S. Rajaratnam

For the Ceylonese lawyer, seeS. Rajaratnam (Ceylonese lawyer).For the Sri Lankan lawyer and Attorney General, seeSanjay Rajaratnam.

This article is about a person whose name includes apatronymic.The article properly refers to the person by his given name, Rajaratnam, and not as Sinnathamby.

S. Rajaratnam DUT
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 withGoh 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– 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	Piroska Feher ​ ​ (m.1943; died 1989)​
Parent	S. Sinnathamby (father)
Alma mater	King's College London
Occupation	Politician journalist

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 Affairsbetween 1965 and 1980, and 2ndDeputy Prime Minister of Singaporebetween 1980 and 1985. Rajaratnam is widely recognised as one of the founding fathers of Singapore. He was also one of the founders of thePeople's Action Party(PAP), which has governed the country continuously since independence.

Rajaratnam was one of the pioneering leaders who led theself-governance of Singaporefrom theBritish Empirein 1959 and theindependence of Singaporefrom Malaysia in 1965. He devoted much of his adult life to public service, and helped shape the mentality of Singaporeans on contemporary issues. TheS. Rajaratnam School of International Studiesat theNanyang Technological Universityand the S. Rajaratnam block ofRaffles Institutionare named after him.

Early life and education

The second child of Sabapathy Pillai Sinnathamby and his wife N. Annamah, both ofJaffna Tamildescent, 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 toMalayaand raised inSerembanandSelangor.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 InstitutioninKuala Lumpur,andRaffles Institutionin Singapore before going on toKing's College Londonin 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.

He met his wife Piroska Feher, a Hungarian teacher, while in London. 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 BooksinThe Short Stories & Radio Plays of S. Rajaratnam(2011).

Rajaratnam returned to Singapore in 1948 when he joined theMalayan Tribuneand stopped writing short stories. In 1950, he joinedSingapore Tiger Standardthat was founded byAw Boon Haw.In 1954, he joinedThe Straits Timesas a journalist. He was bold in writing about the way Singapore was governed by the British.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 Gerald Templer, who tried to cow him by showing him a gun in his desk drawer.

Political career

In 1954, Rajaratnam co-founded thePeople's Action Party(PAP) together withLee Kuan Yew,Toh Chin Chye,Goh Keng Sweeand others. He became popular among his supporters for being able to effectively follow the "mood of the people". He thought of amultiracialSingapore and envisioned her to be a "global city". He was also actively involved in organising major political campaigns againstfar-leftpolitical groups in Singapore.

Rajaratnam had served in theCabinetasMinister for Culturein 1959,Minister for Foreign Affairsbetween 1965 and 1980,Minister for Labourbetween 1968 and 1971,Deputy Prime Ministerbetween 1980 and 1985, andSenior Ministerbetween 1985 and 1988. Rajaratnam is remembered for authoring theSingapore National Pledgein 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 Nationsand later theNon-Aligned Movementin 1970. He built up theMinistry of Foreign Affairsand 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 theKonfrontasiconflict in the 1960s and the withdrawal of British troops in the early 1970s. 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 Cambodiain 1978.Sompong Sucharitkul, an aide of Thailand's then foreign minister Thanat Khoman, conveys Rajaratnam's stance on ASEAN membership for Sri Lanka in 1967:

"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."

During his tenure as Minister for Labour, Rajaratnam implemented tough labour laws to attempt to restore stability in theSingapore's economyand attracted multinational corporations to invest in Singapore.

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 developmenton the island with massive expansion of healthcare programmes,pensions,public housingand 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."

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."

Rajaratnam was a strong believer inmultiracialismin Singapore, and when drafting theSingapore National Pledgein 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 Yewon 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 SenandLim 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 wealthyCsáky clanwho had lost their fortune due to the dissolution of theAustro-Hungarian Empireafter theFirst World War.Piroska, disgruntled by the rise ofNazism,moved to the United Kingdom where she worked as anau pairand teacher and eventually met Rajaratnam. FormerMember of the European ParliamentGyula Hegyiis her nephew.

The couple moved to Malaya at the conclusion of theSecond World Warbut Rajaratnam's parents disapproved of their new daughter-in-law, even telling her that they would not accept "half-caste" descendants.They did not have any children and remained married until her death in 1989 frompulmonary pneumoniaat the age of 76.

After Rajaratnam retired from politics in 1988 as part of the leadership transition, he served at theInstitute of Southeast Asian Studiesas Distinguished Senior Fellow from between 1989 and 1997.

In 1994, Rajaratnam was diagnosed withdementiaand 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

Rajaratnam died on 22 February 2006 of heart failure at his residence at Chancery Lane inBukit Timah.As a mark of respect,MediacorpChannel 5andChannel 8observed a minute of silence that night. State flags at all Government buildings were flown athalf-mastfrom 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. NathanandTharman Shanmugaratnam,paid their last respects at his home. His bodylay in stateatParliament Housefrom 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 funeralat theEsplanade – Theatres on the Bayon 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 Kohand orthopaedic surgeon V. K. Pillay delivered their eulogies; Lee Kuan Yew cried while delivering his eulogy. The state flag and theOrder of Temasekconferred 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 Pledgewas 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 CollegeandRaffles Girls' School.The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies noted: In the words he himself chose,

"We are sorry that he has left the Earth."

Namesakes

The Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) at theNanyang Technological Universitywas renamedS. Rajaratnam School of International Studiesin 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 Holdingsto support programmes that foster international and regional cooperation.Its chairman,Wong Kan Seng,said that the values that Rajaratnam stood for as Singapore's first Foreign Minister are even more relevant today.

Film appearances

Rajaratnam is a central character inTwo Meetings and a Funeral,a film about theNonaligned MovementbyNaeem 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.

Bibliography

• Ng, Irene(2010).The Singapore lion: A biography of S. Rajaratnam.Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.ISBN978-981-4279-50-5.

External links

• S. Rajaratnam ProfessorshipArchived21 May 2008 at theWayback Machine
• S.Rajaratnam – One Hundred Tamils of 20th Century