4179. Lee Kuan Yew's legacy for Samy, 80-year-old retired teacher

23 July 2025: 8 am encounter with Samy.

 

 I met 80-year-old Samy this morning walking around Lentor Plain. He said he gave his old coins to friends who collected coins. I mentioned about somebody who wanted to give me a coin with Lee Kuan Yew but I did not accept it as I don't collect coins. This led him to speak up about Lee Kuan Yew's impact on his life. He had been a teacher for the past 37 years.

 

1.  Around 1967, LKY's government said that only Singapore citizens born in Singapore could be teachers in government schools. He was asked to leave as he was born in India although he was given Singapore Citizenship earlier, after a few months applying for it.

"I went to a missionary school to teach at St Margaret School in Farrer Road," he said. "It is a government-aided school and I was still paid by the government!". He stay in this school for over 30 years and later rejected a post as a school principal.

2. "In the old days, the employer and employee contributed 25% of the basic salary to the Central Provident Fund," he told me how he was able to put a downpayment for buying a house off the plan in Lentor Terrace around 1969. Lentor Green houses were built and was being sold as the developer could not pay the bank. However, he could not afford the downpayment and hence bought Lentor Terrace house off the plan (plot of land with house to be built)>

 

3. He had a government bursary for 2 years of his University study.

4. He came to Singapore as a 10-year-old leaving his poor parents in India. He was sent to the Boys' Home operated by the Ramachandran temple, not associated with the "Boys' Town". 

The Ramachandran temple helped pay for his primary education. His younger brother worked to finance his education but later he helped his brother to secure education in ACCA in the UK. The brother is a successful accountant in Kuala Lumpur now.

5. Married. 2 boys and 1 girl. All grown up. They paid for a maid from India to help him and his wife in the house. Daughter had married a cyber security husband and both had migrated to Australia. His two sons lived by themselves and now he and his wife are empty nesters.

6. A very healthy white moustached man who walks in the morning, meeting and talking to passers by. 

7. He served as President of the Ramaachandran Old Boys. 

"Lee Kuan Yew's policies had affected my employment as a government teacher, but I have no ill feelings against him as he had converted Singapore from a undeveloped country to a modern one."

"When one door closes, another door opens," I said to him.