Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

As Australians pass through Changi international airport, they most probably do not realise that what is around them is largely the creation of a single man. How a tiny place, a fraction of the geographic size of Tasmania and devoid of natural resources, including limited water, could become one of the world's most powerful and dynamic economies yet one of the world's most stable nations is, in itself something of a miracle. The man—the miracle worker—who made all this happen was unquestionably Lee Kuan Yew.

For the originator of the term and practice of 'Asian values', Lee Kuan Yew was a remarkably Western man—so much so that former British foreign secretary George Brown cheekily referred to him as 'the best bloody Englishman east of the Suez'. Studying at the London School of Economics, he became imbued with the spirit of anticolonialism and an increasing scepticism of the principle of the empire. After returning to Singapore in 1950, he became its first Prime Minister in 1959, a position he held unchallenged for the next 31 years. After that, he assumed the role of Minister Mentor right up until his final illness. With his son as his successor, he maintained a commanding influence over the destiny of his nation. From 1963 until 1965, he led his country as part of the Federation of Malaysia. Although a man with a reputation of being as tough as nails, he broke down and cried when announcing the dissolution of the federation. His toughness was legendary, and he had no qualms about describing himself as a knuckleduster street-brawling statesman.

The Singapore model has, in fact, become the template for much of the development of modern Asia as we know it. It is little wonder that Deng Xiaoping, in his transformation of China, found Singapore a model to follow. Lee was, of course, one of the founders of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, one of the pillars of stability underpinning the diplomatic architecture of this region and an important partner for Australia as a bridge to over half the world's population. Lee Kuan Yew created and articulated a vision for what Singapore could be like and then set about finding the best minds, adopting the best technologies and insisting on the right policies to get there.

I have always been a great admirer of Lee Kuan Yew—an admirer of his intellect, his values and his generosity. In 2012, I travelled to Singapore as the 37th Lee Kuan Yew exchange fellow to speak and meet with senior members of the Singaporean government. It was after that trip that I came to understand fully the impact of Lee Kuan Yew on modern Singapore. It is an honour given to very few around the world to be recognised universally as the creator of a modern state which is enormously prosperous, at the cutting edge of technology, the home of great international companies and, in large part, free and democratic. Lee Kuan Yew is one of the few that can rightly lay claim to that incredible recognition. I thank the House.

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