Can you identify any more action man like Sim Kee Boon?
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'Among the most versatile of our public servants'
Straits Times, The (Singapore)
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10 November 2007
Edited tribute of President SR Nathan
My wife and I are deeply saddened to learn of the passing away of our dear friend and my colleague - Sim Kee Boon. We send our deepest condolences to Jeanette and the children.
Sim Kee Boon was among the most versatile of our public servants. He spent all his working life making invaluable contributions in his various roles in Government, particularly in the areas of economic development, trade and investment matters.
He personally guided and saw to the successful accomplishment of several prominent landmark projects like the airport developments in Changi and in the conclusion of important air services agreements and their subsequent management.
In Terminal 2 and now Terminal 3, we who knew him can feel his hand in many of the features we see.
He saw to the successful establishment of Intraco and its management and progress in its founding years. He also took on an ailing Keppel Shipyard and transformed it into one of our largest conglomerates, growing it beyond marine services into what is now the ' Keppel Group'.
He played a key role in the successful transformation of our economy and was directly engaged in implementing various economic development and trade initiatives that form the foundation on which our economic growth now stands.
In the early years of self-governing and independent Singapore, Sim Kee Boon showed unstinting willingness and enthusiasm to the new state of Singapore.
Trade and economic issues marked our acrimonious relations with neighbouring countries. Besides the issues being complex, negotiations had to be conducted with bureaucracies from differing cultural conditions.
Often negotiations did not go smoothly and reached the brink of rupture with adverse impact on bilateral relations. In such negotiating situations it was always Sim Kee Boon who was in the forefront leading the discussions and finally concluding them amicably.
His temperament and acute awareness of the different sensitivities always helped smoothen ruffled feathers, leading to agreements...
From January 1997 to January 2007, Sim Kee Boon served on the Council of Presidential Advisors.
He was invaluable to me and was a source of valuable advice. With his rich experience in the pubic sector and his business acumen, he made an immense contribution to the work of the Council.
Throughout his career, he took on whatever responsibilities were entrusted to him and discharged them with discipline and his renown meticulousness and devotion to duty.
He earned his wings building Changi Airport
WHEN he was given the mammoth task of creating Changi Airport in the mid-1970s, Ministry of Communications Permanent Secretary Sim Kee Boon knew little about building an airport.
It helped that he was a great leader, mentor and motivator, said Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) chairman Liew Mun Leong, who was a young Public Works Department engineer at the time.
'He was a permanent secretary, but he approached the task as a layman,' he recalled. 'He asked a lot of questions. It really put us to the test and no matter how prepared we were, we could not always answer him.'
Mr Sim was also a chief who believed in consulting his officers and staff. When it came to picking mosaic tiles for the airport walls, he asked for samples to be displayed so staff could give feedback.
Not one to sit in his office and dish out instructions, Mr Sim was totally hands on, Mr Liew said.
Building Changi Airport was an important national project and he wanted to be sure nothing was overlooked.
He drove his staff hard but he was a fair boss. 'If we made mistakes, there was no pointing of fingers,' said Mr Liew. 'His emphasis was, 'What is the problem? How can we move on from here?' He was a wise chap.'
In a recent book From Ground Up: Stories From The CAAS Experience, Mr Ho Beng Huat, a former CAAS deputy director-general, said: 'Without Mr Sim Kee Boon, Changi Airport would not be what it is.'
From the outset, Mr Sim stressed that, for Changi to succeed, the different players - CAAS, immigration and customs authorities, airport retailers, eateries - must work together as a team.
No detail was too small to escape his attention, not even toilets. Mr Sim, who served as CAAS chairman for 15 years until 1999, said in the book: 'The first and last point of exposure to an airport is the toilet. It gives you an impression of the country.'
He remained as CAAS adviser and consultant after stepping down.
Former CAAS director-general Wong Woon Liong said in a statement yesterday that a whole generation of officers had grown up under Mr Sim's care.
'We have learnt a lot from him: not just how to do a good job, but also how to be a good individual,' he said.
