S. Rajaratnam
Fond memories
Within hours of news of his death, strong outpouring in the Internet, spreading into discussion of old-new politics.
Feb 23, 2005

As flags fly at half-mast today and the country mourns the death of one of its founding fathers, Singaporeans penned their tributes.

Mr S. Rajaratnam died peacefully at 3.15pm yesterday at his Chancery Lane home of heart failure, three days short of his 91st birthday, after suffering poor health for several years.

There's been an outpouring of fond memories and tributes from young and old, including known critics of the government. The following is a cross section of views from Singaporeans: -

YoungPap forum

moshedyan
Rest in peace
One of the good great leaders

HAPPY
We lost one very good man!
While time comes, everybody have to go.
So, it is his turn. Next who will be.....
May you rest in peace.

witness
A rational humanist who expressed his thoughts clearly and powerfully.
He shall be sorely missed.
A true son of Singapore, and a loss to the world.
He made an important difference.

klownn
For the first time, I feel depressed.

coffeeboy
Yes, he's dearly missed by those who knew him
Yes, he'll be fondly remembered by those who knew him
Yes, he's one of the great founders of modern Singapore
Yes, he's multi-talented, intelligent and knowledgeable
Yes, he's the brilliant political strategist, the great journalist, the passionate writer,the conscientious worker for the people and country
Yes,he's instrumental in making the little red dot known to the world
Yes, his humility is part of his great character to be remembered
Yes, his commitment and dedication to building a modern Singapore
Yes, his honesty, his integrity and his great faith in Singaporeans
Yes, a great and eloquent speaker with a natural gift for writing great and important speeches
Yes, we've lost a great leader
Yes, we've lost a very humble man - friendly and approachable
Yes, we've lost a very filial son of our country
Yes, he'll be painfully missed by all Singaporeans
Yes, there's a reason to be sad and depressed
Yes, a great leader and a great man has passed on
Yes, he's a giant of a man with a big and kind heart
Rest In Peace Sir
God Bless.

the apache
They said an old soldier never die , they just disappear; the spirit he left behind, shall be for others to admire .

Zap
Truly a great leader who cared for the people.
My respects to a great son of Singapore.

sammyboy forum

SneeringTree
All his life, Mr Rajaratnam had insisted on a policy of multi-racialism. His legacy lives on in the lines of the Pledge he had penned.
"We the citizens of Singapore pledged ourselves as one united people. Regardless of race, language, or religion…"
I don't think he was for multi-racialism, he was for ONE Singapore. For example, he would have disagreed our current practice of dividing community self help groups into SINDA, MENDAKI CDAC etc.

lambaste2
Surely there should be a State furneral for ths founding leader of the country who even penned the national pledge! Devan and him will now have a good chat about politics up there

unisol72002
Raja was the hatchet man for Lee Kuan Yew in the ST Forum Page for a while.
To his credit, he could write very well, same calibre as Francis Seow.

scrobal
Rajaratnam was the party ideologue and a noted egalitarian. He was with LKY, Toh Chin Chye and Goh Keng Swee when they fought the British establishment from their days in London. Raja used his position as Associate Editor to launch a series of broadside against the British owned ST.
When they took power, Raja held the foreign portfolio for years as he was considered too weak to carry acts against the locals. Both he and Toh remained committed to their first cause against old man and the pragmatic Goh. When Toh left, Raja was the only cabinet minister that could say no and stand firm.
When Tungku insisted on separation, both Toh and Raja was last to know and as expected they vehemently disagreed. EW Barker drafted the separation agreement which both old man and Goh agreed.
He was also adored by the people of Kampong Glam constituency in which he held the seat for 29 years.
If Goh was the economic brains behind Singapore, Toh was considered the heart and Raja the soul.
An old guard that had passion.

