Lee Kum Tatt's Blog

Farewell to Dr. Lee Kum Tatt

2008-06-06T21:00:00.003+08:00

I am very saddened to inform you that Dr. Lee Kum Tatt passed away on Sunday 1 June 2008. When I visited his wake, his daughter showed me a bound book containing the printed version of Kum Tatt's blog. Kum Tatt made a special effort to compile his postings into this book. We will miss Dr. Lee Kum Tatt.

Time Tested And Time Honoured Values

2008-04-20T12:26:00.002+08:00

I have written articles on the importance of values to our lives for my children and teenage grandchildren as they grow up. They asked me why not share some of these with others like them. The teenage years can be very bewildering. They are constantly being thrust into positions which are very confusing to them. How can they be themselves and lead meaningful and successful lives without knowing actually how to achieve this. I and my children who are now in the early fifties and late forties have lived through this ourselves. How to help our young is a role we must always play although many will disagree. Leaving the children alone is the easy way out. But is this good for them and our society? Are there certain established ways which can help them to make their own decisions correctly? This has bothered us and many parents too. I think there are set ways if only we are prepared to look out for them.

One of the ways I follow is to ask questions and try to find the answers to them. Here is an example.

What do you treasure most in your life?. This sounds like a stupid question. My children thought so when they were young. My teenage grand children have taken over this thinking for a while but are now beginning to appreciate the good in some of our way of thinking . I take this as the generation gap which will narrow down with time and age. As parents we want our family members to grow up and be good citizens. It is exasperating that there are no accepted set paths to do this and our kids are constantly exposed to all sorts of ideas, some of which were not considered to be acceptable to us before. For the younger generation it is just as frustrating not knowing how to achieve what they think they like to have or to be. Our youngsters are looking for guidance on how to succeed in life. Encouraging them to go for money is easy. Teaching them how to earn money in the correct way is a different matter. To teach them good values in words is also not difficult. Some common words used include: love your parents; have integrity, be caring for others, avoid the four vices etc; But to teach others how to live these values is not so easy. This is especially so when our society places strong emphasis on money making above everything else. To do anything different from the newly introduced acceptable norms will cost our young opportunities, effort, money, fun and with no materialistic or other tangible returns. But as grandparents and elders we still have a role to play to guide the future generation to keep them on the “straight and narrow path” which are good for us all now and for our future generations. The teenagers and some younger folks may consider this as interfering with their lives as our society has "endorsed" them. It is fashionable for them to criticize our thinking and our way of life as out of date. How did we come to this?

After years of contemplation on this problem on how to guide the younger generation I think I have found something I have been looking for. This may be only one of the many ways we can take. I lived through some of the values and experiences I treasure without realizing it. What I am going to say is not original or new. But it is something that has been time tested. They work on me, my grown children and friends. That’s why I like to share them with you all.

To me the things I treasure most are “Time Tested And Time Honoured Values”. These are the things I am prepared to sacrifice for, fight for, live for and even die for. The returns are not money or what money can buy. They are emotional satisfaction which is so important for many of us with strong EQ who want to lead a fulfilled life. I like to group these values into two general classes:

Abstracts which needs to be qualified by definitions and quantified by deeds. These involve matters of the heart (emotion) and are more difficult to achieve. People with strong EQ will do well.
Materialistic and quantifiable items which are best handled by the head. These usually include wealth, power, and status. Those with high IQ and connections will excel in this area.

The ideal person should have both - high IQ and high EQ. If we can’t get both all the time, at least we must have a good balance. Getting this balance is the constant challenge for us and for our society. The question is ‘Who decides’? As an individual we decide for ourselves where the balance should be. The leaders will decide for the society, but we can still make our contributions if they are for society’s good. Unfortunately this is not always possible because of differences in opinions, priorities and interests. Under these conditions politics flourishes and the balancing problem continues to persist generations after generations. We must continue to hope that it can and will improve with time and will not regress down the slippery path of no return. As individuals we must not give up our right to contribute where we can.

Like most people, my family and I have gone through good and bad times. My hard times include my childhood in the colonial days, the war years and immediately thereafter (1941 -1948). During these years my EQ was much more active than my IQ. My character was also developed during this period. We were more loving and caring for each other and our fellowmen. I also spent a lot of time in education ( to gain more knowledge and skills which I needed) to strengthen my I.Q. I will try to give some examples in this Blog of how I was taught to acquire and live these values I adopted. Also I will try to explain some of the deeds done which made us proud to be ourselves.

Lee Kum Tatt

To my grandchildren

2008-04-06T22:46:00.001+08:00

Thank you Laura, Michelle and Jeffery,

You have raised some very interested issues. I will try to answer them in my articles that follow.

Lee Kum Tatt

Cracked Pots

2008-04-06T22:45:00.003+08:00

This is a message from a Friend. An elder Chinese woman has two large pots each hung on the end of a pole which she carries across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the Cracked Pot arrived only half full. For two years this went on daily with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed and miserable of its own imperfection. It could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. I am ashamed of myself with this crack on my side which causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.

The woman smiled. “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path but not on the other pot’s side?” That’s because I always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. Everyday while we walked back you watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.

Each of us has our own unique flaws. It’s the cracks and flaws we each have that makes our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You just have to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

God knows how many ‘Cracked Pots’ we have in our midst. To all your ‘Cracked Pot’ friends have a great day. Remember to smell the flowers on your side of your path.
We thank you for these beautiful flowers!

Laura Kee.

Courage To Pursue Our Dreams and Ideals

2008-04-06T22:42:00.002+08:00

Dear Kung Kung (Grandpa)
Congrats for having your Blog for more than a year in spite of your age and your schedule. Your desire to share your values and experiences to make us useful citizens is appreciated. You have taught us it is important to have good principles and values. More important you showed us how to live by them with relevant messages and anecdotes from your experiences. We treasure the private articles you have written for us through the years. They are the most valuable and precious legacy you can give to us.

We also share your joy of being given the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry (SNIC) Distinguished Service Award recently ‘in grateful recognition of your distinguished and lifetime contribution to the Chemistry Community’. You have done us all proud.

Our mother, Dr. Grace Lee Siew Luan, has inherited your genes and practices many of the values you taught her. Like you she has won many professional and research awards. She will be receiving another gold medal award on 12th April 2008 from the Singapore Society of Nephrology in recognition for her contribution to the treatment of kidney patients in Singapore. We are of course very proud of our mother and her achievements. We are sure you must be proud of her too.

As youngsters, we have our own dreams and ask to be allowed to pursue them. We need guidance, encouragement and support to do this. We thank our parents for allowing us to think for ourselves. We are aware of the changing values and priorities in our society.

Our affluent society tends to produce more and more timid souls who feel safer to follow the crowd than their dreams and ideals. Often we are stereotyped as “crackpots” for being different. On the one hand we are screaming for more innovation and creativity and for more people to take risks.

On the other hand are we killing initiative necessary for progress in our competitive world by some of the procedures we adopted? This is not good for our society and our future. How do we create more opportunities for the younger generation to be different and be allowed to pursue their dreams? Are we doing the right thing and are we doing enough? These are questions which we will constantly have to find answers to.

People who dare to think differently and make some mistakes are not failures or ‘Cracked Pots’. ‘Perfect’ people are also not those who made no mistakes in their lives. Perhaps we should encourage more brave people to come forward to help make the difference as was done during Singapore’s pioneering days. We can do it again. Have more faith and trust in the younger generation.

We like to share the following message with you and your “cracked pot” friends. Enjoy the beautiful flowers on our side of the path.

Your grandchildren
Laura, Michelle and Jeffery KEE.

Values of a Good Leader in Science

2008-03-25T23:14:00.003+08:00

1. Promote creativity and independent thinking. Create opportunities for budding scientists to achieve their dreams. Question the top down approach.

2. Do not bottle up dissenting views which prevents the truth from being discovered or revealed. In Science accept different views to get to the truth.

3. Do not cheat in your findings, nor be greedy and create benefits only for your self. They will tarnish your image as a good scientist. These will become skeletons in the cupboard after your departure from the scene. Your actions have to be accounted and paid for by your successors and descendents after you are gone. Your reputation which you put in so much effort to build can be destroyed.

4. Develop self control. Do not be selfish as Scientific knowledge and its applications (technology) are for the benefit of all mankind starting with our fellowmen. Share your know how with others and have no part in the misuse of Science & Technology which are against Man’s very existence.

5. Be prepared to accept different views and changes without resentment. Keep politics out of science if we want truth to prevail.

6. Avoid being a Prima Donna. Multidisciplinary approaches need team work which is not easy to build. Share credits with the deserving ones.

7. Do not automatically pass blames to others. Always look for solutions and not scapegoats.

These notes were scribbled on 22 July 1976 by LKT to guide him in his profession, career and life. His success can be attributed to these values which he followed diligently. To him and us the cost has been minimal- the reward very worthwhile and satisfying. LKT got more than he ever dared to dream of when he was young.

.byLee Kum Tatt

Quality of a Good Leader in Science

2008-03-25T23:12:00.003+08:00

My husband Lee Kum Tatt (LKT) just celebrated his 81st birthday. He spent a great part of his life in the development of S & T for Singapore’s economic, national, manpower and social development and for the benefit of his fellowmen.

During his time he did not have advisors or groups of advisors to help him do what has to be done. To build what has to be built he depended on his own gut feel and those of his many friends and colleagues. He depended on his values and philosophies to guide him most of the time.

Besides his published scientific and other works ( speeches, keynote addresses, policy papers on a wide range of subjects and issues) he also has scribbled many of his thoughts, philosophies and quotes on paper. Attached is one of his favourite scribbles. We think some of these are interesting and like to share them with you in his blog.

They will provide answers to some of the FAQ (frequently asked questions). What made LKT do what he did? What kind of character is he? How did he survive when he was often considered as an unorthodox person or even a “cracked pot” when the main stream people did not share his views.

After having spent more than 50 years as a family together we know what it is like for those who want to be different like him, are going through. These qualities may not produce Nobel Prize winners or wealthy billionaires but they can give us a comfortable, noble and respectable life.

If this can serve as an encouragement, if not an inspiration to others, to dare to pursue their ideals and dreams LKT’s blog will have served its purpose.

Engeline Lee Eng Nio

Controlled by Ignorant Arm Chair Superiors

2008-03-19T17:25:00.002+08:00

The systems of most bureaucratic organizations require indicators to monitor the progress and success of their projects. If the bosses are hands on individuals and the indicators are set in consultation with the researchers the procedure can be workable. Otherwise if you have someone breathing down your neck all the time life for the researcher can be miserable if not impossible. This often happens when there is not sufficient trust in the research worker. It is difficult enough in Scientific research to produce results. To be wired and haunted all the time should be applied only to staff doing routine work in collecting data or meeting set targets in production. Those who are expected to produce new knowledge or solutions through research should not be expected to be constantly checked. Such staff should be given opportunities to make decisions on their own.

For example, there are three types of supervisors supervising higher degree research students.

The type that spoon-feeds the students, make them report to them all the time to ensure that he produces enough data to pass. This approach tends to produce graduates will little initiative to decide when they are on their own. They do not normally make good, courageous and trusted leaders.

Those who are left to themselves to sink or swim. The survivors of this approach usually make good leaders who have proven that they can make decisions on their own. The casualty rate of this approach can be high.

The Great teachers leave their research students alone. They encourage the students to approach them only when the students have exhausted their abilities to move forward. Such students make great leaders later in their lives. We need more Great teachers to produce great students.

The above approaches should apply to all involved in research and even in the “normal” work. People usually give of their best when they know they are being trusted and will get help when needed. In return a researcher must show that he is passionate enough in doing what he is supposed to do and not give up at the first sign of possible trouble. Trust begets trust. Without trust no outstanding research can result.

Lee Kum Tatt
18-03-08

Proposals rejected by Colonial and Bureaucratic Systems

2008-03-19T17:23:00.002+08:00

Solutions
1.Challenge the Status Quo
2. Fight for a change of the evaluating officers or the system
3. Become the approving authority yourself.

Approving officers rejects proposals with glee.

In the early days it is not uncommon to hear complaints that many proposals were often thrown back at the initiators. The above sketch gives a picture of what it was like. Can we blame those more innovative and independent individuals wanting to challenge the status quo of the system, leave the service to become their own bosses or leave the country?.
Those who succeed in research are usually those who trust their staff. The successful researchers are also those who enjoy their bosses’ trust and confidence. They know that their bosses will back them and take responsibility for what they do. It is the usual complain that there is always a shortage of such understanding and responsible people at the top. Most people cover themselves first especially in a bureaucracy. That is the usual complain in many organizations. Also nobody can be expected to trust everybody all the time.
The solutions include :
Get yourself trusted by your boss
Trust your selected few when you are in charge.

Lee Kum Tatt

18/03/08

The Trials And Tribulations of our reseach scientists

2008-03-19T17:20:00.002+08:00

Many are very enthusiastic to do scientific research. They are often frustrated by the bureaucratic system and office politics as they rise from the rank and file. Many have left for better working environment overseas. This becomes our loss. What can we do about it?

Here are some of the cartoons on Research and Development (R & D) which I produced together with my friends during our more sober moments.

Difficulties in getting support for your ideas

In the colonial and early days of Singapore, getting support for proposals and projects from the bureaucratic system (especially the Treasury) can be quite a frustrating and stressful experience. This is particularly so when the approving officers are young, have no scientific background, inexperienced and are completely ignorant of what we were trying to do. Even the University had difficulties in getting funds for their academic research. Under these conditions it was very difficult to start any R & D project. We need passionate souls who are also courageous enough to challenge these people and the system to get things started.
Many changes have taken place since. The questions remain ‘Are these changes enough’? How else can they be improved to encourage more of our talents to go into research that our country needs?

Lee Kum Tatt
18/03/08

Trials and Tribulations of a Scientific Research Career

2008-03-18T22:04:00.001+08:00

My husband Dr. Lee Kum Tatt (LKT) has spent his whole life studying , applying and promoting science in our economic, national and educational (S & T) manpower development of Singapore. Through science he has derived lots of fun and joy for himself and us in the family. It is our hope that others have benefited too.

I am a science graduate, an educator and a research worker myself. I know that science and scientific research are very tough occupations to be in especially for a married girl with a family. It can cause a lot of frustrations and gives a lot of stress when things do not go our way. The question is often asked ‘what made LKT continue to do what he did in spite of all the difficulties?

LKT’s answer is that he enjoys what he does. It makes him happy and proud when he succeeds. He learned from his disappointments. Given time some of his difficult projects actually turned into successes. That has been his philosophy. He does not give up and that often frightens us a lot and some others too who have to work with him. Although I cannot do many things I want to do but, I must let LKT do what he enjoys doing.

So I asked LKT to share some of his feelings, in a light manner, on how he let go his steam. Not many can take what LKT has taken with passion and commitment when it comes to science and research. Let us continue to improve our environment further for our own research talents to grow and not lose them to other countries. Read about some of this in the articles that follow.

Mrs. Engeline Lee Eng Nio

Research Funding

2008-03-05T22:26:00.000+08:00

Many have asked me on how to get funding for their research. According to the Chart which I set up recently in my article on ‘Pyramid of Research Activities’ there are many sources of funds available for ‘research’in Singapore. These include:

1. Basic research, academic research and strategic research, funding comes from the government – (primarily through universities, education institutions, military establishments and specially estalished R & D organisations and Departments).

2. With mission oriented research the funding can come from contracts with private corporations/companies, foundations and aid giving agencies.

3. Funding for problem solving and innovative research which provides incrementatl inprovements in service, process or products the funding usually comes from the normal operating budget of the companies/organisations/departments involved.

Many are facing difficulties in getting funding for their research in spite of so much funds being made available in Singapore nowdays. Why is this so? . My advice is to identify which group of reseacher you below to and act accordingly to get the priority you deserve for the project.

If you still do not get the support or what you need then you may have to consider the following:
a. change the topic/supervisor of your research,
b. change your place of work,
c. do something else other than research for a while.
d. think ourside the box or challenge the status quo. This can be a hazardous stand to take. You will have the break and the respect you need as a good research worker when you succeed.

Research is a noble human activity. It is based on intellectual investigation whose objectives are to discover, interpret and revise human knowledge on the aspect of our life and the world around us. Research need not have to always use the scientific method of the exact sciences so long as it produces knowledge which can be useful, easily absorbed, diffused and used for the betterment of our fellowmen. Never ask others to help you to raise funds for your research projects unless they are also part of your team or your supervisor. Making others responsible for what you do is not a fair proposition.

Many of our research scientists managed to do their research throughout their lives by following some of the suggestions listed above. All you need do is to have some courage to do what you believe in. You must have confidence in yourself if you expect others to have faith in you.

Lee Kum Tatt

Risks involved in Scientific Research

2008-03-05T22:23:00.001+08:00

Research, like all human activities involves risks. The risk factor has inhibited many from doing scientific research. How can we overcome this risk factor before it becomes a fear factor? If we can define what the risks involved are to us and to those who fund and work with us , we will be able to handle research better.

Risk is a product of hazard and the probability that this hazard occurs. Hazards can be qualified and even quantified in most cases. I usually list out the possible damages and consider what I can bear. If I can control some of the probabilities I would proceed to do what I want to do. How can we train ourselves to be good in predicting probabilities and how much faith have we got in our own predictions? Actuarists are trained to do predictions and produce what they considered as probabilities. Most actuarists are involved with money matters –predicting on investments and insurance products etc. I do not know of any general prescription to calculate risks of research projects. The poor science research workers will have to depend more on themselves and their partners to predict the probabilities of their projects and sell them accordingly. It can be done and some of us have learned how to do this. For those who are in charge of policies and funding they have their own problems. They have to evaluate projects or count on consultants, both local and foreign, to help them. This approach can also generate lots of disagreements and frustrations.

As a student, the important risks and damages we have to consider include:
1. Loss of time, effort, tenure, opportunities and funds.
2. Getting the wrong supervisor and being involved in the wrong topics.
3 Stress caused by wrong choice that affects our peace of mind and health.

The above risks hold for most people who decides to do research. Many feel they can afford the above. What they often lack is funding and infrastructure support. As a student your supervisor is responsible to find the funds. You have to be a good student if you want to do research.

Our needs change with age, status and our responsibilities. These changes will affect the type of risks we have to handle. I will share with you my experience in research in the form of case studies and anecdotes. These will include attitudes and experience of :

1. Some students ,
2. young professionals,
3. heads of department,
4. Directors of Boards/ companies and
5. Chairmen/CEOs of statutory boards and private companies where research is done.

You can then decide whether a research career is what you want. My own views are that research is a very worthwhile activity to be involved in if you can handle the situations that confront you from time to time.

Lee Kum Tatt

What does Research mean to you

2008-03-05T22:21:00.001+08:00

Research means different things to different people. To the question ‘what does research mean’, there is no simple answer acceptable to everybody. However, we agree that ‘research’ is good for us. There is plenty of debate on this subject now and in the years to come. As you grow, your views and what you do changes with the change of your goals in life and your responsibilities. I will share with you what these changes mean to me and some of my colleagues when we were students, parents, young professionals, managers, and policy makers. Does research provide an exciting life and career? To me it is a definite yes. How can we make that happen? A lot will depend on yourself; what you think your talents, capabilities and goals are and how you make use of them. If you can make these factors harmonize you will be fine. Usually someone, like your supervisor will help to start you off. After that whether you stay on or start something new yourself is up to you.

1. What research meant to me as a student.

When my wife and I were university students 60 years ago our goals were to do what has to be done in our studies to get our basic degrees. Many students are still doing that now. Research is what some of our professors did during their spare time. Although there were so few professors in our time we never knew what they really did and what they got out of their research. Today our professors are expected to do a lot of research and produce publications. Many never understand how the professors can get so much kick out of research. We also never knew what research was done outside the University. We believe that very little research, if any was done. I will tell you how I got interested and involved in research and let my wife tell you her own stories.

I joined Raffles College hoping only to get a diploma and then become a teacher.
All this changed when the University of Malaya was formed in 1948. I would get a B.Sc. degree instead. How would that help me, I did not know. I decided to take my honours degree in Chemistry. For what? May be I could be a teacher in the University. That required me to have a higher degree. How was I to do this?

I was on a Raffles College scholarship to do my B.Sc. degree. I was paid $1,200.00 per annum. After deducting tuition fees, board and lodging I was left with $80 per term to keep myself alive including buying books but no luxuries. I could not afford to do what my wealthier friends could do including having girl friends. How I wished I could make some extra money for myself and to help out my poor parents. This applied to many students during my time and even now. The science course was too demanding for me to take on any money making activities.

In my B.Sc. (Hons.) year I was on a Singapore government scholarship ($1,200.00 p.a.) and was also appointed a student demonstrator for the medical and science students for another $1,200.00 p.a. This appeared to be an improvement but was only on third of what I could have earned if I had found a job outside. This was part of the sacrifice I made to get a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in 1951/52.
After my Hons. degree I wanted a job which would allow me to do a higher degree with a decent pay. My Chemistry Professor got me a job in the Rubber Research Institute of Malaya (RRIM). For personal security reasons I declined the offer as I have to work in the rubber estate in Sungei Buloh in Malaya, a terrorist infested area at a time when the Governor of Malaya had been recently assassinated. My Professor was disappointed but he understood the stand I took.

I thought that was the end of my dream for a higher degree. I did not know why I wanted a higher degree so badly. Then Dr.Rayson L. Huang, a young lecturer ( who later became the first Asian Vice Chancellor of Hong Kong University) offered to supervise me for an M.Sc. degree. The research topic was ‘synthesis of synthetic female sex hormones’. This was an exciting project which few young men can resist.

Surprisingly I was granted the newly created Shell Research Fellowship of $3000.00 p.a. for this course. This solved part of my personal financial problem. But it represented one third of what I would have earned as an honours degree graduate. I ran into the normal trouble of most young research students by producing no results in the first two months. I panicked but made good after that. I was offered to convert my M. Sc. to a Ph. D degree during my first year of research. This was not part of my dream but it was something I also could not refuse – to be addressed as Dr. Lee Kum Tatt if I passed. More important this gave me confidence that I can do ‘research’. I can generate knowledge, make decisions and solve problems. This is the most important thing I learned in my Ph. D. years which also changed my life. I continue to do “research’ to add value to and apply the knowledge I know to solve the problems I face.

Was research useful to me?. Yes. What price did I pay? The effort I put in and the sacrifices I, my parents and family made. What rewards did I get ? The satisfaction and peace I got for a job well done and the honour and respect I was given serving my fellowmen. Many people must still be going through what I went through. If you can handle these problems with your research training and experience and make the necessary sacrifices you will be fine.

Lee Kum Tatt

What does Research mean to you

2008-03-05T22:20:00.001+08:00

In Singapore it has been generally agreed that R & D in Science & Technology is important and good for us. It will be a topic that will engage many in debate and doing the actual work in the years to come. Considerable amount of effort and resources will be pumped into these R & D activities. How to maximize our investment, manpower and time, will be our challenge.

My husband Dr. Lee Kum Tatt, as founder chairmen of the Singapore Science Council, the Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research (SISIR), first Chemistry Ph.D. graduate of our University, founder of a few S & T companies etc. has written a few articles on R & D in Science & Technology in his Blog recently. He tried to explain in general on how to make things work.

In the following articles we will share with you some of our personal experiences as case studies and anecdotes to demonstrate the problems we faced and the ways we solved them. Our readers will no doubt face some of these problems still. Hopefully they will find our articles useful and we have answered some of the FAQ.

Mrs. Engeline Lee Eng Nio.

Research And Classification of Research Activities

2008-02-24T21:47:00.002+08:00

Anonymous said...
I have the idea that there are two categories of research positions (but I am not sure if it is right). People in the first position do the "hands-on" stuff (whatever the type of research it is, e.g. basic, strategic, applied etc). People in the second position are generally the more senior staff who lead projects or manages the companies. What are the differences in the challenges in two categories? What are the differences between the kind of skills required for each category?

My Reply ....

In general practice your observation that there are two distinct categories of research positions is correct. People who are “hands on” and those who lead projects and manage companies. What are the differences in the challenges in the two categories? The differences are in the background of the individuals involved and how they climbed up their corporate ladders. The most desirable and suitable persons in research are those who have experience, who can do both the hands on work as well as lead and manage the projects or companies at the same time. Most successful technopreneurs in the private business belong to this class. They possess some S & T background related to their work to start with whether it is from the Poly’s ,universities or even the craft courses. These people cannot stand too much bureaucracy, especially “arm chair” detectives who have little or no S & T knowledge of the research subject at all. Every country likes to have more such technopreneurs.
Large organizations, (Governments and big corporations) with modern “good” governance practice require the systems to separate policy making from executive and operational activities. The policy makers need not have hands on experience although it is an advantage if they have. Their priorities are to ensure that the Government or Companies’ policies are implemented. This process divides the responsibilities of the Ministers, Chairmen/Boards, at the policy level from CEO’s/COO’s, managerial. S & T officers who have to use their “research” capabilities to execute, plan and implement the policies. With this arrangement people have to work harmoniously together to get results especially research where there is so much uncertainties to start with. The people involved must have faith, trust and confidence in those they work with. Otherwise a lot of time and effort will have to be spent in convincing and monitoring each other and to decide the best approach to take. This process is commonly known as bureaucracy which hinders the important parties from working more closely together. It is usually quite a frustrating process for genuine researchers to have to follow. This is the modern corporate life that researchers have to live with.
Some believe that the policy makers are the most important people in any set up. They believe that all technology or technical know, which reside in humans, can be bought. I cannot say I can agree with this. Important research personnel, like the military personnel, should never be manned by foreign mercenaries whose loyalty has not been proven. It is not easy to get good foreign researches who love their work passionately and are at the same time also loyal to our country and companies unless they are made only to work on selected short term projects.
We must also not overlook the importance of providing the opportunities and encouragement for our own “research” workers to rise from the rank and file, from hands on work to become leaders of projects and management of companies, small though some of these may be. It is wonderful if we can make our “guppies” become whales. It is also necessary to support our “caterpillars” to become “butterflies” as a natural sequence of their metamorphosis process instead of allowing them to die prematurely to become somebody’s silk kimonos during economic restructuring.

It is ideal if more “hands on” researchers can be helped to be leaders of projects and management of companies and successful technopreneurs. This happens and is still happening in most of the developed countries. Their local industries play a very important part in the countries’ economic and national development. It is time we have a hard look at how our local industries can be helped. If we overemphasis on too unrealistic aims we will have to depend on miracles to happen to achieve what we want. Technologically impressive projects are good for the soul but it must not be a desperate attempt to impress as considerable resources, time, effort and even lives can be wasted in the process which could have been put to better use.

My wife has suggested that we should give some case studies and share our experiences in our effort in making research our careers. You can then decide whether such a career path is worth your effort or not to pursue or to continue.

Lee Kum Tatt

How To Attract People To Fight The Status Quo

2008-02-24T19:34:00.002+08:00

During the colonial days and the war years there were few opportunities for the colonial subjects. There was no encouragement to have freedom of thought, speech and action. Without proper markers freedom of speech and action could easily land one in trouble. In the name of national security the majority, especially the employees/ workers, were not encouraged to question or challenge the status quo. If they do they may even lose whatever little they have. Many were made to accept their miserable survival and existence. Many lived under constant fear in a very stifling environment until the tide against colonialism set in after the war in 1945. Fighting the status quo of injustice is an important motivating factor that can attract like thinking people to work together.

It was under these changed conditions that many national independent movements were started. The more enlightened and brave souls wanted more political, social, economic and other freedoms to do what they like for a better life in line with their culture, traditions, principles, values and beliefs. Our multiracial and religious society can present many problems if not handled properly by all concerned. These conditions threw up many leaders in many fields besides politics. Countries which have succeeded in getting these leaders to work together prosper. Political leaders who cannot work with each other and with leaders in other fields find their people still suffering from poverty and diseases. They have not provided the jobs, housing, education, and personal freedom that their people need. The history of early Singapore is the story of how our leaders in the various fields attracted other like thinking, capable and passionate people to work together to build what has to be built. How did they use the resources within their reach to attract the ”needles in the haystack” ? What are the motivating factors that made these people work? How many of these are still useful and attractive in the present context?

With more emphasis on money as rewards, are the existing motivating factors still valid and sufficient to continue to attract the right people to do what has to be done?

