Lee Ek Tieng : the green general of Lee Kuan Yew / written by Samantha Boh, Pearl Lee, Matthew Gan.
Book
Share
Information About
Includes index.
Title
Lee Ek Tieng : the green general of Lee Kuan Yew / written by Samantha Boh, Pearl Lee, Matthew Gan.
Artist
Lee, Pearl, author.
Subjects
Language
English
Type
Book
Abstract
"Earth. Water. Air. Word has it that there was once a man who controlled the three elements in Singapore. It was a time when rubbish filled the streets, floods raged after torrential downpours, and pollutants wafted in the air unchecked. He was tasked to make the lives of people cleaner, drier, and healthier. Only a foolhardy mortal would take on the job more suited for a deity, and more importantly, succeed. But he did. Over two decades this master of the elements would tame the hazards that so plagued Singapore’s environment, transforming it from Third World to First, from squalid slum to garden city. His name is Lee Ek Tieng – one of the most prolific civil servants in newly-independent Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew once said: other cities have clean and green suburbs that offer respite, but not Singapore. Tiny as it is, it forces its people to work, play, and reside in the same small space. Poison the environment and there would be no escape. He had a vision, to create an oasis in the midst of chaotic developing Southeast Asia. But he needed an executor. In Lee Ek Tieng, Singapore’s founding Prime Minister found the problem solver he sought, a tenacious and pragmatic engineer with foresight and a magnetic personality. But Lee Ek Tieng was an elusive character who preferred to work, not talk. So few in Singapore today would recall his name, even as many live to enjoy his achievements. For the first time, Lee Ek Tieng: The Green General of Lee Kuan Yew tells his inspiring life through the eyes of those who witnessed his prowess."-- Front flap jacket.