Yusof Ishak

Yusof (back row, centre) and his family in 1933

Born on 12 August 1910 in Kampung Padang Gajah, Terong, Taiping, Perak Darul Ridzuan, which was then part of the Federated Malay States (now Malaysia), Yusof was the eldest son in the family of nine. He was of Minangkabau descent from his paternal side while his mother was a Malay from the Langkat region in Indonesia.[4] His father, Ishak bin Ahmad, was a civil servant and held the post of Acting Director of Fisheries, Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States.[5] His brother, Aziz Ishak, was a Malayan journalist and freedom fighter.

Yusof received his early education in a Malay school located in Kuala Kurau, Perak and began his English studies in 1921 at King Edward VII School in Taiping. He attended Victoria Bridge School in 1923 when his father was posted to Singapore.

In 1924, he enrolled into Raffles Institution for his secondary education. During his time in Raffles Institution, he played various sports such as swimming, weight lifting, water polo, boxing, hockey and cricket, and had also represented the school in various sporting events.

He was also part of the National Cadet Corps and was commissioned as the first ever cadet officer in the Corps due to his outstanding performance. Yusof received his Cambridge School Certificate with distinction in 1927 and was awarded the Queen's Scholarship but decided to prolong his studies at Raffles Institution until 1929.[1]

After graduating from Raffles Institution in 1929, Yusof started his career as a journalist and went into partnership with two other friends to publish, Sportsman, a sports magazine devoted entirely to sports.[6] In 1932, Yusof joined Warta Malaya, a well-known newspaper during that time.[7] Warta Malaya was heavily influenced by developments in the Middle East and Yusof wanted a newspaper dedicated to Malay issues. He fulfilled his vision by establishing Utusan Melayu with several Malay leaders in Singapore in May 1939.[8]

During the Japanese occupation of Singapore, Utusan Melayu had to stop circulation as machinery used to print the paper were requisitioned to publish the Japanese paper, Berita Malai. Yusof then moved back to Taiping and with the remaining money he had, he opened a provision shop and lived there until the war ended in 1945 and Utusan Melayu resumed publication. In 1957, Yusof moved to Kuala Lumpur and in February 1958, the headquarters of Utusan Melayu was also relocated to the city.

During the post-war period, many Malays wanted independence of Malaya from the British and Yusof, fanned this fervour through his publications which resulted in the formation of the United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) in 1946. However, his democratic ideals were different from UMNO's vision of re-establishing the monarchy of Malaya. This resulted in rising tensions within the Utusan Melayu and in 1959, Yusof had sold his shares he had in the company and resigned as UMNO had bought over almost all of the shares of Utusan Melayu.[8]

Yusof held several appointments within the Singapore Government and had served on the Film Appeal Committee between 1948 and 1950 and was also a member of both the Nature Reserves Committee and Malayanisation Commission for a year. After his resignation from Utusan Melayu, Yusof took the position of Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.[9]

After People's Action Party's victory from the 1959 general election, Yusof was appointed Yang di-Pertuan Negara and was sworn on 3 December 1959.[10] During his time as Yang di-Pertuan Negara, Singapore was divided by racial conflicts. Yusof actively promoted multiculturalism and reached out to people of all races to help restore trust and confidence after the 1964 racial riots.[11]

On 9 August 1965, Singapore was expelled from Malaysia and became an independent nation. The position of Yang di-Pertuan Negara was abolished and Yusof then became the first President of Singapore. As president, Yusof reached out to the people to reassure citizens astonished by Singapore's expulsion and continued to promote multiculturalism and a national identity within the country by visiting constituencies and reached out to different racial and religious groups.[12]

Yusof served for three terms in office before he died on 23 November 1970 due to heart failure.[13][14]

Yusof is survived by his wife of 21 years, Puan Noor Aishah, and their three children, Orkid Kamariah, Imran, and Zuriana.[15] Puan Noor Aishah continued her husband's legacy of public service and was the first Asian to become president of the Singapore Girl Guides Association.[16] She and her now adult children were interviewed for the Channel NewsAsia documentary Daughters of Singapore, which screened in August 2015 as part of the SG50 celebrations and commemorated the spouses of Yusof Ishak and David Marshall, two pioneer leaders of Singapore.[17]

Yusof participated in several sports in his youth. He won the Aw Boon Par Cup for boxing in 1932, and was the national lightweight champion in weightlifting in 1933.[18] One of Yusof's hobbies was photography, and a collection of his photographs was donated to the National Archives of Singapore by his widow, Noor Aishah.[19] He also cultivated orchids,[20] and had the tennis courts at his residence on the Istana grounds, Sri Melati, converted into an orchid garden.[21] He performed the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1963.[22]

The following institutions bear Yusof Ishak's name:

• Yusof Ishak Secondary School, opened by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 29 July 1966.[23]
• The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) was officially renamed in August 2015 as the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute on Yusof's 105th birthday, so its name will call to mind Yusof's "vision of equality, justice, harmony and strength amid diversity".[24]
• Yusof Ishak House in National University of Singapore's Kent Ridge campus along Lower Kent Ridge Road.[25]
• Masjid Yusof Ishak in Woodlands. The opening of this mosque in 2017 was officiated by the former president's widow, Toh Puan Noor Aishah, and witnessed by guests including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim, and Mufti Fatris Bakaram.[26]

Tomb of President Yusof Ishak at Kranji State Cemetery

Other memorials include:

• The current series of Singapore dollar notes, the portrait series issued from 1999 onwards, features Yusof Ishak.[27]
• In 2014, a wax figure of Yusof was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Singapore.[28]
• For the celebration of Singapore's 50th anniversary of independence (SG50) in 2015, Yusof Ishak was featured in all set of six SG50 Commemorative Notes for which he champions the caused of meritocracy, multi-racialism and modernization of Singapore.[29]
• Yusof is buried at Kranji State Cemetery, which is reserved for persons who have made a significant contribution to Singapore.[30]

Notes

• "Yusof Ishak". ISTANA Singapore : Office of the President of the Republic of Singapore, Government of Singapore. 28 April 2006. Archived from the original on 2 June 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2007.

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