Former school principal shares fond memories of S R Nathan

IPOH – Former Singapore president, the late S.R. Nathan, was a regular visitor to Ipoh to see his old chums.

“Even before he stepped down from his position in 2011, he would visit at least once a year,” said his long-time friend P. Subramaniam, 87 (pic).

“And whenever he did, he would have his men fetch me so that it was more convenient for me to go see him.”

Nathan, 92, who died at the Singapore General Hospital on Monday, was the republic’s longest-serving president, holding office for two terms from 1999 to 2011.

Singapore’s former president S R Nathan dies

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The sixth president stepped down on Aug 31, 2011, and was succeeded by the current president, Tony Tan Keng Yam.

A look at the presidents of Singapore

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The friendship between Subramaniam, a former school principal, and Nathan dated back more than half a century.

Both men studied at the University of Malaya (then in Singapore) from 1949 to 1955.

Subramaniam said he always marvelled at the way Nathan, who “rose to the ranks of very high offices and went on to become president of the republic”, would still look out for friends like him.

“Why would the president of Singapore want to meet up with an old teacher like me after all those years?

“He remained as humble, friendly and gentle as when we were students,” he said, adding that “it was difficult to pick a fight with Nathan” due to his diplomatic nature.

“There were different kinds of boundaries between us. As an Ipoh boy, I was staying in the university hostel while Nathan was living with his family in a suburb called Katong.”

Furthermore, both of them were studying in different faculties; Subramaniam did Science while Nathan took up Arts.

That, however, did not stop their friendship. They would often meet at inter-faculty games like rugby.

“We visited each other from time to time as well. His parents were such gracious hosts to me,” he said.

Saddened by Nathan’s passing, Subra­maniam said he was revisiting as many memories as his 87-year-old mind would allow.

Mr S R Nathan’s Lying In State at Parliament House

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“One particular memory that will always stay with me is the time Nathan became Singapore’s ambassador to the United States.

“This was in the 1990s. He invited my wife and me to visit him when we were there on a holiday.

“That a ‘nobody teacher’ like me would get invited to his residence still amazes me,” he said.