SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AT THE LAUNCH OF A NEW SERIES OF DISTINGUISHED MALAYS AT THE HALL OF FAME, THE MALAY VILLAGE GEYLANG SERAI, ON SATURDAY 2 OCTOBER 2004, 3.30 PM

Salam sejahtera saya ucapan kepada Presiden Majlis Pusat, Encik Zulkifli Mohammed dan para hadirin sekalian.

[English translation of paragraphs 1-2 follow.]

1      Saya berasa gembira kerana dapat hadir pada hari ini di majlis pelancaran projek Balai Tokoh untuk tahun ini.  Sejak dua tahun yang lalu, acara tahunan ini telah mengetengahkan 12 tokoh unggul dari kalangan masyarakat Melayu yang dipaparkan di Galeri.  Pada hari ini, kerjasama antara Majlis Pusat, Lembaga Perpustakaan Negara dan Berita Harian akan memaparkan enam lagi individu cemerlang yang akan diberikan penghormatan anumerta dalam bentuk enam poster dalam satu set.

2      Poster-poster tersebut mengetengahkan sumbangan unggul enam individu ini kepada masyarakat Melayu, dan kepada Singapura.  Kini, sejumlah 18 tokoh Melayu yang kehidupan dan pencapaian mereka telah dipamerkan pada hari ini dengan tujuan untuk merakamkan kepimpinan, keinginan untuk memperbaiki keadaan hidup rakan senegara, dan keghairahan mereka, bagi dicontohi oleh generasi akan datang.  Mereka, dengan cara yang tersendiri, telah mendapat penghormatan daripada orang-orang yang sezaman dengan mereka, dan memberikan inspirasi kepada anak didik mereka yang mempunyai aspirasi serupa untuk memberikan sumbangan kepada masyarakat.  Meskipun mereka menyumbang untuk memberi insipirasi kepada masyarakat Melayu di Singapura, keunggulan mereka melampaui sesebuah masyarakat.  Mereka merupakan apa yang telah membentuk Singapura dan akan terus menjadi ciri masa depan negara kita  -  iaitu rakyat yang gigih berusaha bersama-sama dan untuk kepentingan bersama tanpa mengira bangsa, bahasa atau agama.  Itulah kekuatan kita yang kukuh, yang harus dibanggakan oleh setiap rakyat Singapura.

[1      I am happy to be here today at the launch of the Balai Tokoh project for this year.  This annual event has, in the last two years, seen 12 eminent personalities from the Malay community featured at the Gallery.  Today, the collaboration between The Central Council of Malay Cultural Organisations (Maslis Pusat), the National Library Board, and Berita Harian will see six more distinguished individuals honoured posthumously with a set of six posters.

2      These posters will showcase the sterling contributions of these six Malay individuals to the Malay community, and to Singapore.  In total, the 18 Malays whose lives and achievements on display today serve to document for posterity examples of leadership, a desire to better the conditions of their fellow citizens, and a zest  for life.  They each in their own ways won the respect of their contemporaries, and inspired in their proteges a similar desire to give of themselves.  Even as they serve to inspire the Malay community in Singapore, their significance goes well beyond any one community.  They are what Singapore has been and must always be  -  a people striving together and for each other, regardless of race, language or religion.  That is our enduring strength, that every Singaporean should be proud of.]

DIFFERENT LIVES, COMMON INSPIRATION
3      The individuals that we honour today, and whose contributions we engrave in our collective memory, were each unique in their own way. They came from different walks of life, played different roles in different contexts, and at different times in Singapore’s history.  But they each shared something essential, a certain spirit that takes a society forward. They shared a zest for life, and a desire not only to  excel in their endeavours but to better the lot of their fellowmen. . 

4      Some of them were prominent businessmen, community leaders and philanthropists.  Syed Ali Redha Alsagoff, who set up the Mendaki Foundation in 1982, will be remembered by the many beneficiaries of Muslim bursaries who were spurred to do well in their studies.  Mohd Yusoff Ahmad, as one of the founders of the Maslis Pusat, was instrumental in rallying the Malays to join the mainstream.  And Ambok Sooloh, who remains dearly remembered today as both a successful businessman and social entrepreneur, raised funds for the formation of the first Malay-owned newspaper, Utusan Melayu, in 1939.

5      Others were committed to education.  Islamic religious teacher and writer Syed Abdillah Ahmad Aljufri who passed on early in 2003 will long be remembered for his moderate and defining views of Islam and steadfastness of  mind. Many will recall the sagely and kind old man with a beard who was ever generous with his time and encouragement.

6      Others such as Bani Buang and Othman Kalam were loved and honoured for a different reason.  As a remarkably talented dramatist, Bani Buang was hailed as “Bapa drama Melayu Singapura” [the father of Singapore Malay drama]. He was an example of the spirit of resilience that we seek to inspire in our students.  At the prime of the Japanese Occupation in 1942-45, Bani Buang made full use of a stage made of wooden planks and oil drums to create modern Malay theatre. He had an inventiveness that spurred the development of Malay theatre.

7      Also ahead of his time was Othman Kalam, who will always be remembered as “Bapa Penyiaran Radio” (Father of Malay radio broadcasting). Generations of students listened eagerly to his popular radio programme for schools. Like Bani Buang, he had a feel for the pulse of the community. They each expressed and advanced a rich tradition in the performance arts and the media. 

Making heroes
8      Some people define heroes to be individuals endowed with qualities that are so unusual that they are irreplicable. In popular legend, they become larger than life. But most heroes are human beings endowed not with supernatural qualities, but the will and determination to rise above doing the ordinary. If they are extraordinary, it is because they will themselves to be so, and work tenaciously for what they believe in. These are qualities that we can all learn, and seek to emulate. They are qualities that we can nurture and encourage in our young. It is precisely because they can be emulated that we regard these real-life heroes as role models for our young.

9      Othman Kalam, teacher Syed Abdillah Ahmad Aljufri, “father of bursaries” Syed Ali Redha Alsagoff, mover of society Mohd Yusof Ahmad, philanthropist Ambok Sooloh and innovative director Bani Buang are worthy heroes in this sense, and whom our young can be inspired to follow.  That, I believe, is also one of the key objectives of today’s event.

9      Singapore, for its size and relative youthfulness, has in its 39 years seen men and women of substance go beyond the ordinary.  Their efforts have taken Singapore well beyond the ordinary. Some have done so on the national stage, some in local communities, some in business, or the arts or sports, some in leadership roles while others create excellence in the professional or scientific endeavour. Some have also won recognition on the international stage.

10     The education system itself bears the face of many teachers whose daily feats as they go about  teaching, coaching, motivating and inspiring our children are what make our schools one of the most highly regarded in the world. They are each heroes and role models in their own right, whose qualities will I am sure rub off on their students.  

10     In that context, I would urge organisations like Majlis Pusat to continue in their work of identifying talented young Malays who can be groomed to serve society. They have the legacy of these 18 remarkable Malay leaders to follow and be inspired by. Your support will help ensure that Singapore continues to flourish for many years to come.

11     There is a famous Malay saying, or Pepatah Melayu, that goes like this:
 “patah tumbuh, hilang berganti”
 (“the twig that breaks, will grow, and the loss will be replaced”)
I have full confidence that younger Malays will emerge with an equal determination and desire  to serve their community and the country.

11     On that note, I am very happy to launch another set of six posters of Distinguished Malays at the Hall of Fame.