A passionate journalist firmly committed to the independence of Singapore, Sinnathamby Rajaratnam would go to to play a pivotal role in the nation's identity and diplomatic landscape, founding the PAP alongside Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
As Minister for Culture, Rajaratnam would take on an active role of shaping national values and overcoming the various divisions that existed, guiding the nation towards common identity.
Through his decades in journalism and politics, Rajaratnam would be remembered for his pursuits of equality and an optimism that spurred on even the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
As Minister for Culture, Rajaratnam would take on an active role of shaping national values and overcoming the various divisions that existed, guiding the nation towards common identity.
Through his decades in journalism and politics, Rajaratnam would be remembered for his pursuits of equality and an optimism that spurred on even the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
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00:00He was the one who actually conceived of this idea of what it means to be a person who belongs to Singapore.
00:08It's only because of that combination of qualities that Rajaratnam had
00:13that Singapore could get into the United Nations and be accepted as an independent nation in the world of nations.
00:31From a journalist to one of the pioneers of modern-day Singapore,
00:37S. Rajaratnam's bold outlook on our nation's future shaped our lives as we know it today.
00:42You had somebody who gave the country its intellectual and ideological DNA.
00:50And the fact that we are here today thinking that this is also natural is actually far from the truth
00:56from what he was experiencing and that generation was experiencing when they started off.
01:03Born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1915, Sinetambi Rajaratnam was brought to Seramban, Malaya when he was just six months old.
01:10There, he was brought up in a rubber plantation where his father worked, surrounded by fellow Jaffna Tamils.
01:16So there was not much exposure to the different races until he went to school.
01:20And then he began to be very interested in the world beyond his own surroundings.
01:26His good friends are, interestingly, people very different from what he grew up with at home.
01:33And I suppose at that young age, one doesn't think about it as a sort of a concept of multiculturalism or multiracialism.
01:42It was at school where his passion for reading first began to flourish.
01:46He had a natural talent for writing and a deep appreciation for the English language.
01:51He was also encouraged to read widely by his uncles and teachers.
01:55He would read anything from fantasy to comics to science fiction to philosophy.
02:01For a young boy, he's very advanced for his age.
02:05He enjoys thinking about the broader issues about the meaning of life.
02:09Rajaratnam was somebody who had an unquenchable thirst to know things,
02:15to be exposed to new things.
02:17He wanted to be exposed to new ideas.
02:19He was really interested in how other people lived.
02:24He's just developing this idea that the world is one.
02:29In 1935, Rajaratnam left for London to study law,
02:33a choice made by his father who was certain that Rajaratnam would do him and his family proud.
02:39London in those days was the centre of intellectual and moral ferment.
02:45The elites from the colonies would go to London, study there,
02:50be exposed to these liberal ideas, enlightenment ideas,
02:54about equality and fairness and justice and freedom.
03:00All these big ideas were being thrown about and debated and he was in the centre of it.
03:05World War II caused Rajaratnam to lose all forms of communication with his family back in Saramban.
03:11No longer pressured by his family's expectations of him,
03:14he decided to pursue what he truly felt passionate about, which was journalism.
03:19What drew him away from the law was his deep interest in current affairs,
03:26in philosophy and in world affairs.
03:29He began to be drawn towards the left-wing crowd
03:33because, number one, they enjoyed talking books, which is his natural inclination.
03:37So the kind of people he was meeting were liberal-minded,
03:42people who were, in a way, rather anti-colonial.
03:45He went to the book launch of a writer called Cedric Dover.
03:49Cedric Dover is interested in writing about the different races
03:53and he showed through his writings that there's no such thing as a pure blood, as a pure caste.
04:00To Raja, that was a blinding revelation.
04:02At that time, Malaya is a colonial country.
04:05There's no idea of justice or equality,
04:08but in Rajaratnam's mind, these are all something that needs to be questioned.
04:13Being in the hot seat of politics itself, I think that was what changed Rajaratnam.
04:19He could see politics in action.
04:22He understood how ideas had to be translated into action.
04:26The Indian nationalists that were domiciled in London were using their short stories
04:31to basically question the assumptions of caste and about being a British colonial citizen.
04:37So Rajaratnam, being exposed to that milieu,
04:41began to see that journalism was actually a very powerful role that he could play.
04:47Rajaratnam turned to writing for income during the war.
04:50He wrote for newspapers and left-wing publications, but also wrote fiction.
04:55So his first writings were fiction, short stories,
04:58but they were very powerful, so powerful that he was recognised as one of the leading Indian writers.
05:04And that's one aspect of him, I think, that is quite elusive,
05:08but also most fascinating because it shows you the evolution of the man,
05:13a very creative mind who has a passion for communication as a storyteller.
05:18It was also during his time in London where he met his Hungarian wife, Pirozhka Ferher.
