MDM KWA

THE LIFE OF MRS LEE KUAN YEW

MORGAN CHUA

OTHER BOOKS BY MORGAN CHUA

LKY: Political Cartoons (2015)

Tiananmen: 25th Anniversary Edition (2014)

In Memory of Madam Kwa Geok Choo 1920-2010 (2011)

Divercity Singapore: A Cartoon History of Immigration (2010)

My Singapore (2000, 2008)

Tiananmen (1989)

To the sons and daughters of Singapore.

Copyright © 2016 by Morgan Chua

Author portrait © by Zunzi Wong Kei-kwan

All rights reserved.

Published in Singapore by Epigram Books.

www.epigrambooks.sg

National Library Board,

Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

Name(s): Chua, Morgan, 1949-

Title: Mdm Kwa: the life of Mrs Lee Kuan Yew / Morgan Chua.

Other titles: Life of Mrs Lee Kuan Yew.

Description: 2nd edition.

Singapore : Epigram Books, [2016]

Previously published: Sang Kancil Publications, 2011.

Identifier(s): OCN 954426043

ISBN 978-981-17-0072-9 (paperback)

ISBN 978-981-17-0073-6 (ebook)

Subject(s): LCSH: Kwa, Geok Choo, 1920-2010—Caricatures and cartoons.

Lee, Kuan Yew, 1923-2015—Caricatures and cartoons.

Prime ministers’ spouses—Singapore—Biography—Caricatures and cartoons.

Singapore—Politics and government—Caricatures and cartoons.

Singapore—History—Caricatures and cartoons.

Classification: DDC 959.5705092--dc23

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First published by Sang Kancil Publications in 2011 in a

different format as In Memory of Madam Kwa Geok Choo 1920-2010

vi viiMORGAN CHUA MDM KWA: THE LIFE OF MRS LEE KUAN YEW

Foreword to the First Edition

Madam Kwa Geok Choo was great in many ways—as a legal luminary,

as a mother of an illustrious family, and, more than that, for her stoic

presence next to Mr Lee Kuan Yew during times of turbulence and

tension in the many years of his political struggle. She was always

by his side, giving him her full support in his chosen path in politics,

sharing his preoccupation with the good of Singapore before anything

else. She was his companion, confidante and counsel.

As she walked that long road with Mr Lee, she made quiet but

important contributions to Singapore, many of which younger

Singaporeans came to know about only after she passed away in

October 2010.

This publication of sketches by Morgan Chua presents the

milestones in Madam Kwa’s life in a lighthearted manner. I hope that

it will stir interest among younger Singaporeans to get to know this

remarkable lady better.

President SR Nathan

28 June 2011

1MDM KWA: THE LIFE OF MRS LEE KUAN YEW

Introduction

“Mrs Lee Kuan Yew, aged 89, passed away peacefully at home today at 5.40pm…”

I was sipping on a cup of coffee in a crowded coffee shop in Ang Mo

Kio when I heard the news. Suddenly, Singapore stood still with an

air of silence. Grim-faced locals froze, stunned in deep grief.

All of them knew that she was the wife of Prime Minister, Senior

Minister and later Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. He was known

as Harry in his younger days, and that was what Geok Choo always

called him. He was later known by his initials, LKY.

2 3MORGAN CHUA MDM KWA: THE LIFE OF MRS LEE KUAN YEW

Kwa Soon Thye1912-1912

Died in infancy.

Kwa Soon Hock1913-1936

Died of myasthenia gravis

Kwa Geok Neo1914-2012

Kwa Soon Lock1916-1942

Taken by the Japanese.Presumed dead.

Kwa Soon Siew 1918-2013

Kwa Geok Lan1919-2012

Kwa Geok Eng1935-2013

Kwa Soon Bee1930-

Kwa Geok Lian1929-1976

Kwa Soon Chuan1922-2010

Kwa Geok Choo1920-2010

MADAM KWA’S PARENTS

Kwa Siew Tee, 1888-1977

He arrived in Singapore in 1898 from the bustling town of Semarang,

central Java, in Indonesia.

