SINGAPORE – The state funeral procession for former president Mr S R Nathan will begin at 2pm on Friday (Aug 26) and will pass landmarks such as City Hall, Fullerton Hotel and NTUC Centre en route to the University Cultural Centre (UCC) at the National University of Singapore.

According to a statement from the State Funeral organising committee, these landmarks are closely associated with Mr Nathan and “reflect his long and distinguished career in public service”. Members of the public can line the procession route from Parliament House to UCC.

The funeral service at UCC will be attended by Mr Nathan’s family members, President Tony Tan Keng Yam, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament, the Judiciary and the diplomatic corps.

The organising committee said that Singaporeans will also be invited to attend the service, which will be broadcast live on television and over the radio.

At Parliament House, the nine coffin bearers from Singapore Armed Forces and Singapore Police Force will transfer Mr Nathan’s casket onto the ceremonial 25-pounder gun carriage.

The ceremonial gun carriage will make its way through the civic district and the heartlands and will be escorted by police outriders and vehicles.

Following the procession will be the chief mourner, Mr Osith Ramanathan, Mr Nathan’s son, and other family members. Accompanying pallbearers will include Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong and Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.

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

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In addition, seven eulogies will be presented at Mr Nathan’s funeral service. The parties who will deliver their eulogies respectively are Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Professor Tommy Koh, Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Ms Jennie Chua, Mr Ramaswamy Athappan, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office & Government Whip Chan Chun Sing and Mr Gopinath Pillai.

The service will be held at UCC from 3pm to 5pm, after which, Mr Nathan will make his final journey to Mandai Crematorium for a private service.

Some roads will be closed on Friday between 10am and 6pm. They include Engineering Drive 1 between Kent Ridge Crescent and Engineering Drive 3 and Clementi Road in the direction of West Coast Ferry Road.

More information can be found in the infographic below:

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Mr S R Nathan was at heart a social worker, leaders of self-help groups said yesterday.

“He was happiest when he was in the company of fellow social workers, and he was engaged in trying to help all the time,” said Singapore Indian Development Association (Sinda) trustee K. Kesavapany.

The leaders and staff of Sinda, the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC), Mendaki and the Eurasian Association got together at Sinda’s building in Beatty Road to remember Mr Nathan, who they said remained concerned for the plight of those with the least throughout his life, especially as president.

Mr Nathan died on Monday aged 92.

Singapore’s former president S R Nathan dies

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Mr Kesavapany, 79, a retired diplomat who had known Mr Nathan for 48 years, recounted an incident in 1968 where a seaman approached Mr Nathan for help.

Mr Nathan first wanted to know if the man had eaten, and when he found out he had not, gave him money to buy food first. “He was looking at the person, not issues or what was wrong with the system. That’s what I learnt from him, putting the person first,” Mr Kesavapany said.

Eurasian Association vice-president Alexius Pereira shared how Mr Nathan, the association’s patron, privately funded two brothers’ university education and asked that it not be publicised.

Mr Nathan wanted to help students who would otherwise have to work part-time, so they could focus on their studies, he said.

Mendaki chief executive officer Tuminah Sapawi and CDAC executive director Pok Cheng Chong lauded him for helping students of all races and starting the S R Nathan Education Upliftment Fund, which gives financial aid to needy tertiary students.

Mr Nathan’s deep concern for the poorest in society was also recounted by Senior Minister of State (Defence and Foreign Affairs) and South East District Mayor Maliki Osman at a memorial service by the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) at its Maxwell Road office yesterday.

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Dr Maliki recalled that in 2010, when he was at the National Development Ministry, he was invited to the Istana by Mr Nathan to discuss ways to better help lower-income Malays.

“It felt like, from a social worker to a social worker, we were talking about how we can uplift a group of Singaporeans who need extra help.

“I saw the sincerity in his eyes and I teared at that point, because it just struck me that the man who’s holding the highest office of the land is sharing with me a personal concern of my community.”

Leaders of the 10 faiths in the IRO observed a one-minute silent prayer for Mr Nathan, who was their first patron till his death.

IRO president Rustom Ghadiali shared with 120 guests how Mr Nathan thought often about how to preserve Singapore’s religious harmony, and had asked to meet him four days before Mr Nathan had a stroke on July 31. Mr Nathan had asked him to be IRO president once more, as the organisation needed seasoned leadership at a time when terrorism poses a strong threat.