lockeliberal
My uncles lived in Kampong Glam and they liked the man. He was a great parliamentarian. LKY was the first amongst equals but for those who knew anything they would know of the disagreements behind closed doors between LKY and many members of the old guard.
These disagreements will stay buried but they existed, many here call LKY a dictator but in the early days he had to deal with people who were as equally talented, articulate and charismatic who were not afraid of disagreeing.
Say what you may but men like Goh Keng Swee and Rajaratnam would not have stuck it out so long with LKY despite the disagreements if they could not "agree to disagree " and he would not have kept them on board so long if he did not respect their views.
That time has passed and yes it has been suggested that the cabinet has been recruited with people just as intelligent but less willing to disagree and buck the system. We are in a mess today ....but we are in a mess as a rich nation, a position better then being in a mess as a dirt poor backwater with nothing and for that we will thank the old guards and yes, Lee Kuan Yew and the generation that they led.
Raja was the own who invited David Marshall to become the Ambassdor to France much to the latter's surprise and to the chagrin of the old man.
After Raja, it was Hon Sui Sen and thereafter none. There is no heart, no soul such market-based salaries to help them sleep at night.
LKY was never a Hilter nor a Mao by a long long shot and he would never be as stupid to go down that road. The country is in stagnation...and yes we need and are still trying to figure out something which will give us back the hey days of the 80s amd 90s.
But we are in the position of worrying and fretting as a well off nation and not as a poor nation and that is a position I would rather be in, I think we owe something to the founding fathers and generation even though some might have outlasted their welcome.
Many of us do nto know about the disagreements behind closed doors and what transpired. From the little that I know he was not as silent as you called him but yes even if he voiced his opnions and even if his opinions were not carried through by others...he kept his peace as he had said his cousel.
Once he left the cabinet he kept his peace except to disagree on the "race" issues. At the end of the day I doubt we would have begrudged him his slience in his old age.

wt19
If he had felt strongly he should have resigned much earlier, but he did not and to form an alternate party, yet he didn't.

lockeliberal
He was there when Singapore needed him when it was growing. Please remember the basis of how the cabinet works. Disagree in private, have a united front in public, defend policies you disagree with because even though you might not believe in an action..you might not have won the argument in cabinet.
Like I said for some of us we do know that he was one of the few who could stand up to LKY in cabinet and he did, what they disagreed on well that's probably a secret but the MAN was not a 'silent dog' as you claim. And if he was overuled by majority vote then well he was part of the cabinet and he would have to defend the policy.

lambaste2
There was some disquiet amongst the old guards some 20 or 25 years ago according to Grandpa... but this disquiest and unhappinese sort of died down.
Then just before the hefty increases to Ministerial salaries came into being, they was sort of a one time token compensatory bonus of sorts paid out to them ... then it all died down.

SpearMint88
Well.... let him rest in peace and respect. Bbottom line, Raja did more for Singapore than all of us put togather in this forum. Say what you want about PAP, without them we will not have a Singapore like we have today.
Good or bad at least we have computers and internet access to bitch about Singapore. Bottom line.

scrobal
well said.

omnia2
Mind you I still recall that fateful errie night in the wee hours of the morning after JB Jeyaratnam took anson in 1980...Harry & Raja were facing the press together, with Raja smoking in his inimitable style. Both looked liked the tough knuckle duster gangster-politicians that people had not seen since the 60s...'reconsider the one man one vote system'...<chuckles>...
Also recall reading a Raja interview given by Tay Kheng Soon who said gave an account of a 'session' at raja's private residence in the late 60s when he summoned leading local intellengentsia who were regularly throwing brickbats at Harry & the PAPs...apparently Raja gave them a subtle ominous warning...'either you're with or against us'...do not disturb PAPPy nation building process. Tommy Koh apparently sure got the message.

dark
When I switched on CNA, Raja was making a great tribute speech to Lau LEE (Mr. Lee Kuan Yew) - how strange?

jbjjbjjbj
I saw the part on Channel 5 with him defending the ministers salaries against Chiam See Tong and was really pissed. Chiam offered to give up his MP allowance and he, with a smug smirk, said if Chiam was willing to give up a quarter million dollars, he would give up his minister's salary.
That's why it is important to look at the praise lavished on him with a pinch of salt. If he was truly a man of principle, he would understand the indefensibility of the salaries.

dark
Regardless of what he did, my respect to him is that when the time came, he moved on,& he did contribute as an active member of the old guards who were actually the ones who brought our generation from the third to the first world.
DITTO for Dr Goh Keng Swee, Dr Toh Ching Chye and mosty of the old guards.
Now not only LKY (feels) he should die on the job, even the less calibre Lau Goh Chok Tong is set to follow on his path, which is I am 70 going into 80, but what am I going to do if I were to retire from the government.
The first genertaion of PAP leaders,including LKY, did GOOD for Singapore

painneck
quote "When I switched on CNA, Raja was making a great tribute speech to Lau LEE-how strange?"
Yes, strange, video gave impression that Raja was knowingly doing an eulogy of an old friend. Raja is a real friend, in death he also did not forget to praise his friend in advance. RIP.

