For some S'poreans, an emotional farewell to Nathan
SINGAPORE — Singaporeans continued to express their appreciation for the late former President S R Nathan on Wednesday (Aug 24) by streaming to his Ceylon Road home as well as condolence boards outside the Istana.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli, the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, had to hold back tears as he recounted a lunch he had in his first year as a Member of Parliament with Mr Nathan.
"We all thought he, as a President, would be full of protocol. But once the door closed and lunch started, he was a grandfather and it was such a hilarious lunch," said Mr Masagos. "It was unforgettable. So that was him - personable, knowing how to treat the young with love, care, and full of advice."
Mr Nathan, who suffered a stroke on July 31, passed away on Monday. He was 92. His body will lie in state at Parliament House on Thursday after the two-day private wake at his family's Ceylon Road home.
Others who turned up at the private wake on Wednesday included Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say, former Cabinet minister Othman Wok, representatives from Mediacorp, and Mr Kumaran Barathan, the chief executive of the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA).
"Mr Nathan was the founding father of SINDA and served as a trustee for ten years before he became president. Even after that, he continued to be very passionate about the Indian community, but not only that, but people from all walks of life," said Mr Kumaran.
At the condolence boards outside the Istana, a steady stream of Singaporeans came by to pen their thoughts and tributes. Among them was retiree Saraj Dil, 70, who was one of the police officers who accompanied Mr Nathan during the Laju incident in 1974.
Then, four terrorists bombed the Shell oil refinery complex on Pulau Bukom and took five crew members of the ferry Laju hostage. Mr Nathan, the security and intelligence chief at the Defence Ministry at that time, volunteered to accompany the hijackers to Kuwait as a guarantee of safe passage, in order to secure the civilian hostages release.
Said Mr Saraj: "Before I left, I didn't tell anyone about (it), not even my wife who was expecting our first child. We were all apprehensive, we weren't sure if we would return to safety...But because of his leadership, strong personality pragmatism, and skillful negotiation, we were reassured and prepared to take whatever came out way." ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KELLY NG, TOH EE MING
