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| Minister for Culture | 3 June 1959 - 9 August 1965 |
|---|---|
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | 9 August 1965 - 1 June 1980 |
| Minister for Labour | 1968 - 1971 |
| 2nd Deputy Prime Minister | 1980 - 1985 |
| Senior Minister | 1985 - 1988 |
| Place of Birth | Sri Lanka |
| Wife | Piroska Feher |
- In this Indian name, the name "Sinnathamby" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, "S. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Indian family names are based on a variety of systems and Naming conventions, which vary from region to region A patronym, is a component of a Personal name based on the name of one's father A family name or last name is a type of Surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs Rajaratnam". The abbreviations "s/o" or "d/o", if used, mean "son of" or "daughter of" respectively.
S. Rajaratnam or Sinnathamby Rajaratnam (25 February 1915 – 22 February 2006), was a Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore from 1980 to 1985 and a long time Minister and member of the cabinet from 1959 to 1988. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Singapore Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The Cabinet of Singapore forms the executive and is headed by the Prime minister, who is the Head of government. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) He is regarded as one of the founding fathers of independent Singapore as it achieved self-government in 1959 and later independence in 1965. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. He devoted much of his adult life to public service in Singapore and helped shape the mentality of Singaporeans on contemporary issues. Singapore He is widely known as S. Rajaratnam and one of the schools of Nanyang Technological University, namely S. Nanyang Technological University ( Abbreviation: NTU) is a major research University in Singapore. Rajaratnam School of International Studies is named after him.
Contents |
Early life
The second child of Sabapathy Pillai Sinnathamby and his wife, both of Sri Lankan Tamil descent, Rajaratnam was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Tamil people ( or Ceylon Tamils, are an Ethnic group native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka who predominantly speak Jaffna or Yazhpanam (யாழ்ப்பாணம் in Tamil meaning யாழ்= Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island His father had wanted him to be born there for auspicious reasons after the premature death of his older brother. He was then brought back to Malaya and raised in Seremban and Selangor. British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula that were colonized by the British from the 18th and the 19th until the 20th century Seremban is the capital of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan, located within the district of Seremban, one of the seven districts of Negeri Selangor ( Jawi script: سلاڠور population 72 million is one of the 13 states of Malaysia.
Rajaratnam studied in Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, St Paul's boys' school, Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, and later in Raffles Institution in Singapore. St Paul's Institution ( Malay: Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St Paul) is a premier Secondary school for boys (and girls for form 6 and one History In the 1880s Raffles Institution in Singapore flourished as one of the most outstanding schools of its time Kuala Lumpur (ˈkwɑːləlʊmˈpʊər Malay /kwɑlɑlʊmpʊ/ and locally /kwɑləlʊmpɔ/ or even /kɔlɔmpɔ/ or often abbreviated as K Raffles Institution is an independent boys' secondary school in Singapore. Singapore In 1937, he went to King's College London to pursue a law degree. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. King's College London is a British Higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the federal University of London. However, due to World War II, he was unable to receive funding from his family to continue his studies; instead, he turned to journalism to earn a living. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Journalism is the profession of writing or communicating formally employed by publications and broadcasters for the benefit of a particular Community of people He met his wife Piroska Feher, a Hungarian teacher while in London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
He returned to Singapore in 1948 when he joined the Malayan Tribune. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 1954, he joined The Straits Times as a journalist. The Straits Times ( Chinese: 海峡时报 is an English language Broadsheet Newspaper based in Singapore, currently He was bold in writing about the way Singapore was governed by the British. This incurred the displeasure of the colonial government. His column, "I write as I please", attracted so much attention that he was called for questioning by the government.
