Amnesia

𝟴 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟮

Unlike President S R Nathan, there was no state funeral and no tributes in Parliament for a lifetime of service to Singapore.

His was a life of dedication and above all, conscience. He did what he deemed was the right and ethical thing to do.

The interests of Singaporeans were at the heart of all that he says and does. His conscience informs him no other.

Twenty years ago, we disenfranchised his death and the collective grief of Singaporeans. Grief remains a verb twenty years on.

Today, he is greatly forgotten by the generations after him. Only his children are left to restore his dignity through an obit notice in our newspapers annually.

There appears to be a deliberate amnesia about Singapore’s first elected President, Mr Ong Teng Cheong.

The media is silent. The community is silent. Our politicians are silent. Our political parties are silent. The institutions he helped build are silent.

Between Yusof Ishak and Halimah Yaccob lies an awkward silence. 

This is a tragedy to our nation and may this be rectified someday.

Today, on the anniversary of his passing, many children today will look at him and see only a bespectacled middle-aged man and never know his contributions to Singapore.

Yet he was also Deputy Prime Minister of a young nation. He sanctioned the Hydril strike and ensure that workers received their 13th-month bonuses even during the 1985 – 1986 recession.

He envisioned a Singapore built on mass rapid transits even while his own colleagues were scathing of the idea – look at how convenient and integral the MRT system is to every Singaporean today.

Tomorrow, as we remember his contributions, may we continue to revise his legacy and celebrate his life. The questions he asked of the government then continues to be pertinent today, twenty years on to the date of his passing.

In time to come, history will be kind to him, just as he was kind to the people around him, even those who disagree and actively disregard his voice – older Singaporeans would certainly remember his temperament and the warmth that he shows every person that he meets.

He will always be a president of the people, by the people, and for the people. 

Mr Ong Teng Cheong, a man loined to his principles and who walked the path of devotion, courage, and passion for the nation and people he loved. 

Before his death, Mr Ong had asked to be cremated and for the ashes to be placed at Mandai Columbarium with those of ordinary citizens instead of Kranji State Cemetery, where late dignitaries are usually buried. In life and death, he finds the most comfort and love amongst his people.

Most of all, he showed a people what love meant. He was a romantic. His love towards his wife was unmistakable, sacrificial and deeply affectionate. He stood by his wife till the very end, even opting to give up the position that his people had so entrusted him with.

His love of his wife is timeless, just as his values and principles were equally so, and it is our hope that our children will learn more about this exceptional man and role model that once grace the office of the Presidency of Singapore – an honour that he continues to share with his people, in life and