S. Rajaratnam | |
|---|---|
சின்னத்தம்பி ராஜரத்னம் | |
 | |
| 1stSenior Minister of Singapore | |
| In office 2 January 1985 – 3 September 1988 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Lee Kuan Yew (1990) |
| 2ndDeputy Prime Minister of Singapore | |
| In office 1 June 1980 – 1 January 1985 Serving with Goh Keng Swee (1973–1980) | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Preceded by | Toh Chin Chye (1968) |
| Succeeded by | Goh Chok Tong Ong Teng Cheong |
| Minister for Labour | |
| In office 16 April 1968 – 4 July 1971 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Preceded by | Jek Yeun Thong |
| Succeeded by | Ong Pang Boon |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 9 August 1965 – 1 June 1980 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | S. Dhanabalan |
| Minister for Culture | |
| In office 5 June 1959 – 12 August 1965 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Othman Wok |
| Member of theMalaysian Parliament forSingapore | |
| In office 2 November 1963[1] – 9 August 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of theSingapore Parliament forKampong Glam | |
| In office 30 May 1959 – 17 August 1988 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Loh Meng See (PAP) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sinnathamby Rajaratnam (1915-02-25)25 February 1915 Jaffna,British Ceylon |
| Died | 22 February 2006(2006-02-22) (aged 90) Singapore |
| Cause of death | Heart failure |
| Nationality | Singaporean |
| Political party | People's Action Party |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | King's College London |
| Occupation |
|
Sinnathamby RajaratnamDUT (Tamil:சின்னத்தம்பி ராஜரத்னம்; 25 February 1915 – 22 February 2006), better known asS. Rajaratnam, was a Singaporean statesman, journalist and diplomat who served as the firstMinister for Foreign Affairs between 1965 and 1980, and 2ndDeputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1980 and 1985.[2][3][4]
Rajaratnam is widely recognised as one of the founding fathers of modern Singapore. He was also one of the founders of thePeople's Action Party (PAP), which has governed the country continuously since independence.[4]
Rajaratnam was one of the pioneering leaders who led theself-governance of Singapore from theBritish Empire in 1959 and theindependence of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965.
Rajaratnam was one of the five "founding fathers" of theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1967.
TheS. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at theNanyang Technological University and the S. Rajaratnam block ofRaffles Institution are named after him.
The second child of Sabapathy Pillai Sinnathamby and his wife N. Annamah, both ofJaffna Tamil descent, Rajaratnam was born inVaddukoddai,Jaffna,Sri Lanka. 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 toMalaya and raised inSeremban andSelangor. His younger brother,S. Seevaratnam, was born in Seremban and was a founding member of theDemocratic Action Party (DAP).
Rajaratnam attendedSt. Paul's Institution,Victoria Institution inKuala Lumpur, andRaffles Institution in Singapore before going on toKing's College London in 1937 to pursue a law degree. However, he was unable to receive funding from his family to continue his studies due toWorld War II; instead, he turned to journalism to earn a living.
In London, Rajaratnam also wrote a series of short stories whichThe Spectator's J.B. Trend reviewed positively. Rajaratnam also gained the attention ofGeorge Orwell, who then worked in the Indian Section of the BBC's Eastern Service based in London and recruited Rajaratnam to contribute scripts for the network. Rajaratnam's short stories and radio plays were later published byEpigram Books inThe Short Stories & Radio Plays of S. Rajaratnam (2011).[5]
Rajaratnam returned to Singapore in 1948 when he joined theMalayan Tribune and stopped writing short stories. In 1950, he joinedSingapore Tiger Standard that was founded byAw Boon Haw.[6]: 119 In 1954, he joinedThe Straits Times as a journalist. He was bold in writing about the way Singapore was governed by the British.[7] 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 byGerald Templer, who tried to cow him by showing him a gun in his desk drawer.[8]
In 1954, Rajaratnam co-founded thePeople's Action Party (PAP) together withLee Kuan Yew,Toh Chin Chye,Goh Keng Swee and others. He became popular among his supporters for being able to effectively follow the "mood of the people". He thought of amultiracial Singapore and envisioned her to be a "global city". He was also actively involved in organising major political campaigns againstfar-left political groups in Singapore.
