Yusof Ishak | |
---|---|
1st President of Singapore | |
In office 9 August 1965 –23 November 1970 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Benjamin Sheares |
Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore | |
In office 3 December 1959 –9 August 1965 | |
Monarchs | Queen Elizabeth II Putra of Perlis |
Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
Preceded by | Sir William Goode |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Yusof bin Ishak Al-Haj 12 August 1910 Terong,Taiping,Perak,Federated Malay States,British Malaya |
Died | 23 November 1970 60) Singapore | (aged
Cause of death | Heart failure |
Resting place | Kranji State Cemetery |
Spouse | |
Children |
|
Alma mater | Victoria Bridge School Raffles Institution |
Occupation |
|
Website | http://www.istana.gov.sg/ |
Yusof bin Ishak DUT SK DUBC PJG ( /ˈjʊsɒfbɪnˈɪshɑːk/ YUUSS-off bin ISS-hahk; 12 August 1910 –23 November 1970) was a Singaporean journalist and senior civil servant who served as the first president of Singapore between 1965 and 1970.
Prior to his appointment as Singapore's head of state, Yusof was a well-known journalist who co-founded Utusan Melayu , which was in circulation until 9 October 2019. He started his career in journalism after his graduation from Raffles Institution in 1929. In 1932, he joined Warta Malaya, a well-known Malay newspaper company at that time, before leaving in 1938 and co-founded Utusan Melayu. [1]
Yusof held many appointments within the Singapore Government. He served on the Film Appeal Committee from 1948 to 1950 and was a member of both the Nature Reserves Committee and Malayanisation Commission for a year. In July 1959, he was appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission. [2]
On 3 December 1959, Yusof succeeded Sir William Goode as Yang di-Pertuan Negara (English: Head of State) after the People's Action Party (PAP) won the 1959 general election. [3] Yusof was subsequently appointed as the first president of Singapore by Parliament after the independence of Singapore on 9 August 1965.
Yusof served three terms in office before he died on 23 November 1970 due to heart failure. His portrait appears on the Singapore Portrait Series currency notes introduced in 1999. He was succeeded by Benjamin Sheares on 2 January 1971.
Born on 12 August 1910 in Kampung Padang Gajah, Terong, Taiping, Perak Darul Ridzuan, which was then part of the Federated Malay States (present day Malaysia), Yusof was the eldest son in a family of nine. He was of Minangkabau descent from his father's side while his mother was a Malay from the Langkat region in Indonesia. [4] His father, Ishak bin Ahmad, was also a civil servant and held the post of Acting Director of Fisheries, Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States. [5] His brother, Aziz Ishak, was a Malayan journalist and freedom fighter.[ citation needed ]
Yusof received his early education in a Malay school in Kuala Kurau, Perak and began his English studies in 1921 at King Edward VII School in Taiping, He was then admitted to Victoria Bridge School in 1923 when his father was posted to Singapore. In 1924, he was enrolled in Raffles Institution for his secondary education. During his time in Raffles Institution, he played various sports such as swimming, weight lifting, water-polo, boxing, hockey and cricket and had also represented the school in various sporting events. He was also part of the Singapore National Cadet Corps and was commissioned as the first ever cadet officer in the Corps due to his outstanding performance. Yusof received his Cambridge School Certificate with distinction in 1927, he was also awarded the Queen's Scholarship and decided to prolong his studies at Raffles Institution until 1929. [1]
After graduating from Raffles Institution in 1929, Yusof began his career as a journalist and went into partnership with two other friends to publish, Sportsman, a sports magazine devoted entirely to sports. [6] In 1932, Yusof joined Warta Malaya, a well-known newspaper during that time. [7] Warta Malaya was heavily influenced by developments in the Middle East and Yusof wanted a newspaper dedicated to Malay issues. He fulfilled his vision by establishing Utusan Melayu with several Malay leaders in Singapore in May 1939. [8]
During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, Utusan Melayu had to stop circulation as machinery used to print the paper were requisitioned to publish the Japanese paper, Berita Malai. Yusof then moved back to Taiping and with the remaining money he had, he opened a provision shop and lived there until the war ended in 1945 and Utusan Melayu resumed publication. In 1957, Yusof moved to Kuala Lumpur and in February 1958, the headquarters of Utusan Melayu was also relocated to the city. During the post-war period, many Malays wanted independence of Malaya from the British and Yusof, fanned this fervour through his publications which resulted in the formation of the United Malay Nationalist Organisation (UMNO) in 1946. However, his democratic ideals were different from UMNO's vision of reestablishing the monarchy of Malaya. This resulted in rising tensions within the Utusan Melayu and in 1959, Yusof had sold his shares he had in the company and resigned as UMNO had bought over almost all of the shares of Utusan Melayu. [8]
