President Wee Kim Wee
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wee_Kim_Wee
Wee Kim Wee (November 4, 1915 - May 2, 2005) was the fourth President of Singapore, from 1985 to 1993.
Born into a humble family, the son of a clerk who died when he was eight, Wee start out as a clerk working for The Straits Times, before becoming a reporter focusing on political issues. He soon was one of the top reporters. In 1941, he joined the United Press Association and was its Chief Correspondent in the 1950s. He returned to The Straits Times in 1959 and was appointed deputy editor in Singapore. In 1966, he interviewed the former Indonesian President General Suharto, reporting of his intention to end the three-year confrontation with Malaysia. He broke the news with a front-page headline quoting Suharto: "Peace: The sooner the better." [1] (http://ourstory.asia1.com.sg/merger/headline/mpeace.html)
Wee was the editorial manager when he retired in 1973 to become the High Commissioner to Malaysia, a position he served for seven years. He was appointed as Ambassador to Japan in September 1980, and to South Korea in February 1981. At the end of his diplomatic stint in 1984, he was Chairman of the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, predecessor of MediaCorp, before his appointment as president a year later.
A highly popular President in his tenure, he was noted for his approachability by all walks of lives during his office. Modest, friendly and sincere, he was remembered as a PeopleÂ’s President.
In 2004, he wrote a book, Glimpses and Reflections, to share his childhood and experiences as a clerk, journalist, and President. From the book royalties and other proceeds from donors, half a million Singapore dollars were donated to eight charities.
President Wee Kim Wee passed away on 2 May 2005 at 5:10am SST at his home at the age of 89 as a result of a prostate cancer relapse. A humble man even in his death wishes, he will be cremated and buried at the Mandai cemetery together with other ordinary Singaporeans, instead of the Kranji War Cemetery, where people of his stature are usually buried. -
goodbye mr president....
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So many ministers have appeared before televisions to say that Wee Kim Wee has been a people's president, a good man who truly cares for fellow citizens and shares their individual problems.
Above all he was not an arrogant man who after the successful climb to the top to become a leader has forsaken his friends or look down on lowerly servants.
Let us moan the loss of a truly charismatic president. @#! sigh
I do hope that now that the ministers have spoken in compliments of the humility and people-loving ex-president they will truly practise what they have said in the coming years. I hope their compliments are not for the audience or looking good. I hope they will groom future leaders who truly care for fellow citizens' welfares and wellbeings and not blindly worship paper or academic talents.
Talents and scholars should prove themselves to be effective in serving people first like Wee has done before being considered as talents or mandarins. They should not automatically be deemed scholars or leaders just because of possessions of academic qualifications. -
mourn, not moan...alamak....Originally posted by robertteh:So many ministers have appeared before televisions to say that Wee Kim Wee has been a people's president, a good man who truly cares for fellow citizens and shares their individual problems.
Above all he was not an arrogant man who after the successful climb to the top to become a leader has forsaken his friends or look down on lowerly servants.
Let us moan the loss of a truly charismatic president. @#! sigh
I do hope that now that the ministers have spoken in compliments of the humility and people-loving ex-president they will truly practise what they have said in the coming years. I hope their compliments are not for the audience or looking good. I hope they will groom future leaders who truly care for fellow citizens' welfares and wellbeings and not blindly worship paper or academic talents.
Talents and scholars should prove themselves to be effective in serving people first like Wee has done before being considered as talents or mandarins. They should not automatically be deemed scholars or leaders just because of possessions of academic qualifications.
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Alamak my mistake !! Thanks for the correction.Originally posted by laurence82:mourn, not moan...alamak.... -
I totally agree. He is a wonderful man full of charisma and charm. Noted for his kindness and being non arrogant.Originally posted by robertteh:So many ministers have appeared before televisions to say that Wee Kim Wee has been a people's president, a good man who truly cares for fellow citizens and shares their individual problems.
Above all he was not an arrogant man who after the successful climb to the top to become a leader has forsaken his friends or look down on lowerly servants.
Let us moan the loss of a truly charismatic president. @#! sigh
I do hope that now that the ministers have spoken in compliments of the humility and people-loving ex-president they will truly practise what they have said in the coming years. I hope their compliments are not for the audience or looking good. I hope they will groom future leaders who truly care for fellow citizens' welfares and wellbeings and not blindly worship paper or academic talents.
Talents and scholars should prove themselves to be effective in serving people first like Wee has done before being considered as talents or mandarins. They should not automatically be deemed scholars or leaders just because of possessions of academic qualifications. -
Yupz he was a great man! He was also LKY's mother's cousin
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Which former presidents' contributions were greater?
Late presidents Ong T C & Wee K W, whose contributions were greater? -
Originally posted by PRP:
OTC tried to make a difference. The President's Star Charity was his idea. Don't forget he also tried to introduce the concept of accountability to our ministers but did not succeed.
[b]Which former presidents' contributions were greater?
Late presidents Ong T C & Wee K W, whose contributions were greater?[/b] -
if i am not wrong, the mrt lines was one of his big projects when he was still a minister . . . .correct me if i am wrong. So if we talk about past achievements, his was tremendous.Originally posted by iveco:OTC tried to make a difference. The President's Star Charity was his idea. Don't forget he also tried to introduce the concept of accountability to our ministers but did not succeed. -
But when the idea of having a subway system was first mooted, there was much resistance to it from the public, who were happy with the bus services already plying. It has been shown that bus services are more flexible to trams or subways because they penetrate deeper into the housing estates and can be amended with ease.Originally posted by CenturionMBT:if i am not wrong, the mrt lines was one of his big projects when he was still a minister . . . .correct me if i am wrong. So if we talk about past achievements, his was tremendous. -
hmm in a way lah . . .but i dun like long bus journeys. Gives me motion sickness after 1hr in a bus. I would say both complements each other.Originally posted by SBS9611D:But when the idea of having a subway system was first mooted, there was much resistance to it from the public, who were happy with the bus services already plying. It has been shown that bus services are more flexible to trams or subways because they penetrate deeper into the housing estates and can be amended with ease.