News Digest

Singapore’s founding Prime Minister hospitalized with pneumonia

Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father, has been hospitalized for severe pneumonia, the country’s Prime Minister’s Office said. Lee, 91, was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on Feb. 5, the office said in a statement Saturday. His condition has stabilized and he remains on mechanical ventilation in intensive care.

Visited my father in hospital this morning. Did not see him on the first day of the New Year, on the advice of doctors (both his and mine). So we wished him Happy New Year today, and a smooth recovery.

Lee Hsien Loong, current Prime Minister of Singapore and the son of Lee Kuan Yew in a Facebook posting

A founding member of the ruling People’s Action Party, which transformed Singapore from a slow port city to a wealthy, bustling metropolis, Lee became prime minister in 1959 and held power for 31 years. He continued to work for the government, first as “senior minister,” a non-executive advisory post created for him, and from 2004 until 2011 as “minister mentor.” The PAP suffered its worst election results in 2011 as it struggled to stem rising discontent over the high cost of living, an influx of foreign laborers and rising income inequality. Under Lee and his successors, Singapore - known for its ban on chewing gum sales and canings for crimes some countries would rule as minor - has strictly controlled public speech and assembly though has become socially more liberal and allowed greater artistic freedom in recent years.