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http://www.todayonline.com/articles/289417.aspEx-DPM’s wife reaches out
Loh Chee Kong
[email protected] AS ONE of Singapore’s founding fathers, former Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee improved the lives of a whole generation of Singaporeans as he masterminded the country’s economic rise. .
Now in his twilight years, Dr Goh — who turned 90 last month and has been in ailing health for the past decade — is indirectly extending a helping hand again, at a time when the needy might have to put personal ambitions or expensive medical treatments on hold.
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Dr Goh’s wife Phua Swee Liang has set up a private charitable foundation in his name. Registered earlier this month, the Goh Keng Swee Foundation would be administered by law firm Rajah and Tann.
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Dr Phua, 69, told Today: “The Foundation will keep Dr Goh’s legacy alive and perpetuate, among young Singaporeans, his values and selfless efforts to build up his nation.” .
In particular, it will provide financial assistance — including grants, bursaries and scholarships — to “disadvantaged” young Singaporeans and to “impoverished patients in need of medical or healthcare”. .
The idea of the Foundation came to Dr Phua a couple of months ago, before the onset of the current economic turmoil.
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She said: “In my pensive moments, because of my love, admiration and respect for Dr Goh, I decided to do this for him. Also, as a Singaporean, I feel I should follow in his footsteps to do what I can for Singapore.”
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Since retiring from politics in 1984,Dr Goh has shunned the limelight. And in the same spirit, there will not be an official launch for the foundation. Instead,she hopes to spread the message through this newspaper and by word-of-mouth.
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The foundation will draw on the couple’s savings and gains from personal investments, as well as voluntary contributions by “several others”, Dr Phua added. Declining to reveal the exact size of the kitty, she said it would seek to help “as many people as possible”.
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Prospective recipients would be assessed by a four-member board comprising Dr Phua, retired civil servant Goh Kim Leong, chief investment officer of APS Asset Management Wong Kok Hoi and Dr Goh’s niece, Ms Goh Bee Lian.
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The financial assistance would also be disbursed to recipients in China, whereDr Goh served as an advisor to the Chinese government after his retirement.
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Former Economic Development Board chairman Philip Yeo, who was one ofDr Goh’s proteges, described the move as “an excellent initiative to commemorateDr Goh Keng Swee’s countless contributions to the development of Singapore”.
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As part of the foundation’s work, some 2,000 booklets titled “Public Figure Private Man: Goh Keng Swee” would be printed by the end of the year to “inform recipients about the background of their benefactor”, saidDr Phua, who co-authored it. These booklets would also be distributed to “loyal friends” and anyone who asks for a copy, she added.
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Apart from detailing the former DPM’s achievements, the booklet includes accounts of people who had worked with him. Dr Phua also shares many personal anecdotes of her “loving and caring” husband.
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She wrote: “Despite his high stature in public office, Keng Swee is a man of simple needs ... Ostentatious living is not his style and he is especially careful with his finances (not only his own but more so the State’s).
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“Whenever he was warded in hospital, he would tear each tissue paper he wanted to use carefully into halves. He would then put one half back into the box for future use ... He would often chide me for being a wastrel when he saw that I used the whole sheet and added, ‘It’s taxpayers’ money’.”
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She added: “May this foundation be a beacon to his name ... gently reminding us of his place in Singapore’s post-colonial and modern history.”
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