President Yusof Bin Ishak was Singapore’s first President who passed on in 1970 from heart failure. Since 1999, his face has graced our currency notes. Prior to becoming President, he was a renowned journalist who co-founded the Utusan Melayu. It was the first paper to be owned and financed by the Malays.
We all know what he looks like. But almost no one knows the sound of his voice. Well, at least until this rare video from 1964 resurfaced online and made its rounds.
Video from 1964
In this excerpt from the 1964 National Day Message, Yusof Ishak warns Singaporeans about Konfrontasi in a stirring speech. Yusof Ishak made the speech as Yang Di Pertuan Negara as Singapore was united with Malaysia.
“Though we are a peace-loving people whose main concern is to build a just and prosperous society for ourselves, we cannot be cowered into submission. We should make clear by our demonstration of unity and our quiet confidence, that the crushing our Malaysia is not an easy task. It may even turn out to be more disastrous to those out to crush us.”
The video from the National Archives of Singapore was uploaded to TikTok by a history student from NUS.
@historyogi Hear Yusof Ishak speak #tiktoksg #singapore #learningisfun #history #radio
♬ original sound – Historyogi – Historyogi | Singapore History
Reactions
Many in the comments section of the video shared that it was their first time hearing Yusof Ishak’s voice.
Others praised the late President’s oratory prowess.
After seeing the video, a Twitter user, Noreen Chan, shared how he late father escorted Yusof Ishak in 1960 as part of the Royal Volunteer Naval Reserve.
My late father was in the RVNR or Royal Volunteer Naval Reserve and his duties included escorting VIPs. In this photo c. 1960 he is in the middle, seated next to said VIP. pic.twitter.com/CxkThPwRH6
— Noreen Chan (@NoreenChanSg) May 26, 2022
The NUS Student said that he would try to find more of such videos in response to a TikTok user who wished to see more content like this.
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