Dr goh keng swee biography of williams

•

The lesser known side of Dr Goh Keng Swee

OBITUARY: DR GOH KENG SWEE (Oct 6, – May 14, )

DR GOH KENG SWEE who passed away on May 14, was one of Singapore’s founding fathers who assumed an important leadership role in our country’s history. His distinguished record evoked a wide display of admiration and appreciation for his key contributions in finance, defence, education and as Deputy Prime Minister.

Added to these were his initiatives in promoting several cultural and recreational facilities. Without him, Singapore’s post-independent history would have been very diﬀerent. To say that he was Singapore’s Renaissance man would not be far from the truth.

A man who valued privacy in the midst of his public life, Dr Goh’s early life fryst vatten interesting as it was eventful. The eldest son of Mr Goh Leng Inn, one of the three Singapore boys recommended by Methodist missionary and Malay language scholar, the Rev William Shellabear, to marry three of Towkay Tan Keong Keng’s daugh

•

Goh Keng Swee

1. “ Dr Goh was one of our nation’s founding fathers… A whole generation of Singaporeans has grown up enjoying the fruits of growth and prosperity, because one of our ablest sons decided to fight for Singapore’s independence, progress and future.” Speech by Prime Minster Lee Hsien Loong

2. Background information: Born on 6 October in Malacca Malaysia. -Died on 14 May in Singapore. Born in a middle-class Peranakan Family -Came to Singapore when 2-years old Study in Anglo-Chinese School (–) and later at Raffles College (–) -Armed with diploma in arts, entered civil service in -Outstanding performance earned him a scholarship to study statistics at the London School of Economics (LSE) in During stay in London, he started the Malayan Forum, an anti-colonial political group He graduated from LSE with first class honours in economics and won the William Farr Prize in Resumed work in civil service in Singapore , he returned back to LSE for further studies and obtained h

•

Three men stand out in the Singapore Story: Lee Kuan Yew, Dr. Goh Keng Swee and S. Rajaratnam. They were different in personality and temperament yet united in their vision of creating a just and fair state based on equality and prosperity.

My talk will focus only on Dr. Goh- the chess player, the self-taught musician, the teacher, the social scientist, the economist, the pragmatist, the administrator par excellence, the planner, the reluctant politician.

It is a story of leadership by example, of adhering in his personal life to the same consistent values of frugality, fairness, intellectual rigour and discipline, as he exhibited in his public persona. Did he and his colleagues in the 60’s have doubts that Singapore could survive as a state? How did he confront his fears? In experimenting, how does one reduce the risks of failure?

Based on extensive interviews with those who had worked with him in his various ministerial capacities in finance, defence and education, coupled wit