新加坡風雲人物李光耀因病去世

Lee Kuan Yew, founding father of modern Singapore and one of the most influential global leaders of the 20th century, has died aged 91, half a century after he led the tiny Asian city-state to independence in 1965.

在1965年領導新加坡這個亞洲小國實現獨立的半個世紀後，現代新加坡國父、20世紀最有影響力的世界領袖之一李光耀(Lee Kuan Yew)於23日凌晨3時18分點去世，終年91歲。

Singapore’s first prime minister, Mr Lee ruled the island nation from 1959 for three decades, overseeing its transformation from tropical Southeast Asian backwater in the declining years of British colonial rule, into one of the most remarkable economic success stories of the 20th century.

作爲首任新加坡總理，李光耀從1959年開始治理這個島國長達30年，在他的領導下，新加坡從英國殖民統治衰落末期一個落後的東南亞熱帶小國，轉型爲20世紀最成功的經濟故事之一。

He combined an authoritarian streak and appetite for social engineering with a determination to cement Singapore’s status as the most business-friendly location in the region by eliminating corruption and building a politically neutral jurisdiction based on the British legal system.

他把威權手段與對社會工程的喜愛結合在一起。他決心確立新加坡作爲亞洲最親商國家的地位——通過根除腐敗，並建立以英國司法體系爲藍本、政治中立的司法制度。

That helped propel Singapore from an economically deprived port city of the 1950s with per-capita gross domestic product of just $550 to an Asian financial powerhouse with GDP per capita of $55,000, according to the World Bank.

世界銀行(World Bank)數據顯示，這幫助推動新加坡從20世紀50年代一個經濟落後、人均國內生產總值(GDP)僅爲550美元的港口城市，變成了人均GDP高達5.5萬美元的亞洲金融中心城市之一。

On the International stage Mr Lee’s sharp intellect meant his advice was sought by US presidents from Lyndon B Johnson to Barack Obama, and by European leaders such as Helmut Schmidt, the former West German chancellor with whom he remained close.

在國際舞臺上，李光耀的犀利智慧引來歷屆美國總統——從林登•B•約翰遜(Lyndon B. Johnson)到巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)，以及西德前總理赫爾穆特•施密特(Helmut Schmidt)等諸多歐洲領導人向他尋求建議。他一直與施密特保持着密切聯繫。

He was one of the first to spot the potential of China under Deng Xiaoping, the former Chinese leader whose pro-market reforms unleashed the economic juggernaut that is now the world’s largest economy on purchasing parity terms.

李光耀是最先發現中國在鄧小平領導下的發展潛力的人士之一。中國前最高領導人鄧小平的市場化改革釋放了一列經濟快車，按購買力平價計算，中國現在是全球最大經濟體。

But it is as the architect of modern Singapore, an island with a population of a small mainland Chinese city, that he will be remembered. He led Singapore out of a shortlived union with the Malayan Federation in 1965, two years after breaking colonial ties with Britain.

但李光耀被後人銘記的將是締造了現代新加坡，這個島國的人口相當於中國內地一個小型城市。擺脫英國殖民統治兩年後，李光耀在1965年帶領新加坡脫離其與馬來西亞聯邦的短暫聯盟。

“He will go down in history as the moderniser of Singapore and the leader who pulled it all together,” says Michael Barr, associate professor at the School of International Studies at Australia’s Flinders University.

澳大利亞弗林德斯大學(Flinders University)國際關係學院副教授邁克爾•巴爾(Michael Barr)表示：“他將作爲新加坡的現代化推動者，作爲帶領新加坡走上崛起道路的領導人名垂史冊。”