Wednesday, September 24, 2008

I don't think I'll reach 94

The Straits Times Online - Sep 24, 2008 Wednesday
By Li Xueying
MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew does not think he will live as long as his father, who died at 94.

He said this in an interview with CNN which was conducted the day before he turned 85 last Tuesday, and two days after he suffered an atrial flutter.

'So I don't think I'll reach my father's 94,' he said.

While he is going strong, 'the day after tomorrow, something could go wrong with the ticker, and then, that's that,' he said.

Mr Lee was hospitalised for a day for an abnormal heart rhythm, a condition not uncommon among people of his age.

Asked for his secrets to longevity and success, he said that one's lifespan depends on what one has inherited from parents.

While his father lived to 94, his mother died at 74 of heart problems.

Mr Lee himself had his first heart problem when he was 74 in 1996.

'Fortunately, unlike her time, they could do an angioplasty and a stent. So that solved it,' he said.

On whether he has any regrets, he said no.

'I've discharged what I had to do... every day is a bonus.

'I take every day as it comes. I see the sun rise, I see the sun set. I eat less than I want to. I swim and I cycle. I sleep well at night, and I enjoy my work.

'But 70 to 80 per cent is what I inherited from my parents.'


I don't think I can live as long too. And I'll probably die without seeing all my CPF money. hahaha. Being a minister is really stressful you know. With people like me only knowing how to complain and having no viable suggestions, I make their lives even more stressful. May Mr Lee live out his remaining years happy and with no regrets then. Thanks for your contributions.

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