state funeral of mr rajaratnam

i followed on cna the funeral ceremony for mr rajaratnam, one of the founding fathers of modern singapore. i was most touched when his dear friend, towards the end of his eulogy, broke down. we have already heard so much of the good that he had done, so all those words did not stir anything or create any impact. but the demonstration of grief on national tv by someone who was a close friend clearly showed how deeply he valued their friendship.

when professor tommy koh was extolling the virtues of mr rajaratnam like "never lost his temper" and "never raise his voice", i was wondering whether he had in mind the contrast between mr rajaratnam and our minister mentor. i also wonder how the other 'retnam' was reacting to the death of his old adversary. they used to cross swords in parliament and outside it.

i know where mr rajaratnam lived. from the time i was a young boy till today, i have walked, ran, cycled and drove past his simple one-storey bungalow with a sprawling garden. it appears to have remained unchanged over the years.

somehow, everyone knew that mr rajaratnam was not in good health. in the last few years, he was never seen in public and we hardly hear anything from or about him. i believe another founding father, dr goh keng swee is also ailing.

we salute the passing of a gentleman, a patriot, a great singaporean.