Singapore's Sikhs pay tribute to Lee Kuan Yew

THE Singapore Sikh community has expressed gratitude to the late Lee Kuan Yew for "his emphasis on maintaining racial harmony, meritocracy and advocating minority rights".

Sending its condolences to the family of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is also Mr Lee's son, the Coordinating Council of Sikh Institutions said it will send a contingent of senior community leaders to pay final respects to Mr Lee at the Parliament House on Saturday, and Sikh temples will hold prayer sessions over the weekend.

"He oversaw the establishment of the five non-Tamil Indian minority languages, including Punjabi, as recognised second languages in schools here," Ang Mo Kio Member of Parliament Inderjit Singh said in a statement. "That gave the community a huge boost as did the move of the Central Sikh Temple from its older and more worn-out premises in Queen Street to its current suburban location on Towner Road."