DESPITE the torrential rain and claps of thunder, few in the crowd
budged. Some had waited overnight, many others arrived before the crack
of dawn.
The more than 100,000-strong crowd were united in objective - to bid a
final farewell to their first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, as his
cortege travelled from Parliament House in the Central Business District
to the National University of Singapore (NUS) campus in Kent Ridge.
It was the grandest of send-offs for the revered 91-year-old, who
died last Monday at the Singapore General Hospital after a long battle
with severe pneumonia.
Fighter jets roared in the skies above and howitzers lined up on the
Padang fired a 21-gun salute - an honour usually given only to sitting
heads of state - at the start of the procession's 75-minute journey on
Sunday.
Two navy patrol ships staged a ceremonial sailpast off the Marina
Barrage and sounded three prolonged horn blasts of 10 seconds each.
All along the 15.4km route that passed through the heart of the city,
Singaporeans cheered Mr Lee's name and waved the country's flag when
they saw his casket, which was covered by the national flag and
protected by a tempered glass case atop a two-wheeled gun carriage.
Pulled by a ceremonial Land Rover, the cortege passed many major
landmarks such as City Hall, Old Parliament House, the Singapore
Conference Hall and the NTUC Centre.
The cortege moved through Tanjong Pagar - where he was a Member of
Parliament for 60 years - and then through the Jalan Bukit Merah and
Commonwealth neighbourhoods.
At the University Cultural Centre (UCC) in NUS, the Singapore
Symphony Orchestra performed Samuel Barber's Adagio on stage as the
casket was carried into the hall.
More than 2,200 guests were already seated inside, including leaders
and former leaders from 23 countries such as Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe, India's Narendra Modi, Australia's Tony Abbott and former
United States president Bill Clinton.
Delivering the first of 10 eulogies at the three-hour service, Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the elder of Mr Lee's two sons, described the
days since his father's passing as a "dark week" for Singapore.
PM Lee, who struggled to fight back tears a number of times as he
paid his tribute, said that while "the light that has guided us all
these years has been extinguished", Mr Lee's principles and ideals would
continue to invigorate the government and guide the people.
"His life will inspire Singaporeans, and others, for generations to
come. (He) once said that 'we intend to see that (Singapore) will be
here a thousand years from now. And that is your duty and mine'. Mr Lee
has done his duty, and more. It remains our duty to continue his life's
work, to carry the torch forward and keep the flame burning bright,"
said PM Lee.
The unit average of S$0.66 suggested traders had to resort to punting
the pennies to overcome boredom, an assessment that proved accurate
after conversations with dealers.
