Richard Hu, Singapore’s longest-serving finance minister, dies at 96

The Straits Times, 9 Sep 2023

Former Cabinet minister and Singapore’s longest-serving finance minister Richard Hu Tsu Tau died on Friday. He was 96.

His death was disclosed in a Facebook post on Friday night by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Mr Wong noted that Dr Hu was Singapore’s longest-serving finance minister. Dr Hu had held the post from 1985 to 2001.

“He stewarded our finances well, and provided a steady hand to steer our economy through the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis,” he said.

He noted that Dr Hu served as a director on the boards of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and GIC when they were formed, and had provided exceptional service to both organisations.

He also recounted that he joined the Ministry of Finance (MOF) in 1999 and had worked with Dr Hu, who was then finance minister, on a Budget.

Mr Wong wrote: “(He) asked us to get information on the prices of some key essential items at the wet market so as to get a better feel of the cost of living pressures that people were experiencing then.”

He added: “That is what I remember of Dr Hu – not just thinking about policies in abstract, but making sure that policies led to tangible improvements in people’s lives.

“In his quiet and humble way, he has served Singaporeans with distinction, and made Singapore a better place for us all!”

On Friday night, MOF also posted on Facebook a condolence message to Dr Hu’s family. “We will remember Dr Hu for his many valuable contributions,” the ministry said.

People’s Action Party member Lee Hong Chuang, an IT manager who contested unsuccessfully in the Workers’ Party Hougang stronghold in the 2015 and 2020 general elections, uploaded a photo after attending Dr Hu’s wake on Friday.

He wrote: “I remember the late Dr Richard Hu when I was growing up as a real stalwart of our economy... May you rest in peace.”

Dr Hu was a senior Shell executive before he entered politics in 1984.

He was the director of marketing of Shell Singapore and general manager of Shell West Malaysia – the first Asian to be appointed director in the Shell Group – before he was promoted to chairman of Shell Malaysia in 1974 and Shell Singapore in 1977.

He was a board member of MAS for 26 years, from 1971 to 1997, and was appointed its managing director in 1983 after he retired from Shell.

In 1984, Dr Hu was elected MP for Kreta Ayer constituency and was immediately made trade and industry minister, making him among the few MPs since independence to be appointed to the Cabinet right after winning an election.

He went on to spend 17 years in politics, retiring in 2001 as finance minister.

Singapore's former chief justice Yong Pung How dies, aged 93

Yong Pung How left an impact on Singapore law, finance and government
Tributes pour in, lauding former CJ's judiciary revamp and his work with GIC, MAS, OCBC
By Selina Lum, Law Correspondent, The Straits Times, 10 Jan 2020

Former chief justice Yong Pung How, who implemented key reforms to transform the Singapore court system into a model of efficiency, died yesterday. He was 93.

He is survived by his wife, Madam Cheang Wei Woo, and their daughter, Ms Yong Ying-I, who is permanent secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information.

Mr Yong and Madam Cheang met in 1950 when they were both studying in London. They married in 1955, when he was 29 and she, 26.

Tributes poured in yesterday from across the many areas in which Mr Yong had left an impact, in a career that spanned the Government, law and finance.

The legal fraternity saluted him for revamping Singapore's judiciary in his 16 years as the country's top judge from 1990 to 2006.

"Yong Pung How was a towering figure in the law. Respected as chief justice - and occasionally feared - the sweeping reforms that he introduced helped establish Singapore's reputation as a legal hub with a world-class judiciary," said National University of Singapore law dean Simon Chesterman.

Singapore Management University law dean Goh Yihan described Mr Yong as a titan of the Singapore legal system, which he said "is world-class and internationally recognised because of Mr Yong's steadfast push towards modernisation and efficiency in the 1990s".



Mr Yong was born on April 11, 1926, in Kuala Lumpur, the only son in a family of six children. His father Yong Shook Lin was a prominent lawyer who co-founded the firm Shook Lin & Bok.

He read law at Downing College in Cambridge University after World War II, and it was there where he would strike up a lifelong friendship with Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who would go on to be Singapore's founding prime minister.

