than five decades after leaving the dockyard in the late 1960s.
“We started with nothing, but we wanted to, and continued to, progress,” he said, citing fellow apprentices who took up jobs in various industrial fields after the withdrawal of the British military from Singapore.
A memorial that honours Singapore’s founders and keeps alive their ideals in our nation-building journey
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who officiated at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Founders’ Memorial on 5 June 2024, spoke on the significance of a memorial dedicated to Singapore’s pioneers and the values they exemplified. The following is the text of his speech:
The Straits Times, 6 Jun 2024
I am very happy to be here at Gardens by the Bay this morning to break ground for the Founders’ Memorial.
This memorial honours our founding leaders and our nation-building journey. It will tell the story of how they overcame the odds to build a strong, united and independent Singapore; how they led the people of Singapore through successive battles first against colonialism, then communism, and finally communalism; and how they then built a nation based on the values and ideals embodied in the Pledge, launching us on the journey that has led to the Singapore we see today.
After World War II, the generation of Singaporeans who had survived the Japanese Occupation decided to take their future in their own hands. They were determined to be rid of the British colonial masters, and instead to be governed by themselves, for themselves.
It was a time of great ferment and excitement, upheaval and anticipation. There was intense political contestation, as different groups propounded diverse ideologies and views of Singapore’s future. But representatives of all political parties came together in the anti-colonial struggle, and settled the terms for decolonisation with the British government.
In 1959, the Colony of Singapore became the State of Singapore. We were now a self-governing state, though not yet a fully independent country. A general election was held, and for the first time, the People’s Action Party (PAP), led by Mr Lee Kuan Yew, was elected to power.
On June 5, 1959, 65 years ago to the day, the first Cabinet of self-governing Singapore was sworn into office. That is why we have chosen today – June 5 – for the ground-breaking of the Founders’ Memorial.
That first government in 1959 had urgent problems to deal with – unemployment, worker strikes, homelessness, lack of schools, corruption and much more. But the central political issues were: What was Singapore’s path to full independence? What sort of society should we be? And how should we govern ourselves?
These issues precipitated a parting of ways within the PAP. Earlier, in 1954, two anti-colonial groups had come together to form the PAP: A non-communist, democratic socialist group, which sought independence through merger with a democratic and non-communist Malaya; and a radical, left-wing group, closely associated with the Communist Party of Malaya, which had a very different vision of Singapore’s future. The two groups had made common cause to fight colonialism. But both knew that once the British had been defeated, a clash between them was inevitable.
The parting of ways happened in 1961. Very narrowly, the non-communist group retained control of the party and government, while the pro-communist group went into the opposition.
A fierce political fight followed for the hearts and minds of Singaporeans. There were idealistic and passionate people on both sides, striving to convince Singaporeans that theirs was the right way forward. At stake were the lives of Singaporeans, and the future of Singapore.
Fortunately, through courageous leadership and “superb political generalship”, as Dr Goh Keng Swee described it, Mr Lee and his team convinced Singaporeans that their way forward would deliver growth and investments, jobs and education, good homes and a brighter future for all. Singaporeans supported them and their vision, and gave the non-communists a clear mandate in the next general election in 1963.
That year, Singapore merged with Malaya, along with Sabah and Sarawak, to form the new Federation of Malaysia. The communist threat receded, but only to be replaced by a communalist one.
Tensions soon arose between Singapore’s state government and the central government in Kuala Lumpur. The basic issue was what it meant to be a citizen of Malaysia, and the equal rights of citizens of different races and religions.
The Singapore leaders fought for what had been negotiated and agreed to in the Malaysia Agreement, what they called a “Malaysian Malaysia”. The central government took a different view, which emphasised the primacy of bumiputera Malaysians.
It was much more than a legal or constitutional dispute. The differences with the federal government were too stark to be reconciled through civil debate.
The fight involved power and force, putting Singapore and its leaders in great danger. Tragically, it led to race riots and bloodshed. Mr Lee and his colleagues displayed great personal courage to rally Singaporeans, to stand and fight for what they deeply believed in. Because they held firm at this critical moment, so did Singaporeans.
Thus on Aug 9, 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia to become “forever a sovereign, democratic and independent nation”, as Mr Lee proclaimed.
But unlike upon the independence of every other post-colonial nation, the mood in Singapore was sombre. Memories of the 1964 race riots were still raw. Indonesia’s Konfrontasi continued to pose a threat.
Without a proper defence force, our sovereignty and security were precarious. With neither natural resources nor a hinterland, our economic prospects were uncertain. There was no assurance that Singapore had any future.
In this dire situation, the founding leaders rallied the population. Singaporeans, whatever their previous political allegiances, united behind Mr Lee and his team, and together set about building a nation. They saw through the withdrawal of British forces, the oil price shock in the early 1970s, and many other crises. They grew the economy, built up the SAF, educated our people, reshaped our society, housed our population and transformed everyone’s lives.
A foundation stone of values and ideals
Even more importantly, the founding leaders established fundamental values and ideals that set the long-term direction of our nation: democracy, justice and equality, meritocracy and a drive for excellence, an unwavering commitment to honest, clean government; above all, a multiracial society.
One of them, Mr S. Rajaratnam, gave voice to these ideals in the Pledge, stressing that “We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion”. For the founding leaders were determined that every race would have an equal place in Singapore. Why?
Firstly, having had such recent bitter experience of being a racial minority, the founding leaders resolved never to place independent Singapore’s majority race, language and culture above others, and never to allow our minority communities to be disadvantaged and marginalised.
