Goodbye President Wee

Saw the news that ex-president Wee Kim Wee died.....
He's my favorite president. Guess he makes me feel that he really cares and does his best to run the country. He was also the only president that I went to Istanna to visit.

Extracted from Channelnewsasia :-

Dr Wee was President from 1985 to 1993.

He was known as a People's President, displaying a genuine concern for others and a natural warmth that touched many lives.

Born on November 4, 1915, Dr Wee rose from a humble station in life, starting out as a clerk in the Straits Times before becoming a reporter.

He also worked for the United Press Association and was its Chief Correspondent in the 1950s.

Then came his worldwide scoop in 1966: an interview with a General Suharto of Indonesia who announced to the world that he wanted to end the three-year long confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia.

It seemed natural that with his many contacts in the region made during his years a journalist, he moved on to the next stage of his career as a diplomat.

For his contributions as High Commissioner to Malaysia, a post he held for seven years, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 1979.

He went on to become Ambassador to Japan and South Korea.

After retiring from the diplomatic service in 1984, he took up a new post as Chairman of the then Singapore Broadcasting Corporation.

A year later, he became President, determined to make the Presidency as accessible as possible to ordinary Singaporeans.