S.R. Nathan to some Singaporeans, was characterised as the unassuming man minding his own business on a park bench. Photo by Alwin Lim
He was anything but.
Things you should know about the late S.R. Nathan:
1) He worked for the Japanese during the Japanese Occupation.
So he knew first hand how much it sucked to work for bosses you think might kill you any other day. During the Japanese Occupation, Mr S.R. Nathan worked for the Japanese Civilian Police as a translator. It takes guts to go in to work everyday under those circumstances and Mr Nathan had plenty, as we will talk about next.
2) He’s actually a hero.
No exaggeration. We all know this by now. Not just a regular hero. He volunteered to lead the team. At the time of the ferry hijacking, he was the Director of Security and Intelligence Division. The Director. But this is S.R. Nathan we are talking about. He wasn’t going to just send a team in. The man led by example. He volunteered to go.
3) He didn’t get to finish school before he had to start working.
What is your excuse? Too difficult to manage work and study? S.R Nathan had to start working before he could finish school but is something like a war going to throw Mr Nathan off his tracks? No way. After the war, he completed his secondary education via distance learning with Oxford while working. Yes you read that right. Before computers were even a thing, Mr Nathan completed his secondary school education via a correspondence course. He then went on to graduate with a Diploma in Social Studies with a distinction in 1954 from the University of Malaya. So again, what’s your excuse?
4) He made mistakes too.
Mr. Nathan made mistakes growing up too, but they did not stop him from having an illustrious career his whole life. Sure, it may sound like your typical rags-to-riches story, but why is this story different? He didn’t care for being rich. After his father committed suicide when he was 8, Mr. Nathan went wayward for a couple of years, running away from home, getting expelled for school, even living on the streets for awhile. Eventually he would find work as an office boy and drift from job to job, working as a postman, a hawker’s assistant and even a tuition teacher. He had help along the way, and this was probably the reason why he saw how important it was to help others less fortunate. He learnt it first hand. There are many many stories of how Mr. Nathan helped his colleagues and friends to put their kids through school and find them jobs upon graduation.
5) He started the President’s Challenge.
In 2000, he started the President’s Challenge and in 11 years, it had raised more than S$100 million. More than 500 organizations are beneficiaries. He also co-founded SINDA.
6) He had to be asked to be a Presidential Candidate.
The Late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and several others had to ask Mr. Nathan to run for office. Everyone says he only became President because he was the only candidate. We think he became President because everyone unanimously agreed he was the right man for the job.
7) The next time you hear somebody say S.R Nathan was a useless fella, you can refer this list of accolades to them.
Career timeline
1940–1941: Office boy and various odd jobs
Feb 1955–Mar 1956: Almoner, Medical Department, Singapore General Hospital
Mar 1956–1962: Seamen’s Welfare Officer, Marine Department
Jan 1962–Jan 1964: Assistant director, Labour Research Unit
Jan 1964–Jan 1966: Director, Labour Research Unit
Jan 1966–Apr 1988: Member, board of trustees, Labour Research Unit
Feb 1966–Jan 1971: Assistant secretary; later deputy secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Jan 1971–Aug 1971: Acting permanent secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs
Aug 1971–Feb 1979: Director, Security and Intelligence Division, Ministry of Defence
1973–1986: Chairman, Mitsubishi Singapore Heavy Industries (Pte) Ltd
Feb 1979–Feb 1982: First permanent secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1980–1988: Director, Singapore National Oil Company
1982–1988: Director, New Nation Publishing Bhd
1982–1988: Director, Times Publishing Bhd
Jan 1982–May 1983: Chairman, Hindu Advisory Board
Feb 1982– Apr 1988: Executive Chairman, Straits Times Press (1975) Ltd, and concurrently director of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd from December 1985 to April 1988
1983–1988: Director, Times Business Publications Ltd
1983–1988: Director, Singapore Mint Pte Ltd, London
May 1983–Apr 1988: Chairman, Hindu Endowments Board
1984–1988: Director, The Times of Singapore Pte Ltd
1985–1988: Director, Marshall Cavendish Ltd
1986–1988: Director, The Straits Times Press (London) Ltd
1986–1988: Director, The Times Press Foundation (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Aug 1991–Aug 1999: Founding member and term trustee of Singapore Indian Development Association
Apr 1988–Jul 1990: High commissioner to Malaysia
Jul 1990–Jun 1996: Ambassador to the United States
1996–1999: Director, Singapore International Media Pte Ltd
Jul 1996: Appointed pro-chancellor, National University of Singapore
Jul 1996–Aug 1999: Ambassador-at-large
Jul 1996–Aug 1999: Director, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (now known as the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies), Nanyang Technological University
1997–1999: Member, board of governors, Civil Service College
1 Sep 1999–31 Aug 2011: President of Singapore; concurrently chancellor, National University of Singapore
“I’ve done the best I can. If it’s good enough for some people, fine. If it’s not good enough for some people, and there will always be noise in the environment, you can’t stop it. You don’t do it because you want to leave a legacy. You do the best you can.” – S. R. Nathan
You did Sir. You were outstanding.
Source: Syabab SG
