Deeply saddened by the passing of Mr Lee Khoon Choy, a member of the PAP Old Guard, at the ripe old age of 92.
Khoon Choy, whom we all knew as “KC”, started off as a journalist with Nanyang Siang Pau in the 1950s. Mr S Rajaratnam recruited him to join the PAP. KC fought in the 1959 elections and won, thus beginning his long career in politics and the Public Service.
Mr Lee Kuan Yew once described KC as a man who “had it” — a man of courage that did not melt under pressure. In the early 1960s when the PAP was battling pro-communist factions in the party, the pro-communists targeted KC. He received a letter with a bullet, a death threat. In 1961, thousands of Chinese school students staged sit-ins. They threw rotten apples at him and shouted, “李炯才, 进棺材 (Lee Khoon Choy, enter the coffin)!” KC did not buckle. He stood with the PAP and was loyal till the end.
KC also served as Ambassador and High Commissioner to eight countries. As Ambassador to Indonesia, he played a crucial role in thawing relations between Singapore and Indonesia. Singapore had hanged two Indonesian commandos who bombed MacDonald House in 1965 and killed innocent civilians. KC persuaded Mr Lee Kuan Yew to wear a batik shirt and scatter flowers at the graves of the two men in Jakarta. This conciliatory gesture enabled Mr Lee to establish a relationship with President Suharto. In recognition of his contributions, KC was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1990.
After KC stepped down from public service, he returned to his first love — writing and painting. I was honoured to launch his book “Golden Dragon and Purple Phoenix” in 2013.
KC believed that “every human being should know his own roots. A tree without roots cannot grow. Human beings are the same.” Indeed, as we remember his life, we remember our roots and what our pioneers like him did, to put Singapore on the path it is today. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. – LHL
[At the launch of Mr Lee Khoon Choy’s (far right) book “Golden Dragon and Purple Phoenix” in July 2013. / ST Photo © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.]
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