Dr Goh Keng Swee
Dr. Goh Keng Swee (6 October 1918 – 14 May 2010) was the second Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1973 and 1984, and a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Kreta Ayer constituency for a quarter of a century. Born in Malacca in the Straits Settlements into a Peranakan family, he came to Singapore at the age of two years. Educated at Raffles College and the London School of Economics and Political Science, his interest in politics began during his time in London where he met fellow students seeking independence for British Malaya, including Abdul Razak, Maurice Baker, Lee Kuan Yew and Toh Chin Chye. From 1945 onwards he worked for the Department of Social Welfare, eventually rising to become its Director. In 1958 he resigned from the Civil Service to work full-time for the People's Action Party (PAP), becoming a key member and later vice-chairman of its Central Executive Committee. The following year he successfully contested the Kreta Ayer seat in the 1959 general election for theLegislative Assembly, and joined the first government of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew as Minister for Finance. Upon Singapore's independence on 9 August 1965, Goh became the nation's first Minister for the Interior and Defence. He subsequently served as Finance Minister (1967–1970), Minister for Defence (1970–1979) and Minister for Education (1979–1980, 1981–1984).
Following his retirement from politics, Goh continued to be active in public life, serving as Deputy Chairman of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (1981–1994); Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Institute of East Asian Philosophies (1983–1992) and Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Governors of its successor, the Institute of East Asian Political Economy (1992–1995); Economic Adviser to the State Council of the People's Republic of China on coastal development and Adviser on tourism (1985); Deputy Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (1985–1992); Chairman of the Singapore Totalisator Board (1988–1994); adviser to the United Overseas Bank group (from 1993); Chairman of N.M. Rothschild & Sons (Singapore) Ltd. (from 1994); and Vice-Chairman of Hong Leong Asia Ltd. (from 1995).
In 1972, Goh was the recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Services, and was conferred the Order of Sikatuna by the Philippine Government. Following his retirement from politics, in 1985 Goh was awarded the Darjah Utama Temasek (Order of Temasek), First Class, Singapore's highest civilian honour. He was also made the first Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Development Board Society in 1991.
Goh was diagnosed with bladder cancer in September 1983 and he retired from politics in December 1984. He kept a low profile but remained active with various organisations where he served on the board or as an adviser. After he married Phua Swee Liang in 1991, the couple travelled widely to places such as Australia and Hawaii. However, a series of strokes in the late 1990s and early 2000s took a heavy toll on him. He was bedridden in his final years and passed away on 14 May 2010.Adapted from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goh_Keng_Swee
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| Former Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew Age: 90 yrs old this year
Lee Kuan Yew (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, 16 September 1923), GCMG, CH, is a Singaporean politician. Often referred to by the initialsLKY, he was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades. He is also widely recognized as the founding father of modern Singapore.
As the co-founder and first General Secretary of the People's Action Party (PAP), he led the party to eight victories from 1959 to 1990, and oversaw the separation of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965 and its subsequent transformation from a relatively underdeveloped colonial outpost with no natural resources into a "First World" Asian Tiger. He is one of the most influential political figures in Asia.
Singapore's second prime minister Goh Chok Tong appointed him Senior Minister in 1990. He held the advisory post of Minister Mentor, created by his son Lee Hsien Loong, when the latter became the nation's third prime minister in August 2004.With his successive ministerial positions spanning over 50 years, Lee is also one of history's longest-serving ministers. On 14 May 2011, Lee and Goh Chok Tong announced their retirement from the cabinet after the 2011 general election.
Adapted from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Kuan_Yew
Sir Stamford Raffles
1781-1826
Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, FRS (6 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British statesman, best known for his founding of the city of Singapore (now the city-state of the Republic of Singapore). He is often described as the "Father of Singapore". He was also heavily involved in the conquest of the Indonesian island of Java from Dutch and French military forces during the Napoleonic Wars and contributed to the expansion of the British Empire. He was also an amateur writer and wrote a book entitled History of Java (1817).
Adapted from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamford_Raffles
Tan Tock Seng
1798-1850
Tan Tock Seng (simplified Chinese: 陈笃生; traditional Chinese: 陳篤生; pinyin: Chén Dǔshēng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Tok-sing; 1798–1850) was a Singaporean merchant and philanthropist. Born inMalacca in 1798 [1] to an immigrant Hokkien father and Peranakan mother, Tan Tock Seng rose from humble origins. In 1819, Tan moved to Singapore to sell fruit, vegetable and fowl. He worked diligently and was able to set up a shop in Boat Quay and became a notable businessman. He was famous for contributing money to build a hospital called "Tan Tock Seng Hospital".
Most of his wealth came from the results of his speculations with J. H. Whitehead of Shaw, Whitehead & Co. Horrocks Whitehead died in September 1846 at the age of 36. His tombstone at the old cemetery on Fort Canning was erected, "as a token of affection on the part of a Chinese friend, Tan Tock Seng".
Tan also owned large tracts of prime land, including 50 acres (200,000 m²) at the site of the railway station and another plot stretching from the Padang right up to High Street and Tank Road. His other assets were a block of shophouses, an orchard and a nutmeg plantation which he co-owned with his brother. In time, he became an influential Chinese leader and was the first Asian to be made a Justice of the Peace by Governor Butterworth. He was skillful at settling feuds among the Chinese and was accustomed to bear the expenses of burying poor Chinese. In 1844, he contributed $5,000 to the construction of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital on top of Pearl's Hill. The hospital was later shifted to Tan Tock Seng Road because the building at Pearl's Hill was too small to cater to enough patients and it was too old. Tan also contributed money to the construction of the Taoist Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer in 1842, the place of worship for the settlers from Fujian, China.
Tan died in 1850 at the age of 52, after catching an unknown disease. He left his wife Lee Seo Neo, who owned a large coconut estate in Geylang. Like him, she was unstinting in her support of the hospital and paid for a female ward. He also left behind three daughters, who were each bequeathed S$36,000 in cash. One of his daughters married Lee Cheng Tee, at one time Chief Partner of Cheng-Tee Watt-Seng & Co., shipowners. His three sons (Tan Kim Ching, Tan Teck Guan and Tan Swee Lim) inherited his land parcels and the eldest, Tan Kim Ching, took over the duty of taking care of the hospital. Tan's grandson, Tan Chay Yan, was a well-known philanthropist and merchant in Malaya.
Adapted from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Tock_Seng
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