SINGAPORE — Back when he carried out electrical maintenance for a few months in the Istana in the 1970s, Mr G Muthukumarasamy remembers the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s advice to him and his colleagues “not to stick in this job and to upgrade ourselves”.

Taking the then-Prime Minister’s words to heart, he went for further studies, and eventually climbed up the ranks steadily, from being an apprentice, to an electrician, and finally to a senior electrician.

Donning the hat of general secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Daily Rated Workers now, Mr Muthu­kumarasamy has been passing on Mr Lee’s wise counsel.

“I encourage my members to go for upgrading. You need the paper. If you don’t move, you’ll be stuck and your salary won’t increase. That is my motivation,” he told TODAY.

This and other lessons he learnt from Mr Lee will pepper Mr Muthukumarasamy’s eulogy speech in Tamil tomorrow at Mr Lee’s state funeral service, which will be held at the University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore. Of the 10 giving eulogies tomorrow, four are non-politicians — Mr Muthukumarasamy, Mr Leong Chun Loong, Ms Cassandra Chew and Mr Lee Hsien Yang. Along with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the remaining speakers are all current or former politicians, such as Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, President Tony Tan, and member of the Old Guard Ong Pang Boon.

Yesterday, Mr Muthukumarasamy said he has been nervous since he was approached by the National Trades Union Congress to prepare a eulogy.

“How can you not be nervous? He’s the founding father. You’re talking about the top man here! But I agreed immediately,” he said, adding that he has been practising his speech from the moment he reaches home till midnight this week.

Despite not having spoken with Mr Lee, Mr Muthukumarasamy has learnt much from him nonetheless, through what he has encountered, heard, or seen.

“He doesn’t like the words ‘I think’. He likes confirmation — ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I follow his morals,” he said.

“After my father passed away, he became like my father. From him, I learnt to be honest, strict and be very disciplined.”

10 eulogies will be presented in the

following order:

• Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

• President Tony Tan

• Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong

• Former Cabinet Minister Ong Pang Boon

• Former Cabinet Minister S Dhanabalan

• Former Senior Minister of State Sidek Saniff

• Trade unionist G Muthukumarasamy

• Tanjong Pagar community leader Leong Chun Loong

• Former journalist Cassandra Chew

• The late Mr Lee’s second son, Lee Hsien Yang