omnia2
aye aye...
Raja...although you were not born a singgie (Singaporean) you died a true son of the soil... rip.

markwai
Let us respect the PAP old guards who have brought us from dirt poor nation to our present status. We cannot deny the wonderful things they have done for us
1) Educating the masses from the 1960s
2) Housing the masses from the the 1960s
3) Bringing in the MNC to provide jobs for the masses
4) Law and order (witness the chaotic early days)
etc.
So please, credit should be given to them.
I think the founding ministers, LKY, Goh KS, S. Rejaratnam, Toh CC, etc have done tremendously for the good of the country.
I remember a filipino who visited Singapore a number of years ago said the following to me:
"Why is it that Philipine with its much larger land size and population, with a large proportion having tertiary english education, having to send its people oversea as maids, etc? Where you can find homeless people sleeping on the street of Makati, manila. What is wrong with our country?"
I told him "Your government is screwed. Like it or not, you need to have strong willed and determined people to kick ass to get things done." and I think we have that kind of leaders in the nation's early days.
So spare a thought, We could be like the Philipine had we taken the wrong people in to run the country!

dark
Respect the first generation of PAP leaders - YES
To support the present policies of PAP government - A VERY BIG NO, NO, NO

Swingstar46
With all the usual criticisms and condemnation of the present day PAP govt. against the frequent nostalgia and positive sentiments for the Old Guard founding fathers, let us not forget what common threads lie in the govt's substance since 1959.
The PAP's philosophy of firm no-nonsense results-oriented governance still applies today albeit many of our pampered youngsters may find it repressive and uncool. The strong man behind it all is still in govt. and still pulling the strings.
Of course the times have changed. Singaporeans are more affluent, better educated, worldly and have higher aspirations than the first generation
and the issues are quite different these days.
But have the PAP's values changed much? I don't think so! Call them dictatorial..autocratic...nepotistic...self serving...whatever. Bottom line is it has worked and is still working with no viable alternative in sight.
Our Asean neighbours Indonesia and the Phillipines started better off than we were in the early 60s. Both Suharto and Marcos did more to better their countrymen's lot than any leader that came after..this can be proven statistically.
Yet their people wanted to experiment with "democracy" and freedoms of speech etc...and degenerated into chaos and ruin.
The loss of respect for authority meant also the the loss of discipline that came with that respect. The country loses its direction and it's everyman for himself.
Singapore is so successful that our workers turn down jobs which are then offered to thousands of grateful foreigners, many from our poorer neighbours.
Want to be like Indonesia and the Phillipines....then vote in the Workers Party and the other opposition... It won't take long before our daughters have to work as maids overseas...and our best and brightest as cheap labour in more fortunate lands.

dark
Raja was a true politician who can wheel & deal & certainly a master of the art of survival in the jungle.
Read Peter Lim's re-collection in 140th today, Raja was with Lau LEE in the press conference, Lau Lee asked him a question, he gave an answer, and Lau LEE was upset and gave him a PUBLIC dress-down or scolding, he took it quietly.

Soc.culture. Sin
"achtung"
He is one old guard who deserved the highest medal of honor eg Iron
Cross

"kilometric"
He is a leftist idealist with true socialist value.
I think the minister pay issue really broke his heart.

channelnewsasia forum
charsiewfun
salute this man!
he was my sch discipline master bef joining PAP... as a discipline master, he never used a cane.... because he believed in 2-way dialogue to resolve issues. Salute.

lightningfork
Deep down I feel that in 20-40 years time Rajaratnam's ideals and idealism may be rethought thoroughly, the one Lee Kuan Yew felt was too much of a pie-in-the-sky in his November 2004 parliamentary address on Mother Tongue education reform
The first SM never failed to come across to me as someone decades ahead of his time in futurism-embracing praxis vision. He is, for me, Singapore's Gandhi.
Feb 23, 2006