“Mr Nathan’s major concern was that in case there was an attack by ISIS or any other organisation, the religious leaders of IRO must be ready with a strong, convincing statement and ensure that religious harmony in Singapore continues,” he said.

“Now we understand why he was called the ‘People’s President’: He so cared for the people of Singapore, even in his last days.”

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

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This article was first published on August 25, 2016.
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To those privileged to have served him, Mr S R Nathan will forever be The Boss, said ambassador-at-large Bilahari Kausikan yesterday at a remembrance ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Here are extracts from his eulogy:

“One of Mr Nathan’s best friends was the late Chia Cheong Fook, who was also once permanent secretary of MFA. Mr Chia was my father’s best friend.

I grew up vaguely conscious of Mr Nathan as a background presence – obviously a personality to be reckoned with, but without clear resolution.

It was only in the earlier part of the 1970s that Mr Nathan acquired sharp focus in my consciousness. I was then pretending to study in the University of Singapore.

I did something that could potentially have had serious ramifications… but things began to go pear-shaped and I thought I’d better come clean before everything crashed.

I telephoned my father, then (Singapore’s ambassador) in Moscow… my father said he knew about it and told me to tell Mr Chia.

I dutifully called Mr Chia. Again, before I could say anything, he said he knew about it and told me to go and meet Mr Nathan at MFA, which was then in City Hall, now our National Gallery.

With more than a little trepidation, I made my way to City Hall and was tremblingly admitted into Mr Nathan’s presence… Again, he already knew all about what in the innocence of youth I had thought was secret.

‘Why did you do it?’ he demanded. I answered the best I could. Mr Nathan sat in grim-faced silence, apparently pondering what I had said. ‘Who else was involved?’ he suddenly barked at me.

‘No one,’ I said. ‘Don’t lie,’ he said. ‘No one,’ I insisted. Again he pondered in silence. I sat before him nervously for what seemed an eternity. ‘Will you take responsibility?’ he finally asked.

Exasperation momentarily overcame fear. ‘That’s what I’ve been trying to do,’ I snapped.

‘What’s the worst that can happen to you?’ Mr Nathan snapped back. ‘I don’t know,’ I replied, puzzled. ‘Will you be hanged?’ he asked. ‘I don’t think so,’ I replied, by this time thoroughly discombobulated, which I now realise was his intention.

Mr Nathan broke into a smile – and those of you who know him should know he had a very charming smile. ‘So what are you worried about? You did what you thought was right. It was stupid, but you won’t be hanged.

Go,’ he said. I got up and made for the door. He called me back. ‘Good that you are willing to take responsibility for what you thought was right,’ he said. ‘Never evade responsibility, but if you want to play such games again, ask someone who knows how,’ he said. I fled.

… I tell this story in his memory because it eventually dawned on me that the lessons he intended to impart were of great and continuing relevance to foreign service officers…First, clever as you may be, you are not as clever as you may think. You need others. Work as a team. Second, take responsibility for what you do; do your duty without fear. Be loyal to your team.

That was not to be the last time I made my way to Mr Nathan’s office with trepidation. Subsequent occasions were as a foreign service officer. Mr Nathan was tough on us. He had to be to whip us into shape. He had high standards that he would not compromise. He treated service to the country with high seriousness and taught us to take service seriously too. He was our mentor – a lifelong mentor.

Mr Nathan left an indelible mark on MFA and all who worked for him. All subsequent PSs (permanent secretaries) only built on the foundations Mr Nathan laid. Today, MFA is an organisation that is respected worldwide.

You can be proud of being part of an organisation Mr Nathan shaped. MFA is his monument. Do not let him down.

In March this year, Mr Nathan hosted lunch for a group of the survivors of MFA’s City Hall days… ‘I was hard on you,’ he told us, ‘but you all always served me faithfully and I may not have told you before, but I want all of you to know that I appreciate it as this may be the last time we can meet together.’

These were not his exact words – I was too moved to remember exactly; in the old days, if he had known I didn’t take precise notes, I would have been in for a scolding, but that was the gist. As hard-bitten a crew as those at that lunch all were, I’d bet that the others were as moved as I was.

