Sellapan Ramanathan
6th President of Singapore
Incumbent
Assumed office  September 1, 1999
Preceded by	Ong Teng Cheong
Born	July 3, 1924 (1924-07-03) (age 83) Singapore
Nationality	Singaporean
Spouse	Umila Umi Nandey
Profession	Civil servant
Religion	Hindu

Sellapan Ramanathan (born July 3, 1924) is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Singapore. Often referred to as S. R. Nathan, he was first sworn in on September 1, 1999. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1536 × 2048 pixel, file size: 1. ... Flag of the President of Singapore - banner of arms The President of Singapore is the head of state. ... For the ecclesiastical office, see Incumbent (ecclesiastical). ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Ong Ong Teng Cheong (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; January 22, 1936 - February 8, 2002) was the first directly elected President of Republic of Singapore. ... is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flag of the President of Singapore - banner of arms The President of Singapore is the head of state. ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

Biography

Early life

Nathan is a Singaporean of Indian Tamil descent; his childhood was spent with his three older sisters and parents, V. Sellapan and Apiram, in Muar, Johor, in a house overlooking the sea. His father had been posted to the Malayan town as a lawyer's clerk for a firm that serviced rubber plantations, but the rubber slump of the 1930s sent the family's fortunes crashing. Nathan's father accrued debts, and eventually lost his job. Languages Tamil Religions Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism Related ethnic groups Dravidian people Brahui people Kannadigas Malayalis Tamils Telugus Tuluvas Gonds The Tamil people are a multi-ethnic group from the Indian subcontinent with a recorded history going back more than two millennia. ... District Muar District Area  - Total (District) 2346. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Map of Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. ...

By then the young Nathan had returned to his birthplace, Singapore, to live with an uncle, and received his early education in several Anglo-Chinese Schools, such as the Rangoon Road Afternoon School, and later Victoria School. He started working before completing his studies. During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, Nathan worked for the Japanese civilian police as a translator.^[1] After the war, whilst working, he completed his secondary education through self-study, and entered the University of Malaya (then in Singapore) where he graduated in 1954 with a Diploma in Social Studies (Distinction). Victoria School is an autonomous government secondary school, ranked as one of Singapores premier education institutions. ... The Japanese Occupation of Singapore was to become a major turning point in the history of several nations, including that of the Japanese, who rampaged down the Malay Peninsula with the singular intent of occupying Singapore to gain greater control over her war-time resource gathering efforts, the British, with... Look up Translator in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The University of Malaya (or Universiti Malaya in Malay; commonly abbreviated as UM) is the oldest university in Malaysia, and is situated on a 750 acre (3. ...

Civil service career

Nathan began his career in the Singapore Civil Service as a medical social worker in 1955. He was appointed Seamen's Welfare Officer the following year. In 1962, he was seconded to the Labour Research Unit of the Labour Movement, first as Assistant Director and later Director of the Labour Research Unit until January 1966. He continued as a Member of its Board of Trustees until April 1988. The Singapore Civil Service is the set of civil servants working for the Government of Singapore. ...

Sellapan Ramanathan with William Cohen

In February 1966 he was transferred to the Foreign Ministry. He served as Assistant Secretary and rose to be Deputy Secretary before being appointed Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs in January 1971. In August of the same year, Nathan moved to the Ministry of Defence where he was Director of the Security and Intelligence Division (SID), with the rank of Permanent Secretary. He was involved in the Laju incident on 31 January 1974, when members of the terrorist Japanese Red Army (JRA) bombed petroleum tanks on Pulau Bukom off the coast of Singapore. Nathan, was among a group of government officers who volunteered to be held hostage by the JRA to secure the release of civilian hostages. Download high resolution version (1100x723, 140 KB)Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen (left) greets President S.R. Nathan (right), of Singapore, at his office on October 2, 1999. ... Download high resolution version (1100x723, 140 KB)Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen (left) greets President S.R. Nathan (right), of Singapore, at his office on October 2, 1999. ... William Sebastian Cohen (1940- ) is an author and American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Laju incident occurred on 31 January 1974 in Singapore, when four armed men attacked the Shell oil refinery complex on Pulau Bukom and then hijacked a ferryboat Laju. ... is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Pulau Bukom, highlighted in red, is located south of Singapore mainland. ...

In February 1979, he returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became its First Permanent Secretary until February 1982 when he left to become the Executive Chairman of the Straits Times Press (1975) Ltd, the Singapore newspaper company. At various times from 1982 to 1988, Nathan also held directorship of several other companies including the Singapore Mint Pte Ltd, The Straits Times Press (London) Ltd, Singapore Press Holdings Ltd and Marshall Cavendish Ltd. He held a directorship in the Singapore International Media Pte Ltd between September 1996 and August 1999. He was Chairman of Mitsubishi Singapore Heavy Industries — a ship-repairing and engineering joint-venture with the Mitsubishi Group of Japan, from 1973 to 1986.

Interactive electronic portrait of S R Nathan on display at the Singapore Science Centre.