Mr Yong was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1964 and migrated to Singapore with his family in 1969. He was a senior partner with Shook Lin & Bok until 1970.

He then went into merchant banking and finance, ending up as chairman and chief executive officer of OCBC Bank from 1983 to 1989.

On a secondment from OCBC from 1981 to 1983, he helped form the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation - Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, now known as GIC - and became its first managing director.

He was also managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) from 1982 to 1983, working closely with Dr Goh Keng Swee, who was chairman.

GIC CEO Lim Chow Kiat said Mr Yong's contributions were foundational. "He incorporated it as a private limited company, a form GIC still operates by, so that it can focus solely on managing the foreign reserves," said Mr Lim.

Mr Yong worked with the appropriate ministries on a rigorous governance framework for GIC and was instrumental in recruiting the first investment managers globally, ensuring that the officers were armed with sharp investment skills, as well as a strong sense of rigour and conviction, said Mr Lim. "We appreciate that what GIC is today is the product of Mr Yong's talents in manifold areas: legal, banking, business and administration."

MAS credited Mr Yong for steering the authority and the financial sector through a period of slower growth globally. "He helped implement a new approach towards reserves management, where foreign assets in excess of what MAS needed to manage the Singapore dollar were transferred to the newly created GIC for long-term investment by the Government," it added in a statement.

OCBC's group CEO Samuel Tsien said that when Mr Yong led the bank, it was a time of change, especially in consumer banking, when customer demand for services significantly increased amid intense competition.

Under Mr Yong, OCBC rolled out the largest network of ATMs in Singapore and was also the first to introduce Sunday and night banking.

He also drove the growth in the bank's property and residential loan areas, and modernised the look of OCBC's Chinese sailing vessel symbol that forms part of its current logo.

Still, the part of his career that he is perhaps best known for was to come.



On July 1, 1989, at age 63 - despite nearly two decades away from law and having already once declined an offer to be a judge - Mr Yong was persuaded by Mr Lee to join the judiciary with a view to him becoming the chief justice.

He was appointed a Supreme Court judge and took office as the chief justice a year later on Sept 28, 1990. When Mr Yong took the helm at the judiciary, there was a backlog of more than 2,000 cases.

He introduced case management measures that cleared the backlog by the mid-1990s and reduced the time for cases to be concluded.

He harnessed technology to streamline court procedures, set up specialist courts, raised the salaries for judges to attract legal talent and initiated the Justice's Law Clerk scheme to recruit top law graduates to the legal service.

In his first speech as chief justice, he abolished the traditional wigs worn by judges and lawyers, and salutations such as "My Lord" or "Your Lordship" for Supreme Court judges.

"In the place of these relics, the legacy Mr Yong left behind is a world-class judiciary staffed by first-rate legal talent and deploying cutting-edge technological advances," said Law Society president Gregory Vijayendran.

At the time, Mr Yong's push for efficiency gave rise to questions about whether justice was being rushed. Lawyers quit in droves as they were stressed by court deadlines. Besides his efforts to reform court processes and strengthen the quality of the Bench, Mr Yong also chose to hear all appeals of criminal cases from the State Courts, which were then known as the Subordinate Courts.

He developed a reputation for being tough and enhancing the sentences of those who appeared before him, even as he gave second chances to offenders with psychiatric problems.



Mr Yong was also well-known for his acerbic observations in the courtroom. Once, he was told by the defence counsel that an 18-year-old boy who had sex with a minor was given probation by a district judge. Mr Yong said of the judge: "Maybe he should be put on probation."

He also produced the most judgments in the history of the Singapore Bench, with a total tally of 882 written judgments.

He retired on April 10, 2006, at the age of 80.

His many achievements aside, Mr Yong said his finest hour in life had nothing to do with his illustrious career as chief justice.

In an interview in 2004, he said: "I would say it was the day I married my wife. We have been married for 50 years now, and I still consider her my best friend.

"To stay happily married with a good reputation and a close-knit family must be one of anybody's happiest achievements in life, whatever the work you do."

