It was the 1950s, a tumultuous time for post-war Singapore. Disgruntled with the British ruling power, anti-colonial forces were calling for independence. The main contenders were the People’s Action Party (PAP) led by nationalist Lee Kuan Yew and the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) headed by Chin Peng. Displaying their political acumen, Lee and his team overcame all adversities to win the people’s mandate. Lee, who became Singapore’s first Prime Minister, orchestrated the movement to build a prosperous and peaceful Singapore. When he stepped down in 1990, he left behind an efficient government, world-class infrastructure, and a thriving economy. When he died in 2015, he left behind a shining Singapore as his legacy. The success story of Singapore as an independent nation is a saga worth telling and preserving for posterity. This book is an updated and revised edition of Days of Thunder: How Lee Kuan Yew Blazed the Freedom Trail (2005). It explores Lee’s leadership during Singapore’s early years and the question: Could Singapore have achieved as much without Lee Kuan Yew: the founding father of modern Singapore?

Anthony Oei was a journalist with The Straits Times and Radio & Television Singapura, public relations manager of the Economic Development Board and a writer with several advertising agencies. Lee Kuan Yew: Blazing the Freedom Trail is based on his earlier works What If There Had Been No Lee Kuan Yew? (1992, Heinimann Asia) and Days of Thunder: How Lee Kuan Yew Blazed the Freedom Trail (2005, Marshall Cavendish Editions).