Crowds brave heat, snaking queues to pay last respects

SINGAPORE — Worried that he would miss the hearse of the late S R Nathan leaving his family home on Ceylon Road, part-time cleaner Sunny Kun cleaned 18 office cubicles and two toilets at Parkway Parade between 5am to 7am at “flying speed”.

And not content to simply catch the procession, the Marine Parade resident, 76, also made the journey to Parliament House by bus to pay his last respects to the former President.

In Mandarin, Mr Kun recalled: “Every day at East Coast Park, I would see Mr Nathan exercising in a thick grey sweater with his bodyguard … He would automatically smile and greet us, pat us on the shoulder … You can hardly find a President like him.”

Mr Kun was among the thousands who waited patiently to give Mr Nathan a final salute at his lying-in-state in Parliament House, which began at 10am yesterday.

Mdm Rohaini Dukiran, 48, postponed her dialysis appointment to say her last goodbyes to Mr Nathan. In a wheelchair, the mother-of-four was in tears as she made her way out of Parliament House.

She had met Mr Nathan twice — once in 2004 when two of her daughters performed for him at the Istana, and another during his visit to a mosque. “I was supposed to go for dialysis this morning, but I told the nurse manager I wanted to come here,” said Mdm Rohaini, choking up with emotion as she spoke.

Project assistant Thenmoli Duraisamy, who is in her 50s, recalled how a friend once asked if she wanted to join her for a visit to her ex-teacher — who turned out to be Madam Urmila Nandey, Mr Nathan’s wife.

“(When Mr Nathan) came in, we were quiet, we didn’t know what to do, but he just smiled, asked us if we had drinks. It was very normal ... It’s not every day in your life you get a handshake from the President … I still remember that to this day,” said Ms Thenmoli, adding that she had specially woken up at 5.40am and travelled from Khatib so she could be one of the first in line at Parliament House.

Some had only a fleeting encounter with the statesman, or had never before seen him in person, but they still made time to be part of the occasion. Security officer Tang Ai Ngok, 65, for instance, had mistakenly waited outside the Istana on Wednesday at 6.30am, thinking the lying-in-state was held there that day, but she shrugged off the extra trip with a laugh.

She showed up at Parliament House at the same time yesterday and waited at the head of the priority queue. “He treated citizens very well, he really cared for us, and didn’t discriminate among races … He was like a father figure,” she said in Mandarin.

Large groups of students, associations, non-governmental organisations, civil servants and soldiers also turned up, unfazed by the sweltering heat and snaking queues.

A group of 150 Scouts from the Singapore Scout Association was there, led by chief commissioner Tan Cheng Kiong, who lauded Mr Nathan’s strong support for the group.

Recounting how Mr Nathan had visited seven of their events in a year — a “record” figure for an organisation, Mr Tan said: “At one dinner, he went round to (some) hundred people, shaking their hands and chatting, even before he sat down himself.”

To honour him, the association will be setting up a fund to raise S$100,000 for needy scouts to attend international jamborees and other scouting events, he said.

Northland Primary principal Tony Tan, 54, came with about 15 students, hoping to share with them a chapter of Singapore’s history and the values Mr Nathan exemplified. “Even (in his later) years, Mr Nathan learnt Chinese calligraphy … It showed his zest for learning and I think that’s what our students can learn, to treasure life-long learning,” he said.

Member of Parliament Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC), who was among those who lined up, shared how he had a chance to see Mr Nathan’s skilful hand at diplomacy and “amazing work ethic” when he accompanied Mr and Mrs Nathan on a state visit to Turkey in 2009.

Mr Nathan had walked around the cabin after the lights had dimmed on the flight. Instead of asking him about the briefs prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Nathan asked after the Eurasian Singaporean community.

Said Mr de Souza: “(Even) at 30,000 feet, he was teaching me … And when the doors opened and we landed in Istanbul, he was completely presidential. He had a deft way at diplomacy, and he advanced Singapore’s interests with incredible ability.”

He added: “He is always working, thinking, breathing of Singapore, trying to advance multiracial Singapore.”

By nightfall, the long lines had dwindled, but people continued to turn up till the very end.

Beautician Christine Tan, 63, rushed down from Clementi after work and entered at 9.59pm, just before the line closed at 10pm.

Dr Foo Gen Lin and his wife were the last ones in. “We thought it was closed and made it just in time,” said the 33-year-old, who met him at an event last year. “We were privileged to have met him. He was a very down-to-earth person,” he added.