PAP Old Guard minister Jek Yeun Thong dies, aged 87

The Straits Times, 7 Jun 2018

A chapter of Singapore's history came closer to an end on Sunday, when one of only two surviving members of the People's Action Party Old Guard leaders died.

Mr Jek Yeun Thong, 87, died peacefully in his sleep at home, with his family around him, his son Jek Kian Yee, 55, told The Straits Times yesterday.

He also said that in accordance with his father's wishes, the family had a private wake and funeral, which was held on Tuesday.

As a mark of respect, and in recognition of his contributions to Singapore, the state flag on all government buildings will be flown at half-mast today, June 7, the Prime Minister's Office said yesterday.

Mr Jek was among the 10 men who put their names on the Independence of Singapore Agreement on Aug 9, 1965, when Singapore left Malaysia and became independent.

The remaining member of the group is former education minister Ong Pang Boon, 89.



President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday led the tributes paid to the Mr Jek, who had held ministerial portfolios in labour, culture, and science and technology, as well as served as high commissioner to the United Kingdom and ambassador to Denmark.

He made many contributions in his 25 years of public service - from mobilising the Chinese ground to upholding a multi-racial Singapore and advocating a Singaporean identity.

Volunteers who ensure no one dies alone

NODA members support terminally ill with few or no family members in their final days
By Janice Tai, Social Affairs Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 10 Dec 2017

Mr Tay Cheng Tian, 54, died in a hospice on Nov 4. None of his family members was by his bedside when he took his last breath, but he did not die alone.

In the last few weeks of his life, a bunch of strangers befriended him and committed to spending time with him till the end.

They fulfilled his last wishes and did things such as wheeling him downstairs for smoke breaks.

When Mr Tay started deteriorating rapidly from oesophageal cancer, the volunteers took turns to sit vigil round-the-clock by his bed.

For about two days, they held his hands, whispered to him or played his favourite songs to let him know that someone was there with him.

One saw him take his last breath at 8.30am that Saturday.



"It was a privilege to be with him, knowing that he was comfortable enough with my presence to go at that moment," said Ms Angela Sho, 43, a volunteer with Assisi Hospice's No One Dies Alone (NODA) programme.

It is part of a small but growing movement to support dying people who have few or no family members or friends to accompany them in their final hours. Demand for the service is likely to grow as the number of elderly folk who live alone in Singapore surges.

The General Household Survey, released last year, shows the number of households comprising only residents aged 65 or older stood at 82,600. About half, or 41,200, are made up of residents who live alone. By 2030, the Government estimates the number of seniors who live alone will hit 83,000.

"Given the increasing trends of one-person and two-person households with the head of households over 65 years old, we foresee the number of persons who die alone may increase," said Ms Chee Wai Yee, chairman of the grief and bereavement work group at the Singapore Hospice Council.

Singapore’s first First Lady: Puan Noor Aishah

New book launched on Puan Noor Aishah, wife of Singapore's first President Yusof Ishak
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 19 Jul 2017

When Japanese troops invaded Penang in 1941, Puan Noor Aishah left primary school and learnt instead to cook and sew to supplement her family's income.

She peddled nasi lemak with her mother, took orders for embroidery and tried to pick up new skills, hungry to make up for the abrupt end to her formal education. This eagerness to learn put her in good stead when her husband Yusof Ishak was made Yang di-Pertuan Negara in 1959. Puan Noor Aishah was just 26.

Her role as spouse of Singapore's head of state put her in completely uncharted waters, she recalls in a new 200-page biography Puan Noor Aishah: Singapore's First Lady, published by Straits Times Press and launched at The Arts House by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

Written by legal scholar and historian Kevin Y.L. Tan, the book also contains photos of Puan Noor Aishah and her family, including those from her private albums.

She said of her rapid adjustment: "I was not given any instructions or briefing at all; no guidelines. I had no task lists and no one briefed me on things like etiquette, dress codes and protocol. We had to learn and manage on our own."



She made her mark. She figured out the Istana's workings, and soon breathed new life into it by teaching its cooks - who were still preparing English classics like roast beef and Yorkshire pudding - her own recipes for local favourites like beef rendang.

