S.R. Nathan
Encyclopedia
Sellapan Ramanathan is a Singaporean politician who was the sixth President of the Republic of Singapore
. Usually referred to as S. R. Nathan, he was first sworn in on September 1, 1999. In 1999 and 2005, he was elected President in uncontested elections. In 2009, he surpassed Benjamin Sheares to become Singapore's longest-serving President. His term ended on August 31, 2011.
an of Tamil
descent; his childhood was spent with his two older brothers and grandparents, V. Sellapan and Apiram, in Muar
, Johor
, in a house overlooking the sea. His father had been posted to the Malayan
town as a lawyer's clerk for a firm that serviced rubber plantations, but the Great Depression and rubber slump of the 1930s sent the family's fortunes crashing. Nathan's father accrued debts, and eventually killed himself when Nathan was eight.
The young Nathan returned to his birthplace, Singapore
, to live. He received his primary education in Anglo-Chinese Primary School
and Rangoon Road Afternoon School, and his secondary education at Victoria School
. He started working before completing his studies. During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore
, Nathan worked for the Japan
ese Kempeitai as a translator. After the war, whilst working, he completed his secondary education through self-study, and entered the University of Malaya
(then in Singapore) where he graduated in 1954 with a Diploma in Social Studies (Distinction).
as a medical social worker in 1955. He was appointed Seamen's Welfare Officer the following year. In 1962, he was seconded to the Labour Research Unit of the Labour Movement, first as Assistant Director and later as Director of the Labour Research Unit until January 1966. He continued as a Member of its Board of Trustees until April 1988.
In February 1966, he was transferred to the Foreign Ministry. He served as Assistant Secretary and rose to be Deputy Secretary before being appointed Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs in January 1971. On 6 August of the same year, Nathan moved to the Ministry of Defence where he was Director of the Security and Intelligence Division
(SID). In the Laju incident
on January 31, 1974, members of the terrorist Japanese Red Army
bombed petroleum tanks on Pulau Bukom
off the coast of Singapore; Nathan was among a group of government officers who volunteered to be held hostage by the JRA to secure the release of civilian hostages. In 1975, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.
In February 1979, he returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became its First Permanent Secretary until February 1982, when he left to become the Executive Chairman of the Straits Times Press (1975) Ltd, the Singapore newspaper company. At various times from 1982 to 1988, Nathan also held the directorship of several other companies, including the Singapore Mint Pte Ltd, The Straits Times Press (London) Ltd, Singapore Press Holdings
Ltd and Marshall Cavendish Ltd. He held a directorship in the Singapore International Media Pte Ltd between September 1996 and August 1999. He was Chairman of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Singapore—a ship-repairing and engineering joint venture with the Mitsubishi
Group of Japan
—from 1973 to 1986.
From 1983 to April 1988, Nathan was Chairman of the Hindu Endowments Board. He was a founding member of SINDA—the Singapore Indian Development Association
—and its Term Trustee until August 1999.
In April 1988, Nathan was appointed Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia, and in July 1990 became Ambassador to the United States of America
, where he served until June 1996.
On his return, Nathan was made Ambassador-at-Large and was concurrently Director of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the Nanyang Technological University
. He resigned as Ambassador-at-Large and Director of the Institute on August 17, 1999, and was elected unopposed as President of the Republic of Singapore on August 18, 1999.
Nathan was conferred the Public Service Star
in 1964, the Public Administration Medal
(Silver) in 1967, and the Meritorious Service Medal
in 1974.
. He succeeded the fifth President of Singapore, Ong Teng Cheong
, and was sworn in on September 1, 1999.
On July 12, 2005, Nathan announced that he was seeking re-election as President
. He submitted an eligibility application to the Presidential Elections Committee; by August 6, 2005, three more people had also submitted forms. On August 13, 2005, after considering the candidates' applications, the Committee issued a Certificate of Eligibility to Nathan, but declined to do so for the other candidates. Nathan returned unopposed on nomination day, August 17, 2005. He was sworn in for a second term of office on September 1, 2005.
On 1 July 2011, he announced that he would not be seeking a third term in office as President. He cited age as one of the reasons, saying that he did not believe he could undertake indefinitely the heavy responsibilities and physical demands of the position of Head of State at the age of 87.
initiatives in 2000. The initiative has been a success so far, raising over $80 million dollars for more than 400 of its beneficiaries.
