‘SG would still be 3rd-world full of gangsters if not for LKY’ — S’poreans share how ‘extremely lucky’ they are because of Lee Kuan Yew
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SINGAPORE: When a Redditor boldly declared, “Singapore is extremely lucky to have had LKY,” he didn’t just drop a casual opinion — he lit a digital incense stick at the altar of the man whom many still see as the architect of modern Singapore.
In a post on r/SingaporeRaw, the Redditor didn’t hold back, painting a vivid picture of what could have been: “Seriously, just looking at the quality of people here, I can’t imagine if there was no LKY… Probably would still be a third world crime-infested full of low-ses gangsters and prostitutes roaming the streets!”
Dramatic? Yes. But he wasn’t alone. The comment section lit up with agreement, nostalgia, admiration — and a fair dose of national pride.
🎖️ “He has charisma, vision, leadership, and stamina to lead Singapore…”
“People like LKY are extremely rare,” one Redditor responded to the post and added, “He has charisma, vision, leadership, and stamina to lead Singapore for so many years. Most people are only successful with just one of these qualities.”
Another chimed in with almost military precision: “Straight from the horse’s mouth (referring to Ngiam Tong Dow’s quote): Lee Kuan Yew is the political messiah, Goh Keng Swee is the architect, Hon Sui Sen is the builder, and Lim Kim San provides business insights.”
It wasn’t just LKY’s genius alone, they argued — it was the entire pioneer generation. Or as one put it: “He was first amongst equals.”
🇸🇬 “There were no other agendas other than making SG huat…”
Redditors were quick to highlight the dramatic transformation of the Little Red Dot.
“Back then, there were no other options other than working hard towards being prosperous. One Heart, One Mind across government and people to build Singapore. There were no other agendas other than making SG huat,” one wrote.
The post author also agreed: “At least now we are a Metropolis where people from all over the world visit and invest in us, and we can tell people proudly that we are Singaporeans when overseas!”
While some might raise their eyebrows at the hyperbole of “gangsters and prostitutes roaming the streets,” the sentiment was clear — without decisive leadership, Singapore’s success wasn’t guaranteed.
📜 “Thanks to him, I take great pride in being Singaporean!”
One commenter shared a more personal admiration: “My admiration for him grew when he designated Tamil as [one of the four] official languages in Singapore.”
Another appreciated the balance of toughness and fairness during his tenure: “During his leadership, civil servants were highly cautious, and though some errors occurred, the punishments were fair. Thanks to him, I take great pride in being Singaporean!”
🌏 “I’m a foreigner in your country, but I have to say I am extremely impressed by LKY and your country…”
You know you’ve done something right when even non-citizens sing your praises.
“I’m a foreigner in your country, but I have to say I am extremely impressed by LKY and your country,” wrote one forum member. “He managed to unite different people and forge a new national identity… It’s really amazing to witness,” he added.
Another boldly stated, “I always say that LKY is the greatest nation builder in human history. He achieved the unthinkable with Singapore.”
🔧 “A good leader without a population that is willing to work hard is useless…”
One Redditor offered a sobering reminder: “A good leader without a population that is willing to work hard is useless. Be glad that the people [back] then were hungry. I think it’s a combination of everything, despite his foresight.”
Another took it further, crediting the nation-building spirit: “We have people with the grit and passion to help Singapore. This is effectively harnessed with the strong leadership led by LKY with integrity.”
🧓 “We are (still) enjoying the residual success of the work from the 1G/2G gov…”
But not all were lost in nostalgic haze. One netizen, deep in the corporate trenches, wrote with quiet urgency: “We are (still) enjoying the residual success of the work from the 1G/2G gov. [But] sooner or later, this will fade and we’ll just be backbenchers.”
As such, he shared how he was contributing. Rather than discussing policies or GDP, he spoke of something more personal: “Mentoring/coaching young Singaporean talents/fresh grads as they start entering the workforce… Or perhaps I’m just better off being selfish and make sure my retirement funds gao gao when my time comes.”
🧭 “Genuinely thankful for him and his team…”
Love him or loathe him, the Reddit thread made one thing crystal clear: Singapore without Lee Kuan Yew would’ve been a very different place.
Whether you’re sipping kopi at your favourite hawker centre, riding the MRT with your noise-cancelling headphones, or mentoring the next Gen Z TikTok consultant who just joined your team, there’s a little bit of LKY in every Singaporean routine.
As one Redditor summed it up: “Genuinely thankful for him and his team. And especially for our neighbour [Malaysia] for chasing us out and breaking up with us.”
Because while breakups hurt, they do sometimes make you wiser and even stronger for the better.