Some specific surveys, specially made to address specific issues may have to be done to get the real reasons why people did what they did. We may not be able to get the true answers to the questions otherwise. We may end with the wrong conclusion that money is the only motivating factor that works. The next best thing is to have some case studies made with individuals who participated in the process and let us learn from them their experience and feelings.

W e need some true answers if we are to remain a viable and strong nation.

The Use of Magnets.

Magnets are often used to attract needles from the haystack. What type of magnets do we need to attract the right type of people to step forward? These decisions are best made by those who have the responsibilities to do what has to be done. Definitely it is not the use of money alone. The Magnets, made up of motivating factors, will vary from case to case. The common areas where passionate volunteers are required include Charity, Social and Community Service, “National” Service, Professional Services etc. Perhaps the volunteers who serve on the top policy making levels of these services should never be allowed to make these as careers. Our Nation, the authorities, the communities, the professional bodies etc should honour these people gratefully and sincerely for their contributions and give them whatever support necessary for their work. Money should never be the main motivating factor for such services? It will be very sad for many if it is.

The Magnet we used to attract volunteers to work with us include :

1. Challenges to fight Status Quo which hindered our progress
2. Help improve the lives of our citizens
3. Do something of interests that will make a difference
4. Widen one’s network connections to become more effective
5. Enhance the effectiveness of the individuals etc.

Will great emphasis on money making can the existing value system continue to attract passionate volunteers to do what has to be done?

Lee Kum Tatt

How To Make People Work in Harmony

2008-02-24T19:29:00.001+08:00

We live in a globalize world where whatever one does some other people will be affected in one way or another. Some of the problems we face are so complex that we need more than just a few smart individuals to solve them. Furthermore we also have a multi-racial, multi-religious and multicultural society where progress depends on our ability to live in harmony and peace with each other. Consciously or unknowingly we have acquired some experience and wisdom on how to do that. We will not tolerate any attempts by anyone or groups to upset these arrangements. We will be happy to share our experiences giving case studies and anecdotes to those interested. My husband Dr. Lee Kum Tatt (LKT) has spent 60 years in learning, educating , promoting, building scientific institutions and movements, and helping local technopreneurs to develop. I myself have been involved in education and research and helped my husband in doing what has to be done in his work. We have persuaded LKT to share his experiences with us. Besides adopting the scientific approach LKT believes in applying teamwork, multidisciplinary approach, importance of principles, values, culture and tradition to problem solving. This is something that some have difficulties in doing. LKT has numerous scientific publications and delivered many key note and opening addresses in international and local conferences on the various things he had to do throughout his life. I will try to extract some of these, especially those which we consider still valid, relevant and useful to us today. LKT believes that interests and passion in one’s activities are more important than monetary rewards as is the modern trend. He shares with us how some motivating factors will attract people who are interested and passionate in what has to be done to work with us. Some of the important factors include personal and professional interests, desire to help others and courage to challenge the Status Quo especially during the earlier days.

Mrs. Engeline Lee

What Do Our Science -Trained Researchers Do?

2008-02-17T19:40:00.003+08:00

When we talk of scientific research we invariably think of the Nobel Prize winners, great inventors, successful entrepreneurs and professors, policy makers in government or businesses. We admire and respect these people, make them our role models and even hero-worship them. When we talk about R & D we think of high technology and what their MNC’s do at home. Many of such activities are out of the reach of our people.

We tend to overlook and even look down on the large numbers of local people engaged in scientific work in our laboratories, factories, quality control systems, workshops and hospitals etc. These people provide important supporting scientific services like doing the routine work, problem solving and innovation which require scientific knowledge/skills. These people support the growth of our economy, provide the services required and the jobs we need. They also provide the important basic scientific infra structure for those involved in higher creative and basic research. They enhance the chances of research activities to become useful and meaningful to society, country and Mankind. Singapore has built up some of our S & T services in the past 50 years. We now have to build up our creative and basic research capabilities and quickly integrate them into what we already have to catch up for the years we have lost during the colonial days. Do not overlook our basic infrastructure in our quest for higher goals in S & T development. I have produce a simple chart (please see above) showing the Pyramid of Research Activities we can do and are involved in.

We know money is needed to acquire and generate knowledge and skills. Money is required to keep Science and our interest in it alive. Money is needed to keep our jobs and our businesses going. How many of our science trained personal know how to use their scientific knowledge to create wealth by themselves? Not many. This is because the creation of wealth involves many different parties to work together for a common cause.

The common complaint most scientists of developing countries make is insufficient funding for their research. The questions are:
a. Who are these people?
b. Who are the people responsible for solving this problem and
c. How are they to doing it now?

Since money is so important in many of the things we do in life, making money tend to become an end in itself instead of being a means to an end. R & D and many other things will suffer if the creation of wealth becomes the only goal in what we do.

Another answer to our problem is to produce more scientists who are also entrepreneurs, who dare to take risks and create the funds and opportunities they need. Pass the responsibilities to the science graduates and blame them if nothing happens. Be self sufficient is an ideal solution which is difficult to achieve in most cases. The authorities can step up the education program to produce more S & T personnel. To produce entrepreneurs out of these graduates is a different matter. The question is asked “Can entrepreneurs be trained or are they born? Entrepreneurs have special talents to know what to do. How does this talent come about? Entrepreneurs also need courage to do what they believe in. How can an individual acquire this courage? It must be recognized that it is too much to expect a person to be good scientifically and technologically, entrepreneurial and courageous at the same time. Those who can do all these by themselves deserve our respect for what they are. Our society will need these people more than they need us. The authorities must not stop only at indicating what has to be done i.e. do more R & D and be more entrepreneurial and creative. It must use its resources and authority to encourage active participation among the important parties.

Who are these “science research workers” and what can they do to get and produce what is needed? To get a better understanding of this universal problem I have produced a sketch (please see above) to show the type of people involved. In my profession and career I learned the importance of how to get these people to work together. A lot of work has to be done which may not show immediate results. Bridges have to be built for people to cross and meet each other. Barriers which inhibit important people/sectors from cooperating with each other have to be broken down.

I will share with you some of my own experience and that of my colleagues in articles describing anecdotes of events that happened related to this matter. I will try to describe the issues of the day, the priorities and strategies we set and the way we implemented our policies and plans in the articles in my Blog. The people, technologies and environment may have changed but the need for people to work together in order that R & D can create wealth, and also enhances our development, remains valid and essential.
How to do this remain a challenge to us and the generations to come.

Lee Kum Tatt

Our Tradition To Serve

2008-01-23T18:00:00.000+08:00

Singapore does not believe in a Welfare state. We have our wealthy people and our poor folks who need help. Like some other countries we have a widening income gap among our people. Some blame this on the effects of globalisation. Have we got the right balance with our wealth distribution policy? Different people have different views on this. Many, especially the old, feel that they have contributed to enlarge our national economic cake. They expect to have a fair share of the enlarged cake in their twilight years. Many of the poor and the old folks have difficulties trying to make ends meet with rising cost of living. At the same time they also have their dignity and pride to live with. They do not like to live on charity or hand outs. How then are we to help the poor and the less fortunate under these circumstances?

We need volunteers in many fields.

In the early days there were many volunteers for social and charitable services as well as “national” service to build up our infrastructure and country. These people have their own professions, careers and businesses to attend to but many stepped forward and served just the same. They differentiated their voluntary and honorary activities from their businesses and professions/occupations/careers. Many worked with passion, commitment and courage. It was a joy to work with these people compared to those who only work for personal gains. Those who work only for their money often find volunteer work a chore as there is no personal gain in sight. The genuine volunteers were not concerned about money, their positions or their promotion prospects. They just wanted to make their contributions. They made personal sacrifices and gave of their best until the projects are completed. Then they either leave or take on new projects. Many stayed on because they loved doing what they did. Human weaknesses of self interest, greed and power did not with their work. They make good leaders, good role models and set good examples for others to follow. It was a joy to work with such people.

Many are still doing voluntary services of various kinds and we need more of such people in our effluent society. How are we to continue to encourage more such people to step forward to serve? Some people are concerned that more and more people are asking for rewards before they start to serve in “national service” or even charitable organizations. Their actions imply that only “born losers” work for free in modern times. Our society views the value of these volunteer services to what it cost – Nothing - because it is free. How did this happen? This is a very disturbing trend which we must never allow to grow as it discourages people from volunteering. History has shown that countries prosper and become great through human sacrifices. These societies also do not forget the poor and the less fortunate, by helping them to add value to their lives. All societies need these special volunteers. Are our systems and practices strong enough to maintain and build on our culture and tradition on these matters?

When Singapore became a self governing country in 1959 and an independent nation in 1965, we had to pay for some of the neglects of the colonial government. We had:

1. a very small financial reserve
2. a poor education system ( especially in S & T, technical and craft courses)
3. a people ( mostly immigrants) with no experience in managing a country still suffering from the aftermath of the second World War II, the Japanese occupation and confrontation from Indonesia. Few had any strong loyalty to our new country.
4. A people with little or no knowledge of science or technical skills
(technology) essential for development.

We inherited a tiny island of 204 square miles, with a small population of slightly less than 2.0 million in 1959. Singapore has no natural resources to talk about. We did not even have our own water supply, the bulk of which has to come from a foreign country.

We had many of the problems that some of the developing countries are still facing today. We were blessed that we did not fight too much among ourselves. We gained our independence without any blood shed. These circumstances attracted many able and dedicated people to step forward and serve the country. Many became leaders, and role models in their own ways, for others to follow. They were not greedy or corrupt. Many worked with passion and for free in many fields for many years. Their passion kept them going willingly and happily in the various capacities they served. Our system rewards these people with public awards and honorary professional recognition etc. Singapore capitalized on this culture and tradition of our people, many of whom were prepared to sacrifice personal interests for the betterment of their fellowmen and their society. The order of the day was “We were in the same boat and we sink or swim together”. “Those with money will give money; those with strength will give strength.” It was tough going but wonderful to see so many people working together for so long and for a good cause – the survival of a nation and the betterment of the lives of its people.

Instead of wringing our hands in despair we settled down to do what we believed had to be done. From each his best was the spirit of the day. We rejoiced when the projects worked and we are still learning from the ones that didn’t.

Many volunteered at the sacrifice of their personal interests. They gave up opportunities to enrich themselves; provided the leadership and played role models for others to follow. I am privileged to have worked with many of these volunteers. The challenge now is how to continue to maintain our tradition to serve and improve on the spirit of voluntarism among our population in an affluent society? How do we provide examples for others to follow? Perhaps we should make a study of why people continue to provide free national, social and professional services when money has become such an important factor to many? This is a disturbing trend. Have we gone overboard in wealth creation and forgotten other just as important facts of life? Isn’t helping the less fortunate one of the mission of our being? Have we lost sight of this mission in life in our effort for rapid progress? There is nothing wrong with wealth generation as one of our goals. However treating it as our only mission in life/career including sacrificing time-tested and time-honoured values of our culture and our tradition will affect our future. This bothers many of us. We should have a hard look on where the balance should be. We should continue to attract more volunteers to serve our people with their hearts and not just their heads. It is not difficult to give in to human weaknesses. It is also not easy to discipline ourselves and others against temptations like greed and other acknowledged weaknesses. Nevertheless we must never give up trying to fight for what is good. Think of others too besides ourselves. This was how many of us were brought up with for the future of our country and the good of our fellowmen. Singapore needs more volunteers in these trying times than ever.

Lee Kum Tatt

Our Tradition to Serve for Free

2008-01-23T17:57:00.000+08:00

In difficult times, many people worked for free to improve the lot of their society and their fellowmen. They differentiate their voluntary and honorary activities from their businesses and careers. Many worked with passion, commitment and courage without concern of being paid. The dedicated ones stayed on to work on more projects. These people were performing useful functions.

In the past many were picked up and given more responsibilities especially when they showed their worth, sincerity and willingness to serve. Such people make good leaders and good role models setting good examples for others to follow.

We must continue to promote this approach for more such people to step forward and serve if Singapore is to continue to survive and prosper. History has shown that countries prosper and become great through such human sacrifices. These societies also do not forget the poor and the less fortunate.

We had many of the problems that some of the developing countries are still facing today. We were blessed that we did not fight too much among ourselves. We gained our independence without any blood shed. These circumstances attracted many able and dedicated people to step forward and serve the country. Their passion kept them going willingly and happily in the various capacities they served. Singapore capitalized on this culture and tradition of an immigrant stock that was prepared to sacrifice personal interests for the betterment of their fellowmen and their society.

The order of the day was “We were in the same boat and we sink or swim together”. “Those with money will give money; those with strength will give of their strength.” It was tough but wonderful to see so many people working together for so long and for a good cause – the survival of a nation and the betterment of the lives of its people.

Many missionaries and pioneers work better when they work for free because they are doing what they like and not just have to work. The urge to improve the lot of others less fortunate than themselves ( especially for those who have suffered similar hardship/poverty before) can be a very strong challenge to many to give of their best.

There were many such people who set good examples and are good as leaders and role models for others to follow. Let us hope this tradition will continue under a system that acknowledges the contributions of our volunteers in our fast changing society. We can vouch that many people serve better for free. Their rewards are not money but more responsibilities and work. What makes these people thrive working for free and others not? This is a good question. If we can find the right answer it can help solve many of our problems.

Engeline Lee

Integrating Science & Technology

2008-01-14T23:06:00.001+08:00

Integrating Science & Technology into Development Policies in Singapore’s Early Days.

A Personal Perspective

This series of articles provide some information on how Science and Technology was introduced into our Development Policies and Singapore society. It aims to demonstrate the importance of how local and international cooperation in science and technology can further the numerous inter-related aspects (economic, social, environmental and political) of the development process to help Singapore become what it is today. We have many who dared to champion what we believe in and commit to it for the sake of our country. In S & T operations multidisciplinary approaches are often necessary. This requires those involved to work together to make the difference. This can be done between parties independent of the authorities. Here are some of my experiences and personal views on how some of these projects evolved and were handled.

My blog will produce articles with anecdotes to highlight what we did based on my personal experience and those of my colleagues at that time. These articles will focus on some of the approaches we took using S & T to integrate together the activities of the important parties. These parties include the Government, Commerce & Industries, Labour Unions, Professionals, Academics, Students, Consumers, Man in the Street and the International S & T communities. We did not have much funds to start with. How did we manage? We slogged, we saved, we made personal sacrifices and we got the right people to cooperate to work together. This is a unique experience which we like to preserve and continue to practice for a better future. We did what we did because we want to improve the lives of our fellowmen just as others have done for us.

Human beings are the only resource we have in our tiny island state. We focused and placed great emphasis on our human resource development. Our other resources (finance, technology, markets and experienced manpower) were limited. We did not have five or ten year development plans to start with. Fortunately we did not suffer from paralysis through excessive analysis of massive data like the types we have today. Many of us only had a mission – to survive, and a vision - to improve the lives of our fellow men. We muddled our way through with hope, faith, trust and courage. Many of our fellowmen in various parts of the world are still struggling on. I like to share with them the little experience I have so that they will not have to go through some of the difficulties and the painful experiences we went through. This is a hind sight view of what happened. Hopefully this will give others the experience we lacked during our time. Hind sight is always clearer than foresight. It gives us hope and courage to bear the harsh ridicules that cynics gave to people who dare to venture off the well beaten paths. How I wish that I had some relevant examples or some experienced person/s to guide me during those uncertain times.

Science & Technology resides only in human beings. We got our people and others to work together at all levels and in various fields, with Human Resource development policies as our main mission.
We believe in our people and what they can do if given the opportunities.
(i) We enlarged the number of people who believe in what S & T can do. By doing this we enhanced our capacity to absorb technology.
(ii) We recognized the importance of technology transfer from
human to human for peaceful growth .
(iii) We realized the need to build knowledge networks through
personal contacts. We maximized support and minimized
destructive criticisms.
(iv) We believed in the importance of synergy among those who have to work together. For a small country this is the key that opens the doors to our future.

Integration of people from various sectors of our society has been the tool we used to integrate S & T into the development policies of early Singapore. We held meetings, conferences, workshops etc with the important parties to identify specific areas that have to be attended to. These included technologies and approaches effective in improving and innovating what has to be done. This has to be done within the circumstances a developing country had to work in. This gave every participant and other interested persons an opportunity to have a say in formulating policies that affect them. We ensure that we delivered what we promised.

How did we do what we did? We enlarged existing institutions and built new ones. We introduced “new” schemes and movements to integrate important parties to work together. We built centres of excellence which became the focus around which new technologies will grow. We provided the S & T services and products that our country, especially our locally grown industries, needed. We showed what we can do with the little we had.

We put people together and make them work harmoniously with each other. For many this is the difficult part. This will always remain a challenge for all of us to maintain harmony among the various parties. It was not all smooth sailing for us either. No one single person can do all this alone. How we built the network we did is something we can share with others. We have some successes and we also learned many useful lessons where things did not work out the way we expected. The main purpose of my blog is to produce articles with first hand experience under conditions many others are still facing in other parts of the world today. My articles in this series should be viewed with that light. It is hoped that some will find my articles, views and experience useful. If you are sincere in your mission people will believe and support you.

Lee Kum Tatt

Harnessing Science & Technology for Our Development

2008-01-14T23:04:00.000+08:00

Science & Technology affects every aspect of our lives. The difference between the rich and poor nations is their level of Science and Technology ( application of scientific knowledge). The question has been “how can we bridge this gap and catch up with the developed world?” Singapore’s answer was to develop our human resource as quickly as possible. This policy comes with a lot of risks and cost which we accepted and shared.

Science is not an easy subject to learn. Neither is it a profession that will offer a fantastic pay. We appealed to those who are interested in the “wonders” of science and the need for Science if Singapore is to survive and thrive. This was what my husband Dr. Lee Kum Tatt (LKT) and me did throughout our lives in the numerous positions LKT and me held, mostly on an honorary basis, with limited resources to do what could and had to be done.

Both LKT and I are the early Science graduates of our University. We fell in love with Science only with time because we did not know what to expect when we started. Now we understand the reactions we can expect when we promote and develop S & T into our development policies.

Our colleagues in many developing countries are still trying to do some of the things we did. Our experience should be useful to them. You will face many problems. Have faith that you have the capability to do what you want to do. Often you need courage to see it through. This is entirely dependent on yourselves. If more of our scientists dare to do what has to be done we can make a difference.The world, Singapore included, needs more scientists and technologists who dare to try new approaches through innovation and entrepreneurship to solve some of the many problems we are still facing today.

Mrs. Engeline Lee Eng Nio

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

2007-12-30T13:16:00.001+08:00

Words are used to express our philosophy, our beliefs, our thoughts and our knowledge. For the young the pen helps them to pass examinations for a better life. Just about every thing we do depends on our use of words. Words can win friends or make enemies, inspire or upset people, create clarity or cause confusion. Words are written with pens.

Words can make us act to please or irritate, or to solve problems diplomatically without the use of force. The sword, on the other hand, is mainly used to threaten or harm others physically which words can also do.

Most influential people become what they are by the power of the word. Only “uncivilized barbarians” and modern dictators use the power of the sword to get what they want. To these people “Might is Right.” They cause the problems we face and upset the peace in our world.

Let all peace loving people show the world that we prefer the pen more than the sword. The computer ( the modern pen) is more powerful than all the modern weapons which replaced the old sword. Use your pen wisely, let the Pen continue to be your best friend to preserve the Peace we want in our world.

May the spirit of Christmas be with you all year round and all your wishes come through for the New Year and the years to come.

Lee Kum Tatt

Setting New Year Resolutions

2007-12-30T13:15:00.001+08:00

The New Year (2008) is fast approaching. It is the day when we make decisions about what we want to accomplish and where to place our priorities in the coming year. Some people do not think too much about setting such New Year resolutions, but others do. My husband Dr. Lee Kum Tatt (LKT) belongs to the group of “others”.

Some common resolutions people make include:
(i) I will stop smoking, stop drinking or lose some weight ,
(ii) Fantasizing on something without any clue on how these can be achieved.

These are frivolous resolutions people make without serious thoughts. Some are broken even before they get started. Because of this some believe it is a joke to make New Year Resolutions.

LKT sets up, together with his family members, New Year Resolutions just as he sets up policies, plans and implementation strategies for the organizations under his charge throughout his life. Like his staff we are expected to do our best to make the resolutions effective and produce the expected results. In the beginning we muddled our way through with some guidance from LKT. In this way we learned how to handle our own lives.

LKT is not a guru in management but we can learn a lot from his experience and the anecdotes that he can give. Today there are many books available which teach and give advice on how to make effective Resolutions and tips on how their goals can be achieved.

This year LKT wants his older grandchildren to continue to study and work hard so that they can be useful citizens who can make contributions for the betterment of their fellowmen as part of their mission in life. This is a resolution which every parent would like their children to have. However this Resolution has to be understood and takes time to acheieve results. He bought each of them a pen of their choice with an attached message.
Some may find this approach useful. Hence we decided to produce this message “The Pen is Mightier than the Sword” in LKT’s blog to start the New Year.

Best wishes for a peaceful and successful new year to everybody.

Mrs. Engeline Lee Eng Neo.

Singapore Polytechnic

2007-11-20T23:30:00.001+08:00

Singapore’s human resource development made Singapore what it is today, particularly in the field of S & T and technical education, The Singapore Polytechnic, through its 53 years of history, contributed a great deal to Singapore’s development. I spent many years developing S & T and related field together with many others. My colleagues who have gone through these interesting and challenging times with me will have their own stories to tell of the role that Singapore Polytechnic played in the development of Singapore. I have encouraged some of them to do so for the benefit of those who may need this. Our oversea colleagues, especially those in the region, may like to share with us some of our experiences of what to do and what not to do in S & T and technical education.

It has been to me a very positive experience. In 1959 when Singapore became self governing, our country and the region were in turmoil. We were concerned about the spread of the Vietnam War and the need to create meaningful jobs and a future for our people and our families. When we look back, in the 48 years we have achieved a lot. The Singapore Polytechnic has played its role. Without the Singapore Polytechnic Singapore would not have industrialized so quickly. Yes, there may be some who can argue that it could have been done faster and better. These are people who were not personally involved in the implementation or carry the responsibilities of the decisions/actions taken. I have been involved in the building of the Singapore Polytechnic as a Board of Governors member from 1959-1981 ( 21 years). I have also been an active player in S & T and technical education for many years in many fields. The policy making , planning and their implementation under some trying conditions have been a very positive and satisfying experience for me. I believe my colleagues and I have all given of our best.

In building the Singapore Polytechnic there were many contentious issues involving vested interests of many influential parties to be resolved. These included:The authorities on why we needed a polytechnic How to ensure that the standards meet the needs of those we serve? - our country, our industries and commerce, our professional bodies, the expectation of the parents and the students and our image to those we serve etc. How to find and develop the resources (finance and people) and create the environment to keep the important forces balanced for everybody’s benefit.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive academic study of the development of the Singapore Polytechnic. Many studies and reports are available from the archives and libraries on this subject. However there are few articles written by the people who were deeply involved for years in the Institution’s development. I like to share my personal experiences with those interested in:

1. How the Singapore Polytechnic was built and continuously restructured
2. How some of the these activities have affected the lives of so many
3. Some special cases of Singapore Polytechnic’s experiences in its development.

The above information can help us to project our visions for the future of Singapore Polytechnic. To make easy reading the articles will be presented in Parts over time.

Part (I) will start with a brief history and comments on how the Singapore Polytechnic was conceived and started till 1959 when it was first re-structured.

Part (II) will present some of the restructuring activities carried out and the challenges the Singapore Polytechnic faced and how these were handled.

Hopefully Part (III) will convey to you not only what has been done, but also on why and how certain decisions were taken and implemented. In some of the case studies you may be able to spot occasional comments on why I wish certain events had been done differently at different times. These are not “regrets” but rather they are to be taken as hind sights where useful lessons may be learned.

These articles are my personal experience and views and they do not represent the official views or stands of the Singapore Polytechnic and its related authorities.

Lee Kum Tatt

What Makes A School Great

2007-10-25T06:56:00.001+08:00

The following are important factors that make a school great.

The founding vision of the School The building of its tradition Instilling into the teachers and students the right spirit. Dedicated & great principals and teachers Good students to produce Great Alumni

These are the pillars on which a school is built. Its greatness depends on the efforts put in by everybody involved in building of the school over the years. Everybody who has been with the school, the policy makers, headmasters, teachers, students through their activities and achievements contribute in the making of the image and reputation of the school. It requires a constant positive input from everyone involved to build and maintain the greatness of the school. The Penang Free School has gained this reputation not only in Malaysia but also abroad. The Singapore Old Frees contributed much to their new found home, Singapore. We must continue to do this and more to remain proud of being an Old Free.

History of Penang Free School.

The Penang Free School (PFS) is the oldest English School in Malaysia and the S.E.A. region. The School was founded on October 21 in 1816 and is located in the island of Penang. The word Free is important to many as it reflects the founding vision of the School. Being Free liberates everybody involved with it from being stereotyped by race, creed, economic or social standing. We are equals in the eyes of the school. We have to prove our worth. The School gained the reputation of being the institution for the best of our junior school students in Penang. Gaining admission to the school fulfils the dreams of many parents for the children.

Instilling the right spirit to the students.

The School's motto Fortis Atque Fidelis (Strength with Fidelity) and the School's rally song , (reproduced below) which we sang every year on Founder's Day, and on special functions inspire and fire up the young minds to do many things which we might not have done otherwise.

School Rally Song

It matter neither how strait the gate,
Nor how charged with dangers the goal,
Let the tempest rage and fell odds inflate,
We'll do it with our heart and soul.

Chorus.
Let us march unto fame,
Let the aisles proclaim,
Till our anthem will dare us to do,
Let us onward to win and new laurels gain,
Free School for the brave and the true.

In addition to this my headmasters Mr. L.W.Arnold (1940) and Mr. D. Roper (1946) reminded us that our Founder's Day, 21 October, is also the day that Admiral Lord Nelson defeated the combined superior French and Spanish Armada at the battle of Trafalgar . Although terribly outnumbered in ships and men England won the battle and this was attributed to the famous message Nelson gave to his men at that time:
" England expects every men to do his duty."

The Frees , young and old, are also expected to do their duty wherever they are at all times to win the many battles that had to be fought.

What did the school do for me?

I had some great teachers who not only taught me how to pass examinations but also helped me in many other ways. Mr. Ng Chong Weng, my Pinhorn House sports master, saved me the long walk from the school to the bus stop at Green Lane by dropping me at the nearest point to my home in town. Mr.Ooi Khay Bian (OKB) supported my request to be exempted from the Science classes so that I could use the time saved to do my home work and other studies in school as I had to teach to earn extra money for the family. I was the only student given this exemption. This incident has particular significance to my life. I would not be what I am, a man of science, who has used his science training for the development of our scientific manpower and industries through education and its application in Singapore.

Here is the story of this incident.

As my Senior Cambridge results were very good I cheekily decided to apply for a scholarship to study Science and not Arts in Raffles College. I took a big risk as I would have a better chance of getting a scholarship in Arts, without which I could not have gone for further studies. Risk taking, part of my PFS training? I expected the headmaster and my form teacher Mr. Ooi (OKB) to fall off their chairs with my request as I was the only student exempted from the science classes during 1947. They did not. They must have supported my application strongly as I was awarded the prestigious Raffles Scholarship. Such instances cannot happen in modern times! This is "flexibility" on the part of a headmaster of a great school and I am grateful. I ended up practicing science all my life in numerous capacities. I became the first chairman of the Singapore Science Council for 10 years, an advisory body to the Singapore government on science after Singapore's independence! I was also founder chairman and CEO of the Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research (SISIR) for 18 years besides many other appointments and involvement in many other activities
.
It will be interesting to hear from other Singapore Old Frees how the PFS has made a difference to their lives. This can be an encouragement if not an inspiration for the young Frees to look out for the things that they may have taken for granted.

Alumni of The Penang Free School.

PFS, formed the backbone of Malaysia's education. It educated many generations of rulers, Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, law makers, professionals and people of social standing in Malaysia. PFS can boast of being the Alma Mater of many well known and successful alumni all over the world. This includes the world renown Plague fighter, the late Dr. Wu Lien The, who also pioneered the modernization of China's public health system.

