The health of Singapore’s founding leader and former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀) has “worsened” due to an infection, the government said yesterday.
Lee, 91, has been hospitalized for severe pneumonia since Feb. 5 at the Singapore General Hospital, where he is on life support in the intensive care unit.
“Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s condition has worsened due to an infection. He is on antibiotics. The doctors are closely monitoring his condition,” said a statement from the office of his son, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍).
In a statement on Feb. 21, the government said Lee Kuan Yew was stable, but breathing with the help of “mechanical ventilation” — commonly known as life support.
Lee Kuan Yew is widely credited with transforming Singapore from an economic backwater to one of Asia’s wealthiest economies in just over three decades.
He served as prime minister from 1959, when Singapore gained self-rule from colonial ruler Britain, until he stepped down in 1990 in favor of his deputy, Goh Chok Tong (吳作棟), who in turn handed power to Lee Hsien Loong in 2004.
The People’s Action Party, which was co-founded by Lee Kuan Yew, has been returned to power in every election since 1959 and currently holds 80 of the 87 seats in parliament.
In a book published in 2013, the Asian statesman said he felt weaker by the day and wanted a quick death.
The longtime fitness buff has visibly slowed since his wife of 63 years, Kwa Geok Choo (柯玉芝), died in 2010.
Lee Kuan Yew, a Cambridge-educated lawyer, is revered by large segments of Singapore’s population, with many taking to social media in recent weeks to voice messages of support following news of his ill health.
On Feb. 25, government officials and state-linked media were forced to come out on social media to quash late-night rumors that he had died.
In a Facebook post on Friday last week, Lee Hsien Loong said “my family and I are deeply touched” by Singaporeans’ messages of support.
Some had sent Lee Kuan Yew paintings and cards with messages of support.
“We’ve arranged the cards in his office, to welcome him back when he’s better,” Lee Hsien Loong said.
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