She went for English lessons, organised events for dignitaries and became involved with voluntary organisations. And when her husband's health began to decline after a heart attack in 1968, she shouldered some of his social responsibilities.

PM Lee, who grew up playing with her three children, said of the book: "It will record for generations of Singaporeans her life story, the role she played and her contributions to our early nation-building days."

Since her husband died in 1970 of heart failure, Puan Noor Aishah, now 84, has largely kept out of the limelight, and the book offers a precious glimpse into her eventful life.

Remembering Othman Wok: 1924-2017

Othman Wok, member of independent Singapore's first Cabinet, dies aged 92
State-assisted funeral today for pioneer minister Othman Wok
By Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 18 Apr 2017

Mr Othman Wok, a pioneer generation minister who helped lay the foundation for a multiracial Singapore, died peacefully at the Singapore General Hospital at 12.21pm yesterday. He was 92.

Mr Othman was one of the 10 Singapore signatories of the 1965 Separation Agreement and a key member of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's Cabinet.

"He supported Mr Lee in the fight for a multiracial and multi-religious Singapore, and became one of Mr Lee's closest comrades," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. "The Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues are sad to learn of the passing of Mr Othman Wok and wish to convey their deepest condolences to his family."

Yesterday, Singapore's political leaders lauded Mr Othman as a champion for multiracialism, and a patron of sport and social services. He was Singapore's first minister for social affairs from 1963 to 1977, and concurrently held the culture portfolio from 1965 to 1968. He was ambassador to Indonesia from 1977 till 1981. He returned to Singapore and retired from politics that year.



In a Facebook post yesterday, President Tony Tan Keng Yam said Mr Othman made many significant contributions to Singapore. "His passion and commitment in helping others, and his impartiality and integrity in serving one and all, are traits that we remember and admire in him," Dr Tan said, adding that he and his wife Mary have lost a dear friend.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hailed him as a "a courageous champion of a multiracial, multi-religious, and meritocratic Singapore".

"During Singapore's turbulent years in Malaysia, Encik Othman came under great pressure, and even threats on his life, for his convictions. But he stood firm, and that made all the difference to Singapore," he said in a Facebook post.



Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim added that while Mr Othman made great contributions to the Malay-Muslim community, he had also urged Singaporeans to "make the effort to strengthen cross-cultural understanding, practise mutual respect, and come together as one united people".

Mr Othman was "keenly aware that race and religion could become major fault lines and conflicts could arise out of suspicion, misunderstanding and prejudice", Dr Yaacob said in a Facebook post.

A state-assisted funeral will be held for Mr Othman today, after a prayer session for him at the Sultan Mosque. In the highest honour accorded to a deceased Singaporean, a state flag will be draped over the casket, with the crescent and stars lying over the head and close to the heart of Mr Othman.

A ceremonial gun carriage will then carry his body to Choa Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery where he will be buried. A memorial service will be held tomorrow at the Victoria Concert Hall for invited guests.



Family members said that Mr Othman had been in ill health for some time. He was hospitalised for a lung infection on April 6.

His daughter Lily Othman, 60, said the family remembers him as a "kind, compassionate and loving father... He always told us that no matter what you must always be humble. It doesn't matter if you are the president's daughter or the king's daughter, humility should be your middle name".

Healthcare pioneer Kwa Soon Bee dies

Ex-permanent secretary spearheaded growth of hospitals and laid foundation for local healthcare system
By Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2016

Pioneer-generation civil servant Kwa Soon Bee died yesterday morning, at the age of 86.

He had suffered a stroke last week and was hospitalised.

Dr Kwa, who was born in 1930, had a long and distinguished career in the medical services during which he laid the foundation for Singapore's healthcare system.

He joined the civil service as a medical officer in 1956 after graduating from the King Edward Vll College of Medicine at the University of Malaya here, and retired from public service in 1996 as permanent secretary for health and director of medical services.

He was the first local doctor to specialise in haematology, the study and treatment of blood and blood-related disorders, and later helmed Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

Dr Kwa was a younger brother of Madam Kwa Geok Choo, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's mother, who died in 2010.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement yesterday that Dr Kwa was a "true pioneer" of healthcare in Singapore.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong added that Dr Kwa laid a strong foundation for the nation's modern healthcare system.

"Although I never worked with Dr Kwa directly, I have benefited from the legacy he left behind, 20 years after his retirement," he said. "Many of our current hospital buildings and polyclinic facilities were built or redeveloped during his tenure as permanent secretary and director of medical services."

The "3M" framework - Medisave, MediShield and Medifund - which Dr Kwa implemented has also kept healthcare affordable for all Singaporeans, Mr Gan added.

Remembering S R Nathan: A Final Farewell

S R Nathan - 1924 - 2016







'Few answered nation's call so often, and served so well', says PM Lee
PM Lee pays tribute to ex-president's 'abiding sense of duty' at state funeral to honour his life of service
By Zakir Hussain, Deputy News Editor (Politics), The Straits Times, 27 Aug 2016

Singaporeans bade a final farewell to the nation's sixth and longest-serving president yesterday.

Thousands braved the haze to line the streets from Parliament House to Kent Ridge, as Mr S R Nathan's cortege passed by landmarks that were milestones in his illustrious career of five decades in public service.

Others stopped work to tune in to the broadcast of a state funeral service for the man many had, since his death on Monday at age 92, hailed as a people's president.

At the University Cultural Centre, seven eulogists paid tribute to the man whose life's work made a difference to their lives and many others.

They shared memories of how as a social worker, workers' advocate, intelligence chief, newspaper company executive chairman, diplomat and from 1999 to 2011, Singapore's President, he shaped the history of this young nation and its institutions.

Even after he stepped down, he stayed active in engaging young Singaporeans, encouraging them to build on the pioneer generation's work and take Singapore forward.

"He always did his best for Singapore, even at personal risk and sacrifice," said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who delivered the opening eulogy during the two- hour funeral service.

"Few have answered the nation's calls so faithfully and so often, and served Singapore so well."

Mr Lee noted Mr Nathan served two terms as head of state with dignity and distinction, winning the respect and affection of Singaporeans of all races and from all walks of life.

"He firmly believed in and was the epitome of multiracialism, attending events of all communities, making time for everyone, no matter who they were," he said.

Mr Nathan's family members, President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Mrs Tan, MPs, diplomats and invited Singaporeans from all walks of life were among the 1,900 at the service. There were civil servants, social workers, religious leaders and students, many of whom he generously shared his life experiences and wisdom with.

Mr Nathan's hope was that they would learn "not to give up", Mr Lee said, noting that the ex-president "overcame extremely trying circumstances in his childhood and rose in the public service through grit, determination and ability, guided by a deep and abiding sense of duty".

Mr Lee added: "Time and again, he placed nation before self. Quietly and without fuss, he gave his best years and more, to Singapore."

Many among the more than 20,000 people who paid their respects at Mr Nathan's lying in state in Parliament House on Thursday had met him - or been moved by his life story and lifetime of duty.

Yesterday, six former colleagues and friends who knew him well, some for a half-century, joined Mr Lee in paying tribute to his steely resolve, strength of character, and generosity of spirit.

Foreign service veteran Tommy Koh called Mr Nathan "our super ambassador to the world" - a demanding boss who taught officers to be courageous, and put his own life on the line in the 1974 Laju hijack crisis.

As President, Mr Nathan's social work training and prodigious memory for names and faces endeared him to many. And he converted a huge global network of friends into friends of Singapore.

Former senior minister of state and community leader Zainul Abidin Rasheed, a former journalist, spoke of how Mr Nathan's network helped The Straits Times make inroads in its reporting on the region when he was executive chairman of The Straits Times Press.

His concerns transcended race and religion, Mr Zainul said, citing his abiding interest in Malay affairs as well as projects like the Indian Muslim Heritage Centre.

Community Chest adviser Jennie Chua shared stories of his deep commitment to charity and the social service sector, and heartfelt letters he wrote by hand to thank friends, volunteers and social workers.

