Some employees have been given time off to pay their respects to the founding father of Singapore.
The former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew died from severe pneumonia in hospital just after 3.18am on Monday, aged 91.
His body is laying in state at Parliament House until Saturday, for the public to pay their respects from 10am to 8pm.
DDB Singapore has been encouraging staff to leave work early to pay tribute to Lee Kuan Yew, while Media agency Starcom gave its employees time off today, according to reports.
“It’s a week where we feel the enormous loss and gratitude for what Mr Lee Kuan Yew has done for us all. Never have so many been indebted this much to one man. We must move forward to keep up his legacy,” DDB Singapore boss David Tang said.
Social media agency Goodstuph allowed staff the time they needed to visit Parliament House with their families, with boss Pat Law posting a message on Facebook that had amassed nearly 3,000 likes by this morning.
“Someone asked if there was free shuttle service from City Hall to Parliament House.
Another replied "He gave his whole life to the country. You can walk for 10 minutes."
Best comment I've seen. #leekuanyew #lky”
Meanwhile, employers should be aware employees could be delayed getting to work due to roads being closed for the rehearsal of the state funeral of Lee this morning.
Roads near the Parliament House – including North Bridge Road, South Bridge Road, High Street and Parliament Place - were closed in the early hours for the rehearsal; with traffic delays expected.
Lee’s funeral service will be held at the National University of Singapore’s University Cultural Centre (UCC) from 2pm to 5.15pm on Sunday, preceded by the state funeral procession from Parliament House to UCC.
The 15.4km long procession will pass significant landmarks such as Old Parliament House, City Hall, the Padang, NTUC Centre and Singapore Conference Hall; as well as heartland areas.
The funeral will start at 12.30pm and be telecast live on national television and online at
www.rememberingleekuanyew.sg.
The Funeral Service at UCC will be attended by members of the late Lee’s family, the President of Singapore, Cabinet Ministers, the Judiciary, Members of Parliament, and foreign leaders.
Dozens of world leaders – including the prime ministers of Australia, Japan and India, the president of South Korea and government leaders from China – are also anticipated to attend.
