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(CNN)Lee Kuan Yew will forever be remembered as the man who transformed a mosquito-ridden colonial trading post into a prosperous financial center with clean streets, shimmering skyscrapers and a stable government. Born in 1923, Lee became Prime Minister in 1959 when Singapore, a tiny spit of land with no natural resources and a polyglot population of Chinese, Malays and Indians, was still British territory and beset by riots and unrest. He presided over Singapore's bitter split from Malaysia in 1965 and molded the independent country into the global economic powerhouse it is today. "I was trying to create, in a third-world situation, a first-world oasis," Lee told CNN in 2008. READ MORE: Obama: 'Lee a visionary' Lee's thinking also had an international impact. His brand of capitalism -- which stresses the role of government rather than the free hand of the market -- has provided a blueprint for China's landmark economic reforms. But Lee was also a divisive figure, attracting criticism for stifling media freedom and for the harsh treatment of political opponents. In 2013, protests over plans to allow more immigrants into the city-state indicated growing unease among Singaporeans about the vision of the country set forth by the People's Action Party -- the party co-founded by Lee that has ruled Singapore for five decades. Lee voluntarily stepped down as Prime Minister in 1990, the first Asian strongman to do so. However, he played a role in the country's Cabinet until 2011 when his eldest son, Lee Hsien Loong, was elected for a second term as prime minister. The elder Lee retained his influence around the world. "This is one of the legendary figures of Asia in the 20th and 21st centuries," U.S. President Barack Obama said during a meeting with Lee at the White House in October 2009. "He is somebody who helped to trigger the Asian economic miracle," Obama added. But there were indications Lee's health had been slipping in recent years. In 2010 he was admitted to the hospital with a chest infection and in early 2013, Lee -- then 89 -- was hospitalized and treated treated for "stroke-like symptoms." He was again admitted to the hospital on February 5 for severe pneumonia and more than six weeks later remained on a ventilator. A fourth-generation Singaporean, Lee's family originally emigrated from southern China. A bright student, he gained a place in the city's elite Raffles Institution and went on to study law at Fitzwilliam College at Cambridge. He attributed his decision to go into politics to his experiences during the Japanese occupation of Singapore. "I learned how people survived and how people had to submit because you need to eat and your family needs to live, so I learned the meaning of power," he told CNN in 2002. The city Lee took control of in 1959 was still recovering from the ravages of war and could not have been more different from today's Singapore. However, Lee told CNN he had no "great vision of transformation." He concentrated on attracting investment and creating jobs; first finding a successful niche in electronics manufacturing by touting Singapore as an alternative to Hong Kong, which he said was in turmoil due to the Cultural Revolution in China. While Lee has been lauded for his economic accomplishments, he also created a Singapore bound by stringent laws and regulations that dictated most, if not all, aspects of society -- including media and political freedoms, censorship and even the selling of chewing gum. The country ranks 150th in Reporters Without Borders' 2014 Media Freedom Index, putting it just above the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico and Iraq. The New York Times, The Economist, the International Herald Tribune and the Asian Wall Street Journal have all been targeted with the "judicial harassment" employed by the Lee family, according to the media watchdog. In a 2014 article for CNN, opposition politician Dr. Chee Soon Juan criticized Singapore's authoritarian system, blaming a lack of dissenting views for economic inequality and worsening working conditions. "The ranks of the opposition, civil society and labor movement have been decimated in the last 50 years through imprisonment without trial and criminal prosecution, and nearly every newspaper, TV channel and radio station is owned and run by the state," Chee said. But in a 2008 interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Lee rebuffed charges that Singapore was too domineering or coercive a state. "I want social peace and stability within the country. I am not following any prescription given to me by any theoretician on democracy," he said. While Lee is likely to be remembered with affection and pride by many Singaporeans, a younger generation, with no memory of the poverty and violence that marked the country's birth, is questioning the Lee dynasty's control of Singaporean politics and pushing for greater democracy. In 2011, the People's Action Party lost six seats to the opposition, prompting Lee, then the party's "minister mentor" and another former prime minister, Goh Chok Tong, to resign. In a joint letter to parliament, the two explained they "decided to leave the Cabinet and have a completely younger team of ministers to connect to and engage with this young generation in shaping the future of our Singapore." How Singapore copes with these democratic demands will be key to its success in its second half-century, but those demands are unlikely to detract from Lee's achievements in its first 50 years.  In 2010, Time magazine listed Lee as one of world's 100 most influential people. "The mark of a great leader is to take his society from where it is to where it has never been," wrote former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the article on Lee. "There is no better strategic thinker in the world today."
