Former President Ong Teng Cheong died at 8.14 pm local time, Friday, 8 February 2002.

He was 66 years old.

Member of Parliament, Labour Chief, Deputy Prime Minister, Elected President.

A man whose first loyalty was to the people of Singapore.

Mr Ong Teng Cheong is remembered as a gentleman, one with a passion for the arts, and an even greater passion for the people's welfare.

It was this sense of service that first brought him into politics as MP for Kim Keat in 1972.

While many Singaporeans may recall his contributions to the union movement, Mr Ong was also the man behind the Mass Rapid Transit system which many take for granted today.

Appointed Communications Minister in 1978, he had pushed for its construction.

In 1992, Mr Ong who was then Deputy Prime Minister, was diagnosed with lymphoma, cancer of the lymphatic system.

But this did not keep him down.

Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew once said Mr Ong "had shown a special knack, the ability to get on with ordinary people, and empathise with them."

This special quality helped Mr Ong become Singapore's first Elected President.

And he displayed this conviction a year after becoming President.

This was when he made public his disagreement with the government's interpretation of the Constitution on the powers of his office.

He then asked for the matter to be referred to a special High Court Tribunal, chaired by the Chief Justice.

When the Tribunal ruled in favour of the government, President Ong graciously accepted the decision.

Mr Ong also left his mark on the Singapore arts scene.

As Acting Minister for Culture in the late 1970s he was determined to transform Singapore from a perceived cultural desert to a city of the arts.

This led to the first Singapore Festival of the Arts, now an established event.

An accomplished musician himself, Mr Ong also lent a hand to various welfare causes.

In 1993, he launched the President's Star Charity, an event that has raised millions of dollars for local charities annually.

Six weeks before his term was up in 1999, President Ong announced that although his health was fine, he would not seek re-election.

In a tribute to him, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong spoke of Mr Ong's contributions as Singapore's first Elected President.

He commented, "Singaporeans now know better how our system of a President with custodial powers works, and how decisions and actions have to be publicly justified whenever questioned. Mr President, you have discharged your responsibilities well and fully. You have upheld the standing and prestige of the Presidency. We and our fellow Singaporeans will long remember your many contributions to our nation and society."