Faces in the queue: The people waiting hours to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew

 Despite the announcements that they will have to face wait times of up to eight hours, Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans have been making their way down to Parliament House to pay their last respects to founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. 

Channel NewsAsia spoke to a few people in the queue.

Mr Ryan Lim and two-year-old daughter Renee

"I told Renee about Mr Lee. I told her that Mr Lee is 'Singapore's Papa'. I want her to know that Mr Lee is the founder of this country, and also to teach her our roots."

Mrs Ng Gek Tiang

"I heard on television that the public was advised not to come. But I thought it will be okay since I can go into the priority queue. I didn't expect the queue to be so long, but for Mr Lee Kuan Yew, anything can do lah."

Ms Lorna, from the Philippines

"It is a great opportunity for us to pay respects to Mr Lee. He is a great man. I want to salute his greatness and for what he has done for his country."

Mr Francis Ng

"I've been queueing since 6.50am. I heard that it was going to be a 10-hour queue but I still think its worth it to pay our last respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew."

Mr Asad Shiraz

"We've been here since about 7.20am. Coming early means we've got the whole day to be in line. This is an important occasion, an important event. We're here because we feel we have to be here, and because we want to be here. It's a sad day, very emotional.

Mr Choy, there with his wife and 3 children

"We just came back from Los Angeles where we were on holiday. We heard the sad news of the passing of Mr Lee while we were there and we came straight down to the Padang after putting down our luggage at home. There is not much time left to pay our final respects to Mr Lee. We appreciate his leadership, his contributions and his personal sacrifice for our country."

Mr Frank Porowski, from Germany
 
"I came to Singapore about eight years ago and stayed for six months. I liked it and now I consider Singapore home. I am married to a Singaporean and we have a family.

"I came here to pay my respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew and to show my family that I care about this country... It's not just my duty, but I want to be here to pay respects to this man who achieved so much for this great country."

Mr Michael Liao

"It has been pretty orderly so far, and I think the army and the police have been doing a good job - managing the queue and people's expectations, telling people at different checkpoints how long the queue will take. My friend is here with me, so we've been catching up on life in general and talking about how Mr Lee has affected our lives in different ways."

Mr Gabriel Toh

"I think its important to come down here and show respect to someone who has been very important to us. Without him, we wouldn't be able to sit here safely and wait in such an organised set-up. I am grateful for everything he has done."

Bryan Ng, 16, who was there with Chan Yi En (left), 16

“I think ultimately no matter how long the queue is, I’m willing to wait, because Mr Lee Kuan Yew is a brilliant man I respect a lot. I just want to be there to respect and honour him. Singapore wouldn’t be what it is without him.”

Ms Bianca Lam, 28

"I think Lee Kuan Yew has done an incredible job in turning this country around in the last 50 years. He had an incredible vision and determination to achieve what he set out to do -  to establish Singapore as a thriving economy and a developed country. I think that he has done an amazing job and dedicated his life to it.

"I know that there's long queues here, but it's a small time to give up to pay respects to some who dedicated his whole life to this cause."

NUS students Lim Xin Yi, 20, and Gordon Tan, 22

“The fact that I’m here and have food and water and education – I owe it all to him. I wouldn’t mind spending a bit of time paying my respects to him.”

Mr Chai Kim Kong, 57, a cleaner who has been clearing trash along the queue

"I've been working since 8am. It's tough but it's okay. We are all here for the same reason."