Lee Kuan Yew became Prime Minister in 1959.
He presided over Singapore's bitter split from Malaysia in 1965.
Lee faced criticism for stifling media freedom and the harsh treatment of political opponents.
Skriv höjdpunkter för denna artikel: (CNN)Lee Kuan Yew kommer för alltid att bli ihågkommen som mannen som förvandlade en myggridd kolonial handelspost till ett välmående finansiellt centrum med rena gator, skimrande skyskrapor och en stabil regering. Lee föddes 1923, blev premiärminister 1959 då Singapore, ett litet spott av land utan naturresurser och en polyglot befolkning av kineser, malajer och indianer, fortfarande var brittiskt territorium och omgiven av upplopp och oroligheter. Han förestod Singapores bittra splittring från Malaysia 1965 och formade det självständiga landet till det globala ekonomiska kraftpaket det är idag. "Jag försökte skapa, i en tredje värld situation, en första värld oas," Lee berättade CNN 2008. LÄS MER: Obama: "Lee a visionary" Lees tänkande fick också ett internationellt genomslag. Hans märke av kapitalism -- som betonar regeringens roll snarare än marknadens fria hand -- har gett en plan för Kinas landvinningar ekonomiska reformer. Men Lee var också en splittrande figur, som drog till sig kritik för att kväva mediefriheten och för den hårda behandlingen av politiska motståndare. Under 2013 protester över planer på att släppa in fler invandrare i staden-staten indikerade växande oro bland Singaporeanerna om visionen om landet som anges av People's Action Party -- partiet som är medgrundat av Lee som har styrt Singapore i fem decennier. Lee avgick frivilligt som premiärminister 1990, den förste asiatiske starke mannen som gjorde det. Han spelade dock en roll i landets kabinett fram till 2011 då hans äldste son, Lee Hsien Loong, valdes för en andra mandatperiod till premiärminister. Äldste Lee behöll sitt inflytande runt om i världen. "Detta är en av de legendariska figurerna i Asien under 1900-talet och 2000-talet", sade USA:s president Barack Obama under ett möte med Lee i Vita huset i oktober 2009. "Han är någon som hjälpte till att utlösa det asiatiska ekonomiska miraklet", tillade Obama. Men det fanns tecken på att Lees hälsa hade halkat på senare år. 2010 togs han in på sjukhus med en bröstinfektion och i början av 2013 lades Lee -- då 89 -- in på sjukhus och behandlades för "strokeliknande symtom." Han togs åter in på sjukhus den 5 februari för svår lunginflammation och mer än sex veckor senare kvarstod han på respirator. En fjärde generationens singaporianer, Lees familj utvandrade ursprungligen från södra Kina. En ljus student fick han en plats i stadens elit Raffles Institution och övergick till att studera juridik vid Fitzwilliam College vid Cambridge. Han tillskrev sitt beslut att gå in i politiken sina erfarenheter under den japanska ockupationen av Singapore. "Jag lärde mig hur människor överlevde och hur folk var tvungna att underkasta sig för att man måste äta och din familj måste leva, så jag lärde mig meningen med makt", berättade han för CNN 2002. Staden Lee tog kontroll över 