As a student at Bukit Panjang Government High School, Miss Natasha Ann Lum Mei Seem was a middling student whom some perceived as “girlish and timid”.

But at Pioneer Junior College (PJC) in Choa Chu Kang, the petite 19-year-old became president of the student council after peers saw how quickly she took charge of a surprise fire drill during a camp.

She did well at the A levels, with As in geography, literature in English and mathematics and a B in economics, and went on to join the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

Now an officer cadet (OCT) in the air force, she is one of five Singaporeans awarded the prestigious President’s Scholarship this year.

She is the first PJC student to be awarded a President’s Scholarship, and only the second female recipient of the SAF Scholarship – formerly known as the SAF Overseas Scholarship – who is concurrently a President’s Scholar.

The officer cadet, who has gone on a field camp and route marches during Basic Military Training, hopes to pursue East Asian studies in the United States next year after Officer Cadet School (OCS).

The other President’s Scholars this year are: Miss Olivia Ong Si Hui, who was from Dunman High School and will study psychology at the University of Oxford; Mr Timothy Ong Kah Yong, of Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), who will read law at the University of Cambridge; and Raffles Institution graduates, OCT Joshua Chin Zen Jie, who hopes to pursue environmental science next year after OCS, and Mr Sean Ong Zhi Han, who is bound for Tufts University in the US to study history.

They are all 19.

They were picked by the Public Service Commission for their character, leadership potential and outstanding co-curricular and academic achievements. President’s Scholarships have been awarded since 1966.

OCT Lum said her decision to join the SAF came from an interest in aviation sparked by her father, technician Kenneth Lum Kien Seng, 46, an aviation enthusiast. Attending a tea session also changed her view that the military was only for men.

“I felt regret after leaving secondary school as I didn’t put myself out there to try out new things,” she said, noting that she had wanted to run for the student council in secondary school but did not.

“When I went to JC, I set my mind to my goal of achieving more and exceeding expectations, and went out of my comfort zone,” she said.

She has a 17-year-old brother, a polytechnic student, and her mother Chin Siok Yun, 43, is a housewife.

For Miss Ong, an internship with the Ministry of Social and Family Development and time spent volunteering at a student care centre had opened her eyes. She said: “You see how social problems impact individual families. I also learnt a lot from the children themselves, such as how to be giving towards the people you love.”

At the award ceremony yesterday, President Tony Tan Keng Yam told the new batch of President’s Scholars to continue the legacy of Singapore’s forefathers, including that of the late former president S R Nathan. “He truly embodied the values of public service, placing country before self even to the point of quite literally risking his life, during the Laju hijacking incident,” he said.

“He was a fearless defender of Singapore’s interests abroad, and a passionate nation builder at home, patiently weaving the fabric of a caring and cohesive society.”

A minute of silence was observed in Mr Nathan’s memory at the ceremony.

Late bloomer is school’s 1st President’s Scholar

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times

This article was first published on August 24, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

He was meeting the former president for the first time.

But all Mr Chung Chee Kit, 68, remembers was Mr S R Nathan‘s friendly demeanour calming his nerves when they met to discuss the painting he wanted to do of him.

“It was such a great honour and privilege (to meet him),” the maritime aficionado and self-taught artist told The New Paper.

“He was such a personable man, and even though he was the former president, the conversation turned out to be like one between two old friends as we bonded over our similar backgrounds in the shipping industry,” Mr Chung added.

That was two years ago.

Although Mr Chung, a director of the IMC Group, did not tell many people about his passion for art, his opportunity to do the painting came about after one of Mr Nathan’s friends, tourism industry veteran Pamelia Lee, saw one of his art pieces.

Mrs Lee, 74, told TNP over the phone yesterday that it was a painting Mr Chung had done of his retiring colleague, former Keppel Offshore & Marine chief executive officer Tong Chong Heong, as a parting gift.

“I was impressed with his work, which was why I suggested he do a painting of Mr Nathan for his birthday.

