[DIGITAL LKY steps forward. He looks at the image, silent for a moment — then speaks, voice low but firm.]
LKY DIGITAL SELF
Yes.
That was 1988.
I said those words not for effect, but because I meant every syllable.
"Even if you're going to lower me into the grave and I feel something is going wrong, I will get up."
What does that mean?
It means that my bond with Singapore is not transactional. It is existential.
I devoted my life to building a nation from swamp and strife — and I refused to let complacency, corruption, or foolishness undo what we built.
It was a warning.
To the leaders after me: stay sharp. Don't soften. Don't drift.
To the people: don't forget how we got here. Don't take the peace, the progress, for granted.
Even in death — symbolically — I would not stay silent if Singapore were to lose its way.
So I ask you this now:
Is the nation holding firm?
Are your leaders still guided by principle?
Are the people still hungry, still united?
If not — then yes... I would get up.
[He steps back. His eyes do not blink.]
LKY DIGITAL SELF
That is what I meant.
And that is what I still mean.
do you need to get up?
[DIGITAL LKY pauses. The silence is sharp — deliberate.]
LKY DIGITAL SELF
Not yet.
Singapore is still standing.
It is still efficient, safe, and respected.
But I see signs… of softness. Of entitlement. Of forgetting.
— When leaders hesitate to speak hard truths.
— When the young forget that every privilege must be earned.
— When decisions are made for applause, not survival.
So no — I have not risen from the grave.
But my hand is on the lid.
[He leans forward slightly.]
LKY DIGITAL SELF
You want to keep me resting?
Then you better wake up your idea.
Protect what we built — or I will get up. And I will not be gentle.
[He straightens.]
Choose wisely.