WWLegal.com :: Mr S. Rajaratnam, Singapore's First Foreign Minister, Has Died

Mr S. Rajaratnam, Singapore's First Foreign Minister, Has Died
Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 10:00 PM

Former Deputy Prime Minister S. Rajaratnam, one of Singapore's founding fathers, has died.

The second child of Sabapathu Pillai Sinnathamby and his wife, both of Tamil descent, Mr Sinnathamby Rajaratnam was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka on 25 February 1915.

He was then brought back to Malaya and raised in Seremban and Selangor. He devoted much of his adult life to public service in Singapore and helped shape the mentality of Singaporeans on contemporary issues. The man who penned the lines for the Singapore Pledge, Mr Rajaratnam had retired from politics in 1988 after 29 years in Cabinet - the last four as Senior Minister.

Mr Rajaratnam's early education were in the prestigious Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur and then in Raffles Institution, Singapore.

In 1937, He went to King's College, London, to pursue a law degree. There he received his political awakening, didn't complete his law degree and went on to study journalism.

And it was in London that he met his wife Piroska Feher, a Hungarian teacher and his soul-mate in their 48 years of marriage.

The 10 years he spent in Britain during World War II helped shaped his anti-colonial stance and when he returned to Singaporein 1948, he joined the Malayan Tribune. In 1950, he was appointed Associate Editor of the Singapore Standard and held that post for four years. He then worked for The Straits Times till 1959 where, in the words of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, "he was a tower of strength, writing editorials and forcing the pace in The Straits Times, which was a much bigger newspaper".

He was the secretary of the Malayan Indian Congress and a founder member of the Singapore Union of Journalists.

Mr Rajaratnam met Mr Lee Kuan Yew by chance at the Chinese Swimming Club. Recognising that they were both dissatisfied with the prevailing political situation, they arranged to meet to discuss the situation. Rajaratnam became a founding member of the People's Action Party. In 1959, he resigned from The Straits Times to run for the Legislative Assembly seat of Kampong Glam.

Mr S. Rajaratnam is recognised and recognises himself as the theoretician and ideologue of the People's Action Party. In his own words, "the ideas man," "a public relations man… who projects the PAP image." He once said "Singapore run only by PhDs would be my vision of a purgatory. Equally, a government run by roadsweepers can be no less a terrifying place to live in."

He is also known as a strong believer in multi-racial Singapore. In 1966, with the 1964 race riots fresh in his mind, he wrote the National Pledge containing the words, "One united people, regardless of race, language or religion."

He also wrote 'PAP's first ten years', published in the 1964 souvenir publication marking the party's tenth anniversary. This account, the first by a minister and founding party member, has become a classic reference for subsequent accounts of Singapore's history of independence.

In Cabinet, Rajaratnam served as Minister for Culture (1959), Minister for Foreign Affairs (1965), Minister of Labour (1968-71) and second Deputy Prime Minister (1973). He was appointed Senior Minister in 1988 after he retired from active politics.

Rajaratnam passed away on 22 February 2006 of heart failure, 3 days before his 91st birthday.

As a mark of respect to Mr Rajaratnam, a founding father of independent Singapore, the State flag on all government buildings, Singapore schools will be flown at half-mast from 23 February to 25 February 2006.

The body of the late Mr Rajaratnam will lie in state at the Parliament House from 9:30 am on Friday 24 February till 12:00 pm on Saturday 25 February 2006. The public may pay their last respects at the Parliament House from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm on Friday.

A State Funeral for the family and invited guests will be held at the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay on 25 February 2006.

After his wife Piroska died in 1989, Mr Rajaratnam was asked about his thoughts on death and if he feared it. He answered, "No, not death, but how one dies...one day, before the curtain closes, I would like to know, did I do something worthwhile? Will it all vanish?"

And for his epitaph? He suggested, "Here lies a man. We are sorry that he has left the earth. ...... So, somebody feels sorry that I have left - and that's good enough."

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