To many who might wonder why the National Flag is flying at half-mast these few days right till Saturday, and if you happened to pass by the Esplanade on Saturday and found many people around that area, do not be mistaken that there's a carnival going on. Perhaps what you see is the State Funeral for the late Mr. Rajaratnam who passed away at his residence on Wednesday.
To many in the labour force and in the HR field back in the late 1960s , Mr Rajaratnam - the late former DPM and Senior Minister was fondly remembered as the activist who revolutionised the Employment Act by bringing together many ordinances and braving many oppositions to the newly de-colonised and post-separation labour force and bureaucrats. His effort in introducing the Employment Bill in 1968 surely had engined the Singapore Economy.
Besides this, Mr. Rajaratnam was remembered and accredited for his outstanding contributions to ASEAN and our own nation's foreign affairs. Being the top "salesman", Mr. Rajaratnam had made tremendous contributions to the newly independent state and place this red little dot on the world map with much spotlight on it! If not for his effort, perhaps the international arena would not realise the existence of Singapore till a later time in history.
Okay fellow Citizens of the Republic of Singapore, whenever you recite the National Pledge, do remember the man who penned this pledge that will follow with us from generations to generations as long as Singapore remains an independent sovereign nation on this earth. Yes... Mr Rajaratnam is that man who penned our pledge.
National Pledge of the Republic of Singapore
We, the citizens of Singapore,
Pledge ourselves as one united people,
Regardless of race, language or religion,
To build a democratic society
Based on justice and equality
So as to achieve happiness, prosperity and
Progress for our nation.
Malay Translated Version of the National Pledge
Kami, warganegara Singapura,
Sebagai rakyat yang bersatu padu,
Tidak kira apa bangsa, bahasa, atau ugama,
Berikrar untuk membina suatu masyarakat yang demokratik,
Berdasarkan kepada keadilan dan persamaan
Untuk mencapai kebahagiaan,
Kemakmuran dan kemajuan bagi negara kami.
Chinese Translated Version of the National Pledge
我们是新加坡公民，
誓愿不分种族、言语、宗教,
团结一致，
建设公正平等的民主社会，
并为实现国家之幸福、繁荣与进步，
共同努力。
Initially penned by Mr S Rajaratnam in 1966, the Pledge was written against the backdrop of racial riots in the 1950s and 1960s. Mr Rajaratnam revealed that the dream was about building "a Singapore we are proud of". He believed that language, race and religion were divisive factors, but the Pledge emphasizes that these differences can be overcome if Singaporeans cared enough about their country. The draft text was handed to the then Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who polished the text before submitting it to the Cabinet.
Guidelines on using the Pledge
1. The National Pledge is recited in schools during assemblies, during SAF Day, during the National Day Parade, and at National Day Observance Ceremonies.
2. Individuals reciting the Pledge shall clench their right fists to the left side of their chests as a gesture to symbolise loyalty to the nation.
3. The Pledge shall not be used for any commercial purposes.
Who is Mr. S Rajaratnam?
Sinnathamby Rajaratnam (born February 25, 1915, Jaffna, Sri Lanka) is a former Singaporean politician. He is married to Piroska Feher. He is commonly known as S Rajaratnam.
The second child of Sabapathu Pillai Sinnathamby and his wife, both of whom are of Tamil descent, Rajaratnam was born in Sri Lanka of Sri Lankan Tamil decent. His father, Sabapathu Pillai Sinnathamby, wanted Rajaratnam to be born in Sri Lanka for auspicious reasons after the premature death of his older brother.
He was then brought back to Malaya and raised in Seremban and Selangor and devoted much of his adult life to public service in Singapore and helped shape the mentality of Singaporeans on issues of the time.
When Rajaratnam joined The Straits Times as its journalist, he was bold in writing about the way Singapore was governed by the British. This incurred the displeasure of the colonial government. His column, "I write as I please", attracted so much attention that he was called for questioning by the government.
When Rajaratnam joined the Singaporean People's Action Party in 1959, he became popular among his supporters for being able to effectively follow the 'mood of the people'. He was also actively involved in organising major political campaigns against Singaporean groups on the far left.
During his years in parliment since joining the PAP in 1959, Rajaratnam served as Minister for Culture (1959), Minister for Foreign Affairs (1965), Minister of Labour (1968-71), and Second Deputy Prime Minister (1980-85) and was later appointed as Senior Minister until his retirement in 1988.
During his tenure as foreign minister of Singapore, Rajaratnam was one of the five 'Founding Fathers' of ASEAN in 1967.
Rajaratnam served as Labour Minister from 1968-71. During his term, he implemented tough labour laws to attempt to restore stability in the Singaporean economy and attracted multinational corporations to invest in Singapore. This important appointment emphasised the trust that the government had in him in overcoming the challenges Singapore faced.
Throughout his political career, Rajaratnam played a key role in the successive pragmatic and technocratic People's Action Party governments that radically improved Singapore's economic situation, alongside huge developments in social development on the island with massive expansion of healthcare programmes, pensions, state housing and extremely low unemployment.
Adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Rajaratnam
~~Rajaratnam remembered forever~~
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