Singapore's First President Was Born in Perak
Perak is famous for producing many renowned leaders both locally and abroad. This time, orangperak.com explores the life history of the first President of the Republic of Singapore, who was also a native son of Perak Darul Ridzuan.
Encik Yusof bin Ishak was born on August 12, 1910, in Padang Gajah, Trong, Perak, located nearly 18 miles from Taiping, Perak. His parents were of Malay descent from Sumatra; his father's lineage was Minangkabau, and his mother's was from Langkat.
His family migrated to Penang and later settled in Perak. Encik Yusof was the eldest of nine siblings. His father, Ishak Bin Ahmad, once served as the Acting Director of Fisheries for the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States.
Encik Yusof received his early education at a Malay school in Batu Kurau, Perak. He later transferred to a Malay school in Taiping. In 1921, he began his English education at King Edward VII School, Taiping.
When his father was transferred to Singapore in 1923, Encik Yusof moved with his family and studied at Victoria Bridge School until December 1923.
In 1924, he enrolled at Raffles Institution, where he passed his Cambridge School Certificate in 1927 with honors and continued his studies for another two years on a British government scholarship.
While at school, Encik Yusof participated in almost every sport available. At Raffles Institution, besides playing hockey and cricket, he also took part in swimming, weightlifting, water polo, and boxing.
In 1933, he became the boxing champion for Singapore. As the most outstanding cadet in the school's cadet corps, he became the first student in Singapore to be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the cadet corps by the Governor of Singapore. He also served as a school prefect and assistant editor for the 'Rafflesian' magazine.
After leaving school in 1929, Encik Yusof and two friends entered the field of journalism and publishing. He published the magazine "Sportsman," which was dedicated to the field of sports.
In 1932, he became a staff member of 'Warta Malaya', the leading Malay newspaper at the time. His ability in journalism saw him rise quickly from Assistant Manager to Acting Editor in a short period. In 1938, he left 'Warta Malaya' and founded Utusan Melayu.
During the Japanese occupation, Encik Yusof was in Malaya, and after the Japanese surrendered in 1945, he returned to Singapore and resumed the publication of Utusan Melayu.
In 1948, Encik Yusof visited Britain as a participant in the First Journalists' Delegation. Then, in early 1957, he went to Japan to inspect the latest printing machines ordered by Utusan Melayu.
In May of the same year, he moved to Kuala Lumpur to supervise the construction of the Utusan building. While in Kuala Lumpur, Encik Yusof became the President of the Malayan Journalists Club.
From 1948 to 1950, he served on the Film Appeal Committee. In July 1959, he was appointed Chairman of the Singapore Public Service Commission.
Then, on July 3, 1965, Encik Yusof became the Chancellor of the University of Singapore. Encik Yusof assumed the role of Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore on December 3, 1959.
As the Head of State of Singapore, he and his wife, Puan Noor Aishah, made a 4-day state visit to Cambodia in April 1963, and in the same month, they traveled to Mecca to perform the Hajj.
There, they were welcomed as state guests by the Government of Saudi Arabia. A state visit to Sri Lanka was conducted in May 1963. Encik Yusof was awarded the First Class Royal Family Order by the Sultan of Brunei in November 1960 and the Seri Maharaja Mangku Negara (S.M.N.) by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia in November 1963.
On August 9, 1965, when Singapore was separated from the Federation of Malaysia and became an independent nation, Encik Yusof became the first President of the Republic of Singapore.
He was later reappointed for a second 4-year term on December 4, 1967. Encik Yusof Bin Ishak was married to Puan Noor Aishah and had one son and two daughters. He passed away on November 23, 1970.