05:23Rajaratnam knew his family would not approve of him marrying outside of his clan,
05:27which led to his quiet marriage.
05:30The fact that he rebelled against his family's very traditional values,
05:34in wanting to arrange a marriage for him,
05:37he rejected it completely, right?
05:39To do this, not just to articulate these principles, but to live it.
05:43Rajaratnam returned to Malaya in 1947 and started working as a journalist at the Malaya Tribune.
05:49Though his father wanted him to return to London to complete his law studies,
05:53his heart was set on journalism.
05:55He joined the Singapore Standard where he had a column called I Write As I Please.
06:00And it was a great platform for him to be as radical, as opinionated as he wanted.
06:08And he used it to champion his ideals and his ideas.
06:12Among his fans for his columns were Lee Kuan Yew and Dr Goh Keng Swee
06:18who used to be his civil servants.
06:20Mr Lee, who was then a legal advisor to the Postal and Telecoms Union,
06:25wanted to mount a campaign against the British.
06:29Mr Lee Kuan Yew asked Raja whether he could support him in his postal campaign through his columns.
06:37And Rajaratnam was, of course, always ready to seize any controversy to embarrass the British.
06:44At the same time, he was quite fascinated by this man, Lee Kuan Yew.
06:47He joined forces and together they managed to create such an interest in the postal strike
06:54that the British backed down.
06:56So that was the beginnings of the relationship between Lee Kuan Yew and Rajaratnam
07:00but also the beginnings of the formation of the PAP.
07:03In 1954, Rajaratnam founded the People's Action Party
07:07along with Lee Kuan Yew, Toh Chin Chye and Goh Keng Swee.
07:11His skill in articulating ideas was instrumental in helping Lee Kuan Yew draft the election manifesto and his rally speeches.
07:18According to Mr Rajaratnam, he said he had to be persuaded to join politics
07:23because he enjoyed journalism and he thought that being a journalist, he can make an impact.
07:28But Mr Lee Kuan Yew persuaded him to leave journalism to join politics in 1959.
07:35This was a group of people that he felt could make an impact.
07:40You can form a political party on an idea, you can form a political party on a grievance
07:46but a long-standing political party, a party that could sustain and continue to draw support
07:54was one that required an ideological backbone and Rajaratnam was that backbone.
08:01Rajaratnam fully stepped into politics when he resigned as a journalist
08:05and contested in the 1959 Legislative Assembly General Election
08:09where he was elected as an Assemblyman for the Kampong Glam constituency.
08:13All the PAP first generation leaders had excellent command of English
08:17but the difference I think was that Rajaratnam had a particular humanity about him as a person
08:27which then comes out, manifests itself in his writing that touches the common folk.
08:33He was able to convey sometimes rather complex ideas in a way which people understood immediately.
08:41Rajaratnam was appointed Singapore's first Minister for Culture in 1959
08:46a position that was quite uncommon worldwide at that time.
08:49Back then, this was considered to be a very, very important position
08:54because the Ministry of Culture, first of all, controls your mass media
08:58and the mass media in those days obviously did not include the internet
09:03so it was very tight-knit.
09:04So there would be an English channel, a Chinese channel, a Tamil channel, a Malay channel
09:09which we used to have four different channels
09:11and so he was very anxious to try to make sure that Singaporeans as a whole with this media
09:18could get the kind of exposure to different languages, races, their perspectives as he had.
09:25He set a mission for himself which is to create a just and fair society
09:32regardless of race, language or religion.
09:34That's his mantra.
09:35But how do you do that?
09:36Because at that time, people were still divided by race, language or religion
09:40so he used the platform of culture.
09:43For the first time, he got the different races and religious groups to come together
09:49and mount a multicultural show called, in those days, Anika Raga.
09:54For the first time, you had the Indian drums together with Chinese opera
09:58and then with the Malay ronggeng dance, you know.
10:01People are coming together to enjoy a concert together
10:05and to experience what it feels like to be multicultural.
10:08And even starting at that level requires a great imaginative leap which he had.
10:13The early years of nation building, it didn't fall naturally on the Minister of Culture
10:18but he took a primary role in shaping your national values, the design of the national flag.
10:27It was Toh Chin Chye's baby actually but that was an early draft
10:32which it was Raja Ratnam who took it through to its final version.
10:38We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people
10:47regardless of race, language or religion
10:52to build a democratic society based on justice and equality
10:59so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.
11:09The finalised version of Singapore's National Pledge was drafted by Raja Ratnam in 1966.
11:14Through the pledge, he wanted to convey the idea that Singaporeans could be united as one
11:19regardless of race, language or religion.
11:23Today it's become such a natural thing for Singaporean society
11:26but in his day, in 1966, when he wrote it
11:29it required a great leap of the imagination and a great belief in the future
11:35and in the power of the human will.