1959 höll fortfarande på att återhämta sig från krigets härjningar och kunde inte ha varit mer olik dagens Singapore. Lee berättade dock för CNN att han inte hade någon "stor vision av förvandling". Han koncentrerade sig på att locka investeringar och skapa arbetstillfällen; först hitta en framgångsrik nisch inom elektroniktillverkning genom att tutera Singapore som ett alternativ till Hongkong, som han sade var i turbulens på grund av kulturrevolutionen i Kina. Lee har hyllats för sina ekonomiska prestationer, men han skapade också ett Singapore bundet av stränga lagar och förordningar som dikterade de flesta, om inte alla, aspekter av samhället -- inklusive media och politiska friheter, censur och till och med försäljning av tuggummi. Landet rankas på 150:e plats i Reportrar utan gränsers mediefrihetsindex 2014, vilket placerar det strax ovanför Demokratiska republiken Kongo, Mexiko och Irak. The New York Times, The Economist, International Herald Tribune och Asian Wall Street Journal har alla riktats mot de "rättsliga trakasserier" som Lee-familjen använder, enligt medias vakthund. I en artikel för CNN 2014 kritiserade oppositionspolitikern Dr Chee Soon Juan Singapores auktoritära system, och skyllde på en brist på avvikande åsikter för ekonomisk ojämlikhet och försämrade arbetsvillkor. "Resultaten av oppositionen, det civila samhället och arbetarrörelsen har decimerats under de senaste 50 åren genom fängelse utan rättegång och åtal, och nästan varje tidning, TV-kanal och radiostation ägs och drivs av staten", Chee sade. Men i en intervju med CNN:s Fareed Zakaria 2008 tillbakavisade Lee anklagelserna om att Singapore var för dominerande eller tvingade en stat. "Jag vill ha social fred och stabilitet inom landet. Jag följer inte något recept som någon teoretiker gett mig på demokrati", sade han. Medan Lee sannolikt kommer att bli ihågkommen med tillgivenhet och stolthet av många singaporianer, ifrågasätter en yngre generation, utan minne av den fattigdom och det våld som präglade landets födelse, Leedynastins kontroll över singaporiansk politik och driver på för större demokrati. 2011 förlorade People's Action Party sex mandat till oppositionen, vilket föranledde Lee, därefter partiets "ministermentor" och ytterligare en tidigare premiärminister, Goh Chok Tong, att avgå. I ett gemensamt brev till parlamentet förklarade de två att de "avgjorde att lämna kabinettet och ha en helt yngre grupp ministrar att knyta an till och engagera sig med denna unga generation i att forma framtiden för vårt Singapore." Hur Singapore klarar av dessa demokratiska krav kommer att vara nyckeln till dess framgång under sitt andra halvsekel, men dessa krav kommer sannolikt inte att förringa Lees prestationer under sina första 50 år. 2010 listade tidskriften Time Lee som en av världens 100 mest inflytelserika personer. "Utmärkandet för en stor ledare är att ta sitt samhälle varifrån det är till där det aldrig har varit", skrev USA:s tidigare utrikesminister Henry Kissinger i artikeln om Lee. "Det finns ingen bättre strategisk tänkare i världen idag."