Singapore has its share of talented and dedicated Old Frees. In the 1940's to 1960's the Chief Justice, the Attorney General and seven out of the eight High Court Judges were Old Frees. The Speaker of Parliament was also an Old Free who was also the first professor of surgery in the University of Malaya in Singapore. The medical profession was dominated by many Old Frees in the University and in Singapore's Health Service. The Old Frees then expanded themselves in holding important posts in public administration and management in Singapore like Education, Industries, Engineering, Architecture, Customs, Science Institutions, Business, the professions and other walks of life. They served Singapore with dedication, commitment and courage that our school has instilled in us during our school days. We are constantly reminded of our School's motto, the Rally Song and the upbringing our dedicated teachers and headmasters gave us through their values and practices. We often speak of the Old school with pride for what it has given us to serve our adopted country. Let us hope that this oldest English school in Malaysia and S.E. Asia will always remain a great school that everyone will always be proud of. The School is great not because it is the oldest but that it is also the best and is Free – free from many of the social, economic, religious and racial issues which have bogged down many institutions and even governments throughout the world. Long live the Great Penang Free School!!!

Lee Kum Tatt
24th October 2007

Pride of an Alumnus of a Great Institution

2007-10-25T06:50:00.000+08:00

Should schools train students just for jobs or to produce creative individuals, some of who may start off as fledging rebels, with what they consider as good causes for change? Most institutions do the first one, only the great ones can handle both. We have our well known schools. The question is how to create more of such schools and make them great?
The parties involved: the authorities, the principals, teachers, the choice of students and the alumni they produce must work together to lay the right and strong foundation and pillars for such schools and institutions to grow. This requires effort, time, courage and tolerance from many to do what has to be done.

My husband, Dr. Lee Kum Tatt is proud that he came from a great school – the Penang Free School (PFS).
\u003c/span\>He attended the recent get together of Singapore Old Frees to celebrate the 191\u003csup\>st\u003c/sup\> anniversary of PFS where he met many enthusiastic Old Frees and shared many wonderful memories they had. He was so fired up that he jotted down an article "What makes a School Great".\n\u003cspan\> \u003c/span\>He feels that we must give credit where credit is due especially to those who have helped us to be what we are. He hopes some other Old Frees will also do likewise in their own way by telling their own stories. This will keep alive the spirit we got from the School and the time we had together.

He attended the recent get together of Singapore Old Frees to celebrate the 191st anniversary of PFS where he met many enthusiastic Old Frees and shared many wonderful memories they had. He was so fired up that he jotted down an article "What makes a School Great". He feels that we must give credit where credit is due especially to those who have helped us to be what we are. He hopes some other Old Frees will also do likewise in their own way by telling their own stories. This will keep alive the spirit we got from the School and the time we had together. As a teacher myself I love and enjoy the memories of the happy events we shared together with other alumnae. These human bonds are what make the Institutions great.

Mrs. Engeline Lee Eng Nio
24 October 2007

What Do We Believe In

2007-10-20T19:04:00.001+08:00

( Part I) Superstition or Common Sense

I was brought up in an environment which mixed up religious beliefs, superstitions, and common sense. It was not until I studied science that I learned to put more emphasis on facts based on scientific data to form my reasoned judgment on what to believe in. As I progressed I had not only to deal with spiritual feelings but I also had to handle emotional matters involving facts, opinions, statistics and fantasies in the name of creativity in my public life. I believe these are some of the stages many also go through in their lives.

Although I did not stay with my Mother until I was 13 years old, my mother’s beliefs and reactions have very great influence over my early life. My Parents molded my early life, character, values and philosophy. This affected many of the things I did. Some of Mother’s beliefs became my motivating and inspiring factors which made me do what I did. Some of her other beliefs became my fears. These inhibited many activities which I would have loved to do but did not do. Do not under estimate the influence your parents have on you.

After I studied science my new found knowledge changed some of my thinking. I no longer accepted, without question, what I considered as my Mother’s superstitions or “Grandmothers’ tales”. Some of these clashes were quite serious and required very careful handling to avoid serious arguments and explosions with my Mother and those who think like her. I notice many people, even today, are affected by these beliefs, superstitions and facts which we cannot ignore and ridicule in order to have peace in our society, with ourselves and others, espcecially our neighbours.

If my descendents are to know me better they must know how my early upbringing has affected my life and the struggle I had to go through to cause change. Sometimes these changes came with the exertion of great effort and at a great cost. Fortunately there were positive aspects to some of these beliefs which are sometimes classified as “family upbringing” and “Confucius teachings”. Where these are concerned there could be no arguments. Whatever my parents and elders said goes.

I will divide my articles here into three groups: (a). the positive ones; (b). the negative ones and (c). the in-betweens. I will start off with how these beliefs (a) and (b) presented themselves and the episodes that they created which made me what I am. Episodes in category (c) will be given in installments in the latter articles that follow.

(a) The Positive Beliefs

Our family was not wealthy and I know what poverty and sufferings mean from experience in my younger days. To break out of this vicious circle we have not only to work hard but also to pray for some miracles to take place. We needed these divine blessings which we believe will come upon us by doing good deeds to others. My parents taught us that good deeds go round and come back to you when you least expect it.

There is a Chinese saying that :

"Good deeds will be repaid with Good deeds,
And Evil with Evil.
If the deed seems not to have been paid
The time has not yet come.”

For this we must keep on trying to do good deeds. Some western culture also believes in this. Many also do good deeds and actively participate in charitable and social work helping others. We must also be always grateful to the many who have done us good and let us help others in return.

Surviving the Japanese Occupation and Thereafter.

Although my parents were not wealthy, they were very active in charitable activities throughout their lives. They continued to share with others the little we have even during the Japanese occupation. My parents had a large family to support but they even adopted a poor girl into our family. As young children we did not understand why my parents did what they did then. Looking back we were blessed in other ways. We survived the War and its terrible aftermath. We were able to accept the hardships that came with it. We were taught to be thankful for all the kind deeds others did for us. They are the good that comes back to us for some good we must have done. We do not have much but we never thought that we will be what we are today.

We therefore believe that doing good and helping others does pay in its own ways. We are concerned that this practice appears to be fast disappearing in our materialistic society of today where people consider rewards and returns first before service to others. Let us continue to do something about this important value of our culture. Let us not forget this in our pursuit for “success”. This is a good practice which we inherited from our ancestors.

Miracles can happen because of Fate?

Some people belief that if something is fated, it will take place irrespective of what happened in between. I believe that “God helps those who help themselves”. Even though it may be fated if we do not help ourselves enough through hard work certain things will not happened even though it may be fated.

Some examples of this belief.

1. I was born a sickly child. Either one of us would be sick when my Mother and I were together. If I was to survive I would have to be adopted “spiritually” by my late uncle. This happened and my Mother and I survived. Superstition, fate or did we really avoided the inevitable by following the priest’s advice?.

2. A Tibetan monk predicted that if I survived I would become “somebody” one day. That could only happen if I worked hard. This made me want to work hard and I did. If I did not work hard I would not be what I am today. All the hard work I did and the rewards I received can be the result of the returns from the good my parents have put in for me. My wife and I will continue to help others as our way of life even if no big deals come to us, no big evil will either. It is difficult to relate one event to another but we know the relations exist and that is good enough for us to continue to be helpful to others. I never worked for many of the achievements and bouquets given to me. I never expected any of them. This must be Providence’s way of acknowledging what we have done.

Superstitions & Negative Beliefs.

I believe what I am going to say here is still being practiced by many, especially the senior citizens, as part of our culture, tradition or religious beliefs. My Mother was a strong follower of Buddhism. She did not like to slaughter life animals for food and ate only vegetarian food at least twice a month. My father abstained from beef. My Mother released pigeons during certain religious festivals and we do not eat birds. In the family the meat we ate came from fish, pork and poultry. Only the chicken and the ducks had to be slaughtered and this was done by the maid. During the war years I had to do the slaughtering of poultry too. Psychologically could this be the cause of my frequent illness during the war time? Or was it due to malnutrition, overwork physically and lack of medical care and medicine or all? This question was never asked because there were no means to prove one way or the other. The fact was I was real sick and my Mother was not really comfortable either. Our Mind can play a lot of tricks on us if we do not know how to control it. I have learned to control my mind in various ways since.

Other events that add on to these superstitious beliefs include the following incidents or coincidences.

1. My second brother died when he was two years old. Apparently he was bitten by our pet tortoises. He developed a fever from which he never recovered. The 4 tortoises were sent to the Ayer Item Temple in Penang. My Mother vowed not to eat tortoises after that.

Later my grandfather was down with cancer and he had to drink turtle soup. My Mother had to be the one to boil the soup over a kerosene burner. The kerosene burner exploded and three persons caught fire, my Mother, my cousin and my brother. All three were admitted to the hospital with severe burns. My cousin died within two days. My grandfather died two days later while my Mother and brother were still in hospital. Fortunately they recovered. This was a terrible experience which is hard to forget especially the scene at that time of the fire and the screaming. This event left a very big impression on us all, especially my Mother. What really happened? Different people gave different interpretations but we cannot escape from the superstitious belief that a vow had been broken. Turtles and tortoises are related and my Mother should not have cooked the turtle soup herself.

2. When I was a forensic chemist I had to help in the scientific investigations. These included matching blood of the victims or suspects with those found on the exhibits submitted by the police. I had to take blood samples from some “accused murderers” who had stabbed their victims to death with knives. At one time I could not understand why some of these “cold blooded murderers” shivered and trembled when I pricked their fingers with just a tiny needle when they could use a knife to stab another man to death. I expected murderers to be tough guys. I was wrong. Some were not murderers with intention.

These cases usually happened during important Chinese festivals, especially during the Chinese New Year period. Most of these people were from the Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates where they live very close together. Many wanted peace and quiet by themselves when they sent their “gods” away for the New Year or welcome them back after the year has begun. Any misunderstanding, however small, could be interpreted by some to disrupt the peace and bring bad luck for the year. So strong is this belief among some people that they can loose their cool or control of themselves by doing things which they otherwise would not have done. They even commit murder without them realizing it, something way out of their character. .

3. When I was Chairman of the Citizen’s Consultative Committee of a certain constituency I had to help the Member of Parliament ( MP ) to attend to the needs of the people there. Whilst it is not possible to meet all requests from the citizens because of our laws and regulations there were certain requests we could ignore only at the risk of hurting members of the constituency. I am referring to the culture of our people due to their different religious and racial beliefs. We are a multi racial and multi religious society. Every citizen, especially the community leaders must respect other people’s beliefs and not ridicule them. We expect our grass root leaders’ personal sensitivities to be respected by the people too but this sometimes does not happen.. Respecting each others’ beliefs is always a challenge everyone of us in our multi-racial and multi-religious society constantly faces.

Besides the racial and religious beliefs and practices other human requirements like attending religious festivals, weddings and funerals etc our grassroots leaders have to give “face” by attending the functions they are expected to attend. There are many of these functions for grass root leaders to attend. Grass root leaders, who are volunteers, have to balance their time to attend to these activities with passion and sincerity without hurting the concerned parties. To the materialistic society we are fast moving into, how to get enough people to continue providing voluntary social and community service without self interest will always be a challenge to us all. To keep ourselves as a united community we must enjoy the trusts of those we work with by working hard and showing good examples of ourselves. Be sensitive to other’s beliefs and practice besides their needs as some of our dedicated grass root leaders do. Make out a list of the things we must never do. Respect each others’ beliefs and do not practice the “Do as I tell you but not do as I do” approach. Do not act as if you are the only clever one around the joint. This is tantamount to insulting other people’s intelligence, an act which is not acceptable in modern times. In a multi racial and multi religious society we must always be aware of this if we want to keep our peace. This cultural and religious divide is not easy to close. Special effort is needed to keep the gap small. Added to this we have to keep the gap between the rich and the poor manageable if we are to keep the peace we have and need. Remember every action from us counts. This is a secret that others can learn from us.

Do good to others and good will come to you.

Dr. Lee Kum Tatt

Secrets of Singapore’s Success

2007-10-20T19:03:00.000+08:00

Many reports, articles, and books have been written glorifying the success of Singapore. These writings describe how tiny Singapore became great in so many ways to the envy of many, pride for some and embarrassment for others. Many have asked what is the secret to this success. Different people will give you different stories. The fact is that their combined contributions made the difference. This tiny red dot with a multi-racial and multi religious society have been living together in peace and built a city state with a high quality of life. We have made every individual’s action count. We have won our political freedom from the colonial masters. We have gained much ground in our fight against poverty and disease. We must ensure that we do not loose too much of our peace with ourselves, our neighbours and with the world in doing this. This is something we must continue to do now and in the years to come. We can share with the world that progress and peace can exist together in Singapore. If this can be done in Singapore why not in other parts of the world?

I came to Singapore more than 70 years ago as a child.

My husband, Dr. Lee Kum Tatt (LKT) came to Singapore 60 years ago to study in the Raffles College and we stayed here since. Many people helped and guided us. We like to think that we have also done the same to many in return during our life. LKT brought up a number of successful persons in their professions and careers. I have taught many students who are successful citizens of this country. LKT enjoys doing this and is concerned that this public spirit of helping others is being eroded in our fast changing materialistic society where people want rewards before service. He thinks this is a pity. When he was younger he shared his knowledge, experience, time and opportunities with many who are still his friends. He treated them all as his kin.

Now that he is eighty he decided to enjoy life in his golden years. He still has much to share with others. So we have persuaded him to share with us whatever he still has and still can give as part of oral history from the horse’s mouth.. Read the articles in his blog. They represent his personal views, values, experience and knowledge given freely and happily. This is the important part. Take them for whatever they are worth.

Engeline Lee Eng Nio

Education in Singapore

2007-09-17T15:02:00.001+08:00

Singapore has not done too badly in Education over the last fifty years. What we have now is the envy of many other countries. But Education is a continuous process and we still have much to do to carry on our journey. What were some of the important events that happened; how did they happen and what did we do? If we know some of the answers to these questions they will help us have a better understanding of our Education system and our own role in the process.

Education means different things to different people. Depending on who you are, you will have your views about Education and how it should be treated in so far as it affects you, your family and your fellow citizens. The common questions asked include the following:

a. What does Education mean to you? What do you want to be educated in?

b. Modern Education seems to ask the following questions. Is Education

(i) a necessity you need for your job.

(ii) an opportunity or something essential for the future,

(iii) an investment for better returns in terms of income, better jobs or social status for the individuals and the nation as a whole? Or

(iv) a business to be promoted for Singapore to become a knowledge based economy and an Education centre?

c. Personally what do you want to be educated in and for what purpose? What must you do to achieve your goals? How much are you prepared to sacrifice in terms of financial and opportunity costs for your education.

d. What are the motivating factors that will make you do what you have to do?

You will have to answer these questions yourself. I will share with you my personal experiences in the various positions I went through with my limitations, the changing environment and motivating factors. We share many commonalities and differences from which we can learn from each other. How did we, I and my family, together with some of my colleagues and friends, cope and escape from the poverty trap? We avoided being condemned for life as part of the forgotten generation because of conditions we thought were beyond our control. These conditions include foreign domination, interferences, colonialism, war, internal strife between parties with conflicting interests resulting in national chaos. Every one of us has a role to play. If we make our contributions together we can make a difference. What matters most is our attitude. Education is the building up of human capital. It is not the job of one man alone. It is a collective contribution from everybody. The resulting benefits must not be confined to only a few and their families but must benefit, and seen to benefit others too, our community, our country and our fellow men. There can be no peace if poverty is not checked.

Education Policy in Singapore during the colonial era

There was no education policy for development in Singapore and Malaya during my grandparents’, parents’ and my own early days. British policies during the colonial period in Singapore and Malaya were meant primarily to serve British interest. The demand for education was not widespread because of the cost which the poor could not afford. Parents prefer that their children work to supplement household income or do household chores, especially the girls. Still the supply did not meet the demand for more education. Under these conditions voluntarism had been an integral feature of British colonial education policy. The colonial government only set up a few primary and secondary schools for those who could afford or some, like my parents, who were prepared to make personal sacrifices for their children’s education.

The various communities, especially the Chinese community, contributed a very significant part in finance and management in building up our schools and our country. This is the positive side. At one time 50 % of the school students in Singapore were from the Chinese schools. When Singapore became self governing, and later an independent country, this colonial legacy of schools supported by voluntary contributions from the communities including the establishment of a Chinese language Nanyang University created some serious problems for the Government of the day. Thank goodness many of these problems have mostly been resolved. We can look to a future where opportunities are made available to develop individuals to the maximum of their capabilities and potential with everybody playing their part. However we still have to meet the challenge on how to meet the needs of the less fortunate who cannot even afford to accept what is being offered now.

Goals of my primary and secondary Education

Both my grandparents ran away from the poverty of China in the later part of the nineteen century. They never had much education and had to struggle for their living in Malaya. They “educated” themselves on the job. My paternal grandfather became a self taught businessman with a skill he learned from his jobs. My maternal grandfather became a self taught Chinese physician with some help from a Tibetan monk. How they wished they had more education which meant more knowledge, experience and skills to make a better living. My father was very proud that he attended St. Xavior’s Institution in Penang where he obtained his Junior Cambridge certificate. Later he got a diploma in short hand dictation through private studies. This enabled my father to get a job in Medan, Sumatra as a clerk earning a monthly salary of Malayan $ 60 during the great depression in the 1920’s when there was widespread unemployment throughout the world. My father married my mother and had to live away from Penang, their place of their birth. When I was born I was left to grow up with my maternal grandparents while my parents remained in Medan. This was the first payment my parents made to give me some kind of education. They made many more sacrifices in later years to see me through my school and university education.

My maternal grandfather’s concept of education was to make me study some of the Chinese classical books where hopefully I would learn how to read, write, and count and to appreciate some Confucian values of filial piety and hard work and the need to help those in need. He kept me at home and taught me personally himself. My grandfather died when I was 7 years old. I joined an English primary school after that. My goals then were to study hard, honour my parents by doing well and set a good example for my younger siblings to follow. I never had any pressure to do well for material rewards or punishment. I worked hard on my own as my guardian, my illiterate maternal grandmother, was in no position to help me in my studies. However she gave me the moral and emotional support I needed. She made it clear to me that life can be very miserable if one is poor and illiterate. I was an excellent student and had a few double promotions in school. I sat for the Junior Cambridge examination at the age of 14 years old when the S.E.A. war broke out. Then my future appeared to be destroyed. I lost 5 good years in the prime of my life because of this. I will share with you how I overcame some of the difficulties I encountered. My wife and friends who came from different backgrounds may see things differently. They may have different stories to tell with different emphasis on different factors that made them what they are. Whatever differences there may be we share and enjoy some common accomplishments on the projects and things we did together. That makes our working together meaningful and worth while. We have common motives which we shared.

Goals of my children’s education

When it comes to my children’s education I made sure that they understand the importance of education. Education can give them at least two good things. One is to train their minds and make them more of a human being who can think and make the right decisions and not like animals which live by their natural instincts of survival and procreation. Many animals are happy with their lots by staying in captivity and be fed like some people in the colonial days. I do not belong to this class. I do not want my children to belong to this class either if I can help it. We have to work hard for what we want otherwise we just exist.

Second, common knowledge and statistics have shown illiteracy and poverty form viscous circles which may be difficult to break. The common way we know to break out of this viscous circle is through hard work, backed by right values and attitudes. These abstracts, which are not easy to quantify, have to be learned and practiced through education at home, in schools and in our environment before their effects can be felt and appreciated.

My wife and I never forced our children to study for specific professions or occupations. We gave them the exposures necessary for them to make their own decisions with some guidance. We gave them the assurances that we will back them through university education if they do their part and qualify. I know how important this assurance can be as it was something I never had myself. I never dared to think of having a university education as my parents could not afford it. My only hope was through working hard on my own to get a scholarship which I did. After that the rest was up to me.

Two of my daughters are medical specialists practicing on their own. My son is a mechanical engineer doing his own business. They have families of their own. They and their families have many things which I never had before. My wife and I considered that we have done our job in bringing them up the best we can. We treasure the family. Our children do not have to sacrifice their family lives for the sake of their careers or occupation because they have to live up to the Joneses. But we still help out where we can. Further we hope we have imparted to our children the importance of keeping the family together. We still have our regular family meetings every week. We hope that our family will remain intact long after we are gone and that we have shown a good example of how the family can be kept together. Concentrating on the family may have cost our children opportunities to advance in their careers but we are happy with what we and they have.

As regards our grandchildren their views on education and life are very different from ours. However they are our children’s responsibilities but it is good for us to know their thinking especially when we have had experience educating others besides our own children.

Important changes after Singapore became self governing in 1959

Since Singapore became self governing in 1959 Singapore’s education system has undergone many major changes. We now have a system where many opportunities are available which never existed before. Because of the numerous choices possible it has become a problem to some. It is a system many other countries envied us for the way we try to build up our only resource, our human resource, into our human capital, through education for our future.

Education in Singapore is managed by the Ministry of Education which directs the Education Policy. Many parties from all walks of life are involved in this process. It is not an enviable position to be in where the Ministry is expected to please all the people all the time. As individuals we have to take responsibility for what we do ourselves. I think all those involved have done a good job in one way or another for themselves and the country under the circumstances. We must however continue to do more, especially for the less fortunate that still form a substantial percentage of our population. The less privileged too must themselves do their part through hard work backed by good values and attitudes to stand out and avoid being forgotten among the lost generations like some of our ancestors were. We can be in control and change some of the conditions that affect us. To those who are more fortunate, do not take too many things for granted and over indulge. Instead concentrate more on creative thinking and opening up new frontiers and not just passing examinations. History teaches us that even great empires collapsed if their people lack this. This message is still good for our times.

Lee Kum Tatt

Education, Careers & Continuous Education

2007-09-04T19:47:00.001+08:00

Education and careers are topics that affect everybody be you a student, parent, teacher, employer or union leader, researcher or professional including those in the teaching institutions, the authorities, or the government and the man in the street.

Everybody has been educated in one form or another, be he a medical doctor, a trained professional plumber or an IT specialist. Their income and social status may differ but everyone can be very happy in what they do. Many claim to be experts on areas they have personally worked in, or have experience in.

With the different background, different needs and expectations there are bound to be different views on how things should be done or done better, especially when they have to pay for the cost of getting their education. The debate on how to educate one self or others will always be a hot issue for many depending on the position you find yourself in.

Clashes between the interested parties in priorities and approaches, especially between the students and the authorities, the unions and the employers, and even between parents and children are not uncommon in many countries. How did we get into this position at times and how do we minimize or avoid future clashes like these for our own good and the good of our society, is a constant challenge to us all.

I have been through many of the positions mentioned above and can share with you what it is like to be in some of these positions and the responsibilities we carry. What are the questions that are normally asked and the answers that are commonly given?

This depends on your position whether you are a pupil, parent, teacher, professional, or authority or a common citizen of your society. What you expect in the form of money and status, job security etc for what you can give and what the employer or clients want in return. These include your paper qualifications, capabilities to produce results and your attitude towards your work, the mission of your company or organization and your fellow colleagues.

As we are born in different times under different circumstances our needs and expectations must be different. Nevertheless there are certain common factors that still remain constant like why do you have to educate yourself, in what areas, what are you looking for, and how are you to get what you want. If some of these questions can be answered realistically and sensibly by yourself a lot of problems can be resolved. I believe that most of the time the solutions rest with ourselves.

Instead of writing a long essay on this very complex subject I will try to share with you some of my personal experiences in the various positions I held and I went through in my life which have also affected the lives of others. For ease of reading they will be presented in separate articles with me as a student, a parent, a professional and an authority in charge of the application of science and technology in our manpower development and in the building up of some of the sectors of our economy.

Many people have touched my life and in return I have also touched the lives of many people. I hope this has been for the better under the circumstances we have to work in our days.

Lee Kum Tatt

Why Study Science?

2007-08-23T22:48:00.000+08:00

Anonymous said:

At times I wonder . .. without all those advances in science, will human life be less happy or will it be less satisfying. I truly doubt so.

So what have all these advancement contributed to? They simply give us more reasons to earn more, to be financially successful so that we can enjoy them. Do the poor get to enjoy them? No.

Science saves more lives but it also kill more lives.

Improvement in science without improvement in our spiritual level is basically a zero sum game.

My Reply.

You commented that:

(i) you have doubts that without the advances in science human life will not be less happy or less satisfying and

(ii) that the poor do not get to enjoy what the advancement in science contributed.

These are very general statements. The issue is not on the study of science to generate more knowledge, which is neutral. It has more to do with the our wisdom (the ability to use the knowledge and experience) individually, collectively or as a country,to make sensible decisions and judgment.

As a country Singapore has not done too badly in transforming itself from a third world country to a 2nd if not 1st world country within a span of 48 years since we gain self governing status in 1959. We should ask ourselves how did we do this and what more could have been done? This is a question which many in the developing countries asked us.

We never had much science education and its application during the colonial days. We just existed and had hardly enough to live on. Now science education has given us more to live on and something to live for. The rest is up to us.

We must never allow ourselves to kill the spirit of science, the spirit to ask questions to get knowledge which can help us move forward. During the colonial days many of us have been taught the virtue of ignorance as expressed by the poem by Thomas Gray “On a distant prospect of Edon College” It reads as follows:

“Yet ah : why should they know their fate?
Since sorrow never comes too late.
Any happiness too swiftly flies,
Thoughts would destroy their paradise.
No more, where ignorance is bliss
‘Tis folly to be wise “

Gray emphasized that WHERE ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise.

As I grew up I discovered that

Not all ignorance is bliss

Remaining ignorant is easy. It makes one lazy and selfish – two of human beings most pronounced and common trait. It only makes it easier for others to manipulate or control us.

After that I tried to learn how to be wise to search for wisdom with integrity and honesty for the good of others because “ When Wisdom reigns, Knowledge is Divine.”

Fewer people will be confused if we can do that.

A Science Pioneer and his dilemma.

2007-08-23T22:46:00.001+08:00

Bakar Mansary (Canada) said :

Thank you so much for sharing your ideas with us. They are very inspiring especially for people in industrializing societies and those that are yet to industrialize, like Africa. Lee Kum Tatt has said it all. Keep up the good work.

My reply.

Thank you for your comments. I am delighted you found some of my views useful. If we in Singapore can do it, others too can also do the same, given the common political, social and individuals’ will to work together for a common good.

C.Goh said:

Thanks for sharing your views with us. I hope this philosophy and stance would be included in the science curriculum as the underlying universal principle of truth and ethics.

There is some concern that many students who specialized in science at A levels applied really with the intention to study medicine and other professional courses for better pay, and or prestige and not for the love of science itself.. This may create a talent crunch for our science and technology programmes to progress. To produce good scientists we need passionate and dedicated people. How do we encourage more people to study science for science sake?

My reply:

Thank you for your comments. Science is a difficult subject not many take to when they are young. Science should be taught more for the “spirit of science” than to turn everyone into a potential Nobel Prize winner. The spirit of science is to develop in us the longing to know, to understand and demand for objective verification. This will help us review many things which we normally take for granted without questions and then complain.

Science is a challenging and exciting profession for those who can find the beauty in it. How do we find that beauty in science? There is no difference in our finding the beauty in the spouse we marry. This will take a little time and effort but we can do it if we really want to.

The younger generation does not have to fight for their survival like some of us did. They put more emphasis on making money first so that they can have a good quality of life and a sense of security in their profession or career. When these are accomplished many will like to do what they love. We may not produce Nobel Prize winners but we can still produce scientists who can do good thing for our country and others if not for Science itself. Together they can make a difference to us all. We must create the opportunities which we lack in the past for everyone to do his best. That is important.

A science graduate has many openings for jobs which the established professionals i.e. medicine or dentistry, would not take. These include banking, business, industries and management besides many other professional specialties where people with a scientific, technological or technical background would be at an advantage. There are many of these jobs around. Our people themselves must be wise enough to know what they want and what to do.

Decisions Making By Young Professionals - Kum Tatt's views

2007-08-15T17:15:00.001+08:00

Every one of us has to constantly make choices and decisions throughout our lives. The choices available, and the motivating factors in decision making, change with time. Sometimes we like to have freedom of choice. Sometimes we want freedom from choice. What is choice? Choices are opportunities and options open to us. Not many know of all the options available to them. We have to make decisions when we face uncertainties. What is the relationship between choice and decisions? To me choices are the options available. The more knowledgeable we are the more choices we will have. Decisions are the priorities we place on these options. The wiser we are the better decisions we will make. But wisdom takes time and experience to acquire.