11:37He was really quite important and instrumental
11:40charting the ideological compass of the state.
11:43He was the one who actually conceived of this idea
11:46of what it means to be a person who belongs to Singapore.
11:51Raja Ratnam wholeheartedly believed that Singapore could be a society
11:55that treated everyone equally despite the challenges.
11:59He firmly believes that all these categories of race, religion and language are artificial.
12:07They are all man-made.
12:09His passion is to help Singaporeans see that
12:14he needed to help them to believe that
12:17to become a united nation
12:20you have to disregard your differences.
12:23You know, it's not so hard to build a state.
12:26It's far harder to build a nation.
12:28And so, Raja Ratnam looked beyond the creation of the state.
12:32How do you get people to feel that this is their home?
12:37When Singapore gained independence in 1965
12:40Raja Ratnam became the nation's first foreign minister.
12:43His tenure in his role significantly contributed to Singapore's international recognition.
12:48When Singapore separated from Malaysia
12:51most of the world thought Singapore would not survive.
12:54But Raja Ratnam managed to win the support of enough friends
12:59and also tap on the influence of other powers
13:03who can help to win votes for Singapore
13:06and help Singapore get into the United Nations.
13:08Because he's the first face that the world sees at the United Nations
13:11a face that's measured, that has gravitas
13:15and that wants to make sure that Singapore doesn't take sides.
13:20It's only because of that combination of qualities that Raja Ratnam had
13:25that Singapore could get into the United Nations
13:28and be accepted as an independent nation in the world of nations.
13:32He started this, standing in the international arena
13:36far greater than our size merits, really.
13:40I would like to thank Mr. Lee and Dr. Lee Soo Man for their support
13:43and I am very happy to receive their blessings.
13:53On the 2nd day, the United Nations convened a meeting
13:56and the Italian Vice-Premier
13:58recommended that Singapore join the United Nations.
14:01Raja Ratnam also concurrently took on the role of Labour Minister in 1968
14:06a role which he served till 1971.
14:09Kuan Yew put Raja Ratnam in charge of Ministry of Labour
14:13precisely because he knew that Raja Ratnam would rise to the challenge.
14:17He steered through the most far-reaching labour reform in the nation's history
14:23and that became a key competitive advantage for Singapore's economic strength.
14:28So without him as Labour Minister
14:31one would ask whether Singapore could have survived that period of great uncertainty.
14:37He was known as one of the most avuncular ministers
14:40always open, always smiling, always has an ear for everybody
14:44but they saw him as a tough-as-nails politician
14:48when it came to oppositional politics.
14:50I mean, if you were at the receiving end of his barbs in Parliament or in the press
14:56well, you wouldn't feel too comfortable.
14:58Raja Ratnam describes himself as not a natural politician.
15:03He is actually a reserved person.
15:05Raja Ratnam always stood out for his optimism.
15:08Lee Kuan Yew always said that even in the depth of his despair
15:13Raja Ratnam would be the one that's always giving him the heart to carry on fighting.
15:18Raja Ratnam continued on as a key figure in Singapore's politics
15:22serving as Second Deputy Prime Minister till 1985
15:26and later Senior Minister in the Prime Minister's Office till his retirement in 1988.
15:32The passing of Raja Ratnam in 2006 left many Singaporeans with heavy hearts
15:38as they mourned the loss of a key figure who played a crucial role in building Singapore.
15:42His countless contributions to Singapore's growth
15:45from promoting multiculturalism to putting the nation on the map despite the scepticism
15:50will forever be deeply ingrained in our history.
15:53I would encourage the young readers to read both my books
15:57to get the full flavour of the lessons that Raja Ratnam has for us.
16:01I would encourage them to come to the chat book showcase
16:05that the National Library Board has put up in the National Library building
16:09because you can ask questions to the chat book and they will answer.
16:16The important thing to know or to appreciate about somebody like as Raja Ratnam
16:24and he threw himself into trying to make this a template
16:29for a more humane, fair and just society
16:34and he never wavered till the end of his days.
16:38Life is full of threats and dangers being in a small country
16:43and to survive and to succeed you need to have that never say die spirit.
16:49All that Raja Ratnam has always been saying is the future is what you make of it.
16:54The only certainty in life is an unformed future to be shaped to your will.
17:03So the question is always what kind of future do you want?
17:07He always dares to imagine a better future, a better way out
17:11and dares to pursue it to its bitter end.
17:20Copyright © 2020 Mooji Media Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
17:23No part of this recording may be reproduced
17:26without Mooji Media Ltd.'s express consent.
17:49© 2020 Mooji Media Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
17:52No part of this recording may be reproduced
17:55without Mooji Media Ltd.'s express consent.