Political career
In 1954, Rajaratnam cofounded the People's Action Party together with Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee and others. Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) The People's Action Party ( abbrev: PAP; Chinese: 人民行动党 Pinyin: Rénmín Xíngdòngdǎng Malay: Parti Tindakan Rakyat Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH ( born September 16 1923 also spelled Lee Kwan-Yew) is a Singaporean of Chinese immigrant background Goh Keng Swee ( bn October 6 1918 in Malacca) was the second Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore. He became popular among his supporters for being able to effectively follow the 'mood of the people'. He thought of a multiracial Singapore and envisioned her to be a 'global city'. He was also actively involved in organising major political campaigns against Singaporean groups on the far left. During his years in parliament, he served as Minister for Culture (1959), Minister for Foreign Affairs (1965-1980), Minister for Labour (1968-1971), and Second Deputy Prime Minister (1980-1985) and was later appointed as Senior Minister until his retirement in 1988. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. The title "Senior Minister" was also a title used in Canada before " Deputy Prime Minister " was introduced in 1977 Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Rajaratnam is remembered for writing the Singapore National Pledge in 1966. The Singapore National Pledge is an oath of allegiance to Singapore. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar.
Rajaratnam was Singapore's first foreign minister, following its abrupt independence in 1965. During his tenure as foreign minister, Rajaratnam helped Singapore gain entry into the United Nations and later the Non-Aligned Movement in 1970. Singapore The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Non-Aligned Movement ( NAM) is an International organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He built up the Foreign Service and helped to establish diplomatic links with other countries and secure international recognition of the new nation's sovereignty. He carried out the foreign policy of international self-assertion to establish Singapore's independence during the period when the country faced significant challenges including the Konfrontasi conflict in the 1960s and the withdrawal of British troops in the early 1970s. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. Rajaratnam was one of the five "founding fathers" of ASEAN in 1967 and helped to draw international attention to Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia in 1978. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly referred to as ASEAN, ˈɑːsiːɑːn AH-see-ahn in English (the Official language Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Sompong Sucharitkul, an aide of Thailand's then foreign minister Thanat Khoman, conveys Rajaratnam's stance on ASEAN membership for Sri Lanka in 1967:
I remember one was an economics minister. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island He waited there anxiously for a signal to join the discussion; but it never came. It was Rajaratnam of Singapore who opposed the inclusion of Sri Lanka. He argued the country's domestic situation was unstable and there would be trouble. Not good for a new organisation. [1]
During his term as Minister of Labour, he implemented tough labour laws to attempt to restore stability in the Singaporean economy and attracted multinational corporations to invest in Singapore. Multinational corporation ( MNC) or transnational corporation ( TNC) is a Corporation or enterprise that manages Production or delivers This important appointment emphasised the trust that the government had in him in overcoming the challenges Singapore faced.
Throughout his political career, he played a key role in the successive pragmatic and technocratic People's Action Party governments that radically improved Singapore's economic situation, alongside huge developments in social development on the island with massive expansion of healthcare programmes, pensions, state housing and extremely low unemployment. Social development redirects here For the aspect of Human biological development, see Psychosocial development Social change is a general term which A pension is a steady income given to a person upon Retirement, typically in the form of a guaranteed annuity. State housing is the system of Public housing offered to citizens in New Zealand unable to afford private rents State housing was introduced by the This is well underlined by his following statement:
We believe in a democratic society by governments freely and periodically elected by the people. . . We believe, in the virtue of hard work and that those who work harder in society should be given greater rewards. . . We believe that the world does not owe us a living and that we have to earn our keep. [2]
Nonetheless, Rajaratnam did not believe in the need for a strong opposition in parliament, which he considered "non-communist subversion"; he was unapologetic about the dominant party system in Singapore saying:
Given a one-party government, the capacity of such a government to act far more independently than if it were harassed by an opposition and by proxies, is obvious. In the game of competitive interference pawns which can behave like bishops and castles and knights can in certain circumstances be extremely inconvenient and very irritating. [3]
Rajaratnam was a strong believer in multi-racialism in Singapore, and when drafting the Singapore National Pledge in 1966 just two years after the 1964 Race Riots, he wrote the words "One united people, regardless of race, language or religion. The Singapore National Pledge is an oath of allegiance to Singapore. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. The 1964 Race Riots were a series of Riots that took place in Singapore during two separate periods in July and September between Chinese and Malay " In the 1980s and 1990s, when the government began implementing several policies to promote the use of "mother tongue" languages and ethnic-based self-help groups such as Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) and Mendaki, Rajaratnam expressed his opposition to these policies which, in his view, ran counter to the vision of establishing a common Singaporean identity where "when race, religion, language does not matter". The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 He advocated for greater racial integration which he felt was still lacking in the country.
