REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Former Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri has condoled the death of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew who passed away at 03:18 A.M. local time on Monday.
"I express my deepest sympathy over the departure of Lee. As Singapore's founding father, he was a good friend and a reliable mentor," Megawati said in a press release received here on Monday.
The Chairman of the PDI-P noted that she often met with Lee Kuan Yew and discussed random topics.
Megawati recalled an occasion when Lee expressed his admiration for Soekarno for establishing the state of Indonesia.
"Establishing Singapore was not easy. So, I can understand the difficulty Soekarno must have felt while establishing Indonesia independently," Megawati quoted Lee as saying.
For Megawati, the relationship with Lee Kuan Yew was more than that between state leaders.
"He was a mentor to me. I absorb the quintessence of his struggle," Megawati stated.
Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo will attend the state funeral of the former Prime Minister of Singapore who died at 3:18 A.M. local time Monday.
Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto in a press release issued on Monday from Tokyo, Japan, remarked that the President will attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew after concluding his visit to Malaysia on March 29, 2015.
"On March 29, President Joko Widodo will go to Singapore for the state funeral," he added.
The President observed that the government and people of Indonesia have their deepest sympathy over the death of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew.
"Lee Kuan Yew, known as the Founding Father of modern Singapore, was a close friend of Indonesia," the President said.
As a leader, he pointed out, Lee had also been one of the influential political figures in Asia.
"Under his leadership, Singapore became a major economic hub in Asia, at par with other developed countries," he explained.
The President added that the government and people of Indonesia will pray that the bereaved family and people of Singapore have the strength and fortitude in the face of grief over Lee's death.
"The government and people of Indonesia hope that the people of Singapore will pass this difficult time," he noted.
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