Secondly, while Singapore was a Chinese-majority and Malay-minority society, all our neighbours were Malay-majority and Chinese-minority societies. Racial politics in Singapore would have made our position in South-east Asia untenable.
Finally and decisively, the founding leaders had a profound, unshakeable conviction in multiracialism. They passionately believed this was how Singapore should be, and had to be, for the sake of all its citizens. As Mr Lee Kuan Yew said on Separation Day itself: “We are going to have a multiracial nation. This is not a Malay nation. This is not a Chinese nation. This is not an Indian nation. Everybody will have a place here, equal: language, culture, religion.”
Guided by these values and ideals, and solidly supported by Singaporeans, the founding leaders took our nation from Third World to First. There were difficult choices to make, painful trade-offs to weigh and different views to reconcile, especially in the first decade. The founding leaders did not get everything right. But on the most important issues, they made the right choices, Singaporeans responded, and Singapore succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
Out of this shared experience of crises and successes, sacrifices and celebrations, there emerged a Singaporean identity and a recognisable national ethos. We became a society that is open to the world, resilient and united in the face of crises, and bold and courageous in our dreams.
Ours is a unique origin story, which stands out among newly independent countries of the post-war era. Many former colonies became independent countries like us. But not many successfully shifted from the independence struggle to nation building, from rousing revolutionary mobilisation to the patient slog of improving people’s lives. Singapore did.
Think about it: Had our founding leaders not fought for independence, democracy and multiculturalism; had they faltered at any stage in the trajectory; had they been defeated in 1959 or 1963 or 1965; indeed, had they been replaced by a different group of people altogether; or had the people of Singapore not supported them at any stage of the journey, an independent Singapore would not exist, this city would not have become a metropolis, and there would be no Singapore Story to tell.
Our nation-building journey deserves to be commemorated and remembered. We have several memorials that mark significant events in our modern history, including the Civilian War Memorial, the Kranji War Memorial and the Konfrontasi Memorial. At the Esplanade Park, there is a marker honouring those who participated in the “Struggle against the Communist Party of Malaya”, and supported the democratic, non-communist path to independence.
But we do not yet have a memorial to commemorate our nation-building journey – to tell the story of how Singapore became what it is today, and to bring to life the ideals, impulses and spirit that drove our founding leaders. Now, almost 60 years after Separation, and 80 years after World War II, the time has come for us to build one.
I first suggested the idea of a Founders’ Memorial in 2015, a few weeks after Mr Lee Kuan Yew had passed away. It was an emotional period for the nation, and Parliament was debating the best way to honour Mr Lee’s memory. I explained to MPs that Mr Lee did not want any monument dedicated to himself. He was always conscious that he did not act alone, but as a member of a multiracial core team.
Therefore, instead of honouring Mr Lee alone, I proposed that we consider a memorial dedicated to the team of people – our founding leaders – who fought together with him and brought us here, and to the ideals, values, hopes and aspirations that they held dear.
As I said then: “Whatever memorial we decide upon should not only be right for Singaporeans living today, but also for generations not yet born. The memorial should reflect and strengthen in all of us our sense of what it means to be a Singaporean, why Singapore is worth striving and fighting for, and how we can continue to build a harmonious and successful Singapore for future generations.”
Designing the Memorial
Since then, we have put much thought into the concept and design of the Founders’ Memorial.
I thank the 200,000 Singaporeans who have contributed views and ideas. I am especially grateful to Mr Lee Tzu Yang, chairman of the Founders’ Memorial Committee, and his co-chair, Professor Tan Tai Yong, for their dedication and hard work, guiding and overseeing this national project, and also to the architects, Kengo Kuma & Associates (Japan) and K2LD Architects (Singapore), who have designed a dignified, understated memorial that expresses well the spirit of our nation.
The memorial will focus on the key leaders in Singapore’s first two decades of nation building (1950s-1970s), including Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his core team, as well as other important leaders in the public, private and people sectors. I am happy that the project team is curating an installation specially to commemorate the founding generation.
Through their words and deeds, the memorial will bring alive the values and ideals these pioneers exemplified, championed and inculcated into Singaporeans. These crucial intangibles are foundational to the ethos of our society and our national identity. They continue to guide and inspire us today.
The memorial will be sited in Bay East Garden. It will occupy reclaimed land fronting Marina Bay, the result of a visionary project launched by the founding leaders soon after independence, to provide for the long-term development of our city. As Mr Lee said just a few months after we became independent: “Over 100 years ago, this was a mudflat, swamp. Today, this is a modern city. Ten years from now, this will be a metropolis. Never fear.”
But at a deeper level, the living monument to the founders is the beautiful Marina Bay which it faces, and the vibrant metropolis stretching beyond the iconic skyline, home to 3.5 million Singaporeans, which continues to thrive and develop year after year.
Building on founders’ legacy
The project team held an exhibition, Semangat yang Baru: Forging a New Singapore Spirit, at the National Museum last year. Like many visitors, I found the exhibition meaningful and moving. If you viewed it, you may remember that afterwards, you were invited to pen your reflections and hopes for Singapore. One visitor wrote: “May the younger generations understand, appreciate and sustain the effort of the pioneers in building a prosperous, safe and lovely home for all Singaporeans and those who call it home.”
I hope this Founders’ Memorial will become a space where Singaporeans reflect on our ongoing nation-building journey; appreciate our precious inheritance from the founding generation; and resolve to continue building a harmonious and successful Singapore, based on our foundational values and ideals, for generations to come.
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