10:47 PM
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Mr S Rajaratnam. :)
In this post, I'll be introducing Mr S Rajaratnam's background & his contribution to Singapore. :)
» Introduction
- Sinnathamby Rajaratnam * (Better known as S. Rajaratnam)
- 25 February 1915 to 22 February 2006.
- The second child of Sabapathy Pillai Sinnathamby and his wife.
- Both his parents & him are of Sri descent.
- Born in Vattukotai, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. **
- Was then brought back to Malaya and raised in Seremba and Selangor.
[ * In this Indian name, the name "Sinnathamby" is a patronymic, not a famliy name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, "S. Rajaratnam". ]
[ ** His father wanted him to be born there for auspicious reasons after the premature death of his older brother. ]
» Academic
- Studied Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus for six months.
- Was transferred to St Paul's, a boys' school.
- Continued his studies in the prestigious Victoria Institution in KL.
- Then in Raffles Institution.
In 1937, He went to King's College, London, to pursue a law degree. He received his political awakening, became fashionably anti-imperial, anti-British, joined the socialist Left Book Club and became a Marxist. The lack of communication between London and Malaya during the Second World War meant that Rajaratnam could no longer receive money from his father to continue his education. He therefore turned to journalism to earn a living, never returning to university to complete his degree. » Political life
1954 ; Co-founded PAP (People's Action Party) with Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Kwee Swee & many others. 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.
» In years in his parliament, he served as :
- 1959 to - ; Minister for Culture.
- 1965 to 1980 ; Minister for Foreign Affairs.
- 1968 to 1971 ; Minister for Labour.
- 1980 to 1985 ; Second Deputy Prime Minister.
- Until his retirement in 1988 ; Senior Minister.
» Achievements
- Writing Singapore's National Pledge in 1966.
- As the Foreign Minister ; helped Singapore gained entry into the United Nations & Non-Aligned Movement in 1970.
- Built up the Foreign Service and helped to establish diplomatic links with other countries and secure international recognition of the new nation's sovereignty.
- Carried out the foreign policy of international self-assertion to establish Singapore's independence during the period when the country faced significant challenges.
- Was one of the five founding fathers in ASEAN in1967 & helped to draw international attention to Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia in 1978.
- As the Minister for Labour ; he implemented tough labour laws to attempt to restore stability in the Singaporean economy and attracted multinational corporations to invest in Singapore.
» Later life
Rajaratnam retired from political office in 1988 as part of the leadership transition. He then served at the Institute of South East Asian Studies as a Distinguished Senior Fellow from November 1, 1988 to October 31, 1997. In 1994, Rajaratnam was diagnosed with dementia and was unable to move or talk by 2001. Rajaratnam died on 22 February 2006 of heart failure, 3 days before of his 91st birthday.
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Ni Xiaoyan ; 12 ; 1E7. :)
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