Some 10,000 trees will be planted across Singapore to mark the 100th year since the birth of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, who was known as the Republic’s chief gardener.

Mr Lee, who died in 2015, had launched the first nationwide tree planting campaign in 1963 and introduced the “Garden City” vision in May 1967, which started a greening movement that has lasted for decades.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who kicked off the LKY100 series of initiatives on Sunday with tree planting day, noted that the late Mr Lee’s goal was to make Singapore clean and green to improve the quality of life for all Singaporeans.

He said the LKY100 initiatives, which will also include community dialogues and public programmes, will honour Mr Lee’s values and ideals that helped shape the People’s Action Party (PAP) and made Singapore what it is today.

Amid challenges brought by external developments such as the war in Ukraine and rising protectionism, Singapore can draw confidence and strength from what the country’s founding leaders went through in the past, he added.

“Our pioneers did not stumble and fall; they defied the odds, they gritted their teeth and built today’s Singapore which we enjoy,” Mr Wong said.

“So I’m confident that if we continue to draw strength from what they have been through and motivate ourselves with those same founding values and ideals that built today, we can overcome whatever challenges that come our way and continue to build a fantastic Singapore together.”

At the event at St George’s Lane, Mr Wong, together with 100 families from Jalan Besar GRC, planted 100 trees.

The first tree planted was a Pink Mempat tree – the same type of tree that was planted by Mr Lee at the first tree planting day event.

Tree planting days will be held across all 15 PAP town councils in the coming months.

Dr Wan Rizal, an MP for Jalan Besar GRC and chairman of the PAP’s Action for Green Towns Taskforce, said the ruling party’s unwavering dedication to environmental stewardship was ignited by the late Mr Lee.

He added that significant strides have been made in enhancing sustainability efforts across PAP-managed towns, with the installation of energy-efficient LED lights and creation of more green spaces.

The aim is to make the towns “zero-waste, energy efficient and greener” by 2025, he said.

Also at the event were Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How, and Ms Denise Phua, who are MPs of Jalan Besar GRC, as well as Mr Tan Kiat How, an MP for East Coast GRC, and Ms Hany Soh, an MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.