Mr Nathan's willingness to help others never ceased even when he was in hospital, said his friend Ramaswamy Athappan.

For labour chief Chan Chun Sing, helping Mr Nathan start the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies - today's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies - imparted an important lesson: "Only the lack of imagination can set us back."

Mr Nathan's life encapsulates the Singapore Story many in his generation never imagined was possible.

It was thus apt that the service opened with the music of Thanja-vooru Manneduthu, a Tamil song that diplomat Gopinath Pillai said resonated with Mr Nathan as "he heard in it a tale of Singapore - how from many, we became one".

"We bid farewell to a remarkable man whose life was an unusual journey," said Mr Pillai, who spoke last.

"We were all fortunate to have been in some measure a part of this unexpected odyssey."

Singapore's 6th president S R Nathan dies, age 92

Remembering S R Nathan  (3 July 1924 - 22 August 2016)

State Funeral Service






State funeral for S R Nathan on Friday
PM Lee says ex-president, who died last night, had 'deep sense of duty to nation'
By Chong Zi Liang, The Straits Times, 23 Aug 2016

Singapore's longest-serving president, Mr SR Nathan, died peacefully at the Singapore General Hospital at 9.48pm yesterday, said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

He was 92.

"The Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues are sad to learn of the passing of Mr SR Nathan and would like to convey their condolences to his family," the PMO statement said.

Mr Nathan will lie in state on Thursday at Parliament House, where people can go and pay their last respects. A state funeral service will be held on Friday.

Mr Nathan, who turned 92 last month, had suffered a stroke on July 31, and had been in intensive care since then.

Before becoming Singapore's sixth head of state from 1999 to 2011, he had a distinguished 40-year career in public service that spanned the worlds of trade unions, security and diplomacy.

When he was with NTUC's Labour Research Unit in the 1960s, he handled negotiations between trade unions and employers at a time when labour unrest was widespread and pro-communist elements had infiltrated many unions.

As director of the Security and Intelligence Division from 1971 to 1979, he played a leading role in dealing with a terrorist attack. He secured the release of hostages from the hijacked ferryboat Laju by accompanying the hijackers on a flight to Kuwait to guarantee their safe passage.

As ambassador to the United States from 1990 to 1996, he went on talk show Larry King Live to speak up for Singapore when American media attacked Singapore for caning Michael Fay, who had vandalised a series of expensive cars.

But it was as Singapore's President that he became a familiar face to all, endearing himself to many as he recalled their names during his morning walks in the East Coast.

His introduction of the President's Challenge to raise money for the poor most reflected his care and concern for the needy.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his tribute last night: "He was a warm and approachable President who endeared himself to Singaporeans."

Noting that his life "is an inspiration to us all", Mr Lee said: "His was a story of how a young boy strove to triumph over his circumstances and make a contribution to society."

Mr Nathan held many public service posts, and occupied the highest office in the land, Mr Lee said, adding: "He impressed visitors with his knowledge of world affairs, and served with dignity and distinction."

Mr Lee said he had known Mr Nathan for 40 years, "since I was a young officer in SAF".

"I remember him as a man guided by a deep sense of duty to the nation... He was a true son of Singapore," he added.

President Tony Tan Keng Yam said Mr Nathan served with "dedication and distinction" in his long years in public service.

"I had the privilege of working with Mr Nathan from 1996 to 1999 when I was the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence," said Dr Tan, adding that Mr Nathan helped set up the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, now called the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

It is ranked among the top think-tanks in the region, he added.

He also said the President's Challenge gained much support and raised over $100 million for more than 500 beneficiaries.

Tributes also poured in from organisations like the Hindu Endowments Board, Hindu Advisory Board as well as people from all walks of life, and religions and races who had benefited from his generosity in time, money and effort.

As Singapore's top leaders and MPs hailed his life, one striking feature stood out: He was a generous mentor.

Calling Mr Nathan "a giant of our times", Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said: "I've benefited personally from his advice and guidance on many occasions."

