Salute to the late titan of our nation,Dr Goh Keng Swee

As the sound of the last bugle was played at the Singapore Conference Hall, it marks the fall of one of our nation's founding fathers and also his demise.
Dr Goh Keng Swee passed away on the 14th May 2010,in the wee hours of that day.He had already suffered from severe stroke since long time ago and he has been bed-ridden for the past six months due to his deteriorating conditions.
The Singaporean flag all over the nation,including in schools,have been lowered to half-mast to observe respect for this national hero.The body of Dr Goh was laid in the Parliament Hall for a week for the public to pay tribute and their last respects.The response was overwhelming and thousands of Singaporeans swarmed to the building to bid him farewell.On the day of the state funeral,Singapore had also seen Malaysian Prime Minister Najib coming to offer his respects.
The ceremony was a solemn one yet it potrayed the magnificence of Dr Goh and the respect that he has commanded worldwide and that his contributions were affirmed by Singaporeans.His coffin was heaved by a team of navy,infantry and pilots from the SAF and was placed on a military vehicle inside a glass compartment at the very rear.The vehicle set off from the Parliament Hall on Sunday afternoon at around 2.10 to the Singapore Conference Hall, lumbering at a sedate speed of 15km/h to allow by-passers to give their last blessings.Many have converged in the Central District Area to see the vehicle off and hundreds of people lined the vehicle's route.It was to travel from the Parliament House and traversing Collyer Quay and Robinson Road,which measures up to a distance of 1.8km.The vehicle took some twenty minutes to reach its destination.
As soon as it did so,48 soldiers that lined the way to the hall dipped their guns downwards, also to show respect for this leader.Awaiting in the hall for the state funeral were significant figures like Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew,Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President S.R Nathan.Dr Goh's family,including his spouse,Phua Swee Liang was also present.Others include Members of Parliaments,members of the NTUC Trade Congress,soldiers and also student leaders from various schools.
Everyone there was mourning for Dr Goh, hanging their heads low and were in a sombre mood.Absolute silence enveloped the hall and one could hear a pin drop.I guess that everyone is reluctant to part with this man.
The one-hour event was packed with the eulogy delivered by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew,Chairman of Temasek Holdings S.Dalaibalan and also the apple of his eye which is his great grandson,Goh Ken Yi and his niece Grace.All were commending Dr Goh in his political career and the love and care he gives to people around us.
Born in Melaka in 1918,Dr Goh Keng Swee came to Singapore and studied in Anglo-Chinese School,after which he moves on to Raffles College to pursue his interest in economics.Here,he had his first encounter with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew when Dr Goh become Mr Lee's tutor.
In the post-WW2 years,the two was also reading economics in London.It then dawned on them that Singapore could no longer rely on the British to protect them from threats.They felt that Singaporeans should stand up and protect itself,that is they preached for autonomy.The 1955 Cabinet Elections was a failure for the PAP,which was an alliance party formed by Mr Lee Kuan Yew,Dr Goh Keng Swee,Dr Toh Chin Chye and S.Rajaratnam who were bent on striving for independence.The inaugural General elections in 1959 brought the PAP a landslide victory,which allowed them to dominate the Parliament.Dr Goh Keng Swee was assigned to the post of the first Economic Minister.
Different people carry different perspectives of Dr Goh.To MM Lee,he is his troubleshooter during the times when Singapore and Malaysia was uncertain of the merger.He is also a wise,shrewd and quick-witted man of action,dynamism and envisionary who dares to challenge his decisions in the Parliament,resulting in more fruitful decisions and outcomes in the end.
For most of the Singaporeans,he is the economic architecture of our nation.In the 1960's,Singapore had a stagnant and sluggish economy and had no foothold in the world.Singapore was also in a 14million dollar debt then.Dr Goh then exercised the reduction of salaries.Although this was unpopular,the end year budget gave a 1 million dollar surplus.Singapore had crawled out of debt.The next approach is to boom and expand the economy.He then undertook a mass project to clear the swamps of Jurong to introduce industrialisation.Factories would spring up and cater job opportunities to people.This is why we find JTC(Jurong Town Coporation) today.He also offered perks to foreign companies to invest in Singapore to reel in more job opportunities as well as escalation in the economy.His campaign was a major success.He also established the EDB(Economic Development Board) to take charge of Singapore's economy.
In 1967,Dr Goh took office as the Minister of Defence.During this time,he created the SAF(Singapore Armed Forces) from scratch as Singapore needed protection against external threats.It was set that all men at the age of 18 are to undergo two years of millitary service to prepare them in case of a war.
He also became the Minister of Education in the 1970s.At that time,drop-out rates were soaring high as children were unable to go through proper education.He implemented the streaming scheme which aided almost every children to complete at least secondary education.
Last but not least,he constructed NTUC(National Trade Congress) to look after the needs of workers.As people overcharged and food prices were exorbitant then,Dr Goh formed NTUC Fairprice today to allow public to purchase groceries at a fair and economical price.He also founded the Singapore Symphony Orchestra to fulfill the dreams of musically-inclined children in Singapore to perform.It was also meant to provide recreation for the public.He was also once the MAS(Monetary Authority of Singapore) and also helped in creating the stable Singapore Dollar.He was bestowed upon the Order of Temasek,a prestigious high military for his endeavours for the nation.
Dr Goh's legacy has left a lasting impact on Singapore's economy and society.No Dr Goh equates to no present Singapore.His deeds will also be engraved on Singaporean's mind forever.May Dr Goh rest in peace.