National Day Awards 2012

Pioneering bureaucrat clinches top N-Day honour
Pillay heads list of 2,845 winners including military staff, public servants, educators
By Aaron Low, The Straits Times, 9 Aug 2012

ONE of Singapore's pioneering bureaucrats has received this year's top National Day Award.

Mr J.Y. Pillay, the chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers, has been awarded the Order of Nila Utama (First Class) for his extensive work in the public and private sectors.

Mr Pillay, 78, heads the list of award winners, which also features DBS Group Holdings chairman Peter Seah, Ambassador-at-Large Tan Chin Tiong and former Urban Redevelopment Authority chairman Alan Chan, who is also the chief executive of Singapore Press Holdings.

The awards are given out every year to recognise citizens for their contributions to the nation and society.

This year, 2,845 people have been honoured, including military staff, public servants, community and grassroots leaders, educators and other civilians.

The Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mr Bilahari Kausikan, received the coveted Meritorious Service Medal.

Mr Kausikan, 58, said: "No individual can ever make much difference except as part of a team, particularly in foreign policy, and it has been my privilege to serve with many dedicated, intelligent and patriotic colleagues and together, make some small contribution to our country."

Also honoured were the grassroots leaders from Aljunied Group Representation Constituency, which the opposition Workers' Party won in the general election.

Master potter Iskandar Jalil, 73, already a Cultural Medallion Award winner, has been given the Public Service Star for his work in the arts community. The winners will receive their awards from President Tony Tan Keng Yam in November.

Pillay: Key roles in public, private sectors
By Aaron Low, The Straits Times, 9 Aug 2012

MR J.Y. Pillay, who has been given the Order of Nila Utama (First Class), is one of the pioneers who helped shape Singapore's public and private sectors.

Mr Pillay, 78, is being honoured for his outstanding work as a public servant as well as his contributions to the private sector.

His distinguished career spanning 34 years in the civil service gave him a key role in helping to forge Singapore's fortunes alongside the Old Guard.

An engineer by training, he was once described by former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew as being "equal to the best brains in America".

Mr Pillay played a key role in shaping the economy during modern Singapore's early years, from managing the withdrawal of the British troops in the early 1970s to formulating the country's tax policy.

He spent his years in the civil service taking charge of several ministries, including Finance and National Development (MND). He was also managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC).

But his biggest contribution was building Singapore Airlines (SIA) from a staff of just 12 in 1972 to a world-class carrier.

Today, SIA has a market capitalisation of $12.6 billion.

After retiring from the civil service in 1995, he went on to oversee the creation of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) in 1999 from the merger of the Stock Exchange of Singapore and the Singapore International Monetary Exchange.

He continued to chair the SGX until 2010.

Mr Pillay still plays an active role in public life, chairing the Council of Presidential Advisors and the board at Tiger Airways.

Mr Pillay, who was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 1978, played down his contributions to Singapore as being "small contributions".

He told The Straits Times yesterday: "I am of course pleased to receive the award, but candidly speaking, I do not know why I got it. The contributions were small."

He said that of all the jobs he has done, the position at Tiger Airways is his most challenging yet.

"At SGX, everything ran smoothly. But here, there is always a fire to be fought, opportunities to be sought," he said.

Former colleagues who worked with him said that he possesses a first-class intellect and values clear and concise thinking.

Mr Pillay's former staff said he had a rule that any policy paper sent to him should be no longer than a page.

When asked about this, Mr Pillay said: "The important things are brevity and clarity of thought. Papers should aid administration of management and not be done for elegance."

Temasek chairman and former top civil servant S. Dhanabalan praised Mr Pillay for his work and said he "richly deserves the award".

"Few can match his record of public service in the Ministry of Finance, Temasek, GIC, MAS, MND and not to speak of SIA and SGX," he said.

Only a handful of Singaporeans have been awarded the Order of Nila Utama (First Class), which is the nation's third-highest honour.

They include former deputy prime minister Toh Chin Chye, former law minister E.W. Barker and former head of civil service Lim Siong Guan.

Grassroots veterans recognised for their work
By Melissa Lin and Maryam Mokhtar, The Straits Times, 9 Aug 2012

THIS year's National Day Award recipients include four grassroots leaders from Aljunied GRC, where the opposition Workers' Party (WP) scored a watershed win in the last general election.

But the winners who spoke to The Straits Times said it was business as usual on the ground.

Mr Pang Loo Seng, 59, has been a grassroots member since 1980, and spent the last 26 years working the ground in Aljunied.

"I don't feel any change, I just continue as usual," said the chairman of Eunos Community Emergency and Engagement Committee. In fact, he added, attendance at grassroots events has improved. "We've built rapport and trust with the residents over the years, and they know we can serve them well."

Aljunied has been politically shaky ground for the past two general elections.

In 2006, led by then-Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo and his team, the People's Action Party (PAP) won it with 56.1 per cent of the votes, the smallest margin among the GRCs.

And in last year's general election, the WP team, led by party leader Low Thia Khiang, won by 54.7 per cent.

But it seems that whether or not the constituency is held by the opposition, the morale and activities of the grassroots remain unaffected.

This is a sentiment that Mr Prabhakaran Pillai shares. The ward that the 76-year-old has volunteered in for the past 30 years, Kaki Bukit, was moved to Aljunied GRC from Marine Parade GRC last year after the boundaries were redrawn for the elections. Marine Parade GRC is seen as a stronghold of the PAP.

"There's no difference," said the former chairman of the Kaki Bukit Community Club Management Committee.

Like their Aljunied GRC counterparts, veteran grassroots volunteers are plentiful on this year's list.

Public Service Star recipient Wee Fui Twee, 73, has been involved in grassroots activities for more than three decades because he "just can't stop working".

The former principal of Gongshang Primary School, who now runs his own construction business, is currently serving as vice-president of the Tampines North Community Club Management Committee.

In the earlier years of his involvement, Mr Wee played a pivotal part in after-school student care and community centre upgrading projects.

"It feels sort of like a long-service award," he said with a laugh.

"I've never done anything with these rewards in mind. In the past, I was just a primary school principal helping pupils, and now I'm just doing whatever I can do to help."

This year's recipients consist of individuals from a myriad of occupations, such as master potter Iskandar Jalil and former president of the Singapore Hockey Federation, Ms Annabel Pennefather.

*National Day Award winners honoured
The Straits Times, 12 Nov 2012

SOME 440 National Day Award recipients received their awards from President Tony Tan Keng Yam yesterday at the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre.

Mr J. Y. Pillay, 78, one of Singapore's pioneer civil servants, was the first on stage.

The chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers was awarded the Order of Nila Utama (First Class), this year's top award, for his extensive work in the public and private sectors.

Other award recipients who turned up last night were DBS Group Holdings chairman Peter Seah, 66; equestrian rider and Paralympian Laurentia Tan, 33; and former Urban Redevelopment Authority chairman Alan Chan, 59, who is also chief executive of Singapore Press Holdings.

The ceremony was witnessed by most of Singapore's Cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean.