This weekend and for the rest of the coming week, Singapore will be mourning the passing of another early architect of modern Singapore, the late Dr. Goh Keng Swee. As Finance Minister in 1959, Dr Goh transformed the then-swampy Jurong into the country’s industrial backbone. After achieving independence in 1965, Dr Goh, then the Defence Minister, oversaw the withdrawal of British troops from Singapore and set up the Singapore Armed Forces to look after the military security of this tiny nation. Another lasting legacy of his was in the streaming system introduced when he was the Education Minister in 1980.

Dr Goh’s body will be lying in state at the Parliament from May 20-22, and his state funeral will be on May 23. There are several web pages that have highlighted Dr Goh’s achievements: the Singapore Infopedia’s entry on Dr Goh Keng Swee and High Browse Online both have good outlines and suggestions for further reading.

Rest in peace, Dr Goh Keng Swee.