I wish to pay warm tribute to S. Rajaratnam. He was one of Singapore's founding fathers. He was our first foreign minister. He was a cultured man and a gentleman. He was loyal and had a warm and generous heart.

What contributions did S. Rajaratnam make to Singapore?

His most important contribution was as Singapore's first and longest serving foreign minister. Together with Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Keng Swee, he conceptualised and implemented Singapore's foreign policy. He overcame the initial doubts about the legitimacy of Singapore's birth. He made Singapore a strong and valued founding member of ASEAN. He made many friends for Singapore in all parts of the world. At the United Nations, he created a unique tradition for Singapore. Instead of the usual bland tour of the horizon which is the format of most foreign ministers' speeches to the General Assembly, Mr Rajaratnam would deliver, each year, a thoughtful and eloquent speech with a single focus. This has become the hallmark of the annual address by the Singapore foreign minister to the UN General Assembly. Mr Rajaratnam was a brilliant foreign minister, partly, because of his vast knowledge of history and international politics and partly because he was gifted with brains, eloquence and charm.

What was Mr Rajaratnam's contribution to the PAP'S collective leadership and to the governance of Singapore? On the occasion of Mr Rajaratnam's eightieth birthday, the Minister Mentor paid a moving tribute to him. He said that the two things which Mr Rajaratnam taught him were courage in the face of adversity and magnanimity in victory. I personally witnessed his courage in action at the UN and at the Non-Aligned Summit in Havana, Cuba.

I want to recall some of Mr Rajaratnam's great qualities as a man. He was a good looking man with many cultural interests. He was a voracious reader. I spent many happy hours with him in the myriad bookshops of New York. Through the good influence of his Hungarian wife, Piroska, whom he loved dearly, he developed an interest in music, theatre and painting. He was also a very talented and committed photographer. In our travels around the world, such as, to Machu Pichu in Peru and the Mayan ruins in the Yukatan peninsula of Mexico, I would carry his cameras and lenses! He was certainly not a one-dimensional politician but a warm and cultured human being who had many interests in life. He was also an animal lover. I have a lovely photo of him grooming his two Pug dogs. My wife and I were always delighted to be invited by Mr and Mrs Rajaratnam to dinner at their home on Chancery Lane. Dinner always meant good company, good food and wine and scintillating conversations.

Finally, I want to single out one of Mr Rajaratnam's virtues which are not fashionable in our contemporary world. Mr Rajaratnam believed in the virtue of loyalty. This was best exemplified in his courageous act in giving shelter to an old friend, Mr Eu Chooi Yip, who was sick but wanted by the British.

I join the many friends and admirers of Mr S. Rajaratnam in mourning his passing. He was one of our illustrious founding fathers, the architect of our foreign policy and a wonderful human being. Let us join hands to build a S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies to perpetuate his memory.

Professor Tommy Koh is currently Ambassador-
At-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
Chairman of the Institute of Policy Studies and
National Heritage Board. He is also a Director
of SingTel and The Esplanade

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