President Nathan treated everyone with respect: PM Lee
Singaporeans will remember outgoing President S R Nathan as a "warm and approachable" President, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday.
Speaking at a farewell reception on Wednesday, PM Lee said President Nathan, 87, had brought a lifetime of experiences from his previous appointments in the government, labour movement and the private sector to the Presidency, reported The Straits Times.
"You treated everyone with respect, and went out of your way to meet different groups and understand their challenges and aspirations," he said to the President, who will step down on Thursday after 12 years' of service.
He will be succeed by former deputy prime minister Tony Tan, 71.
PM Lee highlighted President Nathan's achievements, from championing charitable work for the needy and disadvantaged to fostering diplomatic ties with many countries.
He noted that President Nathan personally sponsored needy students through their tertiary studies and helped obtain special medical care for accident victims who could not afford full treatment.
He also described President Nathan as one who worked closely with the government to refine the rules regarding the President's custodial powers.
Responding to PM Lee's speech, President Nathan said his exit from the Presidency will signify the end of his 50-odd years of public service.
The former diplomat said, "When I was sworn in as President in 1999, I said that I will be a President for all Singaporeans, with every community of Singaporeans as my parish. I have tried to live up to that, engaging the different races and religious groups in every way possible.
"I am deeply touched by such affection shown to me by Singaporeans, and I will always cherish that memory."
President Nathan has expressed an interest in academia after his retirement.
According to Channel NewsAsia, he will be re-joining the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) and Nanyang Technological University's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) as a distinguished fellow.
President Nathan was the founding director of RSIS' predecessor, the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies in 1996.
When asked if he felt his successor Dr Ton Tan would face more challenges given the calls for greater openness in the Presidency, he stressed that Singapore cannot have a "Presidency on the streets".
People would not want the office to be so transparent to a point where the value and prestige of the position is lost, he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Tony Tan has resigned from the National Research Foundation as Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Research Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC) with effect from 1 September.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, also the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, will succeed Dr Tony Tan as the new Chairman of NRF.
