The second volume of The Lion’s Roar, authorised biography of Singapore co-founder S Rajaratnam — also the independent nation’s first foreign minister — was launched on July 22 by Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong.
At the book launch event, PM Wong recalled that in 1972, when he was born, Rajaratnam had already “envisioned Singapore as a global city”, just seven years after gaining independence in 1965.
“Mr Rajaratnam was one of Singapore’s founding fathers and truly the Singapore Lion. He helped create independent Singapore and define who we are and what we stand for as a nation,” said the prime minister in his book launch speech.
Marking the event, PM Wong also posted on X last evening: “Today [July 22], we launched ‘The Lion’s Roar’, the second volume of Mr S Rajaratnam’s biography. The two volumes of his biography give us a detailed account of his legacy and a vivid sense of the man, and what it was like in our early years of nation building.”
Referring to the upcoming National Day (August 9) celebrations in Singapore, the next post by PM Wong said: “It’s timely that we’re launching [the Rajaratnam biography] a few weeks before National Day. Let’s honour his legacy by remembering his words – that a nation creates its own future, any time and all the time; let’s do our part to move closer to one united people, regardless of race, language or religion.”
At the book launch, PM Wong began his speech “by acknowledging the tremendous work” done by the authorised biography writer and former MP Irene Ng.
About S Rajaratnam, the prime minister said, “He played vital roles at every stage of our nation building: from the 1950s, as an anti-colonial activist; through the 1960s, as a fierce warrior against the communist and communalists; until the 1980s, as an elder statesman.
“Throughout, he wielded a gifted pen — in his case, a typewriter — and was highly effective in mobilising the ground and shaping public opinion.”
Describing the work done by Rajaratnam in the People’s Action Party (PAP) government of the newly-independent Singapore, PM Wong said, “He was Minister for Culture in the first PAP government. Importantly, he was also our first and longest-serving Foreign Minister.”
He worked hard under very tough conditions to establish our foreign relations, practically from scratch. Foreign diplomats who called on him in those early years were struck by his ‘one-man operation’. Indeed, Mr Rajaratnam himself reflected that the foreign ministry then was ‘just one table, one typewriter, one secretary – and [himself]’. But through his efforts, Singapore established its standing, and gained many friends abroad.
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on the country’s first Foreign Minister S Rajaratnam
PM Wong said that he was personally involved in the “arrangements for the state funeral” following the death of Rajaratnam — “or Raja, as he was fondly called” — in 2006. It was after this, that he “started reading and learning more about Raja”.
An earlier book that had compiled the Rajaratnam speeches became Wong’s “one-stop guide”, and he was “struck by [Raja’s] sharp insights, his wide-ranging views spanning economics, history, politics, and philosophy, and his incredible talent for ideas and words”.
“It is remarkable that in 1972 (the year I was born) he envisioned Singapore as a global city. This was just seven years after Singapore’s independence; and decades before globalisation became a buzzword or the invention of the Internet,” said PM Wong.
“But Raja was a visionary. He said [that] our hinterland was not just the peninsular, as most had earlier thought, but the world. By linking up with other global cities, we could overcome our small domestic market and lack of natural resources, and become one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world,” added the prime minister.
Rajaratnam also had a unique vision of democracy, in which there would not be opposition just for the sake of opposition. “…Raja called for a ‘democracy of deeds’, one made up of active citizens who would focus on solving problems, and developing solutions for a better Singapore,” said the prime minister.
PM Wong — described by former Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong as the “4G” leader before and during the May 15, 2024, power transition — went on to say at the book launch, “Today, Singapore is in a new phase. It is not just a change of leadership, but a generational change… We share Raja’s concerns about whether Singapore can endure; especially at a time of growing global fractiousness, big power contestation and a weakening international order. So we are clear about our mission: to build on the strong foundations we have inherited, and to keep Singapore going and thriving.”