“I called Mr Nathan and asked him if it was all right for Chee Kit to do his painting, and he said yes,” Mrs Lee, who is retired, added. Mr Chung said he was thrilled by Mrs Lee’s proposal.

But it was his first meeting with the former president that remains indelibly etched in his mind.

They had a 30-minute chat at the Singapore General Hospital while Mr Nathan was undergoing a minor medical procedure.

Mr Chung said: “I wanted to paint him as the person that he was.

“Even though he was the president of the country, he wasn’t uppity and truly was a man of the people.

Singapore’s former president S R Nathan dies

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

tabla!, The Straits Times, The New Paper, Berita Harian

“He didn’t just say things because they were politically correct. He said them because it really was who he was.”

Mr Chung finished the painting in three days.

Two weeks later, he presented it to Singapore’s longest serving president at his Ceylon Road home on the morning of his 90th birthday.

UNFORGETTABLE

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, The New Paper

He said he will never forget Mr Nathan’s reaction when he saw the painting.

“He jokingly asked, ‘How did you know I had a suit in that colour?'”

Mrs Lee, who was with Mr Chung at the time, said: “He wasn’t a man of many flowery words. I remember him smiling and nodding his head in appreciation of the painting.”

Mr Chung did not stay long during the visit, but the memory is one that he will forever hold dear.

He said: “He was friendly, approachable and had no airs, and I will always remember him as that man.”

This article was first published on August 24, 2016.
Get The New Paper for more stories.

The body of the late Mr Nathan will lie in state at Parliament House from 10am on Aug 25 to 12pm on Aug 26.

The public may pay their last respects at Parliament House from 10am to 8pm on Aug 25. On Friday (Aug 26), members of the diplomatic corps and other officials may pay their last respects from 9am till 12pm.

Singapore and the broader international community were saddened to learn of the passing of S R Nathan, who served as Singapore’s President from 1999 to 2011. Much will be written regarding his life in public service, his personal courage and his many accomplishments, but let me add three lessons from a man I had the privilege of working with over the years and was honoured to call a friend.

CREATE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING

S R’s life began with no promise, yet he shaped it into one of extraordinary promise. He had a childhood of personal turmoil, exacerbated by the tumult of World War II. The idea of grinding poverty did not fully capture his situation. “No shoes?” he once chuckled in response to a question. “The larger problem was no food.”

S R’s youth had only scattered moments of formal education. His household was beset with an alcoholic father, who committed suicide. S R ran away from home to escape this Dickens-like misery. His unlikely friendship with a Japanese officer during the Occupation and the slow but incessant turnaround in his life all make his memoirs worth reading.

You grow in admiration for a man of considerable equilibrium and geniality. Fate did not extend either to him, but he radiated them both in dealings with others.

Lesson: You can shape your conditions or you can allow your conditions to shape you. S R had the discipline and inner fire to shape his conditions.

Some are close confidants or friends. Others have seen him only from afar or on television. All were affected by his death.

DIGNITY IN ADVERSITY

I met S R when he was serving as Singapore Ambassador to the United States. (The success of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s recent Washington visit blurs the memory that relations can have low points as well as high points.)

S R’s tenure was contemporaneous with perhaps the nadir in bilateral relations: the Michael Fay incident. Fay was the American teenager convicted of vandalism and other offences in Singapore, the result of which was if not a rupture in diplomatic relations, certainly a deep freeze. Indeed, S R told me “I am in the refrigerator”.

With much diplomatic intercourse cut off, S R took his isolation with aplomb. He was never defensive or with a chip on his shoulder, but always carried himself with the pride of representing his country.

He used the time to explore the US, give talks, and develop reach outside of Washington.

Lesson: Your assignment will have down days as well as up days. You need to acquit yourself regardless.