, is married to Urmila (Umi) Nandey, a Bengali
of India
n descent, and has a daughter, a son, and three grandchildren.
President of Singapore
The President of the Republic of Singapore is Singapore's head of state. In a Westminster parliamentary system, as which Singapore governs itself, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of president is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President of Singapore was...
. Usually referred to as S. R. Nathan, he was first sworn in on September 1, 1999. In 1999 and 2005, he was elected President in uncontested elections. In 2009, he surpassed Benjamin Sheares to become Singapore's longest-serving President. His term ended on August 31, 2011.
Early life
Nathan is a SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an of Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
descent; his childhood was spent with his two older brothers and grandparents, V. Sellapan and Apiram, in Muar
Muar (town)
Muar, also known as Bandar Maharani is a town geopolitically situated in Muar District in the region or area of Muar in northwestern Johor, Malaysia...
, Johor
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
, in a house overlooking the sea. His father had been posted to the Malayan
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
town as a lawyer's clerk for a firm that serviced rubber plantations, but the Great Depression and rubber slump of the 1930s sent the family's fortunes crashing. Nathan's father accrued debts, and eventually killed himself when Nathan was eight.
The young Nathan returned to his birthplace, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, to live. He received his primary education in Anglo-Chinese Primary School
Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)
Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore, is the original primary school of the [ACS] family, located at the Barker Road campus adjacent to the ACS block. It opened in 1887 with the secondary school at Coleman Street, moving to a newly upgraded Coleman Street campus in 1961, leaving the Barker Road...
and Rangoon Road Afternoon School, and his secondary education at Victoria School
Victoria School
Victoria School in Singapore is a government secondary school for boys, founded in 1876, at Siglap Link, about one kilometre from affiliated Victoria Junior College....
. He started working before completing his studies. During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
, Nathan worked for the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Kempeitai as a translator. After the war, whilst working, he completed his secondary education through self-study, and entered the University of Malaya
University of Malaya
The University of Malaya is located on a campus near the centre of Kuala Lumpur, and is the oldest university in Malaysia. It was founded in 1905 as a public-funded tertiary institution...
(then in Singapore) where he graduated in 1954 with a Diploma in Social Studies (Distinction).
Civil-service career
Nathan began his career in the Singapore Civil ServiceSingapore Civil Service
The Singapore Civil Service is the set of civil servants working for the Government of Singapore. Many of its principles were inherited from the administrative system left by the British Civil Service, as Singapore was once a British colony....
as a medical social worker in 1955. He was appointed Seamen's Welfare Officer the following year. In 1962, he was seconded to the Labour Research Unit of the Labour Movement, first as Assistant Director and later as Director of the Labour Research Unit until January 1966. He continued as a Member of its Board of Trustees until April 1988.
Security and Intelligence Division
-Other Notes:...
(SID). In the Laju incident
Laju incident
The Laju Incident occurred on 31 January 1974 in Singapore, when four armed men attacked the Shell oil refinery complex on Pulau Bukom and later hijacked the ferryboat Laju.- Overview :...
on January 31, 1974, members of the terrorist Japanese Red Army
Japanese Red Army
The was a Communist terrorist group founded by Fusako Shigenobu early in 1971 in Lebanon. It sometimes called itself Arab-JRA after the Lod airport massacre...
bombed petroleum tanks on Pulau Bukom
Pulau Bukom
Pulau Bukom, also known as Pulau Bukum, is a small island located about five kilometres to the south of the main island of Singapore, off the Straits of Singapore. The size of Pulau Bukom is about 1.45 km²....
off the coast of Singapore; Nathan was among a group of government officers who volunteered to be held hostage by the JRA to secure the release of civilian hostages. In 1975, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.
In February 1979, he returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became its First Permanent Secretary until February 1982, when he left to become the Executive Chairman of the Straits Times Press (1975) Ltd, the Singapore newspaper company. At various times from 1982 to 1988, Nathan also held the directorship of several other companies, including the Singapore Mint Pte Ltd, The Straits Times Press (London) Ltd, Singapore Press Holdings
Singapore Press Holdings
Singapore Press Holdings Limited is a media organisation in Singapore with businesses in print, Internet and new media, television and radio, outdoor media, and property. SPH has over 4,000 employees, including a team of approximately 1,000 journalists, including correspondents operating around...
Ltd and Marshall Cavendish Ltd. He held a directorship in the Singapore International Media Pte Ltd between September 1996 and August 1999. He was Chairman of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
, or MHI, is a Japanese company. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi Group.-History:In 1870 Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi took a lease of Government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard. He named it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and started the shipbuilding business on a full scale...
Singapore—a ship-repairing and engineering joint venture with the Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
Group of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
—from 1973 to 1986.
Singapore Indian Development Association
The Singapore Indian Development Association ; is self-help group , that was established in August 1991 to address the pressing educational and socio-economic issues facing the Indian community in Singapore. The group's mission is to build a strong and vibrant Indian Singaporean Community. The...
—and its Term Trustee until August 1999.
In April 1988, Nathan was appointed Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia, and in July 1990 became Ambassador to the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he served until June 1996.
On his return, Nathan was made Ambassador-at-Large and was concurrently Director of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in...
. He resigned as Ambassador-at-Large and Director of the Institute on August 17, 1999, and was elected unopposed as President of the Republic of Singapore on August 18, 1999.
Nathan was conferred the Public Service Star
Bintang Bakti Masyarakat
The Bintang Bakti Masyarakat , instituted in 1963, is awarded to any person who has rendered valuable public service to the people of Singapore, or who has distinguished themselves in the field of arts and letters, sports, the sciences, business, the professions and the labour movement.Bars may be...
in 1964, the Public Administration Medal
Pingat Pentadbiran Awam
The Pingat Pentadbiran Awam was instituted in Singapore in 1963 and has three grades:* Emas * Perak * Gangsa...
(Silver) in 1967, and the Meritorious Service Medal
Pingat Jasa Gemilang
The Pingat Jasa Gemilang , instituted in Singapore in 1962. The Medal may be awarded to any person who has performed service of conspicuous merit characterised by resource and devotion to duty, including long service marked by exceptional ability, merit and exemplary conduct within Singapore...
in 1974.
Becoming President
During the presidential elections in 1999, a Straits Times survey showed that nearly 80 per cent of Singaporeans hoped for a contest. Nathan was elected unopposed as President on August 18, 1999. His nomination was strongly supported by Lee Kuan YewLee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
. He succeeded the fifth President of Singapore, Ong Teng Cheong
Ong Teng Cheong
Ong Teng Cheong was the first directly elected President of the Republic of Singapore. He was the nation's fifth President, and served a six-year term from 1 September 1993 to 31 August 1999.-Early life:...
, and was sworn in on September 1, 1999.
On July 12, 2005, Nathan announced that he was seeking re-election as President
Singapore presidential election, 2005
The Singapore presidential election of 2005 was held to elect the President of Singapore. The incumbent S. R. Nathan's first term was to end on August 31, 2005...
. He submitted an eligibility application to the Presidential Elections Committee; by August 6, 2005, three more people had also submitted forms. On August 13, 2005, after considering the candidates' applications, the Committee issued a Certificate of Eligibility to Nathan, but declined to do so for the other candidates. Nathan returned unopposed on nomination day, August 17, 2005. He was sworn in for a second term of office on September 1, 2005.
On 1 July 2011, he announced that he would not be seeking a third term in office as President. He cited age as one of the reasons, saying that he did not believe he could undertake indefinitely the heavy responsibilities and physical demands of the position of Head of State at the age of 87.
President's Challenge
After Nathan's appointment as President of Singapore, he took interest in building a caring society for the nation. He started the President's ChallengePresident's Challenge
President's Challenge was established by the sixth President of the Republic of Singapore, S R Nathan in 2000. It is a yearly campaign comprising events and activities that raises funds for charity – specifically for beneficiaries that are annually appointed by the President’s Office...
initiatives in 2000. The initiative has been a success so far, raising over $80 million dollars for more than 400 of its beneficiaries.
Personal life
Nathan, a TamilTamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
, is married to Urmila (Umi) Nandey, a Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n descent, and has a daughter, a son, and three grandchildren.
Further readin
- 'President's tip on Ageing: Don't Think About It.' Straits Times. 19 October 2007.