We Remember Ong Teng Cheong (1936 - 2002)

In 1992, Mr Ong Teng Cheong who was then Deputy Prime Minister, was diagnosed with lymphoma, cancer of the lymphatic system.

Republic of Singapore Very First  Former Elected President Ong Teng Cheong died at 8.14 pm local time, Friday, 8 February 2002.
 
He was 66 years old.

Member of Parliament, Labour Chief, Deputy Prime Minister, Elected President.

A man whose first loyalty was to the people of Singapore.

Mr Ong Teng Cheong is remembered as a gentleman, one with a passion for the arts, and an even greater passion for the people's welfare.

It was this sense of service that first brought him (*age 36) into politics as MP for Kim Keat in 1972.

While many Singaporeans may recall his contributions to the union movement, Mr Ong was also the man behind the Mass Rapid Transit system which many take for granted today.

Appointed Communications Minister in 1978, he had pushed for its construction.

"This is like a 20-year affair from conception  to delivery.  Now that the baby is born, to say  that I am happy and pleased is an understatement!" Ong Teng Cheong

Ong Teng Cheong

In 1992, Mr Ong who was then Deputy Prime Minister, was diagnosed with lymphoma, cancer of the lymphatic system. 

But this did not keep him down. 

"I intend to live every minute 
of it as fully as I can,
and press on with the work.
There are so many
 things to be done!"
Ong Teng Cheong 

"I intend to live every minute  of it as fully as I can, and press on with the work. There are so many  things to be done!" Ong Teng Cheong

Ong Teng Cheong

Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew once said Mr Ong "had shown a special knack, the ability to get on with ordinary people, and empathise with them."

This special quality helped Mr Ong become Singapore's first Elected President."Some people still ask whether my long previous association with the PAP will stop me from acting independently. The answer is "no". My loyalty is first and foremost to the people of Singapore. It has always been so and it will always remain so."
Ong Teng Cheong

"Some people still ask whether my long previous association with the PAP will stop me from acting independently. The answer is "no". My loyalty is first and foremost to the people of Singapore. It has always been so and it will always remain so."

Ong Teng Cheong

And he displayed this conviction a year after becoming President.

This was when he made public his disagreement with the PAP government's interpretation of the Constitution on the powers of his office.

He then asked for the matter to be referred to a special High Court Tribunal, chaired by the Chief Justice.

When the Tribunal ruled in favour of the PAP government, President Ong graciously accepted the decision.

Mr Ong also left his mark on the Singapore arts scene.

As Acting Minister for Culture in the late 1970s he was determined to transform Singapore from a perceived cultural desert to a city of the arts.

This led to the first Singapore Festival of the Arts, now an established event.

An accomplished musician himself, Mr Ong also lent a hand to various welfare causes.

In 1993, he launched the President's Star Charity, an event that has raised millions of dollars for local charities annually.

Six weeks before his term was up in 1999, President Ong announced that although his health was fine, he would not seek re-election.
"I find no compelling reasons to do so.
 Six years is a long time.
 I've achieved what I've set out achieve 
when I took office 6 years ago." 

Ong Teng Cheong

"I find no compelling reasons to do so. Six years is a long time.  I've achieved what I've set out achieve when I took office  6 years ago."

Ong Teng Cheong

In a tribute to him, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong spoke of Mr Ong's contributions as Singapore's first Elected President. 

He commented, "Singaporeans now know better how our system of a President with custodial powers works, and how decisions and actions have to be publicly justified whenever questioned. Mr President, you have discharged your responsibilities well and fully. You have upheld the standing and prestige of the Presidency. We and our fellow Singaporeans will long remember your many contributions to our nation and society."


"I hope I have not disappointed the people
of Singapore who elected me to this office.
 I have enjoyed their concern and support
 for the past six years, and I want to thank
 them." Ong Teng Cheong

"I hope I have not disappointed the people of Singapore  who elected me to this office. I have enjoyed their  concern and support for the past six years, and I  want to thank them."

Ong Teng Cheong

Ong Teng Cheong (Chinese: 王鼎昌; pinyin: Wáng Dǐngchāng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ông Tíng-chhiong; 22 January 1936 - 8 February 2002) was the first directly elected President of the Republic of Singapore. He was the nation's fifth President, and served a six-year term from 1 September 1993 to 31 August 1999.

Global Empower Network Bloggers and Netizens reading about The Legacy of Ong Teng Cheong

http://theinnozablog.blogspot.sg/2012/05/lymphoma-cancer.html



All the Presidents of Singapore to date have been men. Nonetheless, in a 2008 poll of 1,256 Singaporeans conducted by MyMailMoment.com, a lifestyle research portal run by SingTel, 63% of women respondents and 58% of male respondents said they would vote for a female president. Those aged 50 and older were the most receptive to the idea.
1.Yusof bin Ishak
2.Benjamin Henry Sheares
3.Devan Nair Chengara Veetil, also known as C. V. Devan Nair
4.Wee Kim Wee  黄金辉 
5.Ong Teng Cheong  王鼎昌
6.Sellapan Ramanathan செல்லப்பன் ராமநாதன், Cellappaṉ Rāmanātaṉ 
7.Dr.Tony Tan Keng Yam 陈庆炎 
 
http://theinnozablog.blogspot.sg/2008/09/price-versus-value.html