DUTIFUL AND CHEERFUL IN DAILY TASKS

I saw a great deal of S R when I served as Ambassador to Singapore and this provided a welcome opportunity to renew our friendship. What was staggering to me was his work ethic while serving well into his 80s. This was not a “retirement job” or a “symbolic job”. It was a full-time job, one he pursued with ebullience. I might attend a community event on a weekend and say hello to dignitaries. S R would arrive and go to every table in the room to chat, inquire and offer pleasantries. He did not attend events; he worked at events.

Lesson: Public officials must be accessible and energy counts.

I last saw S R at the National Library a few months ago and he greeted me with the same broad grin, one that essentially obligates the recipient to smile back. One of the great joys of life is catching up with old friends, though both of us were unaware this would be the last time we would chat. If achievement and hard work are the mark of a life well lived, S R has certainly attained a place in the top ranks.

I suspect S R is smiling at us still. And we are smiling back.

Singapore’s former president S R Nathan dies

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

tabla!, The Straits Times, The New Paper, Berita Harian

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, The New Paper

A look at the presidents of Singapore

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

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 24, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Singapore and the broader international community were saddened to learn of the passing of S R Nathan, who served as Singapore’s President from 1999 to 2011. Much will be written regarding his life in public service, his personal courage and his many accomplishments, but let me add three lessons from a man I had the privilege of working with over the years and was honoured to call a friend.

CREATE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING

S R’s life began with no promise, yet he shaped it into one of extraordinary promise. He had a childhood of personal turmoil, exacerbated by the tumult of World War II. The idea of grinding poverty did not fully capture his situation. “No shoes?” he once chuckled in response to a question. “The larger problem was no food.”

S R’s youth had only scattered moments of formal education. His household was beset with an alcoholic father, who committed suicide. S R ran away from home to escape this Dickens-like misery. His unlikely friendship with a Japanese officer during the Occupation and the slow but incessant turnaround in his life all make his memoirs worth reading.

You grow in admiration for a man of considerable equilibrium and geniality. Fate did not extend either to him, but he radiated them both in dealings with others.

Lesson: You can shape your conditions or you can allow your conditions to shape you. S R had the discipline and inner fire to shape his conditions.

Some are close confidants or friends. Others have seen him only from afar or on television. All were affected by his death.

DIGNITY IN ADVERSITY

I met S R when he was serving as Singapore Ambassador to the United States. (The success of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s recent Washington visit blurs the memory that relations can have low points as well as high points.)

S R’s tenure was contemporaneous with perhaps the nadir in bilateral relations: the Michael Fay incident. Fay was the American teenager convicted of vandalism and other offences in Singapore, the result of which was if not a rupture in diplomatic relations, certainly a deep freeze. Indeed, S R told me “I am in the refrigerator”.

With much diplomatic intercourse cut off, S R took his isolation with aplomb. He was never defensive or with a chip on his shoulder, but always carried himself with the pride of representing his country.

He used the time to explore the US, give talks, and develop reach outside of Washington.

Lesson: Your assignment will have down days as well as up days. You need to acquit yourself regardless.

DUTIFUL AND CHEERFUL IN DAILY TASKS

I saw a great deal of S R when I served as Ambassador to Singapore and this provided a welcome opportunity to renew our friendship. What was staggering to me was his work ethic while serving well into his 80s. This was not a “retirement job” or a “symbolic job”. It was a full-time job, one he pursued with ebullience. I might attend a community event on a weekend and say hello to dignitaries. S R would arrive and go to every table in the room to chat, inquire and offer pleasantries. He did not attend events; he worked at events.

Lesson: Public officials must be accessible and energy counts.

I last saw S R at the National Library a few months ago and he greeted me with the same broad grin, one that essentially obligates the recipient to smile back. One of the great joys of life is catching up with old friends, though both of us were unaware this would be the last time we would chat. If achievement and hard work are the mark of a life well lived, S R has certainly attained a place in the top ranks.

I suspect S R is smiling at us still. And we are smiling back.

Singapore’s former president S R Nathan dies

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

tabla!, The Straits Times, The New Paper, Berita Harian

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times, The New Paper

A look at the presidents of Singapore

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

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 24, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.