Today, September 16, is the centenary of the birth of the founder of Singapore, 'Lee Kuan:

Today, September 16, is the 100th birth centenary of Singapore's revered founder, 'Lee Kuan'. He was born on this day, September 16, 1923, in Singapore. He worked tirelessly to transform Singapore from a poor fishing village to the ranks of the developed world. The three actually turned Singapore into a well-planned, modern city-state in the 20th century. On this centenary of his birth in the country, there are no exaggerated or public activities. But honorable Singaporeans cherished the ideals and love of the father of their nation and took the country to the top of the developed world.

 

 

On August 9, 1965, Singapore separated from the Malaysian Federation and gained independence as a poor and new country. In other words, Singapore was separated from the Malaysian Federation and made independent. Singapore began its journey as a very poor and chaotic country, but in the hands of a capable leader like Lee Kuan, Singapore began to turn around economically in a very short time.

 

 Yusuf bin Ishaq was Singapore's first honorary president after independence. He served as President of Singapore from 1965 to 1970. However, as the real founder and planner of the country's economic development and industrial revolution, Lee Kuan's name has gone down in history. He served as the Prime Minister of the country from 1954 to 1992. With his innovative business ideas and industrial and economic development plans, the country reached the level of an industrialized country in a very short period of time. At present the honorable president Halimah Yacob is working very hard to continue economic development and revolution to make a new era.

 

 

A country with a population of only 5.6 million, Singapore has a nominal GDP of $534 billion and a per capita income of an incredible $95,000. However, the total area of the city-state of Singapore is only 734.3 square kilometers. Accordingly, 7,804 people live per square kilometer. At present, the country has no place to build any new industrial zones. However, as a result of planned urbanization, Singapore does not see much civil discontent, inconvenience, or chaos.

 

 Now let's look at Singapore's foreign trade. According to information provided by Wikipedia, as of June 2023, the country's foreign exchange reserves were 331.19 billion dollars, the inflation rate was 5.5% as of last June, and the GDP rate was 2.4%. Moreover, even though the overall unemployment rate is shown at 2.6%, one cannot help but be surprised to see the size and capacity of the country's foreign trade. In 2022, Singapore's total exports were $870.81 billion, and imports from the rest of the world were $701.63 billion during the same period.

 

 

On the other hand, when discussing the country's sustainable development and progress, they have to discuss the highly advanced and world-class higher education system. Currently, two universities in this small country are ranked among the top 100 universities in multiple rankings at the international level of the higher education system. Especially the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University of Singapore are well known around the world for their modern and world-class education systems. And according to the information provided by the Singapore News Agency, the number of students studying at the PhD level at the National University of Singapore is about 3,000.

 

Not only Singapore's advanced education system but also advanced medical services, a safe tourism industry, and the world's best airlines have earned a reputation around the world. Currently, Singapore Airlines is ranked as the world's second-highest and best-class international airline. Moreover, the Henley Passport Index has named Singapore as the strongest and first local passport holder in their list of countries with the strongest passports for the year 2023.

 

 

Sherazur Rahman, teacher and writer, Singra, Natore, Bangladesh sherazbd@gmail.com