Decisions come with responsibilities, something which many like to avoid. We make choices for the better or for the worse. There are no guarantees that we will always make the right choice. How do we ensure that the choice and decisions we make are the right ones? As for me I go by my conscience. Consciously or subconsciously we think about the problems. We make our mind and brains work overtime to show us the choices opened to us. Some people like to duck making the choices, especially when their decisions can result in great consequences affecting not only their lives but also others.

There are many types of choices we have to make in our lives. Some are more important than others. Choosing what to eat or where to go for a short holiday is of less importance to me. Choosing a spouse, a profession and career is very important. The choices we made or did not make affect us in many ways because of our decisions. What are the usual choices we have to make? How are decisions taken with these choices? What if we have only Hobson’s choice, what can be done to minimize the damage or help us to turn disadvantages into advantages? This article is not meant to be an exhaustive one. A better understanding of the choices and the decisions we have to make from time to time will give us a better understanding of what to expect and what to do.

Innovativeness , Creativity and Entrepreneurship

People who are not decisive often complain that they have no choice. This is not true. If only we use our mind and think hard enough we can always see many options. Whether we choose any of these options is another matter. Much depends on our own capability to handle the situations. Whenever I find myself in this situation of uncertainty and passionate enough to want something done I tell myself “I will find a way or I will make one”. This approach often works for me. Most people would not want to stand in my way when I am in that mood. I got myself out of many difficult situations and predicaments using this approach by creating new options or opportunities for myself and others. The question is how does one generate ideas or options? The process of finding new ways of doing things involves creativity and risk sometimes called entrepreneurship. Because of the risks of failure, which can be very costly, most people shy away from being creative or entrepreneurial. This is a pity. Few knew that they can be innovative by modifying and improving what are already in existence. The risks are smaller. I started my life and research career through innovation, making things better, be more productive or more safe for myself professionally. After that I progress from there.

Creativity and entrepreneurship are two different things. One can be creative without having to take much risk especially when you can find someone wealthy, powerful and famous to back you. Only a few lucky ones can do this. To be able to take personal risks involving reputation or image, career and finance which can affect not only your own life but that of your family and others requires more of us. Until the common question on whether entrepreneurship is born or made is settled there will always be controversy on how to be a successful entrepreneur. The best way is to ask those whom we consider as successful risk takers to tell their tales which may inspire us to take more risks. Our media is doing quite a bit on this now. In the meanwhile I am still trying to understand how successful entrepreneurs are made. I have to make many decisions in my life. Whether this qualifies me to be an entrepreneur is for others to decide. I have done some successful ventures and some not so successful ones. Perhaps if I am to narrate some of my personally feelings during these various stages of my life on these various projects I did, some lessons can be learned from them.

Never be impulsive in decision making.

Impulsive decision-making is not a strength especially when you do not have sufficient information or knowledge to handle what you have on hand. It is true one cannot expect to have all the knowledge one needs before he starts to decide. Most people will have the knowledge and skill to do the routine. When you have something out of the ordinary what would you do? When I was a young professional officer (a Chemist), I had to muster everything I had to trouble shoot and provide the solutions. We were judged by our ability to solve these problems. This differentiates the men from the boys. I have done much trouble shooting when I was young. I did not have much guidance in the colonial days. Examples of some of the cases I had to handle will follow. This included the Barley Poisoning Outbreak in Singapore in Sept 1959 where 8 children died and many were hospitalized and Singapore panicked for a few days. I have reported this incident in my blog on 9th July 2007. Having to make decisions of this nature can be quite nerve wrecking.

When I became head of department and chairmen of some statutory boards the decisions I had to make were very different form those I had to make as a young officer in the laboratories. I will say more about this subject on how to differentiate between policy and professionalism in my later articles. This issue, if not properly clarified, can cause a lot of confusion between a professional staff and his non professional manager. Where do we draw the line between professionalism and policies in decision making to avoid unnecessary frustration between all concerned and hinder the development of multi-disciplinary institutions which we are building.

Lee Kum Tatt

Decision making by young professionals- Mrs Lee's views

2007-08-15T17:14:00.000+08:00

When Kum Tatt was a young chemist in the early 1950’s he, like many others, liked to give of his best. He was quite idealistic. He could not understand why he was not allowed to do many of the things he liked to do which he considered as good for his work and for Science itself. “Research” then was supposed to be an activity which was to be encouraged but for some reasons or other never had the official support it deserves when it comes to funding and doing the projects. Kum Tatt had to devise his own ways and means to overcome these difficulties. He had the stamina and passion to pursue what he thought was right. He managed to publish many papers in international scientific journals without having to apply for special research funds for his work. How did he do that? It was tough going in the beginning but Kum Tatt managed to establish his credentials and had his approach accepted. He received a few thousand requests for reprints of his work even in the 1950’s. With time this helped him established himself as an authority in certain areas.

Even today some young professionals still find difficulties to get funding and support for their research. It is not uncommon to blame others for this. Perhaps the initial approaches are not correct. The researchers’ credentials are not yet established to command the trust and support they deserve. Who’s fault can this be? How can this be corrected ?

Being the first hospital physicist in Singapore and the only local lady University don in physics for many years, I experienced the same difficulties in getting funding for the research or work I wanted to do. I had to find my own way in helping myself and others in doing what I wanted to do. I spent several years helping SISIR in building the Non Destruction Testing facilities and the industrial application of radio isotopes in Singapore to meet the needs of our important metal, aerospace, refineries, shipbuilding, construction industries and even our PSA (Port of Singapore Authority). Today Singapore has the strongest Non Destructive Testing facilities in the region and many of our graduates are employed in these activities.

Kum Tatt ensured that I was not paid a single cent for my work. I benefited by the practical experiences which improved my teaching and had a few publications on my work in this area. This was done through the cooperation between SISIR and the University. If only more university staff could step forward, more could be done.

Perhaps we should study one of Kum Tatt’s quotes which guided him throughout his life. His quote is:

The world does not care for what you lack
It is interested only in what you have to offer.

People will pay only for what we have to offer to meet what they need. Do not expect too much before you deliver. The element of trust has to be developed. Kum Tatt’s article which follows is useful in this respect.

For me the experience of having to work with SISIR and others stretched me intellectually, professionally, emotionally and even physically for a lady but it gave me a career which is well worth the effort it takes to succeed.

Engeline Lee Eng Nio
(Mrs. Lee Kum Tatt)

Common Sense and Your Blue Roses

2007-08-04T17:48:00.001+08:00

NUS Commencement Address
9th July 2006
By Dr. Lee Kum Tatt

“Common Sense and Your Blue Roses”

I am honoured to be with you today on one of the red letter days of your life. I can feel the joy in your hearts, be you a graduate, a parent or loved one, or a University don. I have gone through these various positions myself - thrice as a graduate and a few times as a parent and grand father. I have taught science to medical, pharmacy and science undergraduates as well as supervising some M. Sc. and Ph. D. students for several years on an honorary basis. Seeing the students passing and doing well in life is a great reward by itself. Education is a noble profession and a good practice.

To the graduates I congratulate all of you for choosing Science as your specialty. Science is an area where Singapore’s competitiveness and future will depend. Many have contributed much towards making Singapore a science hub. You have been taught in one of the best Universities in the world, the NUS. You should be proud that you have joined the rank in being a man of Science in our new world.

Immediately after Singapore’s independence in 1965 it was decided that Singapore should go for a knowledge based economy with Science as one of the main pillars. Singapore’s only resource – the human resource, must be developed. The Singapore Science Council was formed. As the founder chairman of this Science Council I had to figure out how to tap, organize and expand the scientific human resources we had then and to build the infrastructure needed to help in the national development of Singapore. Our financial resources and network then were limited. It was quite a challenge for me and my colleagues to have to decide on what to do. I am sure you the graduates also have this very challenge in front of you now. What are you going to do now with what you have to give to get what you want?. Your future is in your own hands. You can start by taking a job that will require your science training and do the routine work that has to be done. If you want to progress faster and be able to do some of the things you like to do, you have to be different. You have to be innovative, creative and courageous. Like joining the university; if you did not attend the university courses you definitely will not get a University degree today. Even if you attend the University courses there was no guarantee that you will get the degree. Today you have shown that you have that X factor in you which drives you to take risk and you passed. Continue to have faith in yourself and dare to be an entrepreneur if you want to progress in the modern world. Your science training will stand you in good stead.

In the 1940’s science comprised of only Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. They are called the Exact Sciences. Today everyone is a scientist except a few artists who still take pride in belonging to the Art fraternity. Today we have the medical, biological, engineering, economics, social , political and even domestic scientists. The Exact Sciences which you have been taught involve the study of the chemical and physical nature of matter. You learn to ask questions on why, what and how things happen. You studied and develop laws, hypothesis and concepts to explain what you observed. Your experiments must be verifiable and reproducible.

The other type of scientists concentrates more on the study of the nature of Man and his behavior, a more unpredictable subject than the Exact Sciences. They also have their own laws and theories to explain what they think is happening around them. You know the economists’ law of diminishing returns. Do not put money in certain investments if you want to make more money. These non – exact scientists concentrate more on with whom, where and when to make things happen. For example many businessmen discovered the importance of the law on “Kwan Si” or good human relations. It is not what you know alone that matters but whom you know that counts. How can you take advantage of this law and with whom? Unlike the exact sciences these other laws border more on common sense. They exist and they affect you.

The exact sciences develop your I.Q. which you have. You need to develop your E.Q. further to get on in life, to work with others as a team and to rise from there.

As an Exact Scientist pursue your interests by all means. Be a pure research worker and try to learn more and more about the nature of matter. However do not neglect to understand the laws that govern the nature of Man if you want to succeed as a citizen of the world. With your scientific knowledge coupled with some common sense you will have a great advantage over others in the modern world.

When you are an undergraduate you have to do what you are told. So long as you can reproduce the results on experiments established by others (cook up some results if you have too) and reproduce in the examinations what you have been taught you will pass. When you do your Masters or Ph. D. degrees you will have to produce something “new”. You learn to innovate, to produce a modified compound or formulation, a better process or a better product. This training in research will give you a good grounding on how to “innovate” in your coming profession or career. How to progress beyond that to the creativity and invention stages requires much more. You have to know your own strength, what you are you at, and find your own niche. You have to find your way or have to make a new one to get to where you want to go. This requires common sense and courage which has to come from you. Believe you me it is great to be able to reach there.

I like to tell you two stories on how I use my common sense backed up by my scientific training to achieve what have to be achieved.

Story No. 1 First Law of Common Sense

The world is interested only in what you have to offer.
It does not care for what you lack.
Lee Kum Tatt

When we started to build our science infrastructure and manpower Singapore needed a lot of outside assistance in expertise, training of our people and finance to buy equipment. Singapore was not one of the 26 poorest countries in the world. We had no priority in getting aid from the United Nations or foreign aid giving agencies from USA, U.K., Canada, New Zealand and others. We had not only to compete with outsiders but also among some of our own local colleagues in other Ministries for these aids. Yet we managed to receive millions of dollars in aid ( foreign and local) in the form of expertise, training of our personnel and purchase of equipment in building some of our institutions which I was personally involved. These include :

(i) SISIR and the Quality Movement;

(ii) establishment of the Science Centre and the Science Park,

(iii) building the professional engineering and architecture departments of the Singapore Polytechnic which have now become the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Architecture and Building of the NUS.

(iv) Building of the Singapore Polytechnic and its technician courses.

These organizations have paved the way for the implementation of many new institutions, projects and schemes. These activities have played a highly contributive role and formed the essential foundation towards the making Singapore what it is today through the application of science and technology and the net working among the important segments of the country. They have created many jobs.

As graduates you are part of this system and you are expected to play your role to ensure that this system continues to grow for our own good and the good of our fellow men. For manpower development Singapore now has 4 very good Universities compared to the two small ones we had in the 1960’s. We have five Polytechnics instead of two in 1965 for the training of technicians. The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) is producing the craftsmen we need.

How did we get the assistance we lacked? We applied the First Law of Common Sense. We did not expect to get something by doing nothing. This is against the First Law of Thermodynamic. You cannot get something out of nothing. We discovered and offered to the aid agencies some of the things they wanted. We created projects which produced results which could also benefit other countries in the region and which the aid agencies were looking for. We offer what we had and we delivered what we promised. We never begged or demanded that others give us what we lack. As you start your profession and career, do not start by demanding and complaining that you are not getting what you think you deserve. Offer what you have, deliver and the rest will take care of itself.

Today we are fortunate to have the National Science & Development Board (NSDB) and now the A-Star to succeed the original Singapore Science Council. They have a few billion dollars to develop what we still lack.

Story No. 2 The Blue Rose.

Man does not live on bread alone.
He needs something to live for.

Man requires inspiration to take risks.

As Chairman of Singapore Science Council I attended an international conference in 1968 on “Science and The New Nations”. I was asked how Singapore would mobilize its people and resources to do R & D. Being a newly independent nation with no money, no natural resources, no tradition on R & D and only 1.6 million people this was a difficult question for me to answer. Off the cuff I told this story to illustrate what I proposed to do.

“There was once a small child with only one coin in his pocket. He went to buy himself a slice of bread. He saw a blue rose and he wanted it. He asked the shopkeeper whether he could have the rose as well and was prepared to take a smaller slice of bread. The shopkeeper thought this was rather unusual for a small child to want a rose when what he needed most was to have something to eat. The shopkeeper asked the boy why he wanted the rose so badly. The boy replied:

Madam , The bread is something I need to live on now. As a human being the rose reminds me that I always have something to live for. The small child got his rose and he led a full and meaningful life thereafter. I got off the hook with this story.

The moral of the story is that we must have our own Blue Roses as our inspiration. I have retold this story many times since. So I thought I should share it with you. We must have something that we love for which we are prepared to fight, sacrifice and even die for. These include our family, our special dreams, and our ideals. As true scientists our work must benefit our fellow man and not harm or destroy others by the wrong use of our work. This we must never allow to happen. My Blue Roses remind me of all these. My scientific publications and patents reflect my passion and commitment to R & D. My family is my most important Blue Rose to me. Most of my life’s work has been dedicated to the service of my fellow men. I hope that you will develop your own Blue Roses and that they will give you just as much joy, satisfaction and strength as mine gave to me. Unlike the other coloured roses that people give to their loved ones and friends the Blue Rose does not physically exist. It exists only in our Minds. You have to create them yourselves in your own minds. What are your Blue Roses?

Let me conclude by congratulating once again the graduates, parents, guardians and the university staff for a job well done. To the graduates with your newly acquired capability to offer what the world wants and with your own Blue Roses you should be able to have a bright and rewarding future.

Thank you , Gook Luck and God Bless You all.

Lee Kum Tatt
4 August 2007

Application of Laws of Chemistry to Our Everyday Life

2007-08-03T15:38:00.001+08:00

This Article is Meant for Amusement

This is part of a closing ceremony speech which I delivered at the first National Chemistry Week held on 23rd June 2007 at the NUS. The audience included members of the public, students and personnel of firms that had participated.

I am greatly honoured to be here to perform this closing ceremony for the First National Chemistry Week. The event is a great success. My grandchildren and friends told me how much they enjoyed themselves. My adult friends told me they enjoyed their visit to the Breweries, especially the free beers. Many Singaporeans know more about Chemistry now and what it can do for them.

I like to congratulate SNIC , the President Prof Andy Hor, the chairperson of the organizing committee Dr. Leong Lai Peng and all those involved for a job well done. I know how much work is involved. Let us give them all a big hand.

NUS has produced a brochure on Chemistry, The Central Science. I wish I had a copy of this brochure before I studied Chemistry in the University. I recommend those who are interested to study Chemistry or Science to get a copy of this brochure. It tells you everything you need to know about Chemistry. What you can learn, the courses and research activities now available, what the Department of Chemistry is like and even what you can expect your future to be with Chemistry. No one showed me this crystal ball during my time. I groped around finding my own niches.

Aim high with Chemistry. Hitch your wagon to a star. Chemistry and Singapore A-Star are good stars to hitch to. Your rewards are the “pies in the sky” that you can get. I am not here to sell you Chemistry, the magic pill that can cure all your ills. However I like to share with you the pleasures I had and enjoyed with Chemistry throughout my life. Chemistry has been my great teacher. Chemistry has taught me one great thing. Always make the Chemistry right and all will be well. Who are the best people to do that, making the Chemistry right, the Chemists of course. The theories and laws we study in chemistry are universally applicable if you know how to apply them. Let me give you some examples.

We have boys and girls everywhere; in our work places, in the universities and our communities. They are biologically compatible, they like to get married and yet many do not get married. Why? Even our government is worried and they have set up the SDU. The answer is quite simple. They have not got the chemistry right! Without getting the proper types of people (molecules) together, ensuring that the environments (the media, the pH, the temperature, the pressure, the catalysts required and the 5 C's etc) are right, no reactions will occur. I applied my knowledge of chemistry when I was courting my wife. It worked. I am sure you can make it work too with a little help from your knowledge of chemistry. This special reaction has to be done by you, yourself unless you can accept an arranged marriage with its attendant difficulties. Chemistry graduates can make good marriage counselors.

Making the chemistry right for people to cooperate with each other is very important and is good business. With proper networking we managed to get thousands of people to work together and raised millions of dollars for the various projects we did. If you can make the chemistry right, you can get what you want. Some people classified fund raising and marketing as an art. I believe it is more of a skill in chemistry where chemists can do very well. The Department of Chemistry should consider teaching this skill as a specialty and a topic for special research. Chemistry has discovered thousands of ways to make difficult reactions work. Why not apply this knowledge to solve real life problems. I am sure this will be a very popular course.

The chemists must not confine themselves to the laboratories alone. You cannot think outside the box when you are inside the box. Get out like what has been done during this National Chemistry Week. You are also needed outside the laboratories where you can catalyse and initiate actions that affect the lives of others. I know my grandchildren and their friends are very impressed by the activities you showed them.

Mathematics used to be the Queen of Science. Now, Chemistry is the King of Science. Its laws are universally applicable to so many things. As chemists we are proud of that. Chemistry has served us well. Let us support our King to deliver what is expected. Know more about chemistry, you can’t go wrong.

Lee Kum Tatt

Dr. Lee Kum Tatt blogs too

2007-08-03T15:35:00.000+08:00

Dr. Lee Kum Tatt blogs too
By Elia Diodati

“The world does not care for what we lack, It’s interested only in what we can offer.” - Dr. Lee Kum Tatt

I read yesterday on takchek’s blog that one of Singapore’s most prominent scientists, Dr. Lee Kum Tatt, now has his very own blog. Who is he and why is he prominent? The citation for his 2005 NUS Distinguished Alumni Award explains why.1
As one of Singapore’s very first homegrown scientists, Dr. Lee has chosen to write some form of informal memoirs on his blog about why he chose research as a career. The forwards by his wife Engeline and his friend Tan Kin Lian are often quite touching too. I found all of it to be very absorbing reading, such his vision for the RISIS gold-plated orchid, for which he must have struggled mightily against what appears to have been a ubiquitous climate of FUD and pessimism.

In particular, I found his experiences as a professional chemist in the final days of British colonial rule, resenting insinuations that the locals couldn’t possibly be as smart as proper British scientists, and always having to sit down and shut up, particularly noteworthy. If anything, Dr. Lee’s narratives confirm the existence what I have long suspected to be the pervasive colonial legacy of a collective inferiority complex that I have found to exist in contemporary Singapore.
We need people like Dr. Lee who dare to challenge the status quo when it is necessary to do so. For this reason I recommend all my readers to browse his collection of little vignettes.
References

Prime Minister’s Office (Singapore), National Honours and Awards, 8 August 2006
National University of Singapore, NUS Science Alumni: Distinguished Alumni Award 2005 - Dr Lee Kum Tatt, BBM, PPA(E), PPA(P), 22 May 2007
Lee Kum Tatt, “Ask the great questions“, 14 April 2007
Lee Kum Tatt, “Making The Incredible Credible“, 1 May 2007
Lee Kum Tatt, “Challenging Selected Myths“, 20 May 2007
Lee Kum Tatt, “My passion for research“, 5 June 2007
Lee Kum Tatt, “Fighting Boredom and Insult“, 6 June 2007
Lee Kum Tatt, “Research During The Colonial Days.“, 11 June 2007
Footnotes

In his citation, Dr. Lee’s name carries the honorifics BBM, PPA(E) and PPA(P), which respectively stand for Bintang Bakti Masyarakat, or The Public Service Star, Pingat Pentadbiran Awam (Emas), or The Public Administration Medal (Gold) and Pingat Pentadbiran Awam (Perak), or The Public Administration Medal (Silver).↩

Why Blog And For Whom?

2007-08-03T15:34:00.001+08:00

Some of my friends and my family feel that I have done something in my life which can still be of benefit to others. Twelve years ago my wife and I started writing our memoirs meant for our immediate family only. This decision still stands. Now I have been persuaded to share some of what I have written on my thoughts and experiences with others.

What Science can do for us.

When we were young we learned, promoted, taught and applied science for our own development and that of our fellow men and Singapore. In the process we touched the lives of many people and vice versa. We have plenty materials in the form of printed matters, scientific publications, reports, magazines, newspaper cuttings, published speeches, keynote addresses, photographs etc on some of the work we did. The interesting part is not the compilation of our publications or the collection of photographs but the discovery of what motivated us to do what we did. How did we overcome the many uncertainties and obstacles we met on the way? In this process we got to know ourselves better; our values, our philosophy, our culture and even our character. In short we learned what is important to us and to others too. These are abstracts which are difficult to define but important to know so that we can conduct ourselves better to achieve the peace we want with others and our surroundings. We learned the science of human nature (the nature of Man) which we were never taught when we were learning the hard sciences (the nature of Matter) like Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics and their applications. We tried to integrate the two sciences to lead our lives. It has been satisfying.

We have gone through the changes of a science student, teacher, research worker, manager/administrator and beneficiary of science. Every metamorphosis change creates uncertainties and can cause crisis of varying degree to different people. To many they like to know how to handle their middle age crisis where their families’ interests also come in. To some a change of research topic or job can cause them a lot of disruption and discomfort. To others even holding on to their job becomes a bore and a chore. How I wished that I could have someone with experience to tell me what to do, to expect or not to expect when I was going through these changes. At least I am comforted to know that I am not alone in my “sufferings”. Others too faced similar problems. They survived with their “never say die” attitude strengthened. We should be able to do no less. I found this often works for me too. It is for these reasons, and these reasons alone that I was persuaded to contribute to this blog.

The subject I will deal with in this blog will essentially be on S & T and how its learning and application can affect our lives as we and others have experienced it. It is not easy to write articles to cater for such a wide range of audience from students to practitioners and all those affected by the ever changing scientific environment we are in. I am now in my golden years (80 years) and I have no “koh yeok” ( Chinese medicinal plaster that is supposed to relief most pains) to sell. So please read my articles for what they are worth.

Our Philosophy - Science For Everybody

2007-08-01T00:18:00.000+08:00

Our philosophy was that Science affects everybody, therefore science must be made to be everybody’s business for the betterment of our society. Many of us at one time or another have encouraged others to engage in positive activities with passion and commitment to make their contributions. How to make people accept this approach has always been our challenge.

It is part of human nature to want to do some good deeds for others, to be noticed, respected and accepted by our peers and members of our community. We have to give our people opportunities to do this in their own way. In return we must give credit where it is due and show our appreciation and recognition for the contributions our people made. What we could give in return was not much but it was enough to attract many to participate in our various programmes and projects.

Not every one celebrated when Singapore became an independent nation in 1965. Many were really worried about the future. The challenges we faced were formidable and daunting. Political freedom alone would not provide us with the type of life we want. Political freedom with all the slogans of the day could not give us freedom from poverty and diseases. We could not even get jobs during the Japanese occupation and immediately after the war. Political independence is great but how are we to continue to survive and pursue the ideals as represented by our National Flag? .

Independence was a real wake up call for many of us. We could not accept certain conditions. We were too proud to beg or to live on charity. Many of us have lived through World War II and its aftermath. We knew what things were like at its worst. We survived and were confident that we can do it again. We must not fail as this would be a let down to ourselves, our families, our ideals and our country. We could not live with ourselves if we fail. This was the spirit that kept many of us going.

We realized that unlike the newly developing countries the rich and powerful nations have highly developed science and technology (S&T) capabilities which they applied successfully for their economic and national development. S & T resides in human beings. We can build our S & T capabilities by building up our human resources. This was made one of our national priorities, the development of S & T manpower.

The next important thing is to make our people work together for some common missions. In tiny Singapore making people work together should be easier than in big countries. This made Singapore what it is today. How did we do it? This is best illustrated by the individual successful activities, projects and institutions we have built. In this many people are involved and they have their own tales to tell in every case.

If these people can tell of their experiences, their challenges and their feelings of success they will help encourage and inspire others to do the same without undue fear of failure which often is the cause many are held back from action.

Yes, it is true that when something becomes everybody’s business, it can become nobody’s business. Singapore is good in getting important parties to work together. We need more people who know how to do this. Having high IQ individuals alone is not enough. We must have people with good EQ besides being street wise so that we can be accepted and trusted by those we work with. We also need more people who are passionate and dare to do what they believe in. This is something worth striving for – more quality people and not just more people alone. Some of the projects we did and the challenges we faced will be discussed in the coming articles.

Lee Kum Tatt

Importance of Philosophy in Development

2007-08-01T00:17:00.001+08:00

Dr Lee Kum Tatt believes that to start anything new and worthwhile one must have a good philosophy to start with especially when one has to work with many other people in the process. This philosophy is required in formulating macro policies from which the changing micro policies with goals and other indicators can be planned and set. How to promote Science and Quality to the people of Singapore is something that Dr. Lee has taken the lead to do in the early days of Singapore’s independence. How to stir up the emotions of the people he served and make them commit passionately to do what has to be done is an art in itself. The promotion and development of science & technology, manpower and quality of our manufacturing & service industries are good examples of what can be done when driven by good philosophy and good leadership.

I must admit that often we could not see where Kum Tatt was heading in the beginning of some of his projects. With time we begin to see the wisdom in what he does. This is one of the reasons why we encourage him to put some of his thoughts and experiences in writing so that others may get something out of it. Take them for whatever they are worth.

Engeline Lee Eng Nio
(Mrs. Lee Kum Tatt)

A science pioneer and his dilemmas

2007-08-01T00:15:00.001+08:00

The NUS Faculty of Science will be celebrating its 80th anniversary next year. Many friends have asked me whether I will say something about the development of Science in Singapore for the benefit of those who aspire to be scientists of the future.

Science affected my entire life and I have a very intimate relationship with it. I hope I have also done something for Science in return especially for Singapore and its people if not for Science itself. My relation with science was not one of “Love at first sight” affair. When I was a boy I was interested in science more out of childish curiosity than personal interest. I studied science on a Raffles scholarship in the University because I needed something to earn a living. A science diploma would enable me to get a good job as a teacher then. During my undergraduate years I developed an interest in research and an urge to get a higher degree. To be addressed a doctor with a Ph. D. was something I found difficult to resist. I could do it, why not? I obtained a Shell Research Fellowship to do my Ph. D.

Although Science affects every aspects of our lives not many of us know :

(i) How Science was introduced and how it helped Singapore to develop.

(ii) What and when were the significant policies introduced?

(iii) How were these ideas and policies implemented; who were the people and sectors involved and who contributed to it?

(iv) What were the impacts these actions had on Singapore?

(iv) What is the present position of science like and what can we expect of the future?

(v) What can others learn from Singapore’s experience?

(vi) What were the risks and difficulties encountered and how were they overcome?

These are questions and information commonly asked for, that many would like to know. No one person can answer all these questions because each would have seen and done things differently depending on their own perspectives, capabilities, responsibilities and the environment at the time.

However most people will agree that Singapore has not done too badly given the environment and the limited resources it has. Indeed others can learn something from our experience. If more of our people can come out and tell their own stories and organize themselves we may have something to show and teach the world on how we industrialized our country in less than half a century something which Europe’s Industrial Revolution, with all its resources and political power, took more than two centuries to achieve.