Mr Teo also referred to the Laju hijack and said: "His courage, fortitude and dignity in dealing with difficult issues is an inspiration to all of us."

Labour chief Chan Chun Sing, addressing Mr Nathan directly in his tribute, said: "When I joined the labour movement, you took time to share with me your perspectives and experiences."

Mr Chan, who is also Minister in the PMO, added: "Your wisdom and selfless contributions will always inspire us to do more for Singaporeans and Singapore."

Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim remembered that despite getting on in years, Mr Nathan's concern for the Malay/Muslim community's progress was "sharp and strong".

When, in the 1980s, he was executive chairman of The Straits Times Press - the predecessor of Singapore Press Holdings - he introduced weekend seminars and overseas study programmes for promising journalists and editors to improve the standards of journalism, he recalled.

"He also held the strong belief that our newspapers must reach out to people from every community and background. Serving the news to a multiracial and multilingual population was key," Dr Yaacob said.

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, in a moving tribute, said: "I have met few people who lived and breathed Singapore the way he did. His fondness for friends of every race and from all walks of life. His complete absence of airs. His love of food. And his remarkable memory of events in our history, small and big, and of everyone he had met along the way."

Mr Nathan leaves his wife Urmila, son Osith and daughter Juthika, and three grandchildren.

RIP Muhammad Ali, the Greatest

Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali Passes Away At 74

#TheGreatesthttps://t.co/b3BnUTuxLd

— U.S. Olympic Team (@TeamUSA) June 4, 2016

Lee Foundation chairman Lee Seng Gee dies, 95

Philanthropist remembered for humility, compassion
Late Lee Seng Gee described by those who knew him as generous, kind and modest
By Kok Xing Hui, The Straits Times, 12 May 2016

Thousands gathered to pay their last respects to philanthropist Lee Seng Gee at his family home in Meyer Road yesterday.

Mr Lee, who died aged 95 on Tuesday, had been ill for several years. He was the eldest son of philanthropist Lee Kong Chian, one of the founders of OCBC Bank.

He was also the chairman of the Lee Foundation, which supports many charities, schools, and medical and cultural activities.

His maternal grandfather was the rubber tycoon and philanthropist Tan Kah Kee.

Those who attended his wake yesterday included President Tony Tan Keng Yam, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob and businessman Chua Thian Poh.

Mr Lee was remembered by many as a kind and down-to-earth man. Mr Goh said: "He was a very simple, modest and generous man. Despite the wealth that he had, you'd never know because he never flaunted it."

Others who came to pay their respects also recalled how donations from the Lee Foundation helped their causes, whether they were educational institutions or religious organisations.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in a condolence letter to Mr Lee's wife Della Susantio Lee, said Singapore has had many successful businessmen but few like Mr Lee, who was "even more successful as a philanthropist".

Said PM Lee: "He was a rare, selfless and humble individual who contributed to Singapore throughout his life." PM Lee added that the Lee Foundation donated close to $1 billion to various causes regardless of race, language and religion.

Former PAP old guard Lee Khoon Choy dies at 92

By Rachel Au-Yong, The Sunday Times, 28 Feb 2016

Former politician Lee Khoon Choy, a member of the People's Action Party old guard who also served as Singapore's ambassador to Indonesia in the 1970s, died yesterday.

His son, National University Heart Centre deputy director Lee Chuen Neng, said his father "passed away in tranquillity" at the National University Hospital in the morning, after battling pneumonia for two weeks. He was 92.

Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean yesterday described Mr Lee as "a giant of our times" for helping to smooth strained relations between Singapore and Indonesia in the 1970s.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, also in a Facebook post, said founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had spoken of the pivotal role Mr Lee played, adding: "It was his deep appreciation of culture and history that gave him that special insight and tact that is so essential in diplomacy."

Mr Lee, whose political career spanned 25 years, was known for his tact, and represented Singapore as a diplomat from 1968 to 1988.

He was appointed ambassador to Indonesia in 1970, shortly after the end of Konfrontasi, a period of hostilities when Indonesia opposed the formation of Malaysia, of which Singapore was a part from 1963 to 1965. Singapore had hanged two Indonesian marines in 1968 for a bombing at MacDonald House which killed three people.

