Project Ignition
Motivating Through Stories
Yusof bin Ishak
First President of Singapore
Background Information
Yusof bin Ishak (b. 12 August 1910, Padang Gajah, Trong, Perak–d. 23 November 1970, Singapore) was Singapore's first president when Singapore became a republic on 9 August 1965. The presidency was a natural transition as Inche Yusof had been the Yang di Pertuan Negara, or Head of State, of Singapore since 3 December 1959, after Singapore achieved self-rule. Yusof Ishak became Singapore's head of state six months after the People's Action Party (PAP) won the first election in self-government Singapore on 30 May 1959. He replaced the first Yang di Pertuan Negara and last governor of Singapore, William Goode.
Story
Yusof Ishak was of Minangkabau descent. His ancestor was a Minangkabau nobleman, Datok Janaton, who, together with his brother Datok Setia and 80 followers, migrated to Kedah in 1789 and swore allegiance to the sultan of Kedah.
Yusof was the eldest of nine children and his father was Ishak bin Ahmad. Being English-educated, Ishak found work in the Malayan Administrative Service, serving as clerk in the District office in Taiping and later in the Fisheries Department. In 1923, Ishak was transferred to Singapore to assume the position of assistant inspector of fisheries. He was the first non-European to be a director of the Fisheries Department.
Yusof's education started in the Malay school in Kuala Kurau, Perak, and later at the Malay School at Taiping. In 1921 he began his English studies at King Edward VII School, Taiping. In Singapore, Yusof attended Victoria Bridge School (now Victoria School) for his primary education and then Raffles Institution (RI) for his secondary education. He excelled in both academic and extra-curricular fields. He scored distinctions in both the 1927 Cambridge School Certificate and in the Senior Cambridge Exams. Yusof was admitted into the prestigious Queen's Scholarship class at RI, a group of only 13 and Yusof was the only Malay. He missed the Queen's Scholarship by a few points.
Outside the classroom, Yusof was a school athlete, representing RI in many games including hockey, cricket, swimming, water polo, basketball, boxing and weightlifting. He emerged champion in boxing, winning the Aw Boon Par cup in 1932, and weightlifting, becoming the national lightweight champion in 1933. Away from the court, Yusof was the co-editor of Rafflesian, a prefect and the first student in the history of the National Cadet Corps to be made a second lieutenant. His years in RI exposed him to a multicultural environment where he learnt to appreciate the aspirations and hopes of the other communities.
Yusof was interested in law but his father could not afford to send him to England to further his studies. Yusof joined the Police Academy in Kuala Lumpur, but due to some disagreements left the academy and returned to Singapore. There, he started a magazine, Sportsman, with friends Ong Chin Beng and Soh Swee Tuck but the magazine did not see commercial success. At the invitation of another school friend, Syed Hussein bin Ali Alsagoff, he joined the Alsagoff-owned newspaper, Warta Malaya, as a clerk. He rose rapidly to become the assistant manager, running the company's finances. Warta Malaya was the voice of the Arabs in Singapore and was influenced by the developments in the Middle East. But Yusof's calling was for a truly Malay newspaper that was owned by, run by and dedicated to the Malays. When he was the manager of Warta Malaya, he seriously considered turning this vision to reality.
In early 1938, together with some 20 Malay leaders in Singapore including Yahya Abdul Rahman, Yunos Haji Daim, Osman Hassan, Embok Soloh, Sudin Abdul Rahman and Abdullah Abdul Ghani, Yusof established the Utusan Melayu Press Ltd, located at 64 Queen Street. The Press published a Malay newspaper, Utusan Melayu, which first circulated on 29 May 1939. True to Yusof's vision, Utusan Melayu was the first paper to be owned and financed by the Malays. Yusof was wholly dedicated to this newspaper; sourcing for capital to start the paper, as well as for competent journalistic staff, acquiring machines and advertisers, and looking after company accounts and its general administration.
When PAP won the election and formed the government in May 1959, Yusof was a leading choice for the head of state. He was chosen because he was a man of integrity, dignity, honesty and had high moral principles. On 3 December 1959, Yusof was appointed as Singapore's head of state, representing the queen of England. When Singapore gained independence on 9 August 1965, Yusof Ishak became the first president of the Republic of Singapore.
It was a delicate task for Yusof, as Singapore was at a very challenging period of political, social and economic development. He was steadfast in promoting multiracialism. He worked very hard, going out to meet people of different races and helped to bring trust and confidence in the new republic. On 28 February 1966, in appreciation of Yusof's interest in the Singapore Arts Society, the latter commissioned a white marble bust of Yusof in suit and tie, which was presented to him at a ceremony held at the Istana.
Yusof's health started to deteriorate in 1968. He had been hospitalised for heart trouble and other illnesses. On 23 November 1970, during his third term in office, he passed away due to heart failure.
Yusof Ishak Secondary School, which was opened by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 29 July 1966, is named after him.
To commemorate Singapore's first president, in 1999 Singapore launched a new series of currency notes bearing the portrait of Yusof Ishak.
At the 2014 National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid special tribute to Yusof for being an outstanding pioneer. In recognition of Yusof’s contributions to Singapore, Lee announced that a new mosque, a leading think-tank and a professorship would be named after him. The new mosque at Woodlands would be named Masjid Yusof Ishak, and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) renamed ISEAS-The Yusof Ishak Institute. The Yusof Ishak Professorship in Social Sciences would also be established at the National University of Singapore to promote research in multiethnicity and multiculturalism.
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Lessons and Values
Commitment
He was committed to bring honour and prestige to Singapore on an international aspect, to uplift and inspire his people and more significantly, to instill in Singaporeans that survival of the nation rests on the ability of all races and religions to live in mutual respect and tolerance of each other.
He had a vision
He had a vision to run a true Malay newspaper that was owned by, run by and dedicated to the Malays. He turned and made his vision a reality when he published "Utusan Melayu" with 20 other Mala leaders, circulating the first newspaper that was printed and financed by the Malays. This shows that he had an end in mind and bothered to realise it in reality.
