SINGAPORE - The grandson of a former Straits Settlements governor took a tour of his family's namesake town today (Oct 12).
"I last visited Clementi town 20 years ago and from what I see, there has been a great improvement in the conditions.It's a lovely place to live, with good transport links and amenities. You should be proud of what you have achieved," said Sir David Cecil Clementi, 66.
He is in town on a business trip in his capacity as chairman of World First, a London-based international payments company, and arranged to take an informal tour of Clementi town out of personal interest. His grandfather, Sir Cecil Clementi (1875-1947), is the nephew of Sir Cecil Clementi Smith (1840-1916).
Clementi New Town was named after Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, who was an accomplished Chinese scholar and Governor of the Straits Settlements from 1887 to 1893. He is known for establishing the Societies Ordinance in 1889 to suppress Chinese secret societies on the island, and for setting up the Queen's Scholarships that enabled exceptional local students to pursue higher education at British universities.
His nephew, Sir Cecil Clementi, was the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements and the High Commissioner for the Federated Malay States from 1929 to 1934.
Dr Tan Wu Meng, Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC, took Sir David Clementi on a short tour of Clementi town. They visited the Clementi Market and Food Centre, and paid a visit to a Clementi resident at his HDB flat, which is part of a HDB mixed use development that also includes Clementi Mall.
