S. Rajaratnam

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Sinnathamby Rajaratnam

Rajaratnam was one of the pioneering leaders who led the

He met his wife Piroska Feher, a Hungarian teacher, while in London. In London, Rajaratnam also wrote a series of short stories which The Spectator's J.B. Trend reviewed positively. Rajaratnam also gained the attention of George 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 by Epigram Books in The Short Stories & Radio Plays of S. Rajaratnam (2011).^[2]

Rajaratnam returned to Singapore in 1948 when he joined the Malayan Tribune and stopped writing short stories. In 1950, he joined Singapore Tiger Standard that was founded by Aw Boon Haw.^[3]: 119 In 1954, he joined The Straits Times as a journalist. He was bold in writing about the way Singapore was governed by the British.^[4] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Political career

In 1954, Rajaratnam co-founded the

"I remember one was an economics minister. 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."[6]

During his tenure as Minister for Labour, Rajaratnam implemented tough labour laws to attempt to restore stability in the Singapore's economy and attracted multinational corporations to invest in Singapore.^[7]

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 in

"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."[8]

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."^[9]

Rajaratnam was a strong believer in

Rajaratnam also disagreed with Prime Minister Lee 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 included Goh Keng Swee, Hon Sui Sen and Lim Kim San, and they dominated Singapore's political scene from 1959 to the mid-1980s.

Personal life

Rajaratnam first met his Hungarian wife, Piroska Feher, while studying in London and quietly married in 1943. Feher's grandmother was a member of the wealthy

In 1994, Rajaratnam was diagnosed with dementia 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.

Death and legacy

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Rajaratnam died on 22 February 2006 of heart failure at his residence at Chancery Lane in Bukit Timah.^[13][14] As a mark of respect, Mediacorp Channel 5 and Channel 8 observed a minute of silence that night. State flags at all Government buildings were flown at half-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 and Tharman Shanmugaratnam, paid their last respects at his home. His body lay in state at Parliament 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 a state funeral at the Esplanade – 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 historic Civic District. The service was attended by President S. R. Nathan, Cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament and other invited guests.

During the funeral, Prime Minister

Rajaratnam's state funeral was broadcast live on Channel 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 at Mandai Crematorium.

Organisations with which Rajaratnam was associated in life published obituaries in

Namesakes

The Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) at the Nanyang Technological University was renamed S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies^[16] 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 in Raffles Institution, his alma mater, was christened as the S. Rajaratnam Block.

Launched on 21 October 2014, the S$100-million S. Rajaratnam Endowment was set up by Temasek Holdings to support programmes that foster international and regional cooperation.^[17] Its chairman, Wong Kan Seng, said that the values that Rajaratnam stood for as Singapore's first Foreign Minister are even more relevant today.^[18]

Film appearances

Rajaratnam is a central character in Two Meetings and a Funeral, a film about the

Nonaligned Movement by Naeem 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.^[19]

References

1. ^ "PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES DEWAN RA'AYAT (HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES) OFFICIAL REPORT" (PDF). Dewan Rakyat. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
2. ^ "The Short Stories & Radio Plays of S. Rajaratnam". Epigram Books. Archived from the original on 20 September 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
3. ISBN 978-981-4279-52-9
   .
4. ^ "1915-2006 Politician". Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
5. ^ Chong Guan Kwa, Sinnathamby Rajaratnam, S Rajaratnam on Singapore: from ideas to reality. World Scientific, 2006, p.9. text online
6. ^ "Asean's birth a pivotal point in history of Southeast Asia". The Nation. 6 August 2007. Archived from the original on 14 June 2013.
7. ^ "Remembering Mr S Rajaratnam". Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
8. ^ 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.
9. ^ 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.
10. ^ "Tribute to my aunt, Mrs Piroska Rajaratnam". The Straits Times. 7 December 2015.
11. ^ Chew, Emrys (6 October 2010). "The Singapore 'Herstory': From Sophia Raffles to Kwa Geok Choo and Beyond" (PDF). RSIS Commentaries. S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
12. ^ Hussain, Zakir (1 February 2010). "Lest we forget Raja and his ideals". The Straits Times. AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
13. ^ "S. Rajaratnam". Retrieved 10 January 2015.
14. ^ "Former DPM Rajaratnam dies at age 90". Channel NewsAsia. 22 February 2006. Archived from the original on 23 February 2006. Retrieved 22 February 2006.
15. ^ The Straits Times, Friday, February 24, 2006, pp. H25-26
16. ^ "S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies".
17. ^ "S Rajaratnam Endowment". Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
18. ^ Ng, Kelly (21 October 2014). "S Rajaratnam Endowment to foster international, regional cooperation". MediaCorp. TODAY. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
19. ^ "Two Meetings and a Funeral - A Conversation between Naeem Mohaiemen and Hendrik Folkerts - Features - Metropolis M".

Bibliography

• ISBN 978-981-4279-50-5
  .

Wikiquote has quotations related to S. Rajaratnam.

External links

• S. Rajaratnam Professorship Archived 21 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
• S.Rajaratnam – One Hundred Tamils of 20th Century

Political offices
New office	Minister for Culture 5 June 1959 – 9 August 1965	Succeeded by Othman Wok
New office	Minister for Foreign Affairs 9 August 1965 – 1 June 1980	Succeeded by S. Dhanabalan
Preceded by Jek Yeun Thong	Minister for Labour 16 April 1968 – 5 July 1971	Succeeded by Ong Pang Boon
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 Goh Chok Tong
New office	Senior Minister 2 January 1985 – 3 September 1988	Vacant Title next held by Lee Kuan Yew 1990
Parliament of Singapore
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Kampong Glam SMC 1959–1991	Succeeded by Loh Meng See
Parliament of Malaysia
New constituency	Member of the Dewan Rakyat for Singapore 1963–1965	Constituency abolished