Rajaratnam also disagreed with then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on the policy of giving incentives to women who are college graduates and have more children, as Rajaratnam felt that the policy was unfair. Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH ( born September 16 1923 also spelled Lee Kwan-Yew) is a Singaporean of Chinese immigrant background Despite their differences in opinion on certain issues, Rajaratnam was loyal to Lee and he remained as a member of the "core team" of Lee's government that include Goh Keng Swee, Hon Sui Sen and Lim Kim San, and they dominated Singapore political scene from 1959 to mid-1980s. Goh Keng Swee ( bn October 6 1918 in Malacca) was the second Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore. Hon Sui Sen ( 1916 - 1983 was born in Penang in the British Straits Settlements. Lim Kim San ( ( 30 November 1916 - 20 July 2006) was a Singaporean politician
Later life
Rajaratnam retired from political office in 1988 as part of the leadership transition. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) He then served at the Institute of South East Asian Studies as a Distinguished Senior Fellow from November 1, 1988 to October 31, 1997. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar
In 1994, Rajaratnam was diagnosed with dementia and was unable to move or talk by 2001. Dementia (from Latin de- "apart away" + Mens ( genitive mentis) "mind" is the progressive decline Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. He was assisted by six maids including his long-time maid of 21 years, Cecelia Tandoc.
Death
Rajaratnam died on 22 February 2006 of heart failure, 3 days shy of his 91st birthday. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. [4] As a mark of respect, Mediacorp channel 5 and 8 observed the one-minute of silence of procedure that night. MediaCorp ( is a state-owned group of commercial media companies in Singapore specialising primarily in Television and Radio Broadcasting The State flag on all government buildings was flown at half-mast from 23 February to 25 February 2006. The Government of Singapore is formed by the Political party which gains a simple majority in the general Elections held in Singapore at least once every Half-staff or half-mast describes a Flag flying approximately halfway up a flagpole or ship's mast (though anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of the way up is acceptable Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
The body of the late Rajaratnam rested at his home in 30 Chancery Lane from 22 to 23 February. Some of his former colleagues, Toh Chin Chye, S Dhanabalan, Othman Wok, Lee Hsien Loong, President S.R. Nathan and Tharman Shanmugaratnam paid their last respects at his home. Toh Chin Chye ( born December 10 1921) is a prominent first generation political leader in Singapore Suppiah Dhanabalan (born August 8, 1937) was a high-profile political leader in Singapore in the 1980s Othman Wok (born 1924 was a former Cabinet Minister in Singapore for 14 years Lee Hsien Loong ( born February 10, 1952) is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. Sellapan Ramanathan ( Tamil: செல்லப்பன் ராமநாதன் born 3 July 1924 is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam ( was the Minister for Education of Singapore since August 12, 2004 till April 1, 2008, and His body lay in state at Parliament House from 9:30am to 9:00pm on February 24, 2006. Lying in state is a term used to describe the tradition in which a Coffin is placed on view to allow the public at large to pay their respects to the deceased Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
In recognition of his contributions as one of Singapore's founding fathers, Rajaratnam was accorded a state funeral at the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay on 25 February 2006. A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony held to honour Heads of state or other important people of national significance The Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay ( is a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land alongside Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The coffin was carried from Parliament House to the Esplanade at 1:30pm on a ceremonial gun carriage, past the historic Civic District. The service was attended by President S.R. Nathan, Cabinet ministers, members of parliament and invited people from all walks of life. Sellapan Ramanathan ( Tamil: செல்லப்பன் ராமநாதன் born 3 July 1924 is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Singapore
During the funeral, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh and the Chief Mourner Dr. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the Head of government of the Republic of Singapore (and prior to 9 August 1965 Lee Hsien Loong ( born February 10, 1952) is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. Minister Mentor ( Simplified Chinese: 内阁资政 is a Cabinet position created by the Singapore government in 2004 as part of a leadership Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH ( born September 16 1923 also spelled Lee Kwan-Yew) is a Singaporean of Chinese immigrant background V K Pillay, an orthopaedic surgeon, delivered their eulogies. A eulogy is a speech or writing in Praise of a person or thing Minister Mentor Lee broke down while delivering his eulogy, and the national flag and the Order of Temasek which was draped on the casket was given to President S.R. Nathan and later to V. The national flag of Singapore was first adopted in 1959, the year Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. The Darjah Utama Temasek ( Order of Temasek) is Singapore 's second most important national honour and was instituted in 1962. Sellapan Ramanathan ( Tamil: செல்லப்பன் ராமநாதன் born 3 July 1924 is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Singapore K. Pillay. The Singapore National Pledge was recited by the mourners in honour of Rajaratnam, who penned down the National Pledge against the backdrop of racial riots in the 1950s and 1960s to inculcate in all Singaporeans his vision of building one united Singapore regardless of race, language or religion. The Singapore National Pledge is an oath of allegiance to Singapore.
