SINGAPORE - There will be a state funeral procession for the late former president S R Nathan on Friday (Aug 26).
The procession will start from Parliament House at 2pm and will pass landmarks of significance to the late Mr Nathan, such as City Hall, Fullerton Hotel and NTUC Centre, the state funeral organising committee (SFOC) said in a press release on Thursday.
The procession will end at the University Cultural Centre (UCC) of the National University of Singapore, where Mr Nathan's funeral service will be held from 3pm to 5pm.
"Members of the public can line the procession route from Parliament House to UCC. They are advised to stay on the public footpaths for their own safety, and not to toss objects or operate unmanned aerial vehicles when the carriage passes so as not to endanger others and disrupt the movement of the carriage," SFOC said.
At Parliament House, the coffin bearer party - comprising nine uniformed personnel from the Singapore Armed Forces and Singapore Police Force - will transfer Mr Nathan's casket onto the ceremonial 25-pounder gun carriage.
On arrival at UCC, the gun carriage will be received at the main foyer by a Line of Honour, comprising 48 servicemen from the SAF Military Police Command. The Line of Honour will invert their weapons and bow their heads as a mark of respect as the gun carriage passes them. This "Resting on Arms Reversed" signifies the highest form of respect the SAF can pay to the deceased.
The coffin bearer party will then carry the casket into UCC, slow-marching to G.F. Handel's Dead March From Saul performed by the SAF Military Band.
Following the procession will be the Chief Mourner, Mr Osith Ramanathan, Mr Nathan's son, and other family members.
The accompanying pallbearers will include Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance, Mr Lawrence Wong;
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Masagos Zulkifli; representatives from the People's Association - Mr Timothy De Souza, Mr Goh Jia Hao, Mr Syed Ahmad Bin Said Yusof Alsagoff, Mr Ramamoorthy S/O Krishnan - as well as two family friends, Mr Desmond Yong and Mr Henry Goh.
The casket will enter the UCC Hall at a slow pace, accompanied by J.S. Bach's Air from the Overture No. 3 in D Major, BMV1068, which will be performed by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. The casket will then be placed on a bier for the rest of the funeral service.
The funeral service will be attended by family members of the late Mr Nathan, President Tony Tan Keng Yam, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament, the Judiciary and the diplomatic corps.
Singaporeans from all walks of life will also be invited to attend the service.
There will be seven eulogy speakers:
• PM Lee Hsien Loong
• Professor Tommy Koh
• Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed
• Ms Jennie Chua
• Mr Ramaswamy Athappan
• Mr Chan Chun Sing
• Mr Gopinath Pillai
After the funeral service, Mr Nathan will make his final journey to Mandai Crematorium for the private cremation service.
The state funeral service will be broadcast live over Channel 5, Channel 8, Suria, Vasantham, and Channel News Asia from 2.15pm. There will also be full simulcasts on radio, www.channelnewsasia.com/rememberingsrnathan, and toggle.sg.