Mr Lee, with his knowledge of Indonesian customs, persuaded Mr Lee Kuan Yew to wear a batik shirt on an official visit to Indonesia in 1973, and to scatter flowers over the graves of the two men. The gesture helped mend ties, and the following year, Indonesia's then President Suharto visited Singapore.

Helmut Schmidt, ex-Chancellor of West Germany dies at age 96

The Straits Times, 11 Nov 2015

BERLIN • Former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who led the country for eight years at the height of the Cold War, has died at the age of 96, said his office.

Mr Schmidt led then-West Germany from 1974 to 1982 as it rose to become a global economic powerhouse, before he lost power to conservative Helmut Kohl.



A centrist from the Social Democratic Party, Mr Schmidt steered the country through a bloody wave of terror by far-left radicals from the Red Army Faction, preached free-market economics to his party and embodied cool-headed pragmatic politics in an Europe riven by the Iron Curtain.

The media reported that he caught an infection after having surgery to remove a blood clot from his leg about two months ago.

His doctor told German news agency dpa that the former leader had been receiving treatment at home after suffering a downturn in his health earlier this week. He died in his Hamburg home yesterday.

In recent years, Mr Schmidt, a chain smoker, was a frequent talk-show guest and he commanded more respect as an elder statesman than he did when he led the country.

British statesman Denis Healey dies at 98

The Straits Times, 5 Oct 2015

LONDON • Lord Denis Healey, one of the heavyweights of British post-war politics - often described as the best prime minister the opposition Labour Party never had - died on Saturday at the age of 98.

Known for his wit, oratorical skills and large bushy eyebrows, he held the key posts of defence secretary and finance secretary in the 1960s and 1970s. The BBC reported that Lord Healey died peacefully at home.

"A great man and a genuine public servant has left us," British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement. "We should mourn with his family and give thanks for all he gave our country."

Was saddened to learn of Denis Healey’s passing at the ripe old age of 98 last night. When Singapore became...
Posted by Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday, October 3, 2015

Born in the year of the Russian Revolution in 1917, Lord Healey was a member of the Communist Party as a student at Oxford University, later moving to the Labour Party. He was a Member of Parliament for 40 years until 1992 when he entered the House of Lords.

His first Cabinet role was as defence secretary under Prime Minister Harold Wilson between 1964 and 1970.

Lord Healey said his greatest regret was that he did not serve as foreign secretary, to indulge his passion for international affairs.

He counted among his friends former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, as well as Singapore's founding prime minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who described him as having a powerful intellect, "like a computer which kept on putting out new solutions as more data was fed in".

Football icon N. Ganesan, creator of 'Kallang Roar', dies aged 82

The man who made Kallang Roar dies
By Sanjay Nair, The Straits Times, 2 Jul 2015

THE father of the Kallang Roar, a brother to Singapore footballers of yesteryear and a true-blue son of the Beautiful Game.

The local fraternity were effusive in their tribute to former Football Association of Singapore (FAS) chairman N. Ganesan, who died yesterday at 82.

An FAS spokesman said he was "a larger-than-life character who left a deep mark on Singapore football". A minute's silence will be observed before kick-off in all League Cup matches this week.

We are deeply saddened to learn that former FAS chairman N. Ganesan passed away this morning.Mr Ganesan,...
Posted by Football Association of Singapore on Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Gani, as he was affectionately known, had been recuperating in a nursing home off Bukit Timah Road after a stroke in 2011.

He helmed FAS from 1974 to 1981, a period that saw Singapore win two Malaysia Cups (1977 and 1980).

The Kallang Roar was born after he switched Malaysia Cup home games from the 6,000-capacity Jalan Besar Stadium to the National Stadium in 1974 - creating a 60,000-strong cauldron of noise.

Former Lions star Quah Kim Song said: "People were sceptical over whether the stadium could be filled but Ganesan took the plunge.

"We are forever indebted to him for kick-starting a golden period of Singapore football."