Rajaratnam had served in theCabinet asMinister for Culture in 1959,Minister for Foreign Affairs between 1965 and 1980,Minister for Labour between 1968 and 1971,Deputy Prime Minister between 1980 and 1985, andSenior Minister between 1985 and 1988. Rajaratnam is remembered for authoring theSingapore National Pledge in 1966.
Rajaratnam was Singapore's first Foreign Minister, following its abrupt independence in 1965. During his tenure as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Rajaratnam helped Singapore gain entry into theUnited Nations and later theNon-Aligned Movement in 1970. He built up theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and helped to establish diplomatic relations with other countries and secure international recognition of Singapore'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 theKonfrontasi conflict in the 1960s and the withdrawal of British troops in the early 1970s.[10] Rajaratnam was one of the five "founding fathers" of theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1967. In this diplomatic arena together with the United Nations, he helped to draw international attention to theVietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1978.[10] Rajaratnam opposed theinclusion of Sri Lanka for ASEAN membership in 1967 based on the country's domestic situation which was unstable and not good for a new organisation.[11]
During his tenure as Minister for Labour, Rajaratnam implemented tough labour laws to attempt to restore stability in theSingapore's economy and attracted multinational corporations to invest in Singapore.[12]
Throughout his political career, Rajaratnam had played a key role in the pragmatic and technocratic PAP government that radically improved Singapore's economic situation, alongside huge developments insocial development on the island with massive expansion of healthcare programmes,pensions,public housing and maintaining an extremely low unemployment rate. 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."[13]
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."[14]
Rajaratnam was a strong believer inmultiracialism in Singapore, and when drafting theSingapore National Pledge in 1966 just two years after the1964 racial riots, he wrote the words "One united people, regardless of race, language or religion." 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 asChinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) andYayasan Mendaki, Rajaratnam expressed his opposition to these policies which, in his view, ran counter to the vision of establishing a common Singapore identity where "when race, religion, language does not matter". He advocated for greater racial integration which he felt was still lacking in the country.
Rajaratnam also disagreed with Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew on the policy of giving incentives to women who are college graduates to have more children, as he felt that the policy was unfair. Despite their differences in opinion on certain issues, Rajaratnam was loyal to Lee and remained as a member of the "core team" of Lee's government which includedGoh Keng Swee,Hon Sui Sen andLim Kim San, and they dominated Singapore's political scene from 1959 to the mid-1980s.
Rajaratnam first met his wife, Piroska Feher, a Hungarian teacher, while studying in London and married in 1943. Feher's grandmother was a member of the wealthyCsáky clan who had lost their fortune due to the dissolution of theAustro-Hungarian Empire after theFirst World War. Piroska, disgruntled by the rise ofNazism, moved to the United Kingdom where she worked as anau pair and teacher and eventually met Rajaratnam. FormerMember of the European ParliamentGyula Hegyi is her nephew.[15]
The couple moved to Malaya at the conclusion of theSecond World War but Rajaratnam's parents disapproved of their new daughter-in-law, even telling her that they would not accept "half-caste" descendants.[16] They did not have any children and remained married until her death in 1989 frompulmonary pneumonia at the age of 76.[17]
After Rajaratnam retired from politics in 1988 as part of the leadership transition, he served at theInstitute of Southeast Asian Studies as Distinguished Senior Fellow from between 1989 and 1997.
In 1994, Rajaratnam was diagnosed withdementia and was unable to move or talk by 2001. He was assisted by six maids, including his long-time maid of 21 years, Cecelia Tandoc.
Rajaratnam died on 22 February 2006 of heart failure at his residence at Chancery Lane inBukit Timah.[18][19] As a mark of respect,MediacorpChannel 5 andChannel 8 observed a minute of silence that night. State flags at all Government buildings were flown athalf-mast from 23 to 25 February 2006.
