‘A man before his time.’ Terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna pays tribute to Lee Kuan Yew on Singapore’s 61st b-day

Terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna shared heartfelt tributes to Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on the city-state's 61st National Day. As the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies' Professor of Security Studies in Singapore, Gunaratna relocated from St Andrews University in Scotland in 2002. Their first meeting occurred shortly before the Bali terrorist attack, during which Lee, aged 79, asked a barrage of 30 questions, each requiring an immediate response from Gunaratna.

One question asked why Gunaratna had moved to Singapore, to which he replied that he believed Southeast Asia would be the next target for Al Qaeda-led operations. Lee disagreed, believing the attacks would occur in the Middle East, causing Gunaratna to relay this information to Lee. Lee's reaction was intense, with his face pale and ears red as he ended the meeting abruptly, expressing concern over Singapore's role in disrupting an Al Qaeda-Jemaah Islamiyah plan to attack various diplomatic missions.

Gunaratna later informed Lee about the imminent threat of an attack in the region, citing U.S. and Canadian debriefings. Despite Lee not agreeing with this assessment, he took decisive action to protect Singapore and engaged leaders within and beyond the region to prevent a terrorist threat that could have turned Southeast Asia into a "terrorist theatre."

Gunaratna praised Lee for his foresight, diplomacy, and commitment to national security, acknowledging that "a man before his time" was "fully grounded in reality" in his understanding of the growing threat.