Some of the Rotary Scholars were extremely fortunate to be sponsored by our host clubs to attend a formal dinner with the Rotary International President D. K. Lee and Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.Over 600 people were at the gala dinner. MM Lee Kuan Yew was presented with a Rotary International Award of Honor. An award only given out 12 other times in the history of Rotary to people such as Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela in recognition of their achievements.
It is a rare opportunity to see the RI president, and even rarer to see the first prime minister of Singapore. LKY's acceptance speech was brief but humble. I don't know if it's the aura surrounding him (it was a big deal when he arrived and entered the building with heightened security) but he spoke magnanimously and wisely. I was sitting with some interactors my host club sponsered, who are what we would consider high school students associated with Rotary community service projects. They shared my excitement about seeing the MM for the first time as well. When I asked them what they learned about the MM in school, they told me they were taught that he was a great and innovative leader, modern, and highly intelligent.
My friend and I decided to relate him to what George Washington is in America, a founder of the nation. Raising standards of living from a third world country to "first world standards" is no easy task, especially in the span of one generation. In his speech, he referred to an old chinese proverb stating that, "The verdict will be out when the coffin is closed." Clearly reflecting on his own life and many tributes hailing him as a great leader, I started thinking I missed this guy in his prime. To see him frail and briefly doesn't shed enough light on to all he has accomplished, fighting through the Great Depression, experiencing the Japanese invasion, and building a nation. The MM also referred to America in his speech stating that philantrophic and non-profit organizations are a characteristic of developed countries such as America. That's so LKY, always thinking internationally and where Singapore stands on that scene. To me, I think his Rotary award was just one of the many signs that his country has prospered and become an internationally recognized power.
The RI President this year is D.K. Lee, a man from Korea. In addition to recognizing the MM, the president spoke about the values of Rotary, the efforts needed to maintain Rotary, and recognized the district's developments. I think a perk of being the RI president, as tiring as it may sound, is the international aspect of it. Although the president works out of Illinois, he is required to travel all over the world, which does take away from time at home. But after being involved with such an international crowd this past year, I couldn't imagine anything more enriching or exciting.
My time abroad is quickly coming to an end. I still don't know how it went by so fast. But this event was a great way to start the beginning of the end. The link below is to the local newspaper article about the Rotary gala. The 1st picture is of the RI President with all the club presidents in our district. And the 2nd picture is of me and two other American Rotary Scholars at the event.
