Singapore - Lee Kuan Yew, the architect of modern Singapore and the country's founding father, underwent successful treatment for an abnormal heart rhythm, it was reported Saturday.

The 84-year-old minister mentor, under treatment at Singapore General Hospital, is expected to resume his normal duties soon, said Channel NewsAsia.

Approaching his 85th birthday on Tuesday, Lee is credited with transforming Singapore from a colonial backwater into a financial powerhouse.

While serving as the country's first prime minister for 31 years, critics said his methods were authoritarian. He currently holds an advisory position in the cabinet of Lee Hsien Loong, the senior Lee's 56-year-old son.

In a recent interview with The Straits Times, Lee said, "If you believe you are old and walk aound as if you are nursing a weak heart, you will go rapidly downhill."

"At 85, every new day is a bonus," he said. "As long as I am fit and alert, I will help consolidate Singapore's future."

Lee's wife, 87-year-old Kwa Geok Choo, is in stable condition after suffering two recent strokes. (dpa)