He was the co-founder and first secretary-general of the People 's Action Party ( PAP ) , and led the party to a landslide victory in 1959 . During his leadership , Singapore separated from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965 and grew from an underdeveloped colonial outpost with no natural resources into a `` First World '' , Asian Tiger . As the co-founder and first secretary-general of the People 's Action Party ( PAP ) , he led the party to eight landslide victories from 1959 to 1990 , oversaw the separation of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965 and its subsequent transformation from a relatively underdeveloped colonial outpost with no natural resources into a `` First World '' , Asian Tiger .