The state funeral was telecast live on Channel NewsAsia. A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony held to honour Heads of state or other important people of national significance Channel NewsAsia ( abbreviated CNA is a pan-Asian news channel based in Singapore and owned by MediaCorp. The programme, called "Farewell to S. Rajaratnam", aired from 1:30 to 3:15 pm (SST) on February 25, 2006. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. His body was cremated at 5:00 pm, at Mandai Crematorium.
Organizations with which Rajaratnam was associated in life published obituaries in The Straits Times; these included The Institute of South East Asian Studies, Ceylon Sports Club, Singapore Ceylon Tamils' Association, Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society, Nanyang Technological University, Old Rafflesians' Association, Raffles Institution, Raffles Junior College and Raffles Girl's School. The Institute of South East Asian Studies noted:
In the words he himself chose, "We are sorry that he has left the Earth. "
We are by far the richer because he was with us. We fondly remember and cherish his humility, his warmth, his scholarship, his vision and his deep and unending love for Singapore and all Singaporeans. Yes, we are truly sorry that he has left the earth. [5]
Impact of Death
In memory of S. Rajaratnam, the then-unnamed newly constructed 7-storey building in Raffles Institution, his alma mater, was christened as the S. Rajaratnam Block
References
- ^ "Asean's birth a pivotal point in history of Southeast Asia", The Nation, 6 August 2007. Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval Raffles Institution is an independent boys' secondary school in Singapore. Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ Adapted from speech by S Rajaratnam, Minister for Foreign Affairs, at a dinner in honour of His Excellency Mr. Hans Dietrich Genscher, Minister for Foreign Affairs, 20 April 1977. Events 1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays
- ^ S. Rajaratnam. 1975. "Non-Communist Subversion in Singapore," in: Seah Chee Meow (ed. ). Trends in Singapore: Proceedings and Background Papers. Singapore: Singapore University Press, p. 118.
- ^ "Former DPM Rajaratnam dies at age 90", Channel NewsAsia, 22 February 2006. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ The Straits Times, Friday, February 24, 2006, Pg H25-26
External links
- Hindu rites funeral for former DPM Rajaratnam on Saturday
- Obituary and video of the state funeral
- President S. R. Nathan's tribute to Mr. S. Rajaratnam
- Silent tears, quiet thanks for true son of Singapore
- S. Rajaratnam Professorship
- S.Rajaratnam - One Hundred Tamils of 20th Century
- S Rajaratnam on Singapore: From Ideas to Reality
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none, post created after self government |
Minister for Culture 3 June 1959 - 9 August 1965 |
Succeeded by Othman Wok (post renamed as Minister for Culture and Social Affairs) |
| Preceded by none, post created following Independence |
Minister for Foreign Affairs 9 August 1965 - 1 June 1980 |
Succeeded by S Dhanabalan |
| Preceded by Unknown |
Minister for Labour 1968 - 1971 |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by none |
Second Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore 1980 - 1985 |
Succeeded by Ong Teng Cheong |
| Preceded by none, post created |
Senior Minister 1985 - 1988 |
Succeeded by Lee Kuan Yew (post vacant until 1990) |
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