As a mark of respect, staff of Changi Airports International - the investment arm of the CAAS - will observe a minute of silence at mid-day on the day of the funeral, which will be on Tuesday.
Tributes
A MAN OF VISION
'Mr Sim Kee Boon served with distinction and made many signal contributions during his nine years as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communications...
Today, we have a transport system and an airport of international standing. The success of Changi Airport is a tribute to Mr Sim's vision and leadership. His contributions to the development of our transport industry were invaluable. We will miss him.'
- MR RAYMOND LIM, Transport and Second Foreign Affairs Minister
A TRUE PIONEER
'He was my mentor at the Ministry of Communications. The gap between us was huge - I, a young administrative officer fresh from university; he, a permanent secretary and head of civil service.
But he taught me everything about dealing with people and getting things done. He led by example and he had this knack for getting the best from his staff because he made them believe in themselves and their abilities. He was a true Singaporean pioneer.'
- MR HAN FOOK KWANG, 54, editor of The Straits Times and a former civil servant
A COMMON VISION
'He was heavily involved in the creation of TMCC; it was created from nothing. It was reclaimed land, but now, it is one of the most successful golf clubs in Singapore. This was only possible because of our understanding with each other.'
- MR TAN PUAY HUAT, 73, president of Tanah Merah Country Club (TMCC)
A KIND BOSS
'He was a boss who was kind at heart but had high expectations of his staff - he always challenged them to come up with solutions to problems. I learnt a lot under him as I always had to anticipate what he would ask.'
- MS MAVIS TAN, 60, Mr Sim's personal assistant at Keppel Corporation from 1984 to 2000
INIMITABLE STYLE
'He developed a strong and stable platform for Keppel upon which we have been able to develop and grow at a sustained pace during these last eight years. Keppel's success today is a result of his vision and efforts.
I have learnt much from him through his inimitable style, particularly his great sense of optimism and cheerfulness even during very trying times.'
- MR LIM CHEE ONN, 63, executive chairman, Keppel Corporation, and former MP and minister -
That is true - it takes more than Sim Kee Boon to make Changi Airport to what it is.Originally posted by Atobe:Did a Civil Servant set the specification for Changi Airport to succeed ?
Can a Civil Servant given super extraneous powers even come up with a vision that make Changi Airport as it is today ?
Or could it be that this gentleman was a Super Manager with similar visionary acumen as some of the best industrial captains in the private sector, able to pick out a winning design, and simply ensure that managerial discipline is maintained ?
The success of Changi Airport - or even that of Singapore - cannot possibly rest on the shoulders of a single person or personality.
Much like the historical records of Sir Stamford Raffles have borne testimony that it was his visionary acumen that identified the potential of an island which he named Singapore, and claimed it for the British Crown.
It took other talents in the Colonial Government and Private Enterprise to make Singapore what it was, that allowed subsequent generations to fulfill this vision which Sir Stamford Raffles had for Singapore in 1819.
Changi Airport was no different, if the outlining the history of Changi Airport revealed by local architect Tay Kheng Soon in the thread ''A Blast from the Past - An Assessment for the Future''.
The point here is we still need ministers to be action men like Sim but what have we seen of our ministers lately? Denials? Justifications? Hypocrisy?
We could only hope ministers will change and stop being yes-men and protectionistic of their own career and go about speaking up and building a new changi-type sucess with motivations to fire mass participation and practical knowledge applications of all citizens. -
S'poreans owe pioneer civil servants a big debt: PM Lee
Straits Times Online, The (Singapore)
Nov 10, 2007
By Peh Shing Huei
SINGAPOREANS owe the pioneer generation of public servants like Mr Sim Kee Boon an 'enormous debt', said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday.
'There was a certain cut of the people who were of that generation,' he said after paying his respects to the former civil service head who died on Friday.
'They grew up, they saw the country change, they made the change happen.'
They were 'the last of the Mohicans' - a phrase which another late former civil service head, Mr Howe Yoon Chong, had used to describe himself and Mr Sim - both of whom were among the founding group of top administrators.
