Wee Kim Wee

His Excellency Wee Kim Wee
黃金輝
4th President of Singapore
In office 2 September 1985 – 1 September 1993
Prime Minister	show See list Lee Kuan Yew Goh Chok Tong
Preceded by	Devan Nair
Succeeded by	Ong Teng Chong
Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
In office February 1981 – April 1984
Prime Minister	Lee Kuan Yew
Ambassador to Japan
In office September 1980 – April 1984
Prime Minister	Lee Kuan Yew
High Commissioner to Malaysia
In office 1973 – September 1980
Prime Minister	Lee Kuan Yew
Personal details
Born	(1915-11-04)4 November 1915 Singapore, Straits Settlements
Died	2 May 2005(2005-05-02) (aged 89) Singapore
Cause of death	Prostate Cancer
Resting place	Mandai Columbarium
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	People's Action Party
Spouse(s)	Koh Sok Hiong
Children	Wee Eng Hwa Bill Wee Hock Kee Wee Hong Neo
Alma mater	Outram School Raffles Institution
Occupation	Politician, journalist, diplomat
Military service
Commands	Commander-in-Chief of the Singapore Armed Forces

Wee Kim Wee (traditional Chinese: 黃金輝; simplified Chinese: 黄金辉; pinyin: Huáng Jīnhuī; 4 November 1915 – 2 May 2005) was a Singaporean politician who was the fourth President of Singapore serving from 2 September 1985 to 1 September 1993.

Wee was the Ambassador to the Republic of Korea from 1981 to 1984, Ambassador to Japan from 1980 to 1984 and the High Commissioner to Malaysia from 1973 to 1980 before he was elected by the Parliament of Singapore as the President of Singapore. Former president Devan Nair stepped down from the position and Wee was sworn in on 2 September 1985. For the ensuing initial presidential election, the first in Singapore to be decided by popular poll, Wee decided not to enter his candidacy and retired on the completion of his second and final term as President.

Wee died of prostate cancer in his home at Siglap Plain in Singapore on 2 May 2005 at the age of 89.

Early life[]

Born in Singapore on 4 November 1915, Wee Kim Wee was the son of Wee Choong Lay and Chua Hay Luan. His father Wee Choong Lay was a ship purser but went blind when Wee Kim Wee was six years old. His mother Chua Hay Luan was the younger sister of Chua Kim Teng, the father of Chua Jim Neo and maternal grandfather of Lee Kuan Yew.^[1][2][3] Wee lost his father when he was eight and his mother when he was nineteen. He received his primary education at Pearl's Hill School and secondary education at Outram School^[4] before enrolling in Raffles Institution. However, Wee did not complete his secondary education and dropped out after two years at the institution in January 1930.^[5]

Career[]

1930 to 1973: Journalism[]

In 1930, Wee started out as a clerk working for the newspaper The Straits Times, before becoming a reporter focusing on political issues. He eventually became one of the paper's main reporters. He married his wife, Koh Sok Hiong (traditional Chinese: 許淑香; simplified Chinese: 许淑香) in 1936 when he was a 21 year old reporter.^[6] In 1941 he joined the United Press Associations, and was its chief correspondent in the 1950s. He returned to The Straits Times in 1959, and was appointed deputy editor in Singapore. In 1963 he was awarded the Public Service Medal. In 1966, he interviewed the former Indonesian president Suharto, reporting the latter's intention to end the three-year confrontation with Malaysia (see Konfrontasi). He broke the news with a front-page headline using Suharto's own words: "Suharto: 'Peace: The sooner the better'".^[7] In 1973, he was awarded the Public Service Star as the editorial manager of the Straits Times.^[8]

1973 to 1984: Diplomacy[]

Wee retired in 1973 from journalism^[9] to become the High Commissioner to Malaysia, a position he held for seven years. He was then appointed ambassador to Japan in September 1980, and to South Korea in February 1981. At the end of his diplomatic career in 1984, he was appointed chairman of the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation – the predecessor of the current MediaCorp Studios.^[8]

1985 to 1993: Presidency[]

Wee became the President of Singapore and the Commander-in-Chief in 1985, and was also appointed as the Chancellor of National University of Singapore during the same period. Until Wee's second term as President, the selection of the presidential candidate was determined solely by the Parliament of Singapore. During Wee's second term, the Singapore Parliament amended the constitution in January 1991 to allow for the direct election of the President, who could veto civil service appointments and the use of government reserves.

The creation of an elected presidency was a major constitutional and political change in Singapore's history as under the revision, as the President is empowered to veto government budgets and appointments to public office. He can examine the government's exercise of its powers under the Internal Security Act and religious harmony laws and investigate cases of corruption.

For the ensuing initial presidential election, the first in Singapore to be decided by popular poll, Wee decided not to enter his candidacy and went into retirement upon the completion of his second and final term as President. He was also awarded the Darjah Utama Temasek in 1993.^[8]

Later years (1994–2004)[]

After retiring from presidency, Wee was appointed as deputy registrar of marriages. He was then awarded the Doctor of Letters (honorary degree) by the National University of Singapore for his contributions to public service and his contributions to the University of Singapore as its chancellor till 1993.

Wee became the Director of Cathay Organisation Holdings in 1999.^[8]

In 2004, Wee published his autobiography, Glimpses and Reflections. From the royalties and other donations, half a million Singapore dollars were donated to eight charities.

Death and Legacy[]

Wee died of prostate cancer in his home at Siglap Plain on 2 May 2005 at 5:10 am SST at the age of 89. Before his death, he had asked to be cremated and for the ashes to be placed at Mandai Columbarium with those of ordinary citizens instead of Kranji War Cemetery, where late dignitaries are usually buried. His state funeral saw a large crowd who attended to pay their last respects at the Istana, where his body laid in state.

Wee was survived by his wife of 69 years, Koh Sok Hiong (1916 - 2018),^[10][11] their son Bill Wee Hock Kee (1936 - 2015), six daughters, 13 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

In 2006, Nanyang Technological University renamed its School of Communication Studies after Wee to the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information.^[12]

The Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies at Singapore Management University, renamed after Wee as the Wee Kim Wee Centre.^[13]

Wee Kim Wee Legacy Fund at Nanyang Technological University^[14] is named after him.

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Wee Kim Wee (2004), Glimpses and Reflections. Landmark Books, Singapore. ISBN 981-3065-87-7
• On The Record: The Journalistic Legacy of President Wee Kim Wee. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. ISBN 978-981-05-6707-1 and ISBN 981-05-6707-3
• Wee Eng Hwa (2010), "Cooking For The President" - a cookbook of Peranakan recipes from Wee's wife, recorded by his daughter Wee Eng Hwa. The cookbook includes much details of Wee's personal life with photographs.
• Speech by Wee Eng Hwa at the launch of Wee Kim Wee School Of Communication And Information, 5 December 2006 at The Istana, Singapore.
• Former President Wee Kim Wee dies at the age of 89, Channel News Asia, 2 May 2005.

External links[]

• Tribute Page to the Late Mr Wee Kim Wee
• WEE KIM WEE