Rajaratnam's body 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,S. R. Nathan andTharman Shanmugaratnam, paid their last respects at his home. His bodylay in state atParliament House from 9:30am to 9:00pm on 24 February 2006.
In recognition of his contributions as one of the nation's founding fathers, Rajaratnam was accorded astate funeral at theEsplanade – Theatres on the Bay on 25 February 2006. The coffin was carried from Parliament House to the Esplanade at 1:30pm on a ceremonial gun carriage, past the historicCivic District. The service was attended by President S. R. Nathan, Cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament and other invited guests.
During the funeral, Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong,Minister MentorLee Kuan Yew, diplomatTommy Koh and orthopaedic surgeon V. K. Pillay delivered their eulogies; Lee Kuan Yew cried while delivering his eulogy. The state flag and theOrder of Temasek conferred to Rajaratnam, draped on the coffin were given to President S. R. Nathan and later to S. Vijayaratnam and S. Jothiratnam, Rajaratnam's nephews and closest relatives. TheSingapore National Pledge was recited by the mourners.
Rajaratnam's state funeral was broadcast live onChannel NewsAsia. The programme, called "Farewell to S. Rajaratnam", aired from 1:30 to 3:15 pm on 25 February 2006. His body was cremated at 5:00 pm atMandai Crematorium.
Organisations with which Rajaratnam was associated in life published obituaries inThe Straits Times; these included theInstitute of Southeast 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 andRaffles Girls' School. The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies noted: In the words he himself chose,
"We are sorry that he has left the Earth."[20]
The Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) at theNanyang Technological University was renamedS. Rajaratnam School of International Studies[21] in recognition of Rajaratnam's contributions to Singapore's foreign and diplomatic policy.
In memory of Rajaratnam, the then-unnamed newly constructed seven-storey building inRaffles Institution, his alma mater, was christened as theS. Rajaratnam Block.
Launched on 21 October 2014, the S$100-million S. Rajaratnam Endowment was set up byTemasek Holdings to support programmes that foster international and regional cooperation.[22] Its chairman,Wong Kan Seng, said that the values that Rajaratnam stood for as Singapore's first Foreign Minister are even more relevant today.[23]
Rajaratnam is a central character inTwo Meetings and a Funeral, a film about theNonaligned Movement byNaeem Mohaiemen. Rajaratnam's call for developing economies to become technology sufficient, rather than depending on the technology of the west is featured in the film.[24]
Former Singapore ParliamentarianIrene Ng authored two books on Rajaratnam,The Singapore Lion in 2010 andThe Lion’s Roar in 2024.[25]
TheNational Library of Singapore displayed aGenerative AI-powered ChatBook featuring S. Rajaratnam from October to November 2024.[4]
The showcase was inaugurated byLawrence Wong, thePrime Minister of Singapore, during the launching of the second volume of the biography of S. Rajaratnam,The Lion’s Roar, authored byIrene Ng.[4]
Singapore’s Senior Minister and former Prime Minister,Lee Hsien Loong, who attended the showcase, noted:[4]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | Minister for Culture 5 June 1959 – 9 August 1965 | Succeeded by |
| New office | Minister for Foreign Affairs 9 August 1965 – 1 June 1980 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Labour 16 April 1968 – 5 July 1971 | Succeeded by |
| Vacant Title last held by Toh Chin Chye | Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore 2 January 1985 – 3 September 1988 Served alongside:Goh Keng Swee,Ong Teng Cheong | Succeeded by |
| New office | Senior Minister 2 January 1985 – 3 September 1988 | Vacant Title next held by Lee Kuan Yew1990 |
| Parliament of Singapore | ||
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forKampong Glam SMC 1959–1991 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of Malaysia | ||
| New constituency | Member of theDewan Rakyat forSingapore 1963–1965 | Constituency abolished |
| Grand Collar (Supremo) | |
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| Grand Cross (Bayani) |
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| Grand Officer (Marangal na Pinuno) | |
| Commander (Komandante) | |
| Officer (Pinuno) | |
| Champion for Life (Kampeon Habang Buhay) | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