Yusof held several appointments within the Singaporean government, he had served on the Film Appeal Committee from 1948 to 1950 and was also a member of both the Nature Reserves Committee and Malayanisation Commission for a year. After his resignation from Utusan Melayu, Yusof took the position of Chairman of the Public Service Commission of Singapore at the invitation of then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. [9]
After PAP's victory from the 1959 Singaporean elections, Yusof was appointed as Yang di-Pertuan Negara and was sworn on 3 December 1959, [10] briefly becoming the first sovereign monarch of Singapore since Raja Iskandar Shah after its independence from Malaysia. During his time as Yang di-Pertuan Negara, Singapore was divided by racial conflicts. Yusof actively promoted multiculturalism and reached out to people of all races to help restore trust and confidence after the 1964 racial riots. [11]
On 9 August 1965, Singapore was expelled from Malaysia and became an independent nation. The position of Yang di-Pertuan Negara was abolished and Yusof then became the first President of Singapore. As president, Yusof reached out to the people to reassure citizens astonished by Singapore's expulsion and continued to promote multiculturalism and a national identity within the country by visiting constituencies and reached out to different racial and religious groups. [12]
Yusof served for three terms in office before he died on 23 November 1970 due to heart failure. [13] [14]
Yusof is survived by his wife of 21 years, Puan Noor Aishah, and their three children, Orkid Kamariah, Imran, and Zuriana. [15] Puan Noor Aishah continued her husband's legacy of public service and was the first Asian to become president of the Singapore Girl Guides Association. [16] She and her now adult children were interviewed for the Channel NewsAsia documentary Daughters of Singapore, which screened in August 2015 as part of the SG50 celebrations and commemorated the spouses of Yusof Ishak and David Marshall, two pioneer leaders of Singapore. [17]
Yusof participated in several sports in his youth. He won the Aw Boon Par Cup for boxing in 1932, and was the national lightweight champion in weightlifting in 1933. [18] One of Yusof's hobbies was photography, and a collection of his photographs was donated to the National Archives of Singapore by his widow, Noor Aishah. [19] He also cultivated orchids, [20] and had the tennis courts at his residence on the Istana grounds, Sri Melati, converted into an orchid garden. [21] He performed the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1963. [22]
The following institutions bear Yusof Ishak's name:
Other memorials include:
Yusof Ishak officiated many events including:
And also his wife Toh Puan Dr Noor Aishah officiated many events including:
Yusof Ishak also opened schools and institutions including:
And also that of his wife Toh Puan Dr Noor Aishah including:
Other achievements:
Yang di-Pertuan Negara is a title for the head of state in certain Malay-speaking countries, and has been used as an official title at various times in Brunei and Singapore.
The Portrait Series of currency notes is the fourth and current set of notes to be issued for circulation in Singapore. It was first introduced on 9 September 1999 by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore (BCCS), whose role was since taken over by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) post-merger.
The Istana is the official residence and office of the president of Singapore. The palace is open to the public during scheduled public holidays and is where the president receives and entertains state guests.
Utusan Malaysia is a Malaysian Malay-language daily newspaper. Formerly owned by the Utusan Group, the newspaper is currently owned by Media Mulia.
The National Library, Singapore is the flagship national library of Singapore. A subsidiary of the National Library Board (NLB), it is located on an 11,304–square metre site in Victoria Street within the Downtown Core. It is the country's largest public library.
The 1964 race riots in Singapore involved a series of communal race-based civil disturbances between the Malays and Chinese in Singapore following its merger with Malaysia in 1963, and were considered to be the "worst and most prolonged in Singapore's postwar history". The term is also used to refer specifically to two riots on 21 July 1964 and 2 September 1964, particularly the former, during which 23 people died and 454 others suffered severe injuries.
This article lists important figures and events in Malaysian public affairs during the year 2000, together with births and deaths of notable Malaysians.
