Yesterday was a day of rumours, all about the 3 long and 2 shorts of LKY. It was proven false with the PMO coming out with a denial but not before international news like CNN made the wrong call. LKY is still in the ICU and breathing.
The other big controversy is the opposing camps, one calling for people to be kind and forgiving and the other throwing the most unspeakable diatribes against the man that cannot talk back now. I have never had any direct contact or personal dealings with LKY and thus have no reason to say not nice things about him. Neither do I need to forgive him for he has done me no wrong.
The two camps engaging in the war of words are still at it with many in the middle calling for moderation, be reasonable and be forgiving. It is always good to forgive whenever one can do it than to live with a mountain of hate. The contrary argument is that those who suffered badly, life destroyed, career destroyed, family destroyed, fortune destroyed, it is easily said than done. The pain and suffering are felt personally and by everyone in the family. Asking to forgive is easy, but when in their shoes, it is a totally different matter. They are in the best position to know to want to forgive or not to forgive. Unless one is in their shoes, it is not easy to understand what they have gone through.
For LKY and his family it is just one of those things, a stage in life that we mortals have to live with. The time has come to leave and part company. There will be sadness, but for a man that has lived so well, did so many things that only a few could ever dream of doing, more ups than downs and more good than bad, it was a remarkable life to go through. He lived a good life, there is little regrets I supposed.
How many would have lived and left behind a fortune, a lot of children and grandchildren, and in the dying hours, with so many keeping in vigil, keeping him company, and really without a worry of unfinished work that still needs to be done? And in his condition, there is no pain and no suffering, it is like in a sleep, a semi conscious or more unconscious state, what a way to go.
At the ripe age of 91, according to Chinese customs it would be an occasion for celebration, a red event. The joss sticks would be red instead of green. In fact red would be the colour for the occasion. Wish him a good journey and RIP when the moment comes.
Chua Chin Leng AKA RedBean
*The writer blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.sg/