"Holding a white cane, undaunted and undeterred": A tribute to Tan Guan Heng, 86
At the dawn of a young nation, armed with a degree in economics and history, he wanted to build a better, just and equal world.
There was an independent Singapore waiting to be built, and, as a citizen, he wanted to do his part.
There was so much to see, to do, and to realise. Idealism was a catalyst for nation-building. He was that idealist.
Unfortunately, Year One of independent Singapore was the year he lost his sight. Tan Guan Heng was only 28.
From idealism, he was abruptly thrown into a world of inky blackness.
When he awoke, it was pitch dark. His blindness was subsequently diagnosed to be final and irrevocable.
As Singapore steamed ahead in these heady times, Guan Heng lost his ability to tell the time. Everyone was moving ahead, but time stood still for him.
Guan Heng could only hear his own breathing and with every breath, he was being left behind in swirling darkness.
In these early days and months after losing his sight and his vision for a better Singapore, one can only imagine the helplessness, inertia, shame, bitterness and self-pity that had engulfed him.
He had to re-learn how to live and read. And learn he did.
He resolved to be independent and not be a burden to his family.
With considerable flair, resourcefulness and an acumen for success, his book business flourished. In a society prejudicial to blind people, he was successful.
However, “Pity he’s blind”, said many. These comments were typical of the overall and public perception of people with disabilities.
He soon learned to ignore them with a smile.
With his white cane, undeterred and undaunted, he held fervently his dignity and upheld the dignity of others who were suffering a disability.
Guan Heng became an inspiration to many, the blind and the sighted. He believed that with education and employment, the blind and disabled can overcome their physical disability, be independent and be an asset to their respective families, communities and Singapore.
With his tenacious determination, he earned the disabled community a place under the Singaporean sun.
Photo source: The Straits Times
Blind people do not want to be seen as passive recipients of charity or charity fodder, waiting for handouts. With economic independence, blind people can also contribute their talents and capabilities to nation-building.
And contribute he did; in a relentless way, with his white cane - as an independent person, a good brother, uncle and granduncle, a trailblazer, a prolific writer (fiction and non-fiction), a poet, a columnist, a businessman, an advocate, the first President of the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) and the inspiration of a sold-out musical.
With his indomitable Samsonian spirit, he made Singapore a better place.
In recognition of his contributions, Guan Heng was awarded President’s Social Service Award in 2010, the highest accolade for community volunteers, and the Goh Chok Tong Enable Award in 2019.
His life was an ode on blindness and a colossal, dynamic presence in the lives of the sighted.
His light was well-spent on telling his stories, dismantling disabilities, changing mindsets, transforming lives, bettering the communities he was a part of, and advocating for the blind to vote.
As the poet and literary critic Gwee Li Sui once said, through Guan Heng’s book “My Love is Blind”, we see the heart of a great belief in life, [and] “what can hold together and transform all the fragments of self”.
Thank you, Mr Tan Guan Heng. And now, have a good rest. You will be missed. Thank you for everything!
Top image: Lianhe Zaobao
