S. Rajaratnam

Who is S. Rajaratnam?

Sinnathamby Rajaratnam was one of Singapore's founding political leaders and its first Minister for Foreign Affairs, serving continuously in that role from 1965 to 1980. Born in 1915 in what is now Sri Lanka and raised partly in Malaya, he trained as a journalist and barrister before becoming active in Singapore's anti-colonial and labour politics, joining Lee Kuan Yew and other founding members of the People's Action Party. As a member of the first generation of Singapore's cabinet, Rajaratnam played a central role in shaping the young nation's outward-facing diplomacy, helping to secure Singapore's early international recognition and its membership in bodies such as the United Nations and, later, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He is best remembered as the principal author of the Singapore National Pledge, the affirmation of unity and multiracial nationhood recited daily by generations of Singaporean schoolchildren since 1966. Beyond diplomacy, Rajaratnam also served as Minister for Culture and later Deputy Prime Minister, and remained an influential voice on national identity, multiracialism, and Singapore's place in the world. He died in 2006, remembered as a key architect of Singapore's foreign policy and civic identity.

Sources: Chan Heng Chee, A Sensation of Independence: A Political Biography of S. Rajaratnam (1984) · Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore, historical records · National Archives of Singapore, National Pledge authorship records