Lee Kuan Yew’s one-time nemesis, ex-Malaysian PM, breaks silence to pay tribute

Malaysia's former leader Mahathir Mohamad, one of Lee Kuan Yew's greatest rivals, said yesterday he was saddened by the death of Singapore's founding father although the two Southeast Asian strongmen often clashed and seldom agreed.

"I cannot say I was a close friend of Kuan Yew. But still I feel sad at his demise," Mahathir said in his first comments on the death yesterday. Lee died on Monday, aged 91.

Their thorny relationship reflected the difficult ties between two countries that had briefly formed a single state soon after gaining independence from British colonial rule.

Mahathir said he first met Lee when he was a member of parliament in 1964 after Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963.

"We crossed swords many times during the debates," said the 89-year-old Mahathir in the post titled "Kuan Yew and I". "But there was no enmity, only differences in our views of what was good for the newborn nation."

Singapore separated from Malaysia in 1965, as bitter political disputes stirred misgivings in their multiracial societies. While ethnic Chinese form the majority in Singapore, ethnic Malays are in majority in Malaysia, and both have smaller ethnic minorities originating in India.