When Mr Nathan was taken ill, I went to see him in hospital. His daughter told me that of all the many and varied appointments in which Mr Nathan served, he told his family that MFA was special to him, the others were duty.

We may have on occasion grumbled about him being a hard taskmaster, but I think all those who served him knew that MFA was special to him. Mr Nathan demanded loyalty: Loyalty to colleagues, loyalty to the organisation and, above all, loyalty to Singapore.

But he more than amply repaid loyalty with loyalty; he took responsibility for us and never denied responsibility for us even when we were the brunt of well-deserved criticism.

He scolded us when he had to; he never let us down. Work done, he treated us as family. Long after he left MFA, he kept a paternal eye on us. I suspect he’s doing so still.

And thus Mr Nathan, in turn, inspired loyalty, respect and affection. That is why to those of us who were privileged to serve him, Mr Nathan will forever be The Boss.

I can now almost hear Mr Nathan’s shade growling in my ear: Stop the long palaver and get back to work! Rest easy Boss, we will not let you down.”

Singapore’s former president S R Nathan dies

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A look at the presidents of Singapore

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The Straits Times, Zawiyah Salleh, New Nation, Wee Kim Wee, The Business Times, The New Paper, The Ong family, Lianhe Zaobao

This article was first published on Aug 25, 2016.
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Watching the fruits of his labour go up in flames within minutes is always a bittersweet experience for Mr Yeo Hung Teo, the owner of Yeo Swee Huat paper agency.

Located in Toa Payoh Industrial Park, the paper agency makes paraphernalia for funeral services throughout the year. But it is at its busiest during the Hungry Ghost Festival, which takes place from Aug 3 to Aug 31 this year.

It is a time when the souls of the dead are thought to be released from the netherworld to roam the earth.

Devotees make offerings of food and fake money to appease spirits during this period so that they will not bring bad luck into their lives.

Mr Yeo, 76, is the last local craftsman skilled in making large effigies used in the ghost month.

The perfectionist, who has been in the trade for 60 years, takes two weeks just to mould and paint the head of one such effigy.

Another three staff members then take over, continuing with the construction of the body and limbs, taking four more days to complete a 4.9m-tall effigy.

They make around 25 of these god effigies in various sizes – the largest at 6.1m tall – during the seventh month in the lunar calendar.

They also make effigies in advance for the following year and keep them in their warehouse.

Yeo Swee Huat is a Teochew company that Mr Yeo’s father Yeo Swee Piow started in the 1960s. It is the go-to place for god effigies used in the Hungry Ghost month – especially those of Da Shi Ye, a deity with the power to stop wandering spirits from causing mischief on earth.

These effigies are believed to be needed in order to invite the gods to preside over the gathering and protect the area.

A longtime customer of the paper agency is Mr Tay Kim Teck, 62, who heads the “seven month committee” of the Singapore General Fish Association at Jurong Fishery Port. He budgets around $40,000 every year for a Hungry Ghost celebration during which priests conduct prayers and rituals for spirits.

This allows fish merchants to pay their respects to wandering spirits and give themselves peace of mind while hoping for a prosperous and smooth-sailing business.

Both Mr Tay and Mr Yeo say it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain these customary rites.

The older generation will get older and the younger generation are not interested in maintaining these practices and customs, often brushing them off as superstition.

Mr Yeo said that his two daughters are not interested in taking over his trade.

“It is a sunset industry and the skills will go with me to the coffin,” he laments.

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A dying art, a labour of love

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The Straits Times

This article was first published on August 25, 2016.
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Singapore’s newly minted President was coming for an eye operation and Dr Vivian Balakrishnan was feeling the stress.

But Mr S R Nathan’s unassuming manner was disarming.

He did not ask for special treatment, recalled Dr Balakrishnan, an ophthalmologist who is now the Foreign Minister.

“I told him I wished he had come to me a few months before he had become president,” he added of his most memorable meeting with Mr Nathan, who became President in September 1999.

Dr Balakrishnan’s father and uncle were childhood friends with Mr Nathan.

“They always spoke about him in admiring tones, describing him as a very loyal and devoted friend.

“No matter how high he rose – and he rose to the highest office in the land – he never forgot his friends,” he said.

