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HONEST LEADERSHIP: Singapore leaders believe in speaking the truth, said Mr Dhanabalan, addressing the Pioneer Series dialogues. Also in the audience were (from left) former EDB chairman Chan Chin Bock and his wife Rose, and Ms Ho Ching, Temasek Holdings' chief executive officer. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
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LIKE many of the top PAP leaders, Mr S. Dhanabalan was a reluctant politician. When invited to join politics, his initial response was 'no'.
'I was quite happy where I was in DBS, the job was interesting. To expose yourself to elections was not attractive, so I said no,' he recalled yesterday.
The year was 1976 and he was executive vice-president in DBS, or the Development Bank of Singapore as it was known then.
What changed his mind was the question put to him: Who would lead the country if everyone thought like that?
The answer he arrived at, or rather, was led to: 'The kind of people who would get into politics would be those who had an axe to grind, those who had a dissatisfaction or those who were not successful in their own professions and wanted to try their hand at politics.'
That meant, he added: 'We would find ourselves ruled by people who could ruin the country.'
He acknowledged that he was 'led to a point where it was difficult for me to say: 'Yes, I recognise the problem, but I don't think I will do anything about it''.
'It would not have been conscionable for me,' he said.
From that reluctant start, he went on to carve a political career that spanned 20 years, during which he led five ministries. He quit politics in 1996 when the Prime Minister was Mr Goh Chok Tong, now Senior Minister.
The ministries he headed: Foreign Affairs, Culture, Community Development, Trade and Industry, and National Development.
Mr Dhanabalan, now the chairman of Temasek Holdings, recounted his entry into politics to about 120 people attending the second of the Pioneer Series dialogues with key members of the early generation of Singapore leaders.
The series is organised by The Straits Times and the EDB Society.
During the 11/2-hour dialogue, he gave glimpses into his life, including how he reconciles his Christian faith with politics, why he eventually left politics and what he remembers of the day Singapore was separated from Malaysia in 1965.
That fateful day - 'a Monday'' - is 'etched very deeply' in his mind, he said, to the point where he can recount the conversation with a colleague who broke the news to him over the phone.
Both were then officers with the Economic Development Board, which was responsible for attracting foreign investments into Singapore.
The officer said: 'We are separated from Malaysia.'
Mr Dhanabalan retorted: 'Don't talk rubbish.'
The officer then placed the phone next to a radio reporting the news of the separation in 1965.
Mr Dhanabalan said his reaction was a mixture of relief and fear.
'We were relieved that we didn't have to battle with Kuala Lumpur, but the fear was over 'Where was this common market?''
Earlier in the dialogue, he had explained that one major attraction of the Malaysian union was that it would provide Singapore with a larger market.
On how he balanced being a devout Christian and a politician, he said the clean nature of Singapore's politics made it easier to reconcile the differences.
'It is true that in many political systems, the politician doesn't rank very far above a second-hand car dealer.
'I think Singapore is probably one of the few places in the world where there is the least conflict because the political leadership is honest. It believes in having to tell the truth...But I do not deny that there will be conflicts and you just have to make your stand clear,' he said.
The session ended with Mr Patrick Daniel, Editor-in-Chief of the English and Malay Newspapers Division in Singapore Press Holdings, who chaired the dialogue, asking Mr Dhanabalan why he quit politics.
'All I would say is that I had differences which I felt I could not live with. Therefore, I thought it was best to step down and work with the leadership in other ways,' he said.
After the talk, one of those who attended, IT consultant Tay Kian Tiong, 46, said he was very impressed with Mr Dhanabalan.
'He comes across as a man with integrity...I hope we can learn more about people like him and not wait to talk about them only when their time is up.'
jeremyau@sph.com.sg
For the full video excerpts of the dialogue with Mr Dhanabalan, click on the special 'Pioneers of S'pore' thumbnail at www.straitstimes.com after 10am.
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