Wee Kim Wee was a Singaporean politician who was the fourth President of Singapore & the commander-in-chief of the Singapore Armed Forces serving an eight-year term from 2 September 1985 to 1 September 1993. He was chosen by the Parliament of Singapore to be the next President of Singapore when former president Devan Nair stepped down from the position and Wee was sworn in on 2 September 1985. For the ensuing initial presidential election, the first in Singapore to be decided by popular poll, Wee decided not to enter his candidacy and went into retirement upon the completion of his second and final term as President. Wee was the Ambassador to the Republic of Korea from 1981 to 1984, Ambassador to Japan from 1980 to 1984 & the High Commissioner to Malaysia from 1973 to 1980 before he was elected as the President of Singapore by the Parliament of Singapore.
Early life
Born in Singapore on 4 November 1915, Wee Kim Wee was the son of Wee Choong Lay and Chua Hay Luan. His father Wee Choong Lay was a ship purser but went blind when Wee Kim Wee was six years old. His mother Chua Hay Luan was the younger sister of Chua Kim Teng, the father of Chua Jim Neo and maternal grandfather of Lee Kuan Yew. Wee lost his father when he was eight and his mother when he was nineteen. He received his primary education at Pearl's Hill School before enrolling in Raffles Institution for his secondary education. However, Wee did not complete his secondary education and dropped out after two years at the institution in January 1930.
Career
1930 to 1973: Journalism
In 1930, Wee started out as a clerk working for the newspaper The Straits Times, before becoming a reporter focusing on political issues. He eventually became one of the paper's main reporters. He married his wife, Koh Sok Hiong in 1936 when he was a 21 year old reporter. In 1941 he joined the United Press Associations, and was its chief correspondent in the 1950s. He returned to The Straits Times in 1959, and was appointed deputy editor in Singapore. In 1963 he was awarded the Public Service Medal. In 1966, he interviewed the former Indonesian presidentSuharto, reporting the latter's intention to end the three-year confrontation with Malaysia. He broke the news with a front-page headline using Suharto's own words: "Suharto: 'Peace: The sooner the better'". In 1973, he was awarded the Public Service Star as the editorial manager of the Straits Times.
1973 to 1984: Diplomacy
Wee retired in 1973 from journalism to become the High Commissioner to Malaysia, a position he held for seven years. He was then appointed ambassador to Japan in September 1980, and to South Korea in February 1981. At the end of his diplomatic career in 1984, he was appointed chairman of the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation - the predecessor of the current MediaCorp Studios.
1985 to 1993: Presidency
Wee became the President of Singapore & also the Commander-in-Chief in 1985, and was also appointed as the Chancellor of National University of Singapore during the same period. Until Wee's second term as President, the selection of the presidential candidate was determined solely by the Parliament of Singapore. During Wee's second term, the Singapore Parliament amended the constitution in January 1991 to allow for the direct election of the President, who could veto civil service appointments and the use of government reserves. The creation of an elected presidency was a major constitutional and political change in Singapore's history as under the revision, as the President is empowered to veto government budgets and appointments to public office. He can examine the government's exercise of its powers under the Internal Security Act and religious harmony laws and investigate cases of corruption. For the ensuing initial presidential election, the first in Singapore to be decided by popular poll, Wee decided not to enter his candidacy and went into retirement upon the completion of his second and final term as President. He was also awarded the Darjah Utama Temasek in 1993.
Later years (1994–2004)
After retiring from presidency, Wee was appointed as deputy registrar of marriages. He was then awarded the Doctor of Letters by the NationalUniversity of Singapore for his contributions to public service and his contributions to the University of Singapore as its chancellor till 1993. Wee became the Director of Cathay Organisation Holdings in 1999. In 2004, Wee published his autobiography, Glimpses and Reflections. From the royalties and other donations, half a million Singapore dollars were donated to eight charities.
Death and Legacy
Wee died of prostate cancer in his home at Siglap Plain on 2 May 2005 at 5:10am SST at the age of 89. Before his death, he had asked to be cremated and for the ashes to be placed at Mandai Columbarium with those of ordinary citizens instead of Kranji War Cemetery, where late dignitaries are usually buried. His state funeral saw a large crowd who attended to pay their last respects at the Istana, where his body lied in state. Wee was survived by his wife of 69 years, Koh Sok Hiong, their son Bill Wee Hock Kee, six daughters, 13 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. In 2006, Nanyang Technological University renamed its School of Communication Studies after Wee to the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. The Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies at Singapore Management University, renamed after Wee as the Wee Kim Wee Centre. Wee Kim Wee Legacy Fund at Nanyang Technological University is named after him.