Technologies and the environment may keep changing but there are some basic values which made us what we are as a people. These include our culture, our ideals, our philosophies, our traditions and the things that make us proud to be what we are. We must never lose or change some of these basic values we possess. We must identify what these are and strengthen ourselves wherever possible. This is what made certain societies strong and great.

Most of these basic factors are abstracts which build our faith, our confidence and our trust in ourselves and in our fellowmen so essential for any society’s stability and strength to grow. On the macro policy level we must avoid brushing aside everything in the name of pragmatism and the need for change. This can be dangerous to our society as a whole in the long run. The micro level like culture and values which affect many on the ground are just as important.

We are occupied with ephemeral interests like promoting science, training the necessary manpower for jobs, building the institutions and making money by helping our industries and our country grow.

Fifty years ago not much of these activities were done. Some people may laugh at the things we did just like some will smile at the attempts of the early alchemists who tried to change everything into gold. People will not smile at our endeavour to build the scientific spirit of enquiry and research because the benefits are lasting. By themselves our efforts may be insignificant because we did not produce a Nobel Prize winner or a famous inventor like Thomas Edison or Alexander Fleming.

However I believe our combined efforts, past, present and future, in this direction should stand out like a lighthouse in the misty and turbulent sea of conflicting interests around us. Our ability to network and work together should form the foundation for our future and should be strengthened. I and my colleagues hope that this spirit of enquiry and cooperation will endure for centuries to come, standing serene and bright and letting its lights shine before all Man. This is my hope and my dream.

These articles are attempts on my part to tell some of the things my colleagues and I did during our time and the philosophy adopted trying to make science help in the development of Singapore. We faced many dilemmas and challenges and we solved them the best we could. It is our hope that some will find our experience interesting and encouraging if not inspiring too.

Lee Kum Tatt

Quote of the Day

2007-07-23T22:55:00.000+08:00

On 02 April 07 I posted an article in my block on “How to be Creative”. I discovered that somebody very kindly took out a statement I made and called it “Quote of the Day.”

The quote is “The greatness of a person can only emerge when he has shown his ability to create, passion to pursue, courage to commit and capability to achieve”.

His comments were: Two questions (may be four) that might follow from the quote,

1. Do I want to be great?
2. Do I agree? Does it really have to show? To whom?

MY REPLY:

It is part of human nature to want to be noticed for what one has done. This does not mean that everyone wants to be “great”. It is also a good practice for any individual or community to show appreciation to those who have contributed or done a good deed. This is part of our culture which we should retain. Much is being done at present in this direction. The question is can we do more? Do we always know how to do what has to be done and to whom. What criteria can we adopt without causing contradictions?

We know that “Some people are born great. Others have greatness thrust upon them.” My quotation describes those who have earned their “greatness” many of whom never worked for this status. These include national awards, professional recognition, community honours etc. In the past “great” men were only recognized posthumously. I like to suggest that more of our unsung heroes who have contributed in whatever field should be acknowledged while they are still alive. This will encourage more people to be creative and contribute for the betterment of our society.

Thanks for the comments.

Lee Kum Tatt

The Days When Singapore Panicked - Part 2

2007-07-19T21:59:00.000+08:00

Outbreak of Barley Poisoning

The Queenstown constituency where many deaths occurred had Dr. Lee Siew Choh as their Member of Parliament from the PAP party. Dr. Lee was also the Political Secretary of the Ministry of Health which my Department reported to. Naturally he and everybody else wanted to know who was really responsible and how to get compensation for the deaths of the eight children and the illness caused to the other people. I was again given the task of finding the answer with the Ministry’s backing.

Could the Parathion come from (i) spaying in the field or (ii) could it be a contamination from the ship’s hold on way to Singapore or (iii) contamination from the local shops. We examined several bags of barley and found that only those with a certain marking were found to be contaminated with the poison. Some were very badly soaked. Barley with different markings or from cans were not affected. Further investigation showed that this consignment came from a European cargo boat. With the cooperation of the local European Embassy we were informed that the particular cargo boat would be going to Miri, Sarawak, for fuel on a Saturday. I flew to Miri with the First Secretary of the European Embassy and waited for 10 days for the boat that never came. I was supposed to question the captain and examine the boat’s log books. Could the ship’s captain or owner have been tipped off ? This, we would never know.

When the boat did not turn up after five days I wanted to come home. My ministry did not allow this and I had to stay on until my personal funds were exhausted. That was 10 days in the one horse town of Miri. We showed that we did everything possible to find the ones responsible. The boat never turned up in Miri.

What were my feelings towards this case? I was happy that I rose to the occasion and had isolated and identified the poison so quickly. More important I confirmed that the killer was in the barley and it was the deadly insecticide Parathione which was prohibited for use in Singapore. My only regret was that we did not succeed in finding who was really responsible. At least we could then get some compensation for the bereaved families. Our consolation was that we did everything possible under the circumstances.

No doubt I am very proud of the way this case was handled. The tension was very great and I am glad I survived it all. It showed that with some common sense and a little courage to do something different, or even absurd, can help a lot. I must have smelled a lot of the fumes from the extracts and felt very dazed for a few days that followed. But I am satisfied I rose to the occasion. I learned how uneasy it was for the head that wore the crown. Yet someone has to wear it.

I am grateful my medical colleagues provided the help I needed. Under these circumstances I was able to do more than my normal duty. That was the satisfaction I had from this case. This taught me the need for good networking and that multidisciplinary approach is important to solving life’s problems. Any undue delay on my part would have caused many dearly. We had not only pinpointed the barley as the culprit but also identified the ‘Killer” insecticide. We managed to calm a panic stricken public in time and saved many traders thousands of dollars and possibly many lives. I had done my best and my only regret was that I could not help in finding the captain of the European cargo boat guilty of negligence. Otherwise at least the families of the deceased children would have got some form of compensation. I could not have solved this case without the help of so many people, particularly the police and my medical colleagues and my staff. These people are some of our unsung heroes and we have many of them to thank for solving this case so fast.

Recently we have SARS and bird flu for the past few years. We have yet to find a solution to solve these problems. This showed how serious some incidents can be. Luckily we managed to solve our “Barley Poisoning” outbreak in record time for which we are proud. The incident taught me that we must do everything possible to nip the problem in the bud. A lot depended on ourselves and our attitude towards the work to be done. We must be confident and not be afraid to try to do what we think is right. If we were not pro active and positive we might cause some very serious consequences to ourselves and to others in the process especially when one is professionally in charge of the project. I learned many lessons from this case which affected my life and the lives of many others, especially those who are doing research and have something to do with solving problems. I will share some of these lessons I learned in Part Three of this series and discussed how I did what I did.

Lee Kum Tatt

The Days When Singapore Panicked - Part 1

2007-07-19T21:56:00.000+08:00

On the morning of Monday 7 September 1959 I found two excited police officers waiting for me in the Government Department of Chemistry where I worked. They informed me that there were eight deaths involving children and 31 others had been admitted to the General Hospital on Sunday 6 September 1959. The affected families were 22 from the Queenstown-Alexandra area, three from Victoria Street, 2 from Silat Road and one each from the old Kallang Airport area, Lavender Street, Geyland and Braddell Road. The territorial spread was quite wide. The children’s ages ranged from 4 months to 16 years old.

It was obvious the children must have taken some kind of poison or toxin, but nobody knew what these were or where they came from. Understandably the families were too distraught to say much to the police or the press. There was not much of a lead we could follow. I had to assume that the cause of death must have come from the food they took. I requested the police to find out what food they had taken and we would try to put the pieces together and start from there. Three families said that their children had taken some home made barley drinks besides other kinds of food. That was the only common lead we had to work on. Our job was to identify the source of poisoning as soon as possible to prevent further deaths. To be sure we must isolate and confirm the poison/s responsible. This was not easy under the circumstances. If it is botulism or toxin it is outside the scope of the chemists to detect these toxins. The other common poisonous chemicals like cyanides, arsenic, carbon monoxide or some alkaloids were not considered as likely candidates. Our only clue was that the children could have been killed by the barley drinks. Ridiculous and far fetch this suggestion might be we had to make some kind of statement to calm the public.

The ministries of Health and National Development were in constant contact with us throughout the day to find out whether we had found anything. I felt the pressure to get results. Unfortunately even my director could not give me any advice on what to do. I had to use my initiative and judgment on how best to proceed. I had a new chemist Mr. Theng Chye Yam and two laboratory assistants,the late Mr. Pwee Sai Cheow and Mr. Ng Hon Wing to assist in the extraction of the possible poison/s from the various types of food that the police had collected . We also had the stomachs of the deceased children and several stomach washouts from those who were still in hospital. I decided to work on some 15 samples of food rounded up from the families. By then it was already well passed lunch time. We informed the Ministries that barley appeared to be a possible source of poisoning although we did not know for sure how the poison could have been associated with such a common and harmless drink like barley. Under the circumstances the Government accepted our postulation (absurd as this may seem at the time) and issued a general statement warning the public to stay away from barley until the investigation was completed. Our responsibility was a heavy one. Under the circumstances we were expected to say something and we have to make a calculated guess. What if we were wrong? This was a terrible thought I dared not even entertain. I was a young chemist, my image could be affected and that of the new PAP self Government too. I realized that I had to pull out everything I had to provide the answers whatever happened. Many eyes were focused on me and I must not fail. Brave words but how was I to do what had to be done?

At that point in time I did not know how long it would take to pin point the source of poison and confirm what it was. I was not even certain that the poison/s could be found or be identified from the samples we had. Because of the announcement many who had taken some barley sought admissions into hospitals .They had their stomachs washout and we in the laboratory were flooded with such samples. Such panic response was not unexpected. They did not however help in our investigation.

Amidst this confusion and excitement I was at a loss of where to start and the pressure to produce results was very great. I knew that normal chemical investigation and identification of unknowns like this would take a long time. We may not even have any results at the end of it all. I went home that day at 10.00 pm , exhausted.

The nest day I decided to use white mice for the test on the 15 extracts where the poison could possibly be found. This was not a normal way a chemist work. I was never thought to be an orthodox person anyway. I had very few choices and the pressure to produce results was great. Professor Shumagaratnam of the Department of Pathology provided me with some white mice. I injected one mouse and it died instantly. Hurrah,! I exclaimed, only to be told that the mouse may have died due to trauma caused by me in injecting it. I then injected the extracts into numerous small pieces of cheese and fed them to the mice. It must have been common sense that made me do what I did. Luck was with me. After a few minutes one of the mice dropped dead. I repeated the experiment and obtained the same results on another mouse. Eureka, I shouted. The poison that killed the mice was from a barley extract.! We had not misled the Government, and the Government had not misled the people by their announcements. That released part of the pressure I had the day before.

I still did not know what to look for in that particular extract. I talked to the late Dr. Quah Quee Guan, Head of the East Pediatric Unit of the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

She told me that certain muscular activities of the patients were affected which responded to atropine injections. This indicated that the poison, whatever it was, exhibited an anti-cholinesterase reaction to produce the observed symptoms.

It was already 7 pm on Tuesday 8th September 1959. . I was the only one left in the Department. I called the late Professor Robert Lin, Head of the Department of Pharmacology of the University. He was happy to assist me to check on anti-cholinesterase activity using a rabbit aorta, a standard experiment for medical students. By 9.00 pm we confirmed that the extract from the barely contained this poison which could have caused the death of the children.

What poison could this be ? I had to make a guess again. There were many possibilities. I chose to zero in on Florinated organo-phosphate insecticides. The insecticides, which Singapore imported in those days such as marathione, were not known to be that poisonous unless taken in large quantities. I decided to look for Parathione although I was not sure how this could have got into the barley. Furthermore Parathione was banned in Singapore then. Nevertheless I proceeded through the night and confirmed the presence of Parathione in the barley extracts by chemical methods on the morning of 9th September. An announcement was immediately made that the “killer’ has been found at 10.00 a.m. on Wednesday 9th September . The public anxiety which had been raised to a frenzy had at least been partially settled with this confirmation. I felt very good and much relieved but the stress and the fumes from parathione knocked me out for a few days after that.

I worked on the stomachs of the children, and confirmed the presence of Parathione .

After that I left the testing of the other extracts from the remaining food to Mr. Theng and my two other laboratory assistants. As I expected they got negative results from the more than 40 samples of other food taken from the families. This confirmed that we had not missed anything out.

After that the important issue to be settled quickly was how to control the barley containing the killer from being consumed and killing more people. Some suggested destroying all barley stock then available in Singapore. This was a panic measure which we advised against as it would cost the traders a lot of money. How then were we supposed to handle the situation? Who would be made responsible should we make a mistake? What if more people die? This was one time when I really felt the responsibility of my work and its pressure. We managed to solve it in record time by shear good luck and with the cooperation of some many kind people. I could not have solved the problem using pure chemistry alone. I learned many lessons from this experience and how to make my I.Q, E.Q. and A.Q. work together to achieve what we have to achieve.

The Government kept on announcing through the various media not to take barley until further investigations were completed. That was sufficient to stop people from buying and taking barley.

In the meanwhile working with the police, we rounded several samples of barley from shops in the affected areas. We noticed that only barley bearing certain markings on their gunny bags was found to contain the insecticide. Some bags were badly soaked with the insecticide. It was then obvious that only a certain batch of barley was the culprit. We recommended all remaining barley from that particular consignment be rounded up and destroyed. There was no resistance or negative response from the public on this issue.

What happened in Singapore also affected the Federation of Malaya. Several Federal Government health statements were reported by all State Health Departments. They also advised their public not to consume barley in any form until investigations are completed. Kuala Lumpur also reported 4 supposedly barley poison cases.

The question still remained to be answered was “ How did the poison get into the barley ?”

Who should be responsible for the deaths of our children? Please see Part Two on this series.

Lee Kum Tatt

Classification of Research Activities

2007-06-27T09:21:00.001+08:00

It is prestigious to be a research worker. Ask any research worker what they are doing and you will be surprised at the replies you receive. Some will tell you the high powered activities they are doing. Others will tell you how boring and even frustrating their work is. Ask the students whether they would be interested in doing research, the general reply is “it depends on what they are expected to do and the prospects.” People are generally not clear why they are doing their research and the prospects of the jobs. Happy are those who know what they are doing.

After years of involvement in the various types of research activities I have found the following definition and classification to be useful.

1. What is “Research”

2. Can it be classified so that the importance of the results can be rated.

True research is a quest driven by a specific question or problem which needs an answer or solution. Research activities are expected to answer questions of what, why and how. The first part answers the philosophical aspect of the question “what and why” are we doing the research for? Most of the famous wise men of ancient times are philosophers. They propounded theories e.g. the atomic, germ, gravity, electricity and many others and proved these theories are correct by further observations (experimental development or science). Even the “wise men” of modern times are known as doctors of Philosophy (Ph.D.).

The second part, the scientific aspect, is the more popular part nowadays. This part answers the questions of what and how the research results can and should be used to ensure that the activities will carry on.

For the purpose of this article we will confine ourselves to the scientific aspects of the questions and problems. The scientific and technological (S & T) activities can be divided into five categories namely:

* Basic or academic research
* Strategic research
* Mission oriented research
* Applied research or trouble shooting
* Routine work involving the use of some S & T knowledge

To understand what true research means to us we must know the reasons why we are doing what we are doing. Should there be more than one reason we must know the priorities and goals we set for ourselves. It can be tough to be faced with the problem of having to make money first instead of just producing the scientific results. It will take time to convert new knowledge into money. To be able to convert knowledge into funds is a specialty by itself. People who can produce research results and produce funds at the same time are difficult to find. These technopreneurs do not need us. We need them. This is one of our problems. However people like prospects and tenure in what they do. For a good researchers to be considered an authority in his field he needs continuity. This takes time to build and this often the main passion in their lives. How are they to get the support and funds they require? Are we promoting and providing enough funds to encourage research in our society for our own good?

I will confine Research as the creation of new science and technological (S & T) knowledge which can be used to confirm hypothesis or predictions that can be tested.

What are the main reasons for doing the various types of research?

a. Basic or academic research is the pursuit of knowledge for knowledge sake without any assumptions as to what the results may lead to. This type of research is usually done in universities whose functions include the generation of knowledge to teach the future generations. Funding such research depends on government policies.

b. Strategic research is the pursuit of new knowledge which might have practical application but without a precise view of the nature of the application or its timescale. This type of research involves big and forward looking organizations and even individuals to prepare themselves for the future. Such research can be risky but also can be very rewarding.

c. Mission orientated Research is knowledge specially developed with specific objectives in mind. These types of research usually involve and are funded by industries that like to convert new knowledge into products, process or technologies for their businesses.

d. Applied research or trouble shooting is a combination of existing knowledge required to solve an immediate problem in hand or to improve methods, processes and products. This type of research may be short lived but the results can be published in many scientific journals. Such research requires real knowledge and good skills to solve. The funding usually comes from the normal budget.

e. Routine work requiring S & T knowledge.

Some do not consider this type of work as research activities. Such activities do not require “specialists” or professionals to perform under the law, but skilled people are still required. Such work can throw up a lot of problems and potential projects that need to be solved.

Singapore has invested heavily in building a knowledge based industry. We have invested a lot in manpower and infrastructure development. The success of our effort in this exercise will depend on how well we can make use of our investment to deliver what we expected it to do. We have started some good research but much more needs to be done. How to assist those interested and ensure that they will not be unnecessarily hindered will continue to be our challenge. It will help to have some knowledge of the types of research we can and should do.

Basic or academic research and Strategic research do not produce results that can generate cash immediately. People find it easier to support Mission oriented and Applied research. We must widen the visions of some people so that more research can be done.

Lee Kum Tatt

What is research?

2007-06-21T10:21:00.000+08:00

What is Research
How is it initiated and managed

This is a hot subject particularly among the students, researchers, public and private people and organizations that have to be involved, find the funds and manage these activities.

There is no accepted definition of what constitutes Research. There are many books and theses written on this subject. The term “Research” has caused a lot of confusion and controversies to students, researchers and people in general. My own idea of what research is, changed with time and experience over the last 55 years. In the process I have made my own definitions of Research to guide me and give me the focus I needed to handle Research as my profession and career. This helped me to compare apples with apples and pears with pears.

What I am going to say on Research is based on my experience as :

* a Ph.D. student
* a Chemist doing routine work and trouble shooting
* Head of Department with responsibilities to provide medical laboratory services to our hospitals.
* Chairman and CEO of SISIR helping our industries grow through provisions of S & T (scientific and technological) and R & D (research and development) services.
* Chairman and CEO of Singapore Science Council to promote R & D activities and S & T manpower development.
* Chairman of private companies where research is required to expand and stay relevant and competitive.
* As an individual working on projects of personal interests.

I have produced a simple chart based on my definition of Research and my classification of the types of research we can do. This has helped me in my work. This chart will be given in the coming articles. With the examples I am going to give it is hoped that some people will find the information useful. Research always starts through a question or problem. How some of the projects were initiated, implemented and managed differ from case to case. These are information many have asked me for many times in my life.

Lee Kum Tatt

Research & Managing Research - reply

2007-06-19T08:13:00.001+08:00

QUESTION:

Could you talk about the difference between doing research and managing research ?

REPLY:

The question you raised cannot be answered without defining

a. what research means to you and the objectives of the projects you are involved in.

b. your personal position in the project and how much is your personal involvement.

Are you just a scientifically qualified individual given an assignment, a member of a research team, leader of a research team, head of an organization that needs to do research, head of an institution responsible for promoting and funding research without being personally involved in the nitty gritty of the research activities.

What you have to do depends on where you stand. I have held and experienced most of the positions described above, starting as

1. a research student,

2. a staff doing routine work and trouble shooting,

3 a head of department with its responsibilities to provide services to our hospitals

4. Chairman of SISIR helping Singapore to develop through its industries,

5. Founder Chairman of Singapore Science Council to promote R & D activities and

S & T manpower development.

6. CEO of companies where research is required to expand or stay relevant.

7. As an individual working on projects of personal interest.

Research has given me lots of joy but also not without some pain. I like to encourage people to do research and share with them what can be in store for them. I have tasted some of the “pies in the sky”. They are nice and enjoyable rewards but the ride to get there can be bumpy. Research can give many of us lots of pleasure and joy. However it is not the “koh yeoh” ( Chinese herbal medicinal plaster) that some people try to sell as something that can heal all ills. Some of the passed and the coming articles in my blog are written to encourage more people to do research in spite of the difficulties. This is what we need for Singapore. Take them for whatever they are worth to you.

Lee Kum Tatt

Quantitive Determination - reply

2007-06-19T08:12:00.001+08:00

COMMENT:

I do not know too much about QA techniques used here but was there any problem with usuing ETDA chelation + UV-vis spectrophotometry of some sorts? Or were the amounts too small even for that ?

REPLY:

The incident I referred too happened in 1954. The technology was not as sophisticated then as it is now with modern instrumentation. The problem consisted of three parts:

a. the separation of Lead and Copper ions from the unholy organic mixtures in wine and the high sugar content in it for analysis.

b. the quantitative determination of these elements is from 0 to 1.5 parts per million in wine..

c. the strong urge to do something to improve the method then in use and face the consequences to make the change.

The first part, the isolation of the elements, gave us the greatest problem. I just used an ion exchange resin Zeocarb 226 to absorb the ions from the organic mess. This was new in those days. It was so easy but nobody thought of it or dared to try it.

The second part was not a problem. There were sufficient methods including the ones you mentioned, even in those old days to easily determine the amounts of Lead & Copper present.

The third part is the important point I tried to make. If you dare not think out of the box or overcome obstacles in your way, you will be stuck.

Again this is another incident where we can use our Mind, which I believe is a force , to do simple things which can lead to bigger things to come.

Lee Kum Tatt

Overcoming the fear factor - reply

2007-06-19T08:10:00.000+08:00

COMMENT

From having a fear of death to becoming a forensic chemist. Talk about meeting your fears head on. Respect.

REPLY:

Thank you. Everyone has some fears of his/her own which inhibit them from doing many things they would like to do. These fears include threats to their physical health (getting hurt or sick), financial losses or emotional upsets. It is important that we overcome these fears to become more innovative, creative, entrepreneurial and be ourselves. Every success helps strengthen our mind and give us greater confidence to tackle other fears we have. This is life. It has been mine. More people should share their experiences of how they overcome some of their fears with others. This can help encourage, if not inspire, others to do the same. I will continue to do my small part in this respect in this blog and in my life.

Lee Kum Tatt

Look for Solutions, Not Scapegoat - Picture

2007-06-17T20:03:00.000+08:00

Look for Solutions Not Scapegoats

2007-06-17T05:53:00.000+08:00

To Say Sorry Is A Sign Of Strength
And Not Weakness

It is so easy to point fingers at others. It is so difficult for many to say sorry even though they have made obvious mistakes.

Many feel that saying sorry is an admission of guilt. In our present day world, one can be sued for saying sorry too readily. Even children nowadays find it difficult to say the word “sorry” to their parents and siblings for being naughty or fighting among themselves. How did we reach this stage which is changing the culture and basic values of our society?

Some people are good at acquiring authority whilst avoiding responsibilities. These people set bad examples for others to follow. It is so refreshing to meet individuals who can say “sorry” and take responsibilities for what they have done. This has prevented small misunderstandings from blowing up into big ones.

This was how I was brought up. We must be responsible for what we do. I live by his philosophy. Be sincere, then people will act likewise to you. In this way I enjoy the confidence, trust and faith from the people I work with. Because of this I have peace of mind. I made many trusted friends without whom I could not have done many of the things I did. We used our combined energy to find solutions and not waste it in looking for scapegoats. Let us help to stop our society from sliding into the “Kiasu” ( fear of loosing) slope of no return for our society. The world will be such a better place to live in.

I like to share a cartoon which I asked my staff, the late Mr. Tan Huey Peng to make when I was chairman of SISIR in 1969. It hanged on my office wall then and now it is hanging in my home. It reminds me what I must do.

Lee Kum Tatt
16 June 2007

Overcoming the Fear Factor

2007-06-13T18:52:00.000+08:00

Every one of us fears or gets upset by something or other in our life. I fear having anything to do with the dead. I fear to see dead bodies. I avoid going to wakes and funerals or even to touch things belonging to the dead. I lost four loved ones when I was young. Possibly because of that and my mother’s influence I and many of my other siblings were brought up to fear morbidity. Because of this I did not want to take a medical course although my parents would have liked me to. I discovered that besides my siblings there are others who also share the same fear of morbidity as I did.

I decided that I must somehow learn to overcome this fear or it would be a serious handicap for me in my life and work in the modern world. The first test came when I became a toxicologist in the Department of Chemistry. Analyzing for poisons in stomach wash outs was acceptable but to have to extract poisons from human stomachs and livers was something else. It took a lot out of me to overcome this fear. Fortunately I managed.

I had a new chemist to understudy me in toxicology. Like me he feared having to handle human organs. He requested that I allow him time to get used to the job by starting with pig’s stomachs and livers which he bought with his own money. I empathized with him and allowed him to do so. After two weeks he still could not take it and he resigned. He told me that he loved eating pig stomachs and livers. He could not eat anymore pig’s stomachs or livers after the toxicological experience because pigs’ organs smelled so much like the boiled human organs. He was convinced that he could never get over the fear of handling human organs as I did. I felt sorry for him because I was like him at one time. There was nothing much I could do if he did not want to overcome this fear himself.

As for myself I learned that I can somehow use my mind to control the negative thoughts like fear which involved the emotions if I have to. It took a lot of practice for me to acquire this “skill” which stood me in good stead in my life. Fear, which is emotional, can be killing if not properly handled. I tried not to pass this phobia to my children as this will inhibit them from taking certain professions. I succeeded: two of my daughters have been practicing their medical specialties for more than 20 years! We can overcome fear if we want to. If only I can impart this skill and know how to others it can be helpful to many. What it involves is how to control our mind when it needs to be controlled. The question is do we want or dare to overcome our fears?

Lee Kum Tatt
13 June 2007

What Chemistry Can Do For You.

2007-06-13T18:51:00.000+08:00

The Singapore National Institute of Chemistry (SNIC) is organizing the First National Chemistry Week from 16-24 June 2007. This Week is organized with the active participation of NUS, Ministry of Education, Singapore Science Centre, East Zone Science & Technology Centre @ VJC, Nanyang Polytechnic. Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Tamasek Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic and is supported by Hyflux.

This National Week is specially organized for those who are interested to know what Chemistry can do for them. Many activities have been arranged throughout the week including visits to places of interests, like the Tiger Beer Brewery. Students can have hands on activities with Chemistry and many other topics at the Science Centre. Forensic & Detective Chemistry, Chemistry in Action and many other such activities are available at other centres.

This inaugural National Chemistry Week aims to raise awareness of the importance of Chemistry as the central science by highlighting the application of Chemistry in our daily lives. It is an outreach program specially organized and designed for the people of Singapore during our school holidays.

Interschool competitions among the students on “Chemistry, Fact or Fantasy” has been organized. Winners of all the competitions organized during the Week will be given prizes at the closing ceremony on 23 June 2007 at 2.00 pm at NUS. I have been invited to be the Guest of Honour on this occasion. See you there.

For more details about the National Chemistry Week please visit www.snic.org.sg/ncw. Many have worked hard to put this Week together for us. Participate and show our appreciation to the volunteers who have spend much time and effort putting this show together. One good look is worth a thousand words.

Lee Kum Tatt
13 June 2007

Danger Of Making A Wrong Choice Of Profession.

2007-06-12T23:11:00.001+08:00

Many parents and students are attracted by the status and rewards a medical profession brings with it. Few realize the price they have to pay for being a medical doctor.

I have seen many cases of students going cuckoo when they could not take certain aspects of the course. One of the common fears is the fear of morbidity, having to dissect corpses in the first year of the course. Another common fear is the fear of failure in the highly competitive environment. These are real fears which can stress the students very badly. Many students became abnormal and had to give up the course. What a waste and a pity.

The medical practice and a few other professions may be too strenuous and demanding for some people especially the ladies. Our culture and tradition still expect the ladies to look after the children and the home in addition to their numerous other professional duties. Unless this is changed and external help is given from parents and in-laws etc this new trend to get more ladies into certain demanding positions may be too high a price for the girls to pay in terms of their personal and family life. Studying science and doing research for those who have a liking for it can be just as prestigious, rewarding and challenging for ladies to take up. We can expect the Science faculties and polytechnics to have more lady students and graduates in the years to come. The lady scientists with their temperament may turn out to be equal to or even better than Man in this field.

