Jun 9, 2011
Be prepared to stand on your own two feet
This is an excerpt from a speech by President S R Nathan at a ceremony to confer on him an honorary degree at the University of Mauritius on Tuesday.
In those early years, as we were dealing with very serious problems, we were often acting on inadequate information. But our early political leaders based their actions on sound principles and convictions, even if this meant sometimes that they had to face risks. They were guided by ideals, and never sought to play to the gallery.
An Illustration
ANYONE looking at my educational record at the end of my teenage years would have put me down as a failure. My school career was cut short. I was thrown out of school as a young boy for reasons which, as I look back now, fill me with a sense of injustice. I saw myself as an embarrassment to my family and ran away, only then to face the hazards and disruptions of World War II.
But in all our life experiences there are lessons to be learnt. Whatever the circumstances, however dark the situation may seem, within ourselves we can find unexpected resources, hidden abilities, which provide hope for the future.
While my early formal education ended in failure, I did learn the importance of resourcefulness and self-reliance. During the war I took every opportunity to work hard, and to learn from the people with whom I came into contact. Among the Japanese occupiers there were many who behaved appallingly. But there were also those who respected honesty and hard work, and stressed to me the importance of integrity, and the need to resist the opportunities for corruption that certainly existed in those days. In post-war, colonial days I received similar valuable guidance from a member of the British military.
I started my post-war career working in public service positions, first in the state of Johor in then-British Malaya, and then in Singapore. I worked very long hours, getting to grips with some of the complex issues that confronted us.
Then in my spare time, often working at night, with the aid of correspondence courses and evening classes, I got some of the qualifications I had missed out on when I was a boy. All this hard work was on my own initiative. I was determined to better myself.
And it paid off. I was offered a scholarship to go to university as a mature student. There after two years I was awarded a diploma in social studies that equipped me to do professional social work.
University was an eye-opener. It brought me into contact with a group of people with far better academic track records than I had, but I was able to hold my own. I realised that lack of qualifications did not mean lack of ability. My course gave me a training in human relations and how to manage problems. I learnt not only about the behaviour of individuals but also about the problems faced by many groups of people in society at that time, lessons which are just as valid today. More generally I learnt how to learn for myself. Although I was not aware of it at the time, this two-year experience would open windows in my mind, which would help me to meet many of the challenging situations that life was to throw at me in later years.
I grew both in ambition and self-confidence. Having benefited from a formal academic course, I also realised that life presents endless opportunities for learning if only you seize them. This pro-cess of education is more than technical or professional expertise. It comes also from a willingness to learn from the people around you. Some of them will be your peers. Some of them will be people in more senior positions, who are generally willing to share their expertise, to guide you, passing on their experience to a younger generation. Whether you are receptive is up to you.
Early in my career, when I was coping with seafarers and their problems, I had dealings with a priest of the Maris Stella Catholic mission to seamen. For me it was a stressful time. This man turned out to be not just a professional acquaintance but a teacher of life. He taught me to ask myself: Why am I here? What was the underlying purpose behind all my actions? The question sounds simple, but if you think seriously about it you will, as I did, be able to develop your own philosophy of life to which you can turn whenever you face a serious dilemma.
In the next stage of my career I was called on to assist Singapore's labour movement when it was in a desperate struggle against communist domination. It was then I was privileged to work with the late C.V. Devan Nair, who became an influential public figure, and later President of Singapore. It was Devan Nair who, in his quiet, understated way, re-inforced my commitment to serving the underdog. It was from people like him that I received much of my education. University was valuable, but it was just the beginning.
Singapore became independent rather abruptly when it left the Federation of Malaysia. Our leaders had to build the services and institutions essential to the running of an independent country largely from scratch. There was a public administration, but not with the scale or sophistication that was needed. I was invited to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Frankly, none of us had much clue what diplomacy was all about, and we had virtually no knowledge of diplomatic pro-cedures and protocol.
But the point I want to make is that we managed. We learnt what lessons we could from others, including our counterparts from friendly countries. We taught ourselves. And we young officers took all the guidance we could get from our leaders - who, like us, were learning on the job. Time and time again over my long working life, I have been thrown in at the deep end of the pool, with a challenging assignment and no clear brief. It happened at the ministries of foreign affairs, home affairs and defence; and when I was posted as head of Singapore's diplomatic mission in Malaysia (our most important neighbour) and the United States. If I was to succeed I had to think for myself, formulate my own priorities, and make full use of the experience and advice of those who had more experience than I did.
Over many years, my work has brought me close to Singapore's leadership - in particular Mr Lee Kuan Yew. There was also Dr Goh Keng Swee, architect of our economic transformation and builder of our armed forces and many social institutions. Another big influence was Mr S. Rajaratnam, one of the longest-serving foreign ministers in the world. He became an institution in the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and, here in the region, Asean.
I was privileged to work with such people, to share the good times and the difficulties. Above all I learnt from them, and built up a personal perspective that helped me tackle the difficult assignments that came my way.
I learnt the importance of character and judgment, as well as intellectual ability. In those early years, as we were dealing with very serious problems, we were often acting on inadequate information. But our early political leaders based their actions on sound principles and convictions, even if this meant sometimes that they had to face risks.
They were guided by ideals, and never sought to play to the gallery. So far as possible they avoided publicity. They showed extraordinary energy. Working closely with them and accompanying them on their travels, I found them to be very private persons, who deeply believed in their approach to social issues and other problems facing the new state of Singapore in both the short and the long term. They certainly articulated their opinions and ideas. Our founding generation realised that we had to find our own way, we had to learn how to solve our own problems, wherever the lessons may come from. But they were also aware of our limitations. They were always prepared to listen. One of the keys to Singapore's success is that it has never been too proud to learn from others.
And so, looking back I draw three key lessons both from my own life and from Singapore's short history as an independent nation. Make use of every opportunity to learn here in the university and in the outside world; act in good faith; and be prepared to stand on your own two feet.
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