Najib who was accompanied by his wife Rosmah paying their last respects to Kuan Yew at the Parliament House in Singapore. On the right is S ingapore premier Lee Hsien Loong.— Bernama photo
SINGAPORE: Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and several ministers yesterday paid their last respects to Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father and first prime minister who died on Monday.
Najib, who was accompanied by his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, arrived at about noon at Parliament House where the remains of Kuan Yew are lying in state prior to the funeral on Sunday.
The Malaysian delegation also comprised Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman; Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai; Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Mah Siew Keong.
Najib, Rosmah and the ministers were welcomed at Parliament House by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is a son of Kuan Yew, and his wife Ho Ching. Kuan Yew died on Monday at the age of 91.
Expressing heartfelt condolences on the passing of Kuan Yew, on behalf of the Malaysian government and people, Najib said Kuan Yew was a great man whose leadership, vision, fortitude and perseverance helped shape Singapore into what it is today – an advanced economy and finding its own place in the world.
He said Kuan Yew would go down in history as a great man whose vision and leadership helped make this world a better place.
“Kuan Yew also was a man (who) helped shape South East Asia as a region of peace and prosperity.
“I would like to thank him for strengthening bilateral ties between Malaysia and Singapore,” he said after paying his last respects.
“All Singaporeans owe him a huge debt of gratitude,” he said.
Najib and his delegation returned to Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon. — Bernama