Goh Keng Swee
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Goh Keng Swee (吴庆瑞, pinyin: Wú Qìngruì, born October 6, 1918, Malacca). Goh had a modest family background; his father, Goh Leng Inn, was a manager of a rubber plantation. After studying at Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore, Goh went on to graduate from Raffles College (today the National University of Singapore) with a Diploma in Arts, and entered the Civil Service to focus on social welfare issues. Shortly after the start of the Second World War, Goh joined the Singapore Volunteer Corps, a local militia, but after the fall of Singapore he returned to his previous work. In 1946, he joined the Department of Social Welfare, and was active in post-war administration. During the Japanese Occupation, Goh married and had his first child.
Following the Second World War, Goh won a scholarship, which enabled him to pursue a degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Goh graduated with a First Class Honours in Economics and with the help of a University of London scholarship, awarded in 1951, was able to continue with doctoral studies. Goh completed his PhD in Economics in 1954, and returned to the Department of Social Welfare, where he served as the Director of the Social and Economic Research Division.
During his time in London, Goh met fellow students that were seeking independence for Malaya, including Lee Kuan Yew and Toh Chin Chye. A student discussion group, the Malayan Forum was organised with Goh as the founding chairman. Following his return to Singapore, Goh detached himself from active politics, but retained ties to the People's Action Party (PAP), of which he was a member. In August, 1958, Goh resigned from the Civil Service to work full-time for the (PAP), and was a key member of the Central Executive Committee. He was later to become its vice-chairman. On a PAP ticket, Goh successfully contested the Kreta Ayer seat in the 1959 Legislative Assembly elections, and joined the first government of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew as Minister of Finance. In this role, he was to assume stewardship of Singapore's economy, and in the following decade Goh was to serve as the chief architect of the country's economic development. He was succeeded in this position by Hon Sui Sen, who became the Finance Minister in 1970.
Goh was a democratic socialist at heart, but recognised that socialist planning principles had to work within the context of Singapore's geopolitical and economic context. Notably, there were great pressures from communist agitators working through the Chinese-medium schools and trade unions. There were divisions within the PAP as well, with the pro-communist faction working to wrest control of the party from the moderate wing, of which Goh and Lee Kuan Yew were key members. A key source of division was the issue of merger with Malaya, to form a new state of Malaysia. Goh and the moderates believed that this was a necessary condition of Singapore's economic development because Malaya was a key economic hinterland; merger would also provide an alternate vision against communism for Singapore's Chinese majority. In July 1961, sixteen members of the pro-communist faction broke away from the PAP to form the Barisan Socialis, and captured control of the main trade unions.
The Singaporean government won approval from Tunku Abdul Rahman for a merger in 1961, with the Tungku being motivated by a desire to stabilise the security situation in Singapore, and notably to neutralise the perceived communist threat. Singapore merged with Malaya and the British Borneo states in 1963 to form the Federation of Malaysia. Merger however proved to be problematic for the Singaporean leaders. There was a clash of fundamental principles, both political and economic; notably on the issue of Malay dominance. Communitarian violence in 1964 was inflamed in Singapore by Malay and Chinese activists. Goh played a crucial role in orchestrating the subsequent exit of Singapore from the Federation in August, 1965.
Upon independence in 1965, Goh also became Minister of Defence, assuming responsibilities for strengthening Singapore's military capabilities. A key policy was the creation of National Service, a mandatory conscription system for able-bodied young males. In 1979, Goh moved on to the Education Ministry, where his Goh Report greatly influenced the development of Singapore's education system, introducing key policies such as streaming and religious education.
Goh retired as Deputy Prime Minister in December 1984, due to personal reasons.