1918 - 2010 Goh Keng Swee - People's Action Party - PAP

Insights
I remember…
Every year during his term as Minister for Finance, he would “lock” himself
away in a Changi chalet for three weeks just before the Budget sitting in
Parliament. Three days before the sitting, he would come up with the draft of
the Budget speech with blanks. He’d say, “You guys fill in the figures”, and he
wouldn’t change the statements any more.
– Mr Bernard Chen, who worked in the Finance Ministry, in
his contribution to in an upcoming book of essays by ex-MPs to be
printed by the Institute of South East Asian Studies
吴博士有远见,关心民瘼之情在牛车水区展露无遗。他的
方言和华语并不流利,却能与当地居民及社团沟通。在他担任
牛车水议员的25年期间,受到基层组织的拥护与支持。
1969年由吴博士倡议,民间出钱出力建成的牛车水剧
场,给文化艺术表演者提供了良好的表演场所,也成了热爱观
赏方言戏剧者的好去处。1975年起以吴博士为首的人民剧场基
金会,每年都拨款分发度岁金给区内的贫困与乐龄人士,温暖
了他们的心。
此外,吴博士也极力改造牛车水的面貌,在任期内为牛车
水居民兴建组屋,小贩中心和小型购物办公楼中心。1983年建
成的牛车水大厦摊贩/巴杀中心,是为安顿街边及非法小贩而
建的。
吴博士虽身为副总理及部长,却很节俭。记得在彩色电视
盛行的时代,吴博士仍不舍得丢弃使用多年的黑白电视,直到
在我的劝说之下,才购买一个彩色电视机。不过,他却物尽其
用,把黑白电视捐献给技能培训中心当研究之用。
The most creative mind in the PAP.
He was full of ideas and theories.
– 潘峇厘,前国防部高级政务次长
– Retired academic and diplomat Maurice Baker,
who set up the Malayan Forum with Goh Keng Swee
Goh Keng Swee showed very strong support for our fight against
the shipping conferences’ monopolistic practices on freight rates. But
there was little he could do. It was around that time the government
set up its own shipping line – NOL. I read in the newspapers that
NOL had joined the shipping conference, I brought it up to him, he
laughed and said: “ This is life.”
– Mr Tan Eng Joo, community leader and businessman
He was a cheerful man. We
used to go out together for
drinks quite frequently. We
would take turns to buy each
other drinks. – Dr Toh Chin Chye,
founding chairman of the PAP
吴老先生德才兼备,政绩过
人;俭约养廉,贯其平生。
5月17日在吴宅,我谨引诗以
吊唁:事冗不知筋力倦,官
请赢得梦魂安。
- 黎达材, 前国会议员
Typically, we would have dinner
at the unit and then, if it
was a good meeting, Dr Goh
would be more than happy to
go to the officers’ mess. There,
he would not hesitate to drink
with all of us, bum cigarettes
off Winston Choo and tell risque
stories...
– Colonel (Retired)
Ramachandran Menon
When we drove in his old
Vauxhall car, we had to pay
for the petrol.
– Former MP Chan Chee Seng on
campaigning during the
1959 elections
PETIR MAY / JUNE 10
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