Third Aunt called me late Thursday night and asked if I will be free on Saturday. As I had not resumed my weekend Powerplates workout routine, I said yes.
Only to be told afterwards that she wanted me to accompany her to Parliament House to pay our last respects to Dr Goh Keng Swee.
To be very honest, I have very little knowledge of this man. When news of his passing first broke, I was quite nonchalent and shrugged it off as 'yet another passing of one of our Old Guards' because, that was what I know of him. I belong to the 'generation of transience' where when Dr Goh retired from politics in 1984, I was merely 8 years old. At Primary 5, when Social studies was taught, we had some simple lessons on the different government ministries, and taught the names of the ministers then heading these various ministries.
My generation grew up enjoying the convenience, efficiency and success of The Singapore System. While we understand that all these did not happen overnight, we did not quite know this was actually the result of Dr's Goh leadership and foresight in setting the right policies and system.
And so, while we know who Mr Lee Kuan Yew is, of how he led Singapore to join Malaysia and eventually divorce from it to our gaining independence, I remained quite clueless about this Dr Goh Keng Swee 'figure' who was the then Number 2. They were a formidable pair who complemented each other well to bring Singapore its economic success and remarkable achievements for our defence and education policies.
My aunt and I were amongst the 5000 plus members of the public that went forth to pay our last respects this afternoon. We experienced a short but orderly queue. Even the weather was kind to us - it was as if Tee-gong is also showing his grief to the demise of yet another great man that helped write Singapore's history.
Thank you Dr Goh, for making Singapore what it is today. Rest in peace - was what I wrote this afternoon on the condolence book.
till later.
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