Mr S. Rajaratnam

Mr. Sinnathamby Rajaratnam (a.k.a. S. Rajaratnam) (b. 25 February 1915, Jaffna, Sri Lanka - d. 22 February 2006, Singapore ) a former journalist, co-founder of People's Action Party (PAP), the first Foreign Affairs Minister after Singapore gained independence in 1965, Member of Parliament for Kampong Glam constituency since 1959, the former Minister for Labour and Culture. He was the Second Deputy Prime Minister in 1980 till he stepped down in 1985 and became a Senior Minister. He was one of the pioneer leaders who helped in shaping the development of Singapore.

Early life

Born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, he was only three months old when he was brought back to Seremban, Malaysia where his father worked as a supervisor at a rubber plantation. He began his early education at St Paul's Institution in Seremban. It was at this stage, he became an avid reader with the greatest influence from his uncles who bought him many books. He went on to study at Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur and finally Raffles Institution, Singapore. In 1937, he went to King's College, London to study law. He was too involved in politics as a member of the Marxist Left Book Club and failed to complete his studies.

He worked as a journalist to support himself when financial aid from his father was terminated during the war. He married a Hungarian in 1941 and stayed in London for several years. After the war, they returned to Malaya in 1947. Rajaratnam worked as a journalist in the Malaya Tribune from 1948 to 1950. and left to join the Singapore Standard as an Associate Editor in 1950. From 1954 to 1959, he was the Editorial staff of The Straits Times in Singapore.

As a journalist, he wrote articles related to the political issues in Singapore and Malaya. His open anti-British and anti-Communist stance attracted the attention of Lee Kuan Yew, Toh Chin Chye and Goh Keng Swee, who together with Rajaratnam formed the People's Action Party in 1954.

Political Career

In 1959, he resigned from The Straits Times to contest in the first Legislative Assembly General Election. He was elected as Legislative Assemblyman in the Kampong Glam constituency and was also appointed as the Minister of Culture and served till 1963. With the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, he became a member of the Federal Malaysian Parliament.

When Singapore gained independence, he was the first Minister for Foreign Affairs. He held this office until 1980 with additional duty as the Minister for Labour in 1968. As a long-serving Foreign Affairs Minister, he contributed immensely to establishing good relations with nations of the world, which was a paramount importance to a young, struggling nation, especially after the separation from Malaysia. He represented Singapore in the Bangkok Declaration in 1967 convened to establish the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN). In December 1997, together with the other founding members, Rajaratnam was honoured with an award by ASEAN for this significant contribution.

In 1966, Rajaratnam together with the former minister Ong Pang Boon, composed the National Pledge with emphasis on a united and multi-racial society.

In 1980, he was appointed as the Second Deputy Prime Minister. He relinquished the post in 1985 to make way for younger candidates but remained as a Senior Minister in the Prime Minister's office till his retirement from politics in 1988. After his retirement, he served as the Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asia Studies from 1988.

In recognition of his visionary leadership in helping to shape Singapore's development, the S. Rajaratnam Scholarship was set up in 1990 and renamed S. Rajaratnam Professorship in Strategic Studies in 1999. Rajaratnam died peacefully of heart failure on 22 February 2006 at his home in Chancery Lane.

Other offices held:
Secretary, Malayan Indian Congress
Member, Presidential Council for Minority Rights
Founding-member, the Singapore Union of Journalists

Timeline
1948 - 1950 : Journalist, Malaya Tribune.
1950-1954 : Associate Editor, Singapore Standard.
1954 - 1959 : Editorial staff , The Straits Times.
1955 : Sat on the Malayanisation Commission.
1956 : Sat on the Minimum Standards of Livelihood Committee.
1959 : Elected to the Singapore Legislative Assembly in the Kampong Glam Constituency.
5 Jun 1959 - 23 Sep 1965 : Minister for Culture.
1963 : Appointed Member of the Central Executive Committee and Director of the Political Bureau of the PAP.
16 Sep 1963 : Member, Federal Malaysian Parliament.
9 Aug 1965 - 31 May 1980 : Minister for Foreign Affairs.
1968 - 4 Jul 1971: Minister for Labour.
1980 - 1985 : Second Deputy Prime Minister (Foreign Affairs)
1985 - 1988 : Senior Minister, Prime Minister's Office.
1988 : Distinguished Senior Fellow, Institute of Southeast Asia Studies (ISEAS).

Awards
1990 : The Order of Temasek (First Class).
24 Feb 1990 : The People's Action Party's Distinguished Service Medal.
1997 : The ASEAN Heads of Government Citation Award.