'In a way, that's true,' said Mr Lee. 'That generation of public servants, we owe them an enormous debt.'
Mr Howe, who was also a Cabinet Minister, died three months ago.
Mr Sim was 78 when he lost his 17-year-long battle with stomach cancer on Friday.
After retiring from the civil service in 1984 - which included a five-year tenure as head - he joined Keppel Corporation as executive chairman and turned the loss-making outfit into one of Singapore's leading conglomerates.
From 2000, he was also a director of Temasek Holdings.
Mr Lee, who was accompanied by his wife, Ms Ho Ching, said Mr Sim was not just doing a job, but was sharing his experience, wisdom and perceptiveness.
While paying tribute to Mr Sim's work in building Changi Airport, Mr Lee also praised him for setting the tone in the civil service and leading it to achieve many things.
'Not everything was done personally by himself. But the leader's job is not to do everything by yourself. It's your job to enable other people to work and to be productive and he achieved that,' he said.
'He's not a flamboyant person. He doesn't put himself on a high pedestal. He's very easy to get along with, chatty, gregarious, but very sharp mind, very clear what needs to be done.
'And if you are dealing with a touchy situation, not just in Singapore but with our neighbours or with some other countries, you can depend on him to understand what the issue is, what the other side is trying to achieve, how we can get what we need and maintain the relationship.'
Former deputy prime minister Tony Tan and Transport Minister Raymond Lim were also among those at the wake on Saturday.
The wake, which continues until Tuesday, is at Mr Sim's home at 114 Watten Estate Road.
The secret of PAP's longevity in government
Straits Times Online, The (Singapore)
Nov 10, 2007
By Goh Chin Lian
VETERAN People's Action Party (PAP) activist Koh Poh Kwang, 63, used to be a permanent fixture in the Kallang area, spending six nights a week in the party branch office or the community centre.
While it helped him keep in close touch with residents, it also meant he bore the brunt of their anger when the PAP Government made unpopular moves.
He recalled that the strongest protests were in 1984, when a report by the late minister Howe Yoon Chong proposed delaying the withdrawal age for Central Provident Fund balances from age 55 to 60.
For three weeks, residents turned up at Mr Koh's regular spot to voice their frustration.
He said: 'They were saying it's their hard-earned money, but I explained that policies are always drawn up with long-term benefits in mind.'
Like other activists, Mr Koh reported the unhappiness to his then-MP, Mr S. Dhanabalan. The withdrawal age proposal was eventually shelved.
Mr Koh, who continued with his grassroots work later at the Whampoa branch, received a commendation medal on Saturday night to recognise his 35 years of service to the party.
At an awards ceremony ahead of today's PAP convention, party chairman Lim Boon Heng noted that activists play a key role in keeping the party in touch with the people.
'The longevity of our party in government depends on us remaining close to the ground, and being able to act quickly whenever issues appear,' he said.
The party has been in government since 1959 because of good leadership and good ground support by the PAP branches and unions affiliated to the National Trades Union Congress, he added.
Activists have given timely ground feedback, he said, on issues like the income divide and health-care costs.
And the Government has acted on it since last year's general election, he said.
He urged activists to tell low-income workers about the Government's move to top up their wagesthrough the Workfare Income Supplement scheme and to 'do more' in working with grassroots organisations to help older Singaporeans find jobs.
Improvements to healthcare policies and the public transport system will also be made 'step by step', he added.
Mr Lim noted that activists have in recent weeks sounded out leaders about rising food prices, which are caused by drought and rising energy prices.
'These are factors beyond our control, but the Government will see how the impact can be mitigated,' he said.
He reminded them to keep explaining policies to people: 'Sometimes policy changes come with some pain. We need to explain to the people why the policies are right and will be good for the community. You have done so in the past, and you will need to continue to do so.'
During the event at the University Cultural Centre yesterday, Mr Lim handed out 331 awards, mostly for long service.
Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings