MPs pay tribute to legacy of late ex-President Nathan
Members of Parliament observing a minute of silence on Tuesday (Sept 13) in memory of the late Mr S R Nathan. Photo: Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE — Parliament paid homage to late former President S R Nathan’s legacy and achievements at the start of the Parliament sitting on Tuesday (Sept 13), with the House observing a minute of silence after the tribute.
Mr Nathan, the Republic’s sixth and longest-serving President, who held office from 1999 to 2011, died on Aug 22 at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob kicked off the tribute, which was attended by Mr Nathan’s family, including his wife Urmila Nandey, and senior government leaders such as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
She described the late Head of State as an “exemplary citizen” whose values were “timeless”, adding that Mr Nathan’s belief in the importance of multiracialism and his life’s journey of “hard work, resilience, and a deep and abiding love for Singapore” hold great lessons for young Singaporeans.
Recounting her trip with Mr and Mrs Nathan on a state visit to Japan in 2009, Leader of the House Grace Fu, who is also Culture, Community and Youth Minister, said she was impressed by how Mr Nathan had won everyone over with his “sincerity and easy demeanour”, while he maintained “the dignity of a Head of State” — qualities that came “from a genuine and authentic place in his heart”.
Among the other seven MPs who spoke were Workers’ Party chairman Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC) and Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok).
Ms Lim said that her father, who was among the first batch of officers in Singapore’s young army, got to know Mr Nathan during his time in the Ministry of Interior and Defence.
And although he never explicitly said so, she believed it was this friendship with her father that led Mr Nathan to take a special interest in her when she became a Non-Constituency MP in 2006, making an effort to seek her out at the events they attended.
Recalling an occasion years ago when Mr Nathan had looked for her at an event he was officiating at Temasek Polytechnic, her former workplace, even though she was not involved in the programme, she said: “And what did the President want? Nothing more than to say ‘hello’ and to spend a few moments together ‘shooting the breeze’.”
In Mr Pillai’s case, he had met Mr Nathan at SGH after the ex-president had requested to see him two months ago.
“How much time do you have for me?” was the first thing Mr Nathan had asked Mr Pillai, who said he had never come across “anyone else with such humility”.
To Mr Nathan’s right was a two-page handwritten note titled “Points to cover with Murali”, the MP had observed.
“He was unwell, at the last leg of his life, yet he took the trouble to spend his time talking to me about some issues our nation faced,” Mr Pillai said.