Othman bin Wok, often known as Othman Wok, was a Singaporean politician who served as Minister of Social Affairs between 1963 and 1977. After retiring from politics, he was Singapore's Ambassador to Indonesia and served on the boards of the Singapore Tourism Board and Sentosa Development Corporation. For his political, economic and social contributions to the nation building of Singapore, he was awarded the Order of Nila Utama in 1983 by President Devan Nair.
The Young Women Muslim Association of Singapore (YWMA), more commonly known as Persatuan Pemudi Islam Singapura (PPIS) (in Malay), is the oldest Muslim women organization in the world, and a household name for the Muslim community in Singapore. It is a voluntary welfare organization and has official charity status in Singapore.
Abdul Aziz bin Ishak (1915–1999) was a Malaysian freedom fighter, politician and journalist. Aziz was, in fact, the only member of the pre-war Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) to have served in the 1955 and post-Merdeka Cabinets under Tunku Abdul Rahman. Between 1955 and 1963, he was the Minister for Agriculture and Co-operatives, where his efforts in rural development to improve the lives of padi farmers and fishermen were important although less known compared with similar efforts undertaken by the Rural Development Ministry.
Masjid Al-Abdul Razak is a mosque in Singapore, located at Jalan Ismail, off Jalan Eunos. The mosque is accessible from Eunos MRT station.
Tun Sardon bin Jubir was a Malaysian politician. He served as Minister of Health, Minister of Works and Communications and was the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Penang from 1975 to 1981.
The spouse of the president of Singapore is sometimes referred to as the first lady or first gentleman, although it is a courtesy term not enshrined in the Constitution. By tradition, an official portrait of the spouse of the president of Singapore is prominently displayed in government buildings alongside the portrait of the president.
Abdul Rahim Ishak, also known as Encik Rahim, was a Singaporean politician and journalist. The youngest brother of Yusof bin Ishak, the first President of Singapore, Abdul was Minister of State for Education from 1965 to 1968 and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs for 1969 to 1972. He was the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary first to the United Arab Republic in 1967, Yugoslavia, Ethiopia, and Lebanon in 1969, and to Indonesia from 1974 to 1979. He became an envoy to New Zealand in July 1982.
The Samariang Muslim Cemetery is the largest Muslim cemetery in Kuching city, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located near Kampung Samariang near Petra Jaya. It is the final resting place of many prominent Malay Sarawakian personalities.
The Yusof Ishak Mosque is a mosque in Woodlands, Singapore. It was announced by Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong during the 2013 National Day Rally The mosque is located at 10 Woodlands Drive 17, Singapore 737740. The mosque is named after Singapore's first President, Yusof Ishak.
Noor Aishah binti Mohammad Salim is the widow of former President, Yusof Ishak.
Anastasia Tjendri-Liew is the founder and managing director of Bengawan Solo, one of Singapore's bakery franchises.
Abdul Rahim Kajai, born Abdul Rahim bin Haji Salim was a Malayan journalist, editor and novelist. His career began as a typesetter and was a writer for multiple local Malay newspapers. He later became a correspondent for Penang-based weekly Sinar Zaman. During his later years, he became involved in Warta Malaya and Utusan Melayu, the most prestigious Malay newspaper of the 1930s and 1940s respectively, and wrote several political and religious treatises concerning Malay rights in British Malaya. Between 1936 and 1941, he wrote 48 short stories, which were later compiled in several books published between 1949 and 1961. For his pioneering work, he was highly regarded within Malaya as one of the most prominent contributors of Malayan literature. He was given the honorific title of "Father of Malay Journalism and Short Stories" by the National Library of Malaysia (PNM).
In Singapore, there are numerous cemeteries that house Muslim graves. Many of them are not in use currently as most of the burials take place at Pusara Aman in Choa Chu Kang. This is a non-exhaustive list of the Muslim cemeteries that have been demolished such as Bidadari Cemetery, as well as cemeteries that have not been in use for years. Included in this list are Keramats (Mausoleums) that are present in Singapore.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)These pictures were personally taken by President Yusof Ishak during his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1963.
Yusof Ishak Secondary School was established in 1965 as Jubilee Integrated Secondary School. It was an integrated school offering secondary education to an enrolment of 984 pupils and 37 teachers of two streams, in English and Malay. On 29 July 1966, then Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew declared open Yusof Ishak Secondary School (YISS) at Jubilee Road. We are the only school to be named after a President of our Republic.
Library resources about Yusof Ishak |