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

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Eulogy by MM Lee Kuan Yew ‘My closest confidante’ Goh and Mr Lee Kuan Yew hang out at a community centre. Goh Keng Swee, S. Rajaratnam, Dr Toh Chin Chye, K.M. Byrne and I were the core group who planned the formation of the PAP. We used to meet in my basement dining room at 38 Oxley Road. Keng Swee pointed out that we had to build up mass support for any political party. Fortunately in February of 1952, working as a legal assistant in the firm of Laycock & Ong, I was asked to be the legal adviser to the Postal and Telecommunications Uniformed Staff Union to negotiate with the government for better terms of service. It led to a strike, the first under the then “Emergency Regulation” de 4 PETIR MAY / JUNE 10 Keng Swee was my alter ego, never daunted, never intimidated. We reinforced each other’s resolve. signed to cripple the communist controlled trade unions. I won concessions for them. So I was asked to represent the clerks of the Singapore Union of Postal and Telecommunications Workers against the government in an arbitration court. Again I gained concessions. As a consequence, many other unions, including Chinesespeaking unions, appointed me as their legal adviser. Throughout the strike and arbitra tions, Keng Swee, Byrne and Raja gave me backroom support, working out the relevant facts and figures, and the counter arguments. I made a breakthrough to the Chinesespeaking world after the Chinese students’ May 13th, 1954, clash with the police at King George V Park. The procommunist students made National Service an issue and gathered students to protest National Service to serve the colonial government. The police arrested them. They sought legal
Mr Lee’s letter of thanks to his right-hand man in 1984, and Goh’s reply. services when they were charged in court. I brought out a leftwing procommunist British QC called D.N. Pritt, who led me in a district court before F.A. Chua, district judge, who later became a judge of the Supreme Court. He acquitted them all. My backroom colleagues, including Keng Swee, discussed and refined ev ery move I made. Thereafter, we had a Chinesespeaking base, mainly of young students. Keng Swee, Raja, K.M. Byrne and I had no idea that these Chinese associations, including the Singapore Chinese Middle School Students’ Union, Singapore Factory and Shop Workers’ Union, and a myriad of miscellaneous associations like those of barbers, tai lors, cinema and entertainment workers, and even wooden house dwellers, were all controlled by a few procommunist cadres. We first worked with them in a united front. In 1961, when we wanted to go into Malaysia, to which they had earlier agreed, the leftwing communists got 13 PAP members of the Legislative As PETIR MAY / JUNE 10 5
Page 1: 行动报 www.pap.org.sg Goodbye Go
Page 5: Dr Goh’s role extended well beyon
Page 9 and 10: In his talks with Tun Razak, then M
Page 12 and 13: Eulogy by Mr Goh Ken-Yi Great grand
Page 14 and 15: We Salute the Great Man Who Helped
Page 16 and 17: Goh Keng Swee: The Man active in th
Page 18 and 19: 16 PETIR MAY / JUNE 10 We Salute th
Page 22 and 23: 1 5 Goh Keng Swee: Memories THE POL
Page 24 and 25: THE FUNERAL: 1. Son, Mr Goh Kian Ch
Page 26 and 27: Goh Keng Swee: The Legacy gapore’
Page 28 and 29: Goh Keng Swee: The Legacy spirit of
Page 32 and 33: DR GOH KENG SWEE We pay tribute to
Page 34 and 35: Dr Goh Keng Swee was instrumental i
Page 36 and 37: We Salute the Architect of Singapor
Page 38 and 39: We salute the visionary who helped
Page 42 and 43: Overheard 40 PETIR MAY / JUNE 10
Page 44: A Tribute to the Prime Architect of

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

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