He was sent at the tender age of ten by his father, Kwa Wan Tjioe,

to attend school in Singapore, and also to learn more about new

technologies that were available at the turn of the century.

He became a teacher, tin miner, rubber planter, secretary and finally

general manager with Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) in

1932 until his retirement in 1952.

He married Miss Wee Yew Neo in 1910.

Wee Yew Neo, 1893-1980

She was born to the Peranakan family of Mr and Mrs Wee Theam

Seng and raised by her maternal grandmother in Kuala Lumpur,

Malaya, after the sudden death of her mother.

She was educated at the Methodist Girls’ School in Kuala Lumpur.

Together with her husband, she successfully raised their brood of

ten children. She taught them the art of speaking and good manners.

A typical nonya housewife, she was famed for her skill in

Peranakan cooking.

KWA GEOK CHOO AND HER SIBLINGS

4 5MORGAN CHUA MDM KWA: THE LIFE OF MRS LEE KUAN YEW

A scene in Pasir Panjang in 1920

In Malay, pasir means sand, and panjang

means long. Pasir Panjang referred to the

long sandy beach, and it was an area

where many wealthy Chinese built

their bungalows along the coast.

PASIR PANJANG ROAD IN 1920

Born on 21 Dec 1920

Kwa Geok Choo was the seventh child born to

the Peranakan family of Mr and Mrs Kwa Siew

Tee. The family house at Pasir Panjang Road

was situated at the junction of West Coast

Road and Clementi Road. It faced the sea.

Her father was a manager with OCBC

from 1932 to 1952. Her mother was

a nonya housewife.

Singapore, then part of Malaya, witnessed

the birth of one of her more remarkable

daughters. This is the lighter side of her story.

6 7MORGAN CHUA MDM KWA: THE LIFE OF MRS LEE KUAN YEW

1922

Miss Kwa Geok Choo’s happy childhood was

spent with an illustrious family who loved all

that life had to offer, from nature to modern

inventions. Her parents paid much attention

to their children’s education so that they

could have a better future.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

8 9MORGAN CHUA MDM KWA: THE LIFE OF MRS LEE KUAN YEW

1930s

When swimming, the women would

wear a sarong tied between their legs and

knotted at the top. The sarong was inflated by

blowing in air, much like a inflated balloon,

which enabled them to float.

SARONG PARTY (SWIMMING) GIRLS

10 11MORGAN CHUA MDM KWA: THE LIFE OF MRS LEE KUAN YEW

1936

Geok Choo played the part of a coolie in the

stage production of Lady Precious Stream

at Methodist Girls’ School (MGS). Lady

Precious Stream is an old Chinese opera.

In 1935, Hsiung Shih-i, a playwright, rewrote

it for the stage in the West End, London.

It ran for 1,000 nights.

In 1934, the English version was

published in a book by Methuen.

METHODIST GIRLS’ SCHOOL DAYS

12 13MORGAN CHUA MDM KWA: THE LIFE OF MRS LEE KUAN YEW

1936

Geok Choo was one of the most illustrious

students at her school. She completed her

secondary education at MGS and scored

first place in the whole of Malaya in the

Senior Cambridge Examinations.

BEST OF THE BEST

134 135MORGAN CHUA MDM KWA: THE LIFE OF MRS LEE KUAN YEW

About the Author and Illustrator

Morgan Chua started drawing for the Singapore Herald in 1970.

When the paper was closed down by the government in 1971, he

moved to Hong Kong and joined The Asian for nine months.

He then joined the prestigious Far Eastern Economic Review,

where he started as an editorial artist and over 24 years, rose to

the post of creative director. At the Review, he was known for

his incisive single-panel political cartoons and for arresting and

provocative magazine cover choices. He has also drawn cartoons

for Hong Kong’s Next Magazine and Apple Daily.

Chua’s publications include Tiananmen (1989, 2014), My

Singapore (2000, 2008), Divercity Singapore: A Cartoon History

of Immigration (2010) and LKY: Political Cartoons (2015).

Most recently, Chua illustrated former President SR Nathan’s

50 Stories from My Life (2013).