From 1983 to April 1988, Nathan was Chairman of the Hindu Endowments Board. He was a founding member of SINDA – the Singapore Indian Development Association – and its Term Trustee until August 1999. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 425 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Singapore Science Centre. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 425 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Singapore Science Centre. ... The Singapore Science Centre (SSC, Chinese: 新加坡科学馆) is a world-acclaimed scientific institution in Jurong East, Singapore, specialising in the promotion of scientific and technological education for the general public. ... The Singapore Indian Development Association (Abbreviation: SINDA; Chinese: 印度人发展协会) is self-help group (SHG), that was established in August 1991 to address the pressing educational and socio-economic issues facing the Indian community in Singapore. ...

In April 1988, Nathan was appointed Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia and in July 1990, became Ambassador to the United States of America where he served until June 1996. For other uses, see Ambassador (disambiguation). ...

On his return, Nathan was made Ambassador-at-Large and was concurrently Director of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the Nanyang Technological University. He resigned as Ambassador-at-Large and Director of the Institute on 17 August 1999, and was appointed, as the only eligible candidate and thus unopposed, President of the Republic of Singapore on 18 August 1999. The Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (abbreviation:IDSS) was established in July 1996 as an autonomous research institute within the Nanyang Technological University,Singapore. ... Nanyang Technological University (Abbreviation: NTU; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: , abbreviated 南大; Malay: Universiti Teknologi Nanyang) is a major research university in Singapore. ... is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

Nathan was conferred with the Public Service Star in 1964, the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 1967, and the Meritorious Service Medal in 1974. The Pingat Pentadbiran Awam (Public Administration Medal) was instituted in 1963 and has three grades: Emas (Gold) Perak (Silver) Gangsa (Bronze) The medal may be awarded to any of the following persons for outstanding efficiency, competence and industry: any person who is or has been a public officer. ... The Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star), instituted in 1963, is awarded to any person who has rendered valuable public service to the people of Singapore, or who has distinguished themselves in the field of arts and letters, sports, the sciences, business, the professions and the labour movement. ... The Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Meritorious Service Medal), instituted in 1962, is awarded to any person who has performed within Singapore, service of conspicuous merit characterised by resource and devotion to duty, including long service marked by exceptional ability, merit and exemplary conduct. ...

Becoming President

Nathan was elected unopposed as President on August 18, 1999. His nomination was strongly supported by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. He succeeded the 5th President of Singapore Ong Teng Cheong and was sworn in on September 1, 1999. is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Minister Mentor is a cabinet position created by the Singapore government in 2004 as part of a major leadership reshuffle. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is 李 (Li) Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; born September 16, 1923; also spelled Lee Kwan-Yew), was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. ... Flag of the President of Singapore - banner of arms The President of Singapore is the head of state. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Ong Ong Teng Cheong (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; January 22, 1936 - February 8, 2002) was the first directly elected President of Republic of Singapore. ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

On 12 July 2005 Nathan announced that he was seeking re-election as President. He submitted an eligibility application to the Presidential Elections Committee; by 6 August 2005 three more people had also submitted forms, but on 13 August the Committee announced that the other three applicants had been rejected. Nathan returned unopposed on nomination day, 17 August. He was sworn-in for a second term of office on 1 September 2005. is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Singapore presidential election of 2005 was to be held on 27 August 2005 to elect the President of Singapore. ... The Presidential Elections Committee is set up by the Government of Singapore to ensure that each candidate for the office of President of Singapore has the qualifications referred to in Article 19 of the Constitution of Singapore. ... is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Personal life

Nathan, a Hindu, is married to Urmila (Umi) Nandey and has a daughter, a son and three grandchildren. Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages[1]) is a religious tradition[2] that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ...

Notes and references

1. ^ Zuraidah Ibrahim and Lydia Lim. "He ran away from home when he was 16" (reprint at Ministry of Education, Singapore), The Straits Times, 22 Aug 1999. 

Ministry of Education Headquarters at Buona Vista The Ministry Of Education (Abbreviation: MOE; Chinese: 新加坡教育部) is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to education in Singapore. ... The Straits Times is an English-language broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore, currently owned by the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). ...

External links

• Office of the President of Singapore

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Ong Ong Teng Cheong (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; January 22, 1936 - February 8, 2002) was the first directly elected President of Republic of Singapore. ... Flag of the President of Singapore - banner of arms The President of Singapore is the head of state. ...

Presidents of Singapore

Yusof bin Ishak | Benjamin Henry Sheares | Chengara Veetil Devan Nair | Wee Kim Wee | Ong Teng Cheong | Sellapan Ramanathan Image File history File links President_of_Singapore_Flag. ... Flag of the President of Singapore - banner of arms The President of Singapore is the head of state. ... This is a Malay name; the name Ishak is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be addressed by his or her given name, Yusof. The Malay word bin () or binte (), if used, means son of or daughter of respectively. ... Benjamin Henry Sheares (August 12, 1907-May 12, 1981) was the second President of Singapore. ... Chengara Veetil Devan Nair, also known as C. V. Devan Nair (August 5, 1923–December 6, 2005), was the third President of Singapore and was elected by Parliament on October 23, 1981. ... Wee Kim Wee (Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; November 4, 1915–May 2, 2005) was the fourth President of Singapore, from 1985 to 1993. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Ong Ong Teng Cheong (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; January 22, 1936 - February 8, 2002) was the first directly elected President of Republic of Singapore. ...