With the country on the cusp of its 59th National Day celebrations, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong drew on the legacy of one of Singapore’s founding fathers and first-generation Cabinet minister S. Rajaratnam.
Speaking on July 22 at the launch of the second volume of Mr Rajaratnam’s biography titled The Lion’s Roar, PM Wong revealed how Mr Rajaratnam’s legacy influenced the creation of the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth in 2012.
“Inspired by Raja, I wanted ‘culture’ to be resurrected in a ministry’s name, to build on the rich legacy he had left behind,” the prime minister said at the book launch held at the National Library Building.
PM Wong said Singapore’s first foreign minister was ahead of his time when he outlined – in a speech to the Singapore Press Club in February 1972 – how the Republic’s transformation into a global city, enabled by modern technology, underpinned its survival.
He then emphasised the need for the nation to stay open and plugged into the world.
“Staying open is not just essential, it is existential for us. Singapore cannot exist other than as an island city-state connected to the world,” PM Wong said.
The Prime Minister also noted that Mr Rajaratnam’s vision for a global city, his commitment to democracy and equality and his unwavering dedication to the nation’s progress serve as a powerful reminder of the values that have brought Singapore to where it is today.
Singapore can endure only if its citizens care for one another – a fact that Mr Rajaratnam understood well, said PM Wong, quoting the pioneer leader’s original draft of the National Pledge, which read “to build a democratic society, where justice and equality will prevail, and where we will seek happiness and progress by helping one another”.
The event was attended by 150 guests, including Cabinet ministers past and present such as former prime minister Goh Chok Tong and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean.
It also featured the launch of an interactive “chatbook” by the National Library Board, which uses generative artificial intelligence to allow users to ask questions on Mr Rajaratnam’s life and legacy.
Written by former MP and journalist Irene Ng, the 776-page book published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute traces Mr Rajaratnam’s life and career from 1963 to his death in 2006, and comes 14 years after the release of the first volume, titled The Singapore Lion, in 2010.