Lee Kum Tatt
12 June 2007.

Why Study Science?

2007-06-12T23:09:00.001+08:00

This is a standard question parents and students ask me throughout my life. There are many books written on the importance of Science to our lives. There are many inspiring stories of the lives of great scientists and inventors and the joy and fame they enjoyed brought about by their knowledge and practice of science. This reward is good enough for many to study and get involved with Science. For many others they enjoy the technology that science created without having to learn science. Nevertheless it would be advantageous for them to have some understanding of how science affects their lives and what they do. For example, why are we paying so much for our vitamins and other food supplements? What do they really do for our health?

There are many other great professions like medicine, law, engineering, architecture, accountancy and even politics that are available for students to study. My advice is to choose something that suits the temperament and interests of the children and not just the parents alone. Your children’s life and future depend very much on your choice and theirs. A wrong choice can ruin their future, your dreams and your hard work.

Our local universities, NUS and NTU, and our polytechnics have produced many brochures which tell you what their science courses are all about, what they are doing and how well their researchers and graduates have done. This information is what many are looking for. Some of these teaching institutions have websites of their own with information that you need. This information may be general but useful.

It is interesting to know that just after the war (1947) Raffles College had only 80 students in the entire Department of Science consisting of 1st year to 3rd year diploma students. There were no post graduate or research students. After independence in 1965 Singapore decided to emphasis on manpower development, especially in Science & Technology. Political freedom would not bring us freedom from poverty and disease. It was realized that the difference between the developed and the developing countries were in their levels of Science & Technology. The developed countries took a couple of centuries and more to arrive at where they are now. We want to achieve this and more in a few decades. That was our challenge when the Singapore Science Council was first formed in 1967. It was decided we should emphasis on producing more scientific manpower with knowledge of science and ability to apply this knowledge for Singapore’s development.

In 2008 (next year) Raffles College, which produced our first science graduates, will be celebrating its 80th birthday. The NUS science faculty which is the successor of Raffles College has a student population of 31, 346 in 2004 – 2005 session , consisting of:


Undergraduates                       22, 751     
Graduate students by research         4,483
Graduate students by course work      4,112.

The NTU and the polytechnics have their own set of figures which when added to the above will far exceed 40,000 students. This number of parents and students can not be wrong in their choice of science. Our science graduates now work in every sector of Singapore’s life; in Commerce and Industries, Government Ministries and Statutory Boards, Professional Practices, Private entrepreneurs, Overseas, community services and politics. The scope is very wide. Parents and students should be interested not only in the type of jobs and pay they can get now. They should also be interested in what the future holds for them. Many organizations run career exhibitions every now and then. The Singapore Professional Centre runs the biggest career exhibition in S.E.Asia in March every year for the last 20 years. Thousands of students can learn directly from the Institutions of higher learning (both local and overseas) and potential employers what they are looking for. These sources provide general information in what Science has to offer. If you want greater details of what a science career has to offer, you have to talk to the practicing scientists who hopefully will share with you their experiences if not to guide you along. A successful profession and career is important and this depends a lot on your own self.

My colleagues and I are proud to have helped built our Science & Technology infrastructure to give us what we have today. It is for the future generation to build on this and make it grow even bigger, faster and better.

Lee Kum Tatt
12 June 2007

Fighitng Boredom And Insult.

2007-06-11T14:24:00.000+08:00

When one is bored and insulted at the same time, one can be easily fired up to do a lot of things. I was bored with the work in the Customs Laboratory in the Department of Chemistry after three months’ work there. I tried to improve the method of analysis of traces of lead and copper in wine. The method then in used was a very tedious and messy one. My Chief Chemist then, an expatriate officer, asked me what I was doing. I told him that I was using an ion exchange column to absorb the metal ions before analysis. This was a new but simple technique which was never tried before. The Chief Chemist reacted, as a matter of course, and told me that if the method was so simple as I described the British chemists would have discovered and introduced it for use long ago. His remarks were not meant to hurt me but it somehow did. It made me asked myself “Are the locals really that inferior?” or was it a myth I must break.

The Chief Chemist also told me that under the Department’s code of practice we must use “approved methods of analysis” for our results to be legally accepted. We could not change the methods of analysis as we like. The Chief Chemist’s comments almost killed my project on its track.

The Chief Chemist put his points very nicely to me but I felt greatly insulted by his remarks that the British chemists would have introduced this method if it was such an easy one. Fortunately I had worked on the procedure for 3 weeks already and had obtained some positive results. Politely I told him that I would make it work. This was my response, my commitment and my challenge. He had no choice but to let me continue. I had to continue and deliver or else. I succeeded to make the new method work. That saved me my job and gave me a new standing in the eyes of the Chief Chemist.

Then came the second point of what constituted an “officially approved method of analysis.?” I asked the Chief Chemist how methods of analysis were approved and who was the authority who approved them. It turned out that our own Department of Chemistry was the authority advising the government on this issue. The authority on this matter consisted of the Chief Chemist and his professional chemists. If any of the professional chemists was not happy with a method he had the right to make changes professionally in consultation and agreement with the Department. The removal of the general belief that the existing methods used could not be changed allowed me to change a number of methods used in the Department after that. The Chief Chemist – Dr. D. A. Frye was a perfect English gentleman. He was prepared to acknowledge and accept what was right. This may be a small incident but the effect on the Department and its staff was great. I myself had a freer hand to do what was professionally necessary after that. It was a very satisfying experience that we can do a good job. Do not wait for someone to push you into the corner before you react. It is within you to do this by yourself. . I have Dr. Frye to thank for initiating this change in me.

Lee Kum Tatt
6 June 2007

Research During The Colonial Days.

2007-06-11T14:23:00.001+08:00

There was little or no research done during the colonial days both in the University and in the government ministries in Singapore. There were also no special funds set aside for research. People were either kept busy teaching in the colleges, the U or bogged down with routine work in the Government departments. There was no private sector to talk about and research then was non existent. This was the scenario our early science graduates faced after the war. Some of these situations still exist.

Local graduates with their Raffles College diplomas were not on equal standing compared to the British expatriates with their university degrees and professional qualifications. At best the few science graduates became science teachers in the schools and in government departments they worked as glorified laboratory technicians and not as professionals. The superiority and inferiority complexes that existed between the expatriates and the local graduates inhibited progress. The rules were “never argue with the boss”. Rule No. 1 was “the boss was always right”. Rule No. 2 was “if you think otherwise refer to Rule 1”. It was an absolute top down management, no questions and no arguments. People preferred to keep quiet, complain silently and let things go on. This killed the initiatives of many people. Let us ensure that this situation will never ever happen in Singapore again.

It required the Malayanisation policy of the Government in 1950’s in Malaya and Singapore to have this system changed. The locals were to take over the administration from the expatriates within a specified period of time. It is not difficult to imagine how the expatriates feel and react. It was under these conditions that many of us joined the Government service in 1950’s. I was a timid person when I was young. The environment then existing changed me. I had to fight for what I considered was right and just, not only for myself but for others too. We are not inferior beings as some people want us to feel. Our future was in our own hands. With this new found self confidence and challenges many of us found a lot of courage to do many things which we would not have done otherwise. We dared to be pioneers and venture into the unknown. It is wonderful to know that our pains can give hope to others. To be able to right the wrongs was good enough for many of us to do many of the things we did during our time. Let us not lose this spirit that we possess. When people are pushed to the corner they will fight as some of us did. We have today because of this “never say die” spirit and attitude.

Lee Kum Tatt
6th June 2007.

My passion for research

2007-06-11T14:19:00.000+08:00

Research is a human activity. It has its rewards and its costs. To be a good researcher one must love what one wants to do, enjoy the pleasure and bear the disappointments that come with it. We do research to acquire new knowledge. This was what professors do if they are to be great teachers. Research is a respectable and prestigious occupation. For most people research is part of continuous education to keep them relevant in their fields. There is a general belief that a person can be transformed from “rags to riches” through education. Unfortunately few ever became wealthy millionaires through research although many live comfortable and fulfilled lives doing what they like to do.

I wanted to do research so badly that I gave up many good paying jobs just to do research for a Ph. D. on a Shell Research Fellowship in 1952. My Ph. D. work gave me the confidence that I can produce solutions on my own. That was the most important thing my Ph. D. training taught me. I learned to think for myself. I am pleased to note that more and more students are doing research now. Unlike the undergraduate courses they have to do more thinking on their own for their post graduate degrees. We need more of these people to build our knowledge based society. We need more people with passion to do good research.

For 16 years after I graduated from the university I chose to work in the laboratories instead of at the desks. Even after I joined the Board rooms I kept my interests in research throughout my entire professional life and career of more than fifty years. I had my good and not so good days. On the whole I enjoyed finding new solutions to old problems and opening up new frontiers through innovation and development. I was able to do this through the positions I held and the institutions I created. To do this I needed something to motivate and drive me. I had both positive and negative factors that affected my life. The positive factors are the pleasures and satisfaction I derived from finding solutions, providing education and jobs, touching and saving lives of my fellow men. The unexpected recognition and acceptance from my peers, the Government and my community for my work is very encouraging and rewarding. The negative factors like fighting for equality and justice, defending my reputation and honour or fighting boredom, were just as challenging as the positive ones. Here are some examples that made me do some of the things I did. These are some of the situations which researchers have to go through. I hope you can learn something from my experiences. Be passionate and committed to do what you have to do and never give up pursuing what you believe in.

Lee Kum Tatt
5 June 2007

Make the Chemistry Right

2007-05-29T21:01:00.000+08:00

Chemistry taught me that if I have a good understanding of the chemical nature of matter I can make reactions take place under conditions I can create and control. That’s how I worked in my profession and produced the results I did. As I grew up I have to understand human nature. There are many similarities between chemical nature of matter and the nature of Man. I discovered many interesting findings which I never knew before. Man can achieve marvelous things if conditions are made right for the desired objectives to be achieved.

Not everybody likes to study chemistry or human nature in detail. But it is good to know some simple facts about human nature so that we can take advantage of this knowledge and make things go the way we want it to or to avoid unwanted “explosions” in our lives. Some common questions asked include:

1. How to raise the money to start projects?
2. How to get others to support without having authority over them.

Many were paralyzed when they can not get the answers and solutions to these questions.

My friends and I had raised or earned millions of dollars from locals and foreign sources for our work and building our organizations. Many have asked me to help raise funds for their projects and were quite disappointed that often I could not help them. These people do not understand why they have something that is good which they believe others need and yet they have difficulties in getting people to finance and support them. To help these people understand the situation I used to give them this example:

There are boys and girls in our community, in our work place, in our universities, polytechnics and schools who are marriageable yet there are many who even at a very matured age are still single. This trend is causing concern in our society and the government has set up the SDU (Social Development Unit) to handle this situation of having too many unmarried people. What is the problem? The young are biologically compatible for marriage but the Chemistry between them is not right. Make the chemistry right and there will be more marriages. The people involved must take the initiative to win the spouse they want. Arranged marriages, with some exceptions, are not acceptable to many in modern times. If you have a successful marriage people will respect you. Similarly if you dare to start something and succeed people’s support will follow. Asking others to help you raise funds for your pet projects seldom works.

When Singapore became independent many had doubts that we could survive as a nation on our own. For the individuals just keeping their small pieces of cake to themselves was hard enough. To expect people to work together and produce a bigger cake for all to share was not a well accepted proposal. Most people fear exploitation by their fellow men. When success comes the sharing of the cake will not be equal. This common belief, if not debunked, would have hindered the cooperation between the important sectors of our society and bog us down.

In chemistry the past alchemists thought that natural organic compounds could only be made by the natural metabolic processes. Man could not synthesize natural organic compounds because we did not possess the vital force or “magic” required. This belief held up the development of natural organic compounds and organic chemistry for many years until a German chemist, Friedrich Wohler synthesized urea (a natural organic compound produced by the body) in the laboratory in 1828. Wohler proved that the common belief of the day was not true. We need more people like Dr. Wohler to create more breakthroughs for us to progress. The modern organic drugs we have today have improved and prolonged our lives.

Similarly people believe that only those with the “magic” (money and authority) can start or initiate worthwhile projects. Those without this magic are lame ducks that people shy away from. This is a pity. It is not true that we cannot start working without money or authority. Our successful private enterprises, non-government organizations, charitable organizations, some statutory boards have shown that they can start and get things done with their own “magic” and entrepreneurship. Many will gather around people with the right spirit and thinking, give their support, raise the funds and do what has to be done. It is part of human nature to do something good. Our society has done this for many years. Let us continue to cultivate this part of our nature and bring the best out of our people. These people do not seek fame or personal rewards. Being able to contribute and help others is good enough for many. Let us attract more such people to do public service. If we succeed our society will be a much better one to live in. If we can get the chemistry right we can do it.

Lee Kum Tatt

Building a Great Society

2007-05-27T13:41:00.001+08:00

Many of us came from “underprivileged” homes. We are grateful for the assistance Providence or Our Society has given us in our time of need. We benefited from our culture where people believed in helping others who were less fortunate than themselves. Many, from different walks of life participated in these activities voluntarily. They gave what they had from their hearts. The society, as a whole, believed and accepted without question the common sayings “Have money give money, have strength give strength.”

This allowed everybody to participate in their own way in building the spirit of a great society which we are proud of. The hordes of common people who have made their contributions to our society in their various ways will know and feel what I am saying and feeling. Many are concerned about the present trend where so much emphasis is placed on money over everything else. They are often insulted when people make them feel that they did what they did because of ulterior motives with monetary returns in mind. The resulting negative effects can be disastrous.

Money is a tool which we can use to do good or evil. It must be used as a means to an end to do things for the good of our fellowmen and not for ourselves alone. Greed is to make money as an end in itself. Our society is a caring society otherwise we would not be what we are today. Building a great society is an ongoing process. Let us keep on strengthening our spirit to build this Great Society by what we do and not destroy what we already have.

My experience in raising money and getting cooperation from numerous parties for some good causes will follow.
Lee Kum Tatt

27 May 2007

Why Is It So Difficult To Get a Good Research Job?

2007-05-22T16:56:00.000+08:00

This question was asked by many graduates trained in Science & Technology. Here are some of the common reasons:

1. Matching jobs to individuals is one of the biggest challenges that face every employer and employee.

2. Most employees do not have a clear idea of the type of research they like to do. They grab whatever comes their way only to find out later that what they got is not what they want.

3. Their personal interests and the demands for research changes with the rapid changes in S & T. Because of this some quit their jobs and others become redundant. It appears that with a few exceptions (like University professors) there is no career for pure research in Singapore unless one is prepared to go into administration sometime during their career. There are a lucky few who can do both. Now it is better than it was about 50 years ago when Singapore had just become a self governing state.

4. People get confused with the various types of existing research activities.

I am one of the lucky few who had never been a full time professor. Yet I could do research, administration and teaching part time throughout my working life of more than 50 years. In the process I have learned to classify my activities into the following categories which may be useful as a guide for potential researchers:

Basic Research

Creative Research

Innovative Research

Problem Solving Research

Routine Work

1. Routine Work.

A fresh graduate usually starts with the routine work where he puts his technical skills into use. In the beginning it can be exciting. But soon it can be boring to some.

2. Problem Solving

Problems usually arise in our routine work. Solving some of these problems can be quite challenging. This is where the staff with initiative can be differentiated from the ordinary ones.

3. Innovative Research

An innovative researcher is one who “itches” to improve things all the time. He uses his knowledge and skills to improve procedures, methods, processes, and products. He has a base to start with and broadens the scope of his work or business when he succeeds. The “modifications” he introduces may be modest but his contributions can be very significant. Sometimes this is called “Applied Research”.

4. Creative Research.

Creative Research usually involves the quest for new knowledge whose application will open up new frontiers. Such work can produce inventions, patents or new fields for more research. They produce great scientists like Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklins and Alexander Fleming. It takes a lot out of the individual and it gives one a good feeling when one succeeds.

5. Academic Research

Academic Research is usually carried out by university professors and teachers. It is part of their continuous education programme required to make them better teachers in this fast changing times. The exceptional ones will become Nobel Prize winners, who make new discoveries or produce new theories for others to study.

Our professors are also involved in “Mission oriented” research where they deal with “Problem solving, Innovative and Creative Research” and act as consultants at the same time.

Research is a very desirable activity to be involved in. It has its Joys and its Pains like every other human activity. It is good to know what these are and that they exist. I will share with you some of my experiences in research in the articles in my blog to follow. We need more researchers of all types. I hope you will join our rank.

Lee Kum Tatt

22 May 2007

Challenging Selected Myths

2007-05-20T21:53:00.000+08:00

When Singapore became self governing in 1959 and later as an independent country in 1965, many believed that Singapore cannot survive as an independent nation.

Singapore had a referendum in 1963 and voted to join Malaysia because of this belief. Singapore did not have what were considered important to have: natural resources, large population, big hinterland, financial reserves, special technologies and skills in our people. We do not even have water of our own!

How are we to eradicate poverty and diseases and provide enough jobs, education and housing for our people having just emerged from a war, a colony and still facing "confrontation" from Indonesia?.

These beliefs were very demoralizing and paralyzing to many. Fortunately we have people who dare to challenge some of these myths and beliefs and they were proven right. If we had wrung our hands and complained or cried we would not have the Singapore we have today. We must learn from these people how they did what they did.

What we needed was not just capabilities alone but collective confidence in ourselves as a society. Our collective instinctive intuition to do things our way was put to the test. Many discovered how creative they were if only they dared to try. Our successes built up our records and self confidence so important to earn others' trust in us. This is an essential element for success.

Our people have demonstrated that we still have the survivor instinct and spirit in our culture to serve and the survivor instinct we inherited from our forefathers to do the necessary. Yes, there are many who might appear to be doing queer things. Cynics ridicule their ideas and critics criticize their actions.

But these people persevered. They stuck to their beliefs and proved their points against other formidable beliefs of the time. These people are usually passionate in what they believe in. Their rewards are the satisfaction they get when they succeed.

Besides challenging selected myths we also need dedicated and courageous people who can help improve areas that needed improvement especially in the development of our manpower, selected technologies and other areas that are still controversial.

What we lack is not intellectual power and authority alone but enough people who can work together for a good cause to improve the lives of our fellowmen. Many such people have stepped forward for many years. Let us, as a society, continue to attract more of these people to step forward not by money or authority alone but by showing our appreciation and recognition of their work and spirit.

Our history is full of the work of these people if we care to look for them. These people still exist in spite of the materialistic world we are fast moving into. Our institutions and mass media should do more to highlight the work of these people.

With more such people we can build a great society like the ones we descended from and not just a wealthy one. We must continue to give room and opportunities for these people to play their role and contribute to our society as the famous American scientist Benjamin Franklin did.

Who knows, we may throw up a few Benjamin Franklin of our own in the process in the near future. We need our own Benjamin Franklins' for our progress and become a great society.

Lee Kum Tatt
18 May 2007

Benjamin Franklin And His Lightning Rod.

2007-05-20T21:50:00.000+08:00

Science taught me that problems will remain as problems if no new solutions were found to solve them. People who choose to stick to the safe middle ground and are comfortable with their routine are not those who will invent the lightning rod which created controversies like Benjamin Franklin did in the mid 18th century.

Many houses and churches, made mostly from timber in those days, were burned by fire cause by lightning during a thunderstorm. These fires destroyed many homes and caused considerable hardship and misery to many families. Many people accepted this as a catastrophy caused by nature and that man could do nothing about it.

Franklin in his search for a solution wondered what the properties of lightning and thunder bolts were and whether they were the same as electricity. He conducted his famous kite experiment. Few understand how the experiment worked but Franklin's experiment successfully proved that lightning was actually static electricity.

He did not stop there. He used this finding and his knowledge of electricity and invented the lightning rod to protect people's homes and churches from being burned down by lightning. Instead of acknowledging Franklin's contribution his invention created some serious controversies for some time.

Many people in Benjamin Franklin's days used to believe that thunder storms and lightning bolts were acts of God, to discipline sinners and to teach them important lessons. Some also believe that lightening strike trees where devils take refuge. Others believed Satan, his demons and witches tried to destroy God's holy churches and people's homes. Many resisted putting an iron rod above or next to the cross on the roof of a church.

The sacred explanations were vouched for by leading authorities of the day. Historians have written many books on Benjamin Franklin's life and his work and this controversy were described in many of them. This Lightning Rod controversy has become as famous as Benjamin Franklin's Kite experiment.

Franklin used his scientific knowledge to prove and solve this particular problem. USA and the world honour this great man for this and his other work. Frankliu's Kite experiment may look simple but his interpretation of the phenomenon has helped to solve a very complex problem by his invention of the Lightening Rod.

The question now is "how do we hope to produce some Benjamin Franklins from our midst?" How can we use modern science to help? Can we be less gullible, challenge some selected myths and refrain from taking too much for granted? Can we also try to be less cynical of other's ideas and concepts and give them the credit they deserve? Give our potential Benjamin Franklins a fair chance to participate in building our great society. We all have the right to demand this in a free society.

Lee Kum Tatt
19 May 2007

Challenge selected myths

2007-05-20T20:22:00.000+08:00

How To Challenge Selected Myths

Dr. Lee Kum Tatt was the founder chairmen of the Singapore Science Council, Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research (SISIR), Singapore Standards Council, and a member of Board of Governors of the Singapore Polytechnic for 21 years besides many other appointments and activities. He also created the famous RISIS gold orchid which became a great Singapore souvenir.
He tells me that Benjamin Franklin is one of his hero scientists who inspired him to do many of the things he did in his life. Dr. Lee has been deeply involved in the building of the science infrastructure Singapore needed in the early days of its development. These activities included promotion of science, building scientific, technological and educational institutions. He actively participated in the establishment of organizations and buildings for the application of science and technology for national development. Through the Quality Movement and R & D activities of national and personal interest he introduced and upgraded the technology of our industries. He encountered obstacles in the process but he managed to get many people to work with him. Read the articles in his blog to understand how he managed to do what he did. He challenged and succeeded in overcoming selected myths that stood in his way.

Tan Kin Lian
19th May 2007

Challenging Selected Myths

When Singapore became self governing in 1959 and later as an independent country in 1965, many believed that Singapore cannot survive as an independent nation. Singapore had a referendum in 1963 and voted to join Malaysia because of this belief. Singapore did not have what were considered important to have: natural resources, large population, big hinterland, financial reserves, special technologies and skills in our people. We do not even have water of our own! How are we to eradicate poverty and diseases and provide enough jobs, education and housing for our people having just emerged from a war, a colony and still facing “confrontation” from Indonesia?. These beliefs were very demoralizing and paralyzing to many. Fortunately we have people who dare to challenge some of these myths and beliefs and they were proven right. If we had wrung our hands and complained or cried we would not have the Singapore we have today. We must learn from these people how they did what they did. What we needed was not just capabilities alone but collective confidence in ourselves as a society. Our collective instinctive intuition to do things our way was put to the test. Many discovered how creative they were if only they dared to try. Our successes built up our records and self confidence so important to earn others’ trust in us. This is an essential element for success. Our people have demonstrated that we still have the survivor instinct and spirit in our culture to serve and the survivor instinct we inherited from our forefathers to do the necessary. Yes, there are many who might appear to be doing queer things. Cynics ridicule their ideas and critics criticize their actions. These people persevered. They stuck to their beliefs and proved their points against other formidable beliefs of the time. These people are usually passionate in what they believe in. Their rewards are the satisfaction they get when they succeed.
Besides challenging selected myths we also need dedicated and courageous people who can help improve areas that needed improvement especially in the development of our manpower, selected technologies and other areas that are still controversial. What we lack is not intellectual power and authority alone but enough people who can work together for a good cause to improve the lives of our fellowmen. Many such people have stepped forward for many years. Let us, as a society, continue to attract more of these people to step forward not by money or authority alone but by showing our appreciation and recognition of their work and spirit. Our history is full of the work of these people if we care to look for them. These people still exist in spite of the materialistic world we are fast moving into. Our institutions and mass media should do more to highlight the work of these people. With more such people we can build a great society like the ones we descended from and not just a wealthy one. We must continue to give room and opportunities for these people to play their role and contribute to our society as the famous American scientist Benjamin Franklin did. Who knows, we may throw up a few Benjamin Franklin of our own in the process in the near future.

Lee Kum Tatt
18 May 2007

Benjamin Franklin And His Lightning Rod.

Science taught me that problems will remain as problems if no new solutions were found to solve them. People who choose to stick to the safe middle ground and are comfortable with their routine are not those who will invent the lightning rod which created controversies like Benjamin Franklin did in the mid 18th century. Many houses and churches, made mostly from timber in those days, were burned by fire cause by lightning during a thunderstorm. These fires destroyed many homes and caused considerable hardship and misery to many families. Many people accepted this as a catastrophy caused by nature and that man could do nothing about it. Franklin in his search for a solution wondered what the properties of lightning and thunder bolts were and whether they were the same as electricity. He conducted his famous kite experiment. Few understand how the experiment worked but Franklin’s experiment successfully proved that lightning was actually static electricity. He did not stop there. He used this finding and his knowledge of electricity and invented the lightning rod to protect people’s homes and churches from being burned down by lightning. Instead of acknowledging Franklin’s contribution his invention created some serious controversies for some time.
Many people in Benjamin Franklin’s days used to believe that thunder storms and lightning bolts were acts of God, to discipline sinners and to teach them important lessons. Some also believe that lightening strike trees where devils take refuge. Others believed Satan, his demons and witches tried to destroy God’s holy churches and people’s homes. Many resisted putting an iron rod above or next to the cross on the roof of a church. The sacred explanations were vouched for by leading authorities of the day. Historians have written many books on Benjamin Franklin’s life and his work and this controversy were described in many of them. This Lightning Rod controversy has become as famous as Benjamin Franklin’s Kite experiment. Franklin used his scientific knowledge to prove and solve this particular problem. USA and the world honour this great man for this and his other work. Frankliu’s Kite experiment may look simple but his interpretation of the phenomenon has helped to solve a very complex problem by his invention of the Lightening Rod. The question now is “how do we hope to produce some Benjamin Franklins from our midst?” How can we use modern science to help? Can we be less gullible, challenge some selected myths and refrain from taking too much for granted. Can we also try to be less cynical of other’s ideas and concepts and give them the credit they deserve? Give our potential Benjamin Franklins a fair chance to participate in building our great society. We all have the right to demand this in a free society.

Lee Kum Tatt
19 May 2007

Power of Emotion

2007-05-09T13:26:00.001+08:00

Joy of Achievement

Today Science & Technology affects every aspect of our life. You can make things happen and your reward is the satisfaction you get. It is difficult to describe these wonderful emotional feelings in words which made people do things that some do not understand.

A few thousand friends and colleagues who have worked with me shared the same experiences. These people are the common people, the businessmen, industrialists, professionals, students, teachers & professors, Government employees, bankers and politicians and people in my community. When we worked together we enjoyed what we had to do. Many of us rose in this environment. We did something noble, something good for our fellow men. We enjoyed ourselves and treasured the experience and friendship with pride and satisfaction.

This gives us emotional satisfaction, something we need in our life and in our work. We believe that if we do good, good will come to us in one form or another. If you want to know how important emotional satisfaction is, try doing without it.

Complex scientific theories can put many people off. A medically qualified doctor is more easily acceptable than a Ph. D. in science. The medical doctor removes pain and the latter inflict pain by removing ignorance. Science has therefore to be carefully but actively promoted. That is part of my life’s mission. The beauty of science is that we can apply it without having to know the complicated theories. Many parties have to be involved. How to produce more scientific, technological and technically trained personnel fast enough was a great challenge to the Singapore Science Council in our early days. We had to attract talents using science and whatever little we could offer. The history of the Singapore Science Council forms an important part of the history of science in the national development of Singapore. Many have asked me to record how some of the events happened for history’s sake.

A. The Promotion of Science.

What is science? What can it do for me? Many do not see why they need science at all. To achieve our mission we had to overcome all these and more. Educating people under these circumstances was not easy and it took time which we did not have much of. Here are some of the actions we took and the projects we did where some lessons can be learned. Many of these were quite unorthodox, incredible and some were considered as impossible tasks when these activities were first initiated. Lots of human effort and financial resources were required which we managed somehow to pull together. We must continue to develop this know how and practice the skill of working together for our own good. We will lose a lot if we loose this capability. Here are some of the untold and little known stories on how some of the projects were initiated. Projects develop through stages which overlap. Some champions for these projects are needed to ensure that the people involved work smoothly together during the transition periods to achieve continuity and purpose of the missions.

