Leaders, S’poreans wish for quick recovery for Nathan 

SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong led the many good wishes on Sunday (July 31) for former President S R Nathan and said he was “saddened” to learn about Mr Nathan’s stroke and “grave condition”.

Mr Lee, who received the news mid-flight to Washington DC for an official visit, wrote in a Facebook post that he was in touch with Mr Nathan’s family.

“We have him in our thoughts and prayers,” said Mr Lee, who noted Mr Nathan’s contributions to Singapore “in a long career”, including in his role as Ambassador to the United States from 1990 to 1996.

“He made many good friends for Singapore, and planted many seeds, including this beautiful antique Littleleaf Japanese Maple at our Washington DC embassy,” said Mr Lee, who put up a photo of the tree Mr Nathan had planted.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is Acting Prime Minister while Mr Lee is in the US, visited Mr Nathan at about 3.20pm and expressed his wishes in a Facebook post afterwards.

Many other members of the Singapore Government, as well as the public, also took to social media after news broke of Mr Nathan’s condition.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family,” said Dr Tan on Facebook after he and his wife Mary visited Mr Nathan at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, who visited Mr Nathan’s wife, Uma, before he went to SGH in the evening, told reporters that Mr Nathan was resting comfortably. “According to the doctor who’s there, his vital signs are stable. But we never know,” said Mr Goh, who added that the last time he saw Mr Nathan was about three to four months ago in his home.

“He’s my distinguished resident at Joo Chiat. We hope that he’ll have a smooth recovery. He’s a fighter. He’s gone through this many times — got so many medical events in the last few years. Let’s just wish him all the best.”

Former Senior Minister of State Zainul Abidin Rasheed was also at SGH, and before he left at around 6pm, he told reporters that although Mr Nathan was unconscious, he seemed to be “rather stable and at peace”.

“(A lot of people) responded very spontaneously to say that their prayers are with Mr Nathan and his family. This is the kind of reaction we get ... because we know that Mr Nathan is close to a lot of people and they all feel for him,” said Mr Zainul.

“(The news) came rather suddenly. I was here last week when Mr Nathan was hospitalised for dialysis and a check up, and we had a long conversation. He was really in top spirits, in high spirits.

“He was talking about the contributions of the Malay/Muslim community because I recently launched a book on 50 years of the Malay/Muslim community.

“He was also saying that we should do a book of the contributions before independence, so his mind was also very clear, very concerned about certain issues facing the Malay community.”

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, who was a former Speaker of Parliament and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, also described his shock at Mr Nathan’s “massive stroke”.

“I’ve known him for a long time and he’s served the country so well,” he added.

Members of the public also chimed in on Facebook. David Ong wrote: “I hope you will recover soon, for you have more to teach Singaporeans, young ministers and bureaucrats, what … it really means to serve your people, unselfishly."

He added: “Not many Singaporean will ever learn the true weight of your contribution to the well-being of Singapore, and I hope your karma will see you through this illness.”

Mr Subash Saminathan wrote on Facebook: “My family and I are deeply saddened by the news of 6th President of Singapore Mr. S. R. Nathan's ill health. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. We join our hands in prayer to proclaim his healing. ”

Mr Faisal Abdul Aziz recounted meeting Mr Nathan and his wife, saying they "are such friendly and warm people".

He added: “My thoughts and prayers are with Mr Nathan's family, and I wish Mr Nathan a speedy recovery.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY VALERIE KOH