Write highlights for this article: (CNN)Lee Kuan Yew will forever be remembered as the man who turned a mosquito-ridden colonial trading post into a prosperous financial center with clean streets, shimmering skyscrapers and a stable government. Lee was born in 1923, becoming Prime Minister in 1959 when Singapore, a small spit of land without natural resources and a polyglot population of Chinese, Malays and Indians, was still British territory and surrounded by riots and unrest. He presided over Singapore's bitter split from Malaysia in 1965 and shaped the independent country into the global economic powerhouse it is today. "I tried to create, in a third world situation, a first world oasis," Lee told CNN in 2008. READ MORE: Obama: "Lee a visionary" Lee's thinking also had an international impact. His brand of capitalism -- emphasizing the role of the government rather than the free hand of the market -- has provided a plan for China's achievements economic reforms. But Lee was also a divisive figure, attracting criticism for suffocating media freedom and for the harsh treatment of political opponents. In 2013 protests over plans to allow more immigrants into the city-state indicated growing concerns among Singaporeans about the vision of the country set out by the People's Action Party -- the party co-founded by Lee who has ruled Singapore for five decades. Lee voluntarily resigned as Prime Minister in 1990, the first Asian strong man to do so. However, he played a role in the country's cabinet until 2011 when his eldest son, Lee Hsien Loong, was elected for a second term as Prime Minister. Elder Lee retained his influence around the world. "This is one of the legendary figures in Asia in the 20th and 21st centuries," said U.S. President Barack Obama during a meeting with Lee at the White House in October 2009. "He's someone who helped trigger the Asian economic miracle," Obama added. But there were signs that Lee’s health had slipped in recent years. In 2010, he was admitted to hospital with a breast infection and in early 2013, Lee -- then 89 -- was hospitalized and treated for "stroke-like symptoms." He was again admitted to hospital on 5 February for severe pneumonia and more than six weeks later he remained on a ventilator. A fourth generation Singaporeans, Lee's family originally emigrated from southern China. A bright student, he gained a place in the city's elite Raffles Institution and went on to study law at Fitzwilliam College at Cambridge. He attributed his decision to enter politics to his experiences during the Japanese occupation of Singapore. "I learned how people survived and how people had to submit to eating and your family had to live, so I learned the meaning of power," he told CNN in 2002. The city of Lee took control of 1959 was still recovering from the ravages of the war and could not have been more unlike today's Singapore. However, Lee told CNN that he had no "great vision of transformation". He concentrated on attracting investment and creating jobs; first finding a successful niche in electronics manufacturing by honking Singapore as an alternative to Hong Kong, which he said was in turmoil due to the Cultural Revolution in China. Lee has been hailed for his economic achievements, but he also created a Singapore bound by strict laws and regulations that dictated most, if not all, aspects of society -- including media and political freedoms, censorship and even the sale of gum. The country ranks 150th in Reporters Without Borders Media Freedom Index in 2014, placing it just above the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico and Iraq. The New York Times, The Economist, the International Herald Tribune and the Asian Wall Street Journal have all been directed against the "legal harassment" used by the Lee family, according to the media watchdog. In an article for CNN in 2014, opposition politician Dr. Chee Soon criticized Juan Singapore's authoritarian system, blaming a lack of dissent for economic inequality and deteriorating working conditions. "The results of the opposition, civil society and labour movement have been decimated over the past 50 years through prison without trial and prosecution, and almost every newspaper, television channel and radio station is owned and operated by the state," Chee said. But in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria in 2008, Lee rejected the allegations that Singapore was too dominant or forced a state. "I want social peace and stability within the country. I'm not following any recipe that any theorist has given me on democracy," he said. While Lee is likely to be remembered with affection and pride by many Singaporeans, a younger generation, with no memory of the poverty and violence that marked the birth of the country, questions the control of Singaporean politics by the Lee dynasty and pushes for greater democracy. In 2011, People's Action Party lost six seats to the opposition, prompting Lee, then the party's "ministerial mentor" and another former Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong, to resign. In a joint letter to Parliament, the two declared that they "decided to leave the Cabinet and have a wholly younger group of ministers to associate with and engage with this young generation in shaping the future of our Singapore." How Singapore copes with these democratic demands will be the key to its success in its second half of the century, but these demands are unlikely to belittle Lee's achievements in its first 50 years. In 2010, Time Lee magazine listed as one of the world's 100 most influential people. "The mark of a great leader is to take his community from where it is to where it has never been," wrote former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the article on Lee. "There is no better strategic thinker in the world today."
Lee Kuan Yew blev premiärminister 1959. Han förestod Singapores bittra splittring från Malaysia 1965. Lee mötte kritik för att kväva mediefriheten och den hårda behandlingen av politiska motståndare.
Lee Kuan Yew became Prime Minister in 1959. He presided over Singapore's bitter split from Malaysia in 1965. Lee faced criticism for suffocating media freedom and the harsh treatment of political opponents.