Lee Kum Tatt.

8 May 2007

A1. The Popular Singapore Science Centre.

When the Science Council first mooted the idea of building a popular science centre in 1967 it was thought to be the fantasy of a few impractical enthusiasts. We were ridiculed that we could not even get our priorities right.

How are we to get this project approved to get the few precious million dollars required? As Chairman of the Council I had flown the balloon to test the atmosphere. A few council members supported the move. During a side trip I made to London in 1967 I made a special visit to the London Science Museum and met the director of the Museum. We discussed our proposed plan to set up a science centre in Singapore. The director was enthusiastic to our idea. We even identified a lady curator of the Museum who was ready to come to Singapore for a few months to help us make a detailed study of what should be done. We needed funding for this lady to come to Singapore.

As this project has a lot to do with education and manpower development I approached the late Mr. Kwan Sai Keong, Permanent Secretary and Director of Education Services for a UNESCO consultant to help us. Without hesitation he agreed. The ball was now in our court to proceed further. A special committee was formed in late 1968 in the Science Council comprising of :

(i) Chairman , Mr. Ronald Sng, G.M. Singapore Chartered Industries

(ii) Member, Mr. Sng Yew Chong, Director , Technical Education, Min. of Education

(iii) Member, Dr. Bernard Tan , Sr. Lecturer , University of Singapore

(iv) Member. Mr. Rex Shelley, G.M. Hume Industry. (F.E.) Pte Ltd.

The Science Council finalized the appointment of the UNESCO consultant and Miss M.K. Weston of the Science Museum, London was in Singapore from Sept. 27 to Nov. 30, 1969 to help in the drawing up of the proposals after consultation with the important sectors of Singapore’s society. In this report the main benefits Science Centre would contribute to Singapore were summarized as follows:

(a) it would greatly complement the science and technical education programme receiving urgent attention then;

(b) it would provide the adult population with a quicker and greater understanding of technology and its part in Singapore’s industrialization programme;

(c) it would stimulate in the younger generation an interest for a career geared to industry and thus overcome the past preference of parents for white collar jobs over blue collar occupations.

Even at this stage there was still doubt that the Science Centre Report would be accepted by the Government. I had to personally appeal to the Minister himself and others for their support. In August 1970 the Parliament of Singapore approved the Science Centre Bill. The Science Centre would be managed as a statutory body. Mr. Wee Cho Yaw, the President of Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of UOB (United Overseas Bank) was appointed on November 21^st as the founder chairman of the Singapore Science Centre. The purpose of the Science Centre was to establish and maintain the $9.5 million Centre which will exhibit objects illustrative of the physical sciences, applied sciences, technology and life sciences and industry. The Science Centre was also to promote the dissemination of knowledge in science and technology as one of its important functions.

After this there was plenty of work still to be done which could not be left to the Ministry of Science & Technology officials alone. We needed a concept and the type of exhibits the Science Centre should have. We needed to know how to select an architect (foreign or local) who can put the concept together and put up a suitable building. We needed a suitable piece of land with room for future expansion. We got a 16-acre lake side area in the Jurong Town Centre, east of the Jurong Centre. We needed a CEO and other support staff to help build and operate the Centre once it was established. We got Drs. Barthal Singh and Leo Tan from the University to be the first two CEOs. Mr. Wee Cho Yaw, when his term was over, was succeeded by another colleague of his, Mr. K. C. Tan. Mr. Tan was then Chairman of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Tan served the Science Centre as its chairman for 12 years! This was a critical stage and was beyond the facilities and resources the Science Council can handle at that time. Nevertheless everybody chipped in. The Science Council continued to get assistance from Asia Foundation and other bodies to help our committee members and CEO’s gain experience on how Science Centres are run overseas. The views of the Science Council which initiated this multi million project were constantly sought in the implementation stages. Mr. Ronald Sng, representing the Science Council, served as the deputy chairman of the Science Centre Board for many years.

The Singapore Science Centre is one of the best if not the best in the region. It has achieved its original objectives and more. My generation has laid the foundation and it is for the present and future generation to build on them. Congratulations to the present management of the Science Centre for doing a wonderful job.

Many expressed surprise that the Chinese Chamber of Commerce presidents themselves were personally involved in this project and have put in so much effort and given so much and for so long. My answer is why not? As humans we have feelings. We will always do what gives us a good feeling to do so. These two gentlemen have done many other good deeds besides this and they have earned their positions in our society. This represents some of their contributions. I also asked some of my other friends why they did what they did with me. Their common reply was “We are proud of what we did and we enjoyed doing it”.

We salute these people. How we wish there are more of such people.

Lee Kum Tatt

8 May 2007

The Joys & Rewards of a Science Career

2007-05-02T21:57:00.000+08:00

Singapore’s policy to encourage the study and application of Science & Technology since independence has paid off.

The number of students studying science in the schools, polytechnics, and universities has grown many, many fold. Science has become a subject of choice with many students. Our industries have also expanded tremendously thanks to the availability of enough science minded graduates.

Many job opportunities are opened to S & T graduates in both the private and public sector. The question of what type of positions a science graduate can hold is no longer an issue.

The question most S & T graduates ask today is how to find a job that will suit and satisfy their individual likes and needs? This is a very difficult question for any single body to answer as the likes and needs of individuals are so varied.

Many are interested as to how they can climb up their professional and career ladder. What kind of rewards can they expect?

Although many career guidance groups are available and doing a good job there is still need for senior and respected S & T graduates to step forward and share their experiences and personal feelings with the younger generation of S & T graduates. The medical professional bodies are doing this very well for their members.

The other scientific professional bodies can learn from them so that their younger members can benefit from the experience of their seniors as to what to expect from their chosen profession and the career path.

All professions can provide very satisfying rewards. These rewards come in various forms, many of which money cannot buy. If these joys can be expressed by those who have experienced them they can inspire others to follow their examples. This is what we need – more leaders with the right values built on our treasured culture.

I will share my feelings of satisfaction with you on the “rewards” I received as:

(i) a research worker in the laboratories

(ii) a head of department of the hospital laboratories

(iii) as an honorary teacher all my life

(iv) as founder chairman of Singapore Science Council

(v) as founder chairmen of SISIR and Singapore Standards Council

(vi) as an individual.

I like to invite others to join me and share their experience in the application of S & T to inspire the younger generation to join our ranks for the good of our society and Science.

Lee Kum Tatt
1 May 2007

Differentiate between wishful and positive thinking

2007-05-02T17:09:00.000+08:00

Someone has raised an interesting comment on the article above by Lee Kum Tatt.

Here is Dr. Lee’s interesting reply on his concept on how to differentiate wishful thinking from positive thinking.

Tan Kin Lian

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Ray Said

I have (heard) much about the “magic” of positive thinking. But there is also much material on how positive thinking can lead to wishful thinking.

How do we know where to draw the line between “positive” and wishful?

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My reply:

The line between positive and wishful thinking is a matter of the mind and the stage of development of the thought. For me it is affected by the following factors: My character, my values and my sense of responsibility. Together these three factors provide the driving forces that make me do most of the things I do or did. If these forces harmonize it will make things easier for me. If these forces clash I will have doubts about proceeding until I sort out my priorities. I need “positive” thinking to proceed beyond this point. If I do not believe in myself I cannot expect others to believe in me.

Important Basics

I must know my character. My science education has taught me to enjoy doing new things, open new frontiers, getting new knowledge through research, and developing new schemes, processes or products. I am easily bored by doing routine. It’s worth my effort doing something new and getting the fun from doing it.

My values are what my parents and my culture gave to me and expect of me. It pays to help others and to improve things for them. This has been my upbringing. I want to make my parents happy always and people to appreciate what I do. This is my reward.

My responsibility is to my family, to my profession & career and to my society and country. My career requires me to initiate new activities and open new frontiers from time to time. I need initiatives to fulfill these responsibilities. Keeping the right balance has been my challenge. I did many things which I was not officially expected to do.

My Concept of the Thought Development Process

For me thoughts develop through stages. These include : 1. Fantasizing, 2. Analyzing, 3. Organizing and 4. Realizing.

Stage 1 and 2 are essentially mental. Some of the initial fantasies can be rejected outright.

After analysis ( Stage 2) some fantasies can be made into wishful thinking, dreams to be pursued or fulfilled or even desirable goals to be achieved. At this stage I can visualize more clearly what I want and how I should go about to get it done.

Stages 3 and 4 involve physical action in Organizing & Planning, Implementation & Monitoring. What are the resources and people we can count on and How to make them work to produce the results we want. This requires work and sweat.

Finally positive thinking is required to see the process through with faith and trust in myself and those I have to work with. Without positive thinking and determination there is a tendency to give up as soon as there is a hitch.

The mind, which is our life force, will do the rest just like the force that keeps our heart pumping, lungs breathing and metabolism going without our ability to control it. The important thing is to keep this life force, the mind, active by keeping myself healthy.

Wishful thinking is plunging into action without giving too much thought to stages 2, 3, and 4. How much we can do will depend on how we make our character, values and responsibilities guide us. If we misjudge our own capabilities it can be disastrous.

Lee Kum Tatt
2 May 2007

Making The Incredible Credible

2007-05-01T12:59:00.000+08:00

Kum Tatt believes that his mind can help him to do a lot of things that he wants done. He believes that our minds can help us too if we know how to use it. Not many feel comfortable with this belief. Many people like me feel that those who live by their sixth sense and gut feel live dangerously.

But Kum Tatt has shown that he has a way of testing his sixth sense, which we cannot understand, before he plunges into action. I have seen this happened in many of the things he did. Now we become his believers and supporters instead of being his cynics and critics.

In the RISIS case, he was proven correct in:

(i) his decision to encase the orchid in gold.

(ii) his prediction that people would buy this product and even queue up for it

(iii) his forecast of the first year’s sales

(iv) his belief that the gold orchid would not be a passing fad but can be a business that can be sustained. RISIS is now 31 years old!

Science students are trained to with the intangibles and handle the abstracts. We cannot see the atom, gravity and electro magnetic forces but the science people will spend time to experiment and produce evidence to show that these things exist. They produced concepts, and theories about them to predict how these forces can be put to more and better use. This is how science progressed.

Science & Technology affects every aspect of our modern life. We reject scientific theories and hypothesis at our own peril.

Kum Tatt is no longer considered a crazy scientist but a creative person who can become a hero sometimes when he can make the incredible credible. He is still learning how to teach us make the incredible happen just as he has taught us how to apply the use of science to improve our lives.

Engeline Lee

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Predicting the Unpredictable

I have no crystal ball nor was I given any 5 year plan to implement during the greater part of my professional career. I was often given a general mission to fulfill and insufficient financial and manpower resources to do what had to be done in my days. Because of this many of the things I did may appear to have happened by chance and not planned. Many, who are used to routine and working under close supervision, find it difficult to understand how I can work without any definite plans.

The RISIS gold orchid is one such example. Many people tried to create a truly Singapore souvenir soon after Singapore’s independence. Many attempts were made but none succeeded. There was no lack of cynics and critics who run down efforts by others to create new things. Where moral support is needed any disparaging remarks can be very damaging. Some of us have to deal with such cynics more than others.

I initiated the gold orchid project to fulfill a promise I made to my wife during our courting days in 1955. This started off as a hobby after my return from a trade mission to east European countries in 1967. Our European lady guides were so delighted to receive the live orchids we gave them. I felt that if I could preserve the orchids in gold many ladies will be mesmerized by them. This was just my gut feel not many shared but I pursued it as a hobby.

One of my ex-staff offered to give me some metal forming solutions to experiment on in 1973. The hobby and experiments produced some very interesting and promising results after 1 ½ years. With this I persuaded SISIR to set aside $25,000 from its reserve fund to carry on the research to produce the prototypes using better facilities instead of make-shift plastic tanks and rectifiers I used at home.

We presented one of the first gold-formed orchid to Mrs. Benjamin Sheares – Singapore’s First Lady in 1975. I felt strongly that the people of Singapore and tourists would be very keen to own the products when we produce them. Not many shared my enthusiasm on this matter. Originally we planned to launch the product in early 1975 through a local souvenir manufacturing company. The deal fell through.

Although we have no experience in marketing souvenir products we decided to launch the product ourselves. We stepped up the prototype production with a couple more staff. The number of rejects were frighteningly high. In addition we still had to produce the promotional and packaging material and do the marketing etc before the product could be sold. We defered our launching date twice over a period of eight months because of difficulties encountered.

Finally we formed a private subsidiary company SETSCO Pte Ltd just three days before the launch to handle the project. The general feeling of many was that we would fail.

The launching day, 19th April 1976, came. My gut feel and sixth sense were proven right. Singaporeans and tourists queued up in our four appointed retail outlets. The sale was rationed. Each customer could only buy one RISIS orchid. The 3000 orchids we had were sold out in a few mornings. ( Pl. see photo attached).

This experience produced another challenge. How to produce the orchids fast enough to meet market demand? To build an establishment consisting of production, marketing, financing and promotion etc. from a prototype project requires some major decisions. Important questions had to be answered.

(i) what were my sales projections like to plan for the size of the plant

(ii) can the sales be sustained or will it turn out to be a passing fad?

How does one expect to answer such questions without any past experience or record? The sales figure I gave was $2.0 million for the first year. I was then asked how I arrived at that figure. Our people then were accustomed to assess imported products and industries where the sales and profit figures can be more easily ascertained. However there was no way to predict other than through gut feel what the sales figure would be for a new venture like the RISIS.

My answer was that the figure given can be likened to a Sunday Ice Cream. It is very attractive, sweet and appetizing but mostly nuts. If they like it they buy it. I invited those who asked me the questions to give me their own views and figures which they can justify and on how we can go about achieving their projections. I even invited anyone who was interested to participate in getting us through this stage. There were no takers to my offer. My prediction was accepted.

Our sales for the first year touched $1.98 million. This represented a sale of about 100,000 pieces of orchids, a figure few would expect, for the first year. The pre-tax profit was more than $700,000. After that it was easier to project the sales and profit figures for the following years.

If we had been tripped by these “normal” procedures the project might not have taken off. I am thankful to my minister and members of SISIR’s Board for their trust and support they gave to me. We accepted the challenge and enjoyed making the incredible happen. We hit the target on the dot. Whether this was sheer good luck, a fluke or my psychic sense is anybody’s guess.

There was no magic in what I did. I just practiced what I preach. “When in doubt be positive”. I was proven right. This is what counts. The late Mr. Hon Sui Sen, then Minister for Finance, congratulated us for a “signal” success. This was worth more than anything else anyone can give to me.

Lee Kum Tatt

Mind over Matter

2007-04-27T08:58:00.000+08:00

26 April 2007

Mind Over Matter

My husband Kum Tatt has more than 66 years of working experience. At one time his life had little or no meaning to him. He overcame that and he became a research worker, head of department and later executive chairmen of a few statutory boards and private companies.

Like all good fathers and grandfathers he wants to spare the family the hardship he has gone through. Hopefully by sharing his experiences and philosophy with us we can enjoy the good part of his life without going through life the hard way. He believes this is a matter of the mind. He has shown us that it works with him.

Engeline Lee.
26 April 2007

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A Matter of The Mind

How I wish that there are more people who can guide me to do what I want to do so when I was young. Then I would not have to learn things the hard way. After I became a science graduate I like to do research, gain new knowledge and make the world a better place for all to live in. I must have something to live for. I cannot bear doing routine all the time. This is my character

During the war years I was a factory operator, charcoal seller and a farmer. I just existed and life has little or no meaning to me. I wanted to live a more meaningful life like some people do. I began to ask myself questions: “What can I do” and “How am I to do it.” Soon this became a habit. If I think hard enough and have faith and confidence in myself I will find the answers and the solutions I need. I would falter if I had doubts. This shows that the mind is a very powerful force. If I can use it rightly it can give me the answers and solutions I need.

People do not like to be asked questions even of themselves. As a pioneer I have to start many new ventures where decisions have to be made. It is very difficult to explain to others the “Whys” or to guarantee results without past experience or performance records. These are common occurrences which frustrate many others too. What was I to do to get out of my misery?

1 Give time to gain my boss’ confidence and his trust that my judgment is sound and that I can deliver.

2. Use my talent and develop the skill to convince others that I am right and I am doing it for the common good.

3. Learn to like what I have to do or change my occupation to one that suits me better.

4. Be my own boss where I only have to convince myself.

I know what it is like to be caught in some of these situations. I had opportunities and I also created some myself to do what I wanted to do. Many budding scientists and technopreneurs would like to know how I from a factory operator can become chairmen of statutory boards. I will share some of my experiences in story form with you. You can then do it your way.

Lee Kum Tatt.
26 April 2007

Tribute to our :Pioneers and Unsung Heroes

2007-04-19T08:17:00.000+08:00

Finding Ourselves in the Deep End

Often we were given missions or created situations where we found ourselves in the deep end of the pool. This can be very frightening and stressful. The options were we swim or we drown. This is dangerous living which many like to avoid. To us we had no choice because of the environment and time we were born into. Kum Tatt cannot swim even in a swimming pool and he still has not learned how to. But he seems to have no sweat in doing what has to be done in real life. He swam and survived. He also made sure that all his children can swim and not be handicapped like him in case of emergencies.

When Kum Tatt was appointed the founder Chairman of the Singapore Science Council after Singapore’s independence he had a budget of just $10,000 to run the Council. Many would not have accepted the appointment as it was only on an honorary one with so much to be done. The chances of delivering a still-born Council were great. In 10 years many of the goals that the Council set for itself were achieved. The learning of science was encouraged and promoted in Singapore. Important scientific institutions like Science Centre, SISIR, Singapore Science Park were built. The Singapore Polytechnic and NUS were expanded and important professional courses introduced. The application of S & T to help our industries were successfully introduced and developed through the Quality, various movements and schemes. The professionals grew and flourished.

All these could not have been achieved without the active participation and contributions of the thousand of unsung heroes Kum Tatt mentioned in the article that follows. Many of those involved do not expect to be acknowledged. We felt that this is due if not overdue.

Engeline Lee

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Tribute to Our Pioneers and Unsung Heroes

Many people have been involved and have contributed to the development of Singapore and made it what it is today. They volunteered and participated on an honorary basis, and some for many years. Besides a few many of these hardworking and kind souls remain unknown and Unsung Heroes.

The government, with its old guard leaders, rallied the people to build a new Singapore since it gained self government status in 1959. In 1965 we had to build a new nation or we would perish. The government itself could not do much without the support of the people. We had much to do but had little manpower and other resources to do what had to be done. The questions that were often asked were “What can we do now”? “How could we get the people’s help to participate?” The private sector uses money to attract those who need money and hope that these people are also dedicated to what they have to do. What have we in the public sector then got to offer?

When we were thrown into the deep end we discovered that there was plenty we could offer. This situation provided an opportunity and a challenge for people with nationalistic feelings, unique qualities, driving passion and creative idiosyncrasies to step forward and do their part. How could we attract these talents? We invited, mobilized, catalyzed and gave them opportunities to work together. A few thousands of these people stepped forward and volunteered to serve in various organizations which I was involved and over many years. It showed that there are people who believe in serving good causes if given the challenge and opportunities to do so.

I like to pay tribute to these people, many of whom have become my friends. These are the unsung heroes and pioneers who helped to build our S & T manpower, institutions, commerce and industries, professions and our nation. These people served happily on an honorary basis in the Boards, main committees, sub and special committees of these statutory and independent bodies. I am referring to the Singapore Science Council, Singapore Institute of Standards & Industrial Research (SISIR), Singapore Standards Council, Singapore Polytechnic Board, Singapore Science Centre, Singapore Professional Centre, Singapore Quality Institute and the many professional and other related bodies that were being formed then.

You helped built the foundation for the fellowship and networks to be established many of which are still there and have grown. You have shown that dedication to a good cause can be very satisfying and contagious. Without people like you many of the things we did would not have been done. The annual and other reports of the bodies mentioned above carry your names. You are my comrades in arms at a time when we needed you most. I treasure your participation, contributions and support!

For those who are still in the circuit keep it up. To know that people like you and the volunteers in charitable and community service exist and can be counted on is a very comforting thought for many of us. The only way we acknowledged and showed our appreciation then was just to give a tie, a scarf for the ladies, a simple meal, a visit to my house and a medal to a few. That was all we could afford then. We are very proud that many of you have risen to the occasions, to be leaders and made valuable contributions in your own ways. We are happy to be able to provide you with the opportunity to do so. You have left something behind that benefit your fellow men.

I will try to walk you down memory lane with some of the projects we did together. We will try to recall why and how we started some of these projects, overcome the difficulties encountered and the joy we had when we succeeded. Hopefully others may find it fun to try to do what we did. History like this should not be forgotten especially when so many have benefited and are still benefiting from your contributions. It is not possible to name every one of you but I hope you can identify the role you played, and the satisfaction and pride you had in some of the episodes that follow. If you have some experiences with us that you think can inspire the younger generation please let me know. I will try to include them in some of my articles where suitable.

Lee Kum Tatt
18 April 2007

Ask the great questions

2007-04-14T14:39:00.000+08:00

When we are sick we consult a doctor or a specialist. Whom do we consult for free when we are in doubt?

A person who has gone through what you are going through. My husband has gone through a lot in his life. Many seek his views on what to do or what can happen under certain circumstances. He gives direct answers to direct questions whenever he can. His articles with anecdotes and stories are for those who wish to compare notes with their own experiences.

We are fortunate to be part of his family so we can consult him whenever we find ourselves in a limbo. His experiences and philosophy helped many who found themselves in dilemmas.

My husband has read widely, collected many interesting quotations and has formed some of his own which he found useful. I encouraged him to share some of this with others who may need them.

One of his favourite quotations is “When in doubt, be positive”. This makes sense and requires guts. Nobody will believe you if you do not believe in yourself and you will remain in square one.

Mrs. Engeline Lee
14 April 2007

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Ask the Great Questions
For the Great Answers

When I was in school I used to envy my happy-go-lucky friends who did not seem to have a care in the world. Their wealthy parents would prepare everything for them. They were going to become medical doctors, lawyers, accountants or take over their parents’ legacies when they grow up. Here was I struggling to stay in school and aiming only to get a Senior Cambridge certificate and to get a job after that. But my parents had high hopes for me that I would somehow, someday would become “somebody” as a Tibetan monk told them that I would. This was just their hope and dream. On my part I liked to be able to fulfill their dream without knowing how to do it.

The S.E.A. war came in 1941. We lost everything we had. My father lost his job. We the children lost our education. I lost 6 good years of my life. There was nothing in front of me except the hope, kept alive by my Mother, could the Tibetan monk’s prophesy be right? This was the only light at the end of my dark tunnel. I could not see what was beyond that. I was very miserable during the war and immediately thereafter. Besides doing everything possible just to survive we had to pawn the few precious pieces of jewelry my Mother had. This experience hurt me to this day. I vowed that I must never allow this to happen to my family any more. I worked real hard to avoid this.

Today, some sixty years after the war, there are many people who are like me in my earlier years, still grouping in the dark and hoping for something to happen. I am writing this story with the hope that it can give these people some encouragement if not inspiration that life is not that bad. Have faith and trust in whatever you believe in, work towards it, then all will be well.

Even though my parents were in a bad financial shape in 1946 they decided to send me back to school to get my Senior Cambridge certificate. They were strong believers that education must been given the highest priority more than anything else. I am the eldest in the family. This action was a big sacrifice for my parents who could have made me get a job to help out. I compensated for this by giving private tuition in my Senior Cambridge year to help out in a small way besides doing a few small things here and there. I did well in the Senior Cambridge examination. I was fortunate to be awarded a Raffles College scholarship to study science. I managed to improve my life through this one decision of my parents. I did my part and my guardian angel must have been kind and helpful too. I value education for myself and others more than any thing else since. I was supposed to get only a Raffles College diploma in science, if I am lucky, after three years. I got a Ph. D. instead after 6 years. This made me love Education, Science, R & D and their application to better our lives. This was the debt I am happy to repay for what was given to me. Indeed I spent a great part of my life for this noble cause.

After this I started working in a job which was supposed to allow me to do what I always wanted - a continual education through R & D and the application of science to better things for every body. I got part of this but the environment was not conducive for me to do more. Often I have to like what I have to do instead of doing what I like. Many will agree that this can be very frustrating. Some may be persuaded or even forced to accept the situations but not me and those with my type of character. I cannot be expected to give of my best when I have to accept to do what I do not agree is correct or good. It would not be fair to the system or to those I am working with. What should I do now? I decided that I will find a way or I will make one. This is a risky operation. Fortunately I have my wife, family and many friends support and encouragement. I started asking searching questions of myself which I would dislike answering from others. Then I discovered a poem written by the Nobel Laureate for literature of 1907 Rudyard Kipling. Kipling wrote the following:

“I have six honest serving men
They taught me all I knew
Their names were What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

Since then I made use of these six honest serving men. They changed my life. The Whys, Hows and Whats helped me in my study and practice of the exact sciences; mathematics, physics and chemistry, the laboratories and in my early working years. I soon found that knowing how to handle the exact sciences alone is not enough. I discovered that sometimes whom you know is just as important if not more important than what you know. Proper networking of people becomes important. I learned how to attract the talents, get the chemistry right and catalyze them to react and produce the results needed. I also learned how to develop trust and faith in the people I worked with. This can save a lot of questions which we have to answer in a bureaucracy, using up a lot of unnecessary energy and time which can be put to better use.

I felt like a new born chick which was just hatched out from the egg especially when I have to start something new. Why am I here? What do I do now and How can I get to where I want to go. How long will that take and Where am I to get the resources or people to do what has to be done? Asking questions like these and answering them correctly has been my life. Many people have told me that they often face the same problems. The question is can I share my experience with them? This is an attempt to do that.

The six honest serving men have served me well. If you come to know them well they will probably serve you better. In the articles that follow I will give some examples of how and what made some people, including myself, do what we did, often unknowingly or subconsciously, just by asking and answering some great questions of ourselves. Simple idiosyncrasies can produce successful giant projects. We hope we have succeeded more than we failed. We trust you will too.

Lee Kum Tatt
14 April 2007

Be Confident & Optimistic

2007-04-10T23:12:00.000+08:00

When Singapore became an independent nation, many people thought we could not make it. But we did. This is due to the spirit of many Singaporeans who contributed to make Singapore what it is. We refused to accept what others thought was inevitable without trying.

Here is a story from Dr. Lee Kum Tatt and her granddaughter.

Tan Kin Lian

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Be Confident & Optimistic

When Singapore became self governing in 1959 and an independent nation in 1965 many thought that we would have a hard time to keep ourselves afloat. Singapore, a small country, with its human beings as its only resource, could do only so much and no more.

This was a very pessimistic view. It can develop into an inferiority complex which would hinder our progress and will not encourage us to try.

On the other hand we could not afford to act big and be seen as being boastful. We would be branded as “ugly” Singaporeans if we do. We were aware of the uncomfortable position we were in.

Many of us tried our best in our own ways to find the right balance so that we would not allow an inferiority complex hinder our willingness and ability to do our best to progress. We also must not be seen to be cocky to our friends. We cannot afford to stick out like a sore thumb in the region.

Singapore’s history is full of examples of what Singaporeans did under these circumstances. So far it appears we have managed to have a good balance which must be constantly monitored and maintained.

When I told my grand children of this dilemma of ours and what some of us did to help, my eldest grand daughter told me this story. This is not an original story from her but one that is very apt for the youngsters and for us to know. Here is the story.

In a certain country where the value of their girls is measured by the number of cows their parents receive from the groom when their daughter marries. The scale ranges from 0 to five cows per girl. The value is fixed arbitrary by the people in their community.

One of the girls was considered not to be worth even one single cow. Poor girl and parents! Why should they be made to suffer such a fate?

One day, someone came, met the girl and offered 7 cows for her hand in marriage. The girl got married and the couple went away. The husband must have found her to be worth 7 cows as a girl and wife.

When she returned one day, well dressed and cultured nobody recognized her until she told them who she was. Everybody was pleasantly surprised. They realized how wrong they had been with their previous judgment.