Dr Balakrishnan was among several politicians who paid their respects yesterday to Singapore’s sixth and longest-serving president, who died on Monday at age 92.

It was the second day of the private wake held at Mr Nathan’s Ceylon Road home, and they spoke of the qualities they admired most in him, and swopped stories of their personal encounters and relationships with him.

Long-time friend S. Chandra Das, a former MP and Singapore’s non-resident High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, helped to organise Mr Nathan’s 80th, 85th and 90th birthday celebrations.

“There was no protocol, although people such as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as well as former prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong, were at the celebrations,” Mr Chandra Das recalled.

“To him, it was an opportunity to meet up with old friends.”

He added: “I promised him I would organise a party for his 95th. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.” He also said Mr Nathan’s wife Urmila was doing better yesterday and was holding up well.

President Tony Tan Keng Yam and his wife, Mrs Mary Tan, as well as Old Guard minister Othman Wok, 91, visited the home to pay their respects too.

Other ministers included Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli, and Acting Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng.

Singapore’s former president S R Nathan dies

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A look at the presidents of Singapore

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The Straits Times, Zawiyah Salleh, New Nation, Wee Kim Wee, The Business Times, The New Paper, The Ong family, Lianhe Zaobao

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This article was first published on Aug 25, 2016.
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Singapore has once again fallen off the wagon for workplace safety, and the fatality rate is set to rise further this year, warned Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say.

Speaking yesterday at the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) conference, he said 48 lives had been lost at work so far this year, and some companies have even set aside a budget for fines because they think safety infringements are unavoidable.

Singapore managed to bring down the fatality rate from 2.8 per 100,000 workers in 2008 to 1.8 in 2014, but it crept up to 1.9 last year and is projected to hit 2.2 this year, said Mr Lim.

It last surpassed such levels in 2013, when the fatality rate was 2.3 and 73 people died at work.

The two-day conference, which closes today, was attended by more than 1,000 WSH experts and employers at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The construction industry, in particular, was responsible for 40 per cent of deaths this year, as companies buffeted by the slowing economy try to cut costs.

A new study by the WSH Institute (WSHI) of 33 construction deaths between June last year and this May showed that the bulk of them were due to unsafe behaviour by workers and inadequate risk control measures by companies.

Mr Lim noted that nine in 10 deaths occurred because workers overlooked safety issues.

They could have taken shortcuts, such as not wearing protective gear, or used equipment they were not authorised to operate.

But 87 per cent of the companies involved also failed to manage risks properly.

Some, for instance, treated risk assessments purely as a paper exercise, conducting them only after the actual work was done. Others failed to provide lifelines for workers’ safety harnesses.

Said Mr Lim: “Some companies have also accepted WSH infringements as unavoidable. They set aside ‘safety budgets’ to cover the enforcement fines.”

Singapore Institution of Safety Officers president Bernard Soh said this practice is mostly found among small firms.

They would rather set aside $10,000 to $20,000 to cover fines, than invest substantially more in a safety system that could cost up to 15 per cent of their contract’s value.

Employers said the tight labour market and a dearth of projects have them in a bind when they bid for contracts.

Mr Eric Soh, chief executive of major construction firm Samwoh Corporation, said: “If you don’t put in the appropriate safety measures, you risk lives. But if you put them in, it costs more and maybe you don’t get the job.”

He suggested that developers be open to “more realistic” contract periods, so that contractors are less rushed to meet deadlines.

Wee Chwee Huat Scaffolding and Construction managing director Edward Wee said cultural differences and language barriers make it hard to convey the importance of safety to foreign workers.

He said: “You have to use pictures instead of just talking to them. Otherwise, they will say they understand, but inside (them) it’s blank.”

Mr Lim said the Government could incorporate more safety considerations into public construction tenders. “This will spur private developers to do the same.”

But Ms Debbie Fordyce, executive committee member of migrant worker advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too, said top-down efforts are not enough if workers themselves are afraid to voice concerns.

She recalled the case of a worker who fell from the unsecured edge of a building in January last year with another colleague. They had been told to work there, even though there was no barricade installed. He broke his arm, leg and pelvis, while his colleague died.

She said: “We need to get rid of recruitment fees that keep workers in debt and in fear. Who would tell the boss to do things differently if he could be repatriated any time?”

This article was first published on August 25, 2016.
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