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SINGAPORE – Mr Ngiam Tong Dow, son of a court interpreter and a washerwoman from Hainan who rose to be a top civil servant and later an outspoken critic of the public service and the Government, died on Thursday morning (Aug 20).
He was 83.
His family told The Straits Times that he had been in ill health for four and a half years.
Mr Ngiam spent 40 years in the apex Singapore Administrative Service where he became the youngest permanent secretary at age 33 and won top accolades like the Distinguished Service Order in 1999 when he retired at age 62.
He was a forceful leader in developing policies on the economy, defence technology, transport, savings and retirement, as well as housing.
Mr Ngiam worked closely with founding leaders such as Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and his successor Goh Chok Tong, former Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee and former Finance Minister Hon Sui Sen; and played a pioneering role as a member of the National Wages Council.
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