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He Wrote the National Pledge: S. Rajaratnam, Singapore's First Foreign Minister
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A journalist turned politician turned diplomat, S. Rajaratnam (1915–2006) wore many hats in the service of Singapore. His contribution to Singapore is so great that to cover his life adequately required 20 years of research and over 1,200 pages of writing. Irene Ng, his authorised biographer, tells us little-known facets of the man, his legacy as Singapore’s founding foreign and culture minister, and his relationship with Lee Kuan Yew.
Irene Ng is the authorised biographer of S. Rajaratnam and writer-in-residence at the Institute of ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. She was formerly an award-winning senior political correspondent and a Member of Parliament in Singapore.
What Irene Talked About
- 02:29 – Irene’s first meeting with S. Rajaratnam and her impressions of him
- 04:17 – How a journalistic background helped Irene connect with him
- 06:10 – Rajaratnam's personality
- 07:55 – Main themes of the second volume of Rajaratnam biography, The Lion’s Roar
- 10:24 – Why young Singaporeans should read the biography
- 14:49 – How Singapore’s pledge came from Rajaratnam’s ideals
- 19:07 – Rajaratnam's relationship with Lee Kuan Yew
- 24:41 – Rajaratnam’s legacy in shaping Singapore’s foreign policy
- 26:11 – Qualities that made Rajaratnam the ideal founding foreign minister
- 28:04 – Rajaratnam’s impact as the culture minister
- 30:51 – His forgotten achievements as the labour minister
- 35:10 – What inspired Irene to write Rajaratnam’s biography
- 37:30 – Challenges in writing the second volume of the biography
- 39:40 – Irene’s take on criticisms about the book based on her history as a politician
- 44:58 – What Irene reads for leisure
- 46:06 – Biographies that inspired Irene
- 49:00 – What’s next for Irene
- 49:38 – Irene’s Singapore dream
Transcript and Resources
- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/podcast/s-rajaratnam-singapores-first-foreign-minister/transcript/
- Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-20/issue-3/oct-dec-2024/rajaratnam-biography-lions-roar/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Doppler Soundlab. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Osman Ahmad and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Irene for coming on the show.
BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library of Singapore.
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