The girl never allowed herself to be bogged down by what others think. She knew her true worth and refused to be belittled.

The moral of the story is for us to be able to show our true worth. The world will respect us for what we are. Our people must continue to have faith and confidence in themselves. We must be able to think big but not act big. Ultimately it is our true worth and performance that counts.

Lee Kum Tatt
10th April 2007

Inspiration – Human Nuclear Energy

2007-04-09T23:01:00.000+08:00

My wife played around with nuclear energy during her working life. As a hospital physicist she tried to save lives. As a university teacher she taught our students the peaceful use of atomic energy. As an honorary consultant to SISIR she used radio isotopes to improve the quality of the processes, services and products of our industries. She discovered a relation between nuclear energy and inspiration, faith and trust and how to use it for our good. I thought some may find this interesting.

Lee Kum Tatt

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Inspiration - Human Nuclear Energy

Many has asked me, especially after my last article on this blog, what made me do what I did and where did I get the extra energy from. I think I now have part of the answer which I will share with you. I got the extra energy to do what I did through “Inspiration” - a source of energy which we all possess. We can do so much more if only we know how to tap it.

Nobel Laureate Madam Marie Curie discovered radium and its radio activity in 1898 from an innocent looking piece of ore. This laid the foundation for much of the later research in nuclear physics and chemistry. She won the Nobel prizes twice, once in 1903 with her husband and then 1911 by herself. Nuclear energy is something I worked on in my professional life. Besides the atomic bomb which is destructive, science has discovered many other peaceful uses for nuclear energy. Humans too have their own type of nuclear energy of the mind - “Inspiration” - which we can use to our advantage.

I define “Inspiration” as something that will give extra energy to do “wonders”. Wonders are events that we never expected to happen under normal circumstances. Inspiration is the correct use of the human mind’s energy to do good. It is a combination of Love, Faith and Trust to do good and build up Hope often under trying conditions. The opposite is “Frustration” - a mixture of Hatred, Doubt and Mistrust leading to a state of “Fear and Hopelessness”. Inspiration is constructive and Frustration is destructive. The same source of energy from the mind is being used. It is up to us how to use this energy. Inspiration is not something that cant be easily grasped because it is an abstract matter. Many would ridicule us and argue that there is little one can do with faith, trust or inspiration. My suggestion is try to do without these in your life, then you will appreciate what they can do for you.

I have a great husband and family who inspire me to do things that I would otherwise not have done by myself. I always try to be a source of inspiration to the ones I love and care. These are my Blue Roses, the people I live for. I want them to have fond memories of me long after I am gone.

When I was young I was rather timid and found decision making rather difficult. My crisis years were very tough years for me. Anything could have happened. I could have lost my profession and career. My husband faced many crises in his life. As a survivor he overcame crises without appearing too upset about them. He pioneered quite a number of projects when there was no real need for him to do these projects. He initiated many schemes and built a number of institutions. He was decorated several times by the Singapore Government. The Science Council awarded the prestigious Gold Medal for Applied Research. Many of the professional bodies honoured him by conferring on him their Honorary Fellowships. The local University in its centenary celebrations made him a Distinguished Science Alumni I am most proud when he told me that I was the inspiration behind his work and creations. He faced considerable difficulties in doing some of these projects. Had it not been for an input of inspiration, faith and trust at the right time many of these projects might not have seen the light of day.

Looking back I sometimes marveled at some of the things I did. I helped my husband in building some of the centres of excellence in SISIR. These include the establishment of the Non Destructive Testing (NDT) services and the peaceful application of nuclear energy to industry.

Like nuclear energy the energy that can be derived from inspiration and trust can be very powerful. Someday someone will be able to develop a process where we can harness this energy for the good of mankind and not its destruction through fear and sense of insecurity. In the meanwhile you can tap and use the energy of your own nucleus when you are inspired. You will be surprised what wonders this can do. Who knows another Madam Curie may appear in our midst one day to make the world a better place for all of us to live in. Like to try?

Engeline Lee

9 April 2007

Spirit of Adventure

2007-04-03T15:17:00.000+08:00

Kum Tatt and I have been married for more than 50 years. Like many others I found some of his ideas were quite queer in the beginning.

As time went on more and more people thought that he is quite a creative person after all. He has achieved a lot in his own way during his time. They want to know how he did many of the things he did. His spirit of adventure is very infectious.

Many of our friends and colleagues including me often worked with him with blind faith and absolute trust in doing what had to be done. This saved a lot of time and energy debating on issues which often turn out to be of little consequence. He can fantasize and frequently think outside the box. He has his own dreams and missions. He can also analyze and organize what have to be done.

He has written articles on how to be creative and make creativity work for his family members. I think he should also share this knowledge and skill with those who are interested. His experiences and knowledge can help illustrate how he made his mind and brain to do creative work.

Mr. Tan Kin Lian encouraged Kum Tatt to start this blog which Mr. Tan himself is managing. I support this arrangement and hope that others will find Kum Tatt’s postings useful. We do not claim that he is a Guru of creativity. We just want to share something which we hope others will find it useful too as we have found it to be ourselves.

Engeline Lee
2 April 2007

Gift from Singapore

2007-04-03T15:13:00.000+08:00

Singapore’s Very Own
The Creation Of A Gift From Singapore

Up to Singapore becoming an independent nation in August 1965, there was hardly anything that Singapore can really claim to be its own. We imported everything - our goods, our industries and even our water. There were no Singaporeans as we know today. The people were made up of migrant stock mainly from China, Malaysia and Indonesia and India.

The colonial masters had never considered themselves as local residents. They had “home” leaves and many residents returned to their “motherland” on retirement or visit them on vocation. These peoples’ hearts were not with Singapore.

After Singapore became an independent nation many of the residents like me had to build and make Singapore our home and country. We had to create new identities for ourselves and Singapore. This was an exciting but also very trying period where we could not afford to fail.

Besides building industries tourism was identified as a good growth area for Singapore. Hotels, restaurants, shopping centers , tourists attractions like Jurong Bird Park , Singapore zoo, and theme parks were built. Then it was discovered that Singapore did not have a gift or souvenir that it can call its own. Many tried their hand on extending the range of their existing products but none got the winner we needed – a true gift from Singapore.

After the numerous unsuccessful attempts to create a truly Singapore souvenir by so many parties some began to cast doubts whether such a product could be produced by us. I have no experience whatsoever in the souvenir or gift industry.

A review of the souvenirs from the various countries showed a common characteristic among many of the products studied. The souvenirs from many countries used locally produced material, local skills or technology coupled with culture which takes years to evolve.

For example pearls and silk from Japan and China in the form of Chinese Cheong Sams or Japanese Kimonos ; wood carvings from Bali and the Philippines; costume jewelry made from Paua shells from New Zealand, Pewter products from Malaysia and Batik dresses and sarong kebayas from Indonesia and Malaysia and Barong Tagalong from Philippines.

It appeared that Singapore does not have any materials or culture it can call its own. Here we are trying to create an instant Singapore souvenir in the same way as we plant our instant trees or make the instant coffees. It certainly did not look promising.

I decided we will work on the orchid first. In my own mind this may be the last opportunity I have to encase an natural orchid in gold as my wife Engeline wanted. Even if I failed I have given my best to fulfil my wife’s wish. Because of this I was very determined that everything possible would be done to come out with the gold orchid. After all we were so near to getting it now.

Besides a few of my Board members, not many of my staff in SISIR shared my passion or enthusiasm for the project in the beginning. This was to be expected from staff and people not involved in the creation of the concept initially. I was used to this type of attitude and this did not bother me.

What was important was that the gold orchid must satisfy the basic criteria which made the other souvenirs a success. I have to justify and rationalize why the orchid was chosen. This was easy. Singapore is known for its orchids especially their hybridization to produce new orchids. We export quite a bit of orchids every year. We present live orchids to ladies both at home and abroad as gifts which were well appreciated by the recipients.

I could imagine how a lady would feel to be given an orchid preserved in gold. Many would probably swoon if not become mesmerized like the ones I saw during my trip to the Eastern European countries in 1967. If my hunch is correct, marketing this product should present no big problems. I have to have a good promotion to launch the product. This I did.

We have a strong Singapore Orchid Society with many orchid enthusiasts. Singapore is known to be the leader in orchid hybridization, a past time hobby which many indulge in. The Presidency of the S.E. Asia Orchid Society has always been a Singaporean for many years. I could count on the Orchid Society and its members for their support. My SISIR Board members, especially those from the private sector were very supportive which I am very grateful.

The gold orchid has all the good attributes of a true souvenir. It uses local material (orchid) and local technology or skill ( hybridization and metal forming) and time honoured gold. The question of what product we should do was temporarily settled. The next question was How did we do it? We have to get the knowledge, develop the technology, produce the prototype, test the market, build the manufacturing facilities, expand the market, diversify and maintain the growth of the company. Doing the above was tough. What kept the project going?

It appears that we succeeded in producing an “instant” Singapore souvenir which took others, with their rich culture and tradition, decades and centuries to do. What are the important factors that made this possible? One factor is the Singapore spirit then for some people to leap frog and take the risk for a common good. Many worked with me on a honorary basis for many years probably because the “Never say die” spirit can be infectious. We had a good team whose members had contributed much to make RISIS what it is. I like to say a big Thank You to them all.

Lee Kum Tatt

How to be Creative

2007-04-03T15:07:00.000+08:00

Lately I gave a talk to the staff and students of the Department of Chemistry at NUS on the “Reflections of a Bare Foot Technopreneur”. It was a lively session.

I like to share some of my thoughts with those who are interested in this subject of technopreneurship and creativity.

Before we learn how to be creative we must have our own definitions of what creativity is and work within these definitions. To me creativity is:

* the ability to see what others cannot see.
* to think what others think is incredible.
* to produce results which others consider extraordinary.

How to be Creative?

The Nobel Laureate of 1981 Roger Sperry propounded his theory that the human brain is divided into two separate hemispheres. They work differently.

The left side deals with objective matters such as analytical, mathematical, logical and even philosophical. Our five senses which are active when we are awake give support to these functions.

The right side of the brain houses non linear thoughts and intuitions. It is characterized by subjectivity, child like wonders, inspiration and creativity. It produces the gut feel, sixth sense, hunch, dreams or intuition which few can share with others. It has been claimed that the right sight of the brain possesses psychic ability.

In our modern society most people, especially employees, use the left side of the brain more than the right side. They are told to be “objective”. All their actions and proposals must be supported by data which can be verified and their reasoning must be logical. This is accepted as normal adult behavior.

Subjectivity is seldom allowed amongst the bulk of society. Those who want to be Few in established bureaucratic administrations are given the opportunity to be subjective in their decisions.

Those who want to be different will have to do it at their own risk. Those who succeed are singled out as having shown initiative, being innovative and even creative. Some are rewarded or even honoured. Others are still struggling trying to break out of their boring routine.

If you are still interested in your job try trouble shooting and innovation first before trying to be creative. In the meanwhile the creative ones must accept the common saying that “ A prophet is not without honour except in his own country”.

How to be creative?

To be creative one has to:

1. learn to activate the right side of the brain more often, to fantasize. Use your psychic power (gut feel) to convert your fantasy or wishful thinking into dreams which you can visualize.

2. prevent your left brain from interfering with this process at this stage by sleeping, meditating or focus on something positive to prevent the left brain from exercising its destructive nature of creative ideas.

3. after that allow your left brain to analyze logically the feasibility and timing of your dream and the ways to achieve it.

4. Pursue your dreams with strengthen passion and commitment supported by courage

5. Monitor closely the progress to see the project through.

Routine work alone does not bring out the creative side or greatness of a person. It can show that a person is above average. He has initiative. He can trouble shoot and innovate to produce modified solutions to the problems at hand.

The greatness in a person can only emerge when he has shown his ability to create, passion to pursue, courage to commit, and capability to achieve. To be creative one needs to have a dream and a mission to start with, to have something to live for all the time. Routine work cannot sustain the challenge of a creative mind.

I have studied the lives of some great people and this is what I found. They may do things by chance, by choice or by force of circumstances like we all do. It is their ability to create that made them stand out among the rest. I read a very inspiring poem by the famous American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). It has inspired me and touched my life. I like to share it with you.

“Lives of great men all remind us,
We can make our own sublime.
And departing leave behind us,
Foot prints in the sands of time.”

I am sure many would like to be able to leave some foot prints behind as part of their legacies. I am still trying.

Lee Kum Tatt
2 April 2007

Importance of values in our life

2007-03-27T15:15:00.000+08:00

Someone sent this comment on the Blog posted by Dr. Lee Kum Tatt’s wife:

“With the present trend of couples (or may be juz ladies) in Singapore not wanting to have children, furnishing the excuse of “career”, I am surprised and amazed at Mrs. Lee’s credentials.

Not her academics, but her life. 4 children?! With a successful career, and a supportive wife. I am interested in her views and thinking. Is there anyway to obtain a copy of her books?

Here are the answers given by Mrs Lee Kum Tatt.

Tan Kin Lian

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Importance of Values to Our Lives.

Why do modern couples shun having families? Many want the benefits of having spouses but not the responsibilities of having families.

In modern times some do not see the joy and benefits that families can bring to their lives, now and when they are old.

We belong to the “old” school. We treasure our family and give it priority over everything else. This is our value system. Without this we are nothing. This is our mind set. This gives us the peace of mind and the happiness we need to do what we have to do.

Others have their own priorities. In our effluent society there are many things people can enjoy. There is nothing wrong with this provided one is conscious of the consequences of one’s actions and not be a problem to others including our society and community.

It is tempting to want to be like the “Joneses” but to blindly chase after money to get the five C’s as soon as possible at the expense of other just as important values has to be seriously looked into.

Singapore is already feeling the problems faced by other effluent societies like care for the senior citizens, higher divorce rates, more choosing to remain single and others emigrate to other countries.

One of the common complaints is the costs of some of their basic needs like the car, the house or the condominium are beyond the reach of many, especially the young. The problem is real. The question is “what can they do about this”? Many are shouting for help.

The widening income gaps between the haves and the have-nots which we accepted as inevitable does not help either. This inequality between those who have inherited the new abundance and those who merely witness the promise without sharing in its fulfillment should not be left unattended to. This can cause problems for Singapore.

The next question is how did I solve my problems?

I married Kum Tatt when he was a “pauper” – a person with only a body and soul, a pair of hands for working and brains to think. No 5 C's. I was not supposed to expect too much. Whatever comes out of our union is a bonus which we both treasure. This is how we live our lives.

We are appreciative for the opportunities given to us. We are not wealthy but we are rich in the sense that our few needs have been met. We are at peace and happy with what we have. We are in our golden years now. Our mind set makes us what we are.

How can you get a copy of my books?

My books were written five to eight years ago and they are only meant for our family members. They contain many parts which are quite personal. It is part of their upbringing and the value system we tried to impart to them.

We do not expect every family member to accept our values and philosophy now. We do expect that with time and age they will see the wisdom in adopting some of the time honoured values which may appear to be outdated to the present generation. I hope I have answered the questions.

Engeline Lee
(Mrs. Lee Kum Tatt)

The Woman behind Dr. Lee Kum Tatt

2007-03-25T22:03:00.000+08:00

Behind every successful man there is a woman. Dr. Lee Kum Tatt’s woman is his wife of more than 50 years. Mrs. Engeline Lee herself is quite a unique lady. I encouraged her to share some of her philosophy and experiences with us under her husband’s blog. She can complement what her husband does. She can give her views on what motivates her husband, how he responds to his own fantasies and produced the results.

Mrs. Engeline Lee, who has contributed much to the development of the famous RISIS orchids, tells us her story and her feelings on this project.

Tan Kin Lian

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Credentials Of
Mrs. Engeline Lee Eng Nio

1. First lady physics graduate of University of Malaya in 1950.
2. Fulbright Scholarship to M.I.T. ( Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1951)
3. First Hospital Physicist in Singapore General Hospital1954.
4. Senior Lecturer of Physics Department , University of Singapore 1961 until retirement
5. Honorary Consultant to SISIR in Non Destructive Testing, Industrial application of radio isotopes and Health Physics ( 1969 – retirement)
6. Wife, Mother of 4 children and grandmother of 7 grandchildren.

She has written a book on herself “My Profession and Career, Work or Play” for her family members only. She has also written three other books on the family, and individual grandchildren. She lived in a time where the woman’s place is the home. Her experiences and views should be of interests to the our modern girls who have to cope with their professions, careers, personal family lives and interests which Mrs. Lee handled during her life.

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R I S I S: A Promised Wish Fulfilled

The famous RISIS Gold orchids celebrated its thirtieth anniversary on April -19- 2006. Many throughout the world know RISIS as Singapore’s Gift to the World. Many were and still are interested and curious to know the true story behind the creation of this product and how it became an instant success. How did it managed to last for so long and it is still growing strong after more than 30 years.

The true story was never told in full by the person who was really responsible for it from the very beginning. The stories which were told were mostly from hearsay and people who came in later in the development of the RISIS gold orchid itself. Nevertheless these stories were sensational enough to boost the sales of RISIS products and keep them popular even up to this day.

Why wasn’t the true story ever told? This is because the person who was responsible for the creation of the RISIS Orchids is my husband Dr. Lee Kum Tatt. He was the founder chairmen of The Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research (SISIR) and the Singapore Science Council. He was a high profile public servant involved in the development of the Science & Technology infrastructure and manpower development in the early days of Singapore’s development. He created, championed the idea and personally directed its development and launch. He did not say much himself but he allowed others to tell their stories. These stories created the mystery of how the product was developed. This helped the products to sell. .

After all these years I thought that the true story should be told. How did Kum Tatt create a completely new product from scratch, growing from a fantasy to research followed by manufacture and marketing? What made him decide to put gold on natural orchids? How did he establish the manufacturing facilities and a market for the product and then expanded the business by creating other successful product lines? What were the difficulties he encountered and how were these obstacles overcome?

This is something many would like to know. This requires special passion and talents besides management skills to organize everything that was required. Above all he needed courage to champion what he believed in.

To fulfill his promise to me carelessly made during our courting days for something I wished to have, he made many attempts over several years and encountered lots of disappointments and frustration in the process. Many would have given up if not for the passion and inspiration in him to persevere under very trying conditions. I am proud of my husband for doing this for me.

This is the best gift any wife can ask for and very few can get - something created by your husband especially for you which many others would also like to have. The RISIS gold orchid became a national gift fit for queens and visiting foreign dignitaries. The family supported him every step on the way. This gave him confidence and purpose to do what he had to do.

For promotional purposes Kum Tatt wrote a light hearted book on the RISIS ORCHID with cartoons done by the well known cartoonist, the late Mr. Tan Hui Peng. More than 150,000 copies were printed and given to buyers of the RISIS orchids in the earlier years. This booklet was dedicated to me and our children. My husband used his pseudo name of El Jofel - a combination of our children’s names.

Kum Tatt is a talented person and an entrepreneur. He has pioneered many programs and projects and helped establish many institutions some of which he headed. Many people who are creative and entrepreneurial have indicated that they would like to know something about his experience and his philosophies. I have therefore persuaded him to put his thoughts and experience in writing to put on record of the many projects and things he did in his life. The family and others may benefit from these records. This is the result of my persuasion. It makes interesting reading.

There are many things he did and went through some of which even I do not know. The RISIS gold orchid was only the start of many products which followed. Just as chemistry is his profession by virtue of his university education Kum Tatt discovered that he could produce gifts that others also like. This became his hobby and occupation which started in the 1970’s till the year 2000.

During this period of some thirty years he has not only created the RISIS gold orchid for me but has also produced other products inspired by and created specially for his grand children. The “Aurigami” cranes and related products were created for our eldest granddaughter Laura Kee. This was followed by the Breakthrough Horse for his grandson Kenneth Lee. Other RISIS horses in the RISIS horoscope series of animals followed. The family members gave Kum Tatt the inspiration he needed to develop new products for them and many of these were mass produced for others to enjoy.

Kum Tatt’s reputation of creating and producing unique gifts is well known. Many with gift problems approached him for help he often obliged. This included Singapore’s Presidential gifts to visiting foreign dignitaries when Mr. Wee Kim Wee was President. The Singapore Professional Centre and the National Trade Union Congress ( NTUC) asked him to produce two special gifts for Singapore’s Prime Minister Mr. Goh Chok Tong when he became Prime Minister. Many also asked him to create gifts for those who have everything like Tan Sri Tan Chin Tuan, Chairman of the OCBC Bank for his 80th birthday.

Kum Tatt’s products have some common unique features. We call them ‘TATT’s products, an acronym of what went into the creation of the products, Technology, Art, Tradition and Talent created by Kum Tatt. . Besides having quality and attractive designs by Nature and artists every TATT product has a cultural story to tell. This is what makes the products interesting.

Kum Tatt will be writing on how some of the products were thought of in the first instance and how they came into existence after that. This should make interesting reading. Creating a new national Singapore gift and souvenir from scratch was not an easy task. For those who are interested in finding out how to create new products there may be some useful lessons to learn. As for me at least I know the type of person I married.

It is a pleasant surprise for me to discover the true person in my husband after all these years. After 1956 he has no one to tell him what to do and how to do what he was supposed to do. He was just assigned missions and the rest was up to him. Most people have their seniors but Kum Tatt seems to have a very good guardian angel to guide him. The hardship he went through during his youth, the Pacific War and Indonesian independence had harden him so much that he could take more knocks and stress than most people can. Probably because of this he could pursue his ideals and dreams to do what he liked and enjoyed doing with relative ease. He is a creative technopreneur, a genius in his own way.

According to Thomas Edison, one of Kum Tatt’s heroes in science, “A Genius is 99% perspiration and 1 % inspiration”. Besides inspiring others and being inspired by others Kum Tatt is a hands-on man. He loves and sweated for us. He believes in making things better for us all including his fellowmen. This we know and we love him for that.

Engeline Lee Eng Nio ( Mrs. Lee Kum Tatt)
25 March 2007

Importance of Great Teachers

2007-03-17T06:53:00.000+08:00

As the founder chairmen of the Singapore Science Council, SISIR , Standards Council etc Dr. Lee Kum Tatt has initiated and participated in the development of the Science and Technology infrastructure and manpower of Singapore for many years.

Has it not been for the timely influence of his great teacher we would have lost a good scientist. This is Dr. Lee’s story on how he was guided by a Great Teacher.

Tan Kin Lian

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My Great Teacher - Professor Rayson L. Huang

I was taught to respect my teachers as I respect my parents. The result was I became my teacher’s pet in school and I was quite good also in my studies. Teaching is a noble profession and to be a teacher was one of my youthful dreams.

It was a god sent opportunity for me to be awarded a Raffles scholarship in 1948 to study science in Raffles College which later became the University of Malaya. After passing the first year I began to wonder what made me study science? Science was a tough course. Only 16 students out of 56 passed the first year. Many of us did not find the course interesting. The majority just wanted to get the B.Sc. degree and then look for a job. We worked hard in the second or Final I year merely because of the examination we have to pass.

In my Final II year my attitude towards the study of science, especially synthetic organic chemistry, changed. A new lecturer Dr. R.L.Huang, a Rhodes scholar from Oxford University, who did his post doctoral work in University of Chicago, caused that change in me. Without hesitation I chose to do an Honours degree in Chemistry instead of Physics or Mathematics.

During my honours course my childish dream of wanting to be a true scientist like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison and Alexander Fleming came back to me very strongly. Being able to create new products, reactions or to save some lives was something worth pursuing.

I needed a good science foundation to be an inventor. This is a legacy I like to leave behind. I have to start learning how to do research, plan my experiments, make the proper observation and write scientific papers on my own. This was how I got interested in research.

Although I had a few good offers of overseas scholarships to do a higher degree and an offer of a research position in the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia I declined all these offers. I was so impressed with Dr. Huang’s approach to teaching students that I chose to work with him as my supervisor for a higher degree instead. Looking back everybody involved is happy that this decision was taken.

I worked on the preparation of synthetic female sex hormones as my thesis for a M Sc. degree on a Shell Research Fellowship grant. For the first 2-3 months I could not even produce the intermediate chemical I needed. I was shaken because I thought that the weakness in my practical work was exposed and that I was not that good after all. And secondly time was running out. I panicked. I informed Dr. Huang. I expected him to tell me in detail what to do next. In stead of trying to find out the underlying reasons of my failure he calmly told me to accept the fact that the product may not be stable. I should try to find another way to make what I needed. I followed his advice and got what I wanted.

Dr. Huang never made me feel that I was not good enough to do what I was supposed to do. He never treated me like a junior laboratory assistant who has to be told in detail what to do whenever I got into trouble. Some teachers do that for their students to ensure that they will pass. These are good teachers. But Dr. Huang taught me how to have confidence and faith in myself if I am to be a good researcher.

As it turned out this ability to have confidence and faith in myself was the greatest thing he gave to me. My M.Sc was converted into a Ph D and I finished the practical part of my Ph.D. degree in just two years. This is in spite of the troubles normally associated with research work.

My ability to make many of the decisions I made in my profession, career, and life has been due largely to this training. With faith and confidence I could see what is not normally visible to others; believe in the incredible and receive the extra-ordinary or even impossible results. This often makes it difficult for me to explain to others the Why’s, What’s and How’s I did what I did. Because of this people like me are often classified as mad scientists or crazy fellows until they can prove themselves.

We know there are three types of teachers - the Normal teacher, the Good teacher and the Great teacher. The normal teacher just teaches what has to be taught. The rest is up to the students. The good teacher teaches, helps and guides the students. The Great teacher inspires.

Dr. Huang is my Great Teacher. He inspired me and developed in me the confidence and faith I needed to live the life I led. Prof. Huang was the Vice Chancellor of the Nanyang University before he became the first Asian to be appointed as V.C. of Hong Kong University in 1970 where he worked until he retired. I have been an honorary teacher for many years. I have taught many under graduate and some post graduate university students in my life. I have tried to be a great teacher to some of my students. I am not sure whether I succeeded. To Dr. Huang, thank you for being my Great Teacher. I enjoyed my life because of you.

Lee Kum Tatt

A role model for Dr Lee Kum Tatt

2007-03-14T17:16:00.000+08:00

Dr. Lee Kum Tatt has touch many people's lives. Quite a number of people has also touched his and made him what he is. Here is an account on how his life and outlook has been touched by his role model, Dr Ling Tien Gi.

Tan Kin Lian

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Tribute to A Role Model

I find it very useful to have a good Role Model who can inspire and give me the courage I need during uncertain times. Most people read about their heroes from books. I am fortunate that I have a real life one to follow. Here is how it all began in 1954.

At the age of 27 years I started my professional life as a chemist in the Government Department of Chemistry.

There was this “old man” age 57 years, a displaced person from China, trying to restart his life in Singapore. He asked me to help him to analyze antibiotics and vitamins in the animal feeds he was preparing. I could not do these analyses at that time but I was prepared to read up and make suggestions to him on how these could be done. We struck up a very good relationship. Why did I do all this? I thought to myself then that when I reached 55 years I would have been happily retired.

Here was this “old man” ( Dr. Ling Tien Gi or Dr. T.G. Ling) still trying to re-establish his life at 57 years and I felt sorry for him. Then I discovered what he was trying to do – to manufacture animal feeds for chicken and pigs. There were no organized chicken and pig farms during those times.

As a boy I used to help my mother looked after some chicken at home for their eggs. We fed these chicken with our left over food and there was never a need to buy any chicken feed. I thought to myself this Dr. Ling was heading for trouble without a ready product, a market and money for the business. He was also looking a round for S $ 25,000 to get started. Poor soul!

I spent two years (1956- 58) in Canada on a United Nations and Singapore Government fellowship. On my return Dr. Ling offered me the Chief Chemist’s post in his new company Zuellig Gold Coin Animal Feed Pte Ltd. As I was bonded to the Government I could not accept the offer. I recommended a very promising young chemist to him instead. The three of us worked very closely together for many years after this in the Singapore Science Council, SISIR and the other organizations which I served.

Through Dr. Ling’s efforts and foresight not only did the animal feed industries grew in Singapore and Malaysia, it has also given birth to our important chicken and pig industries. These two industries together were our truly home grown industries at that time.

Dr. Ling was awarded the first Singapore Science Council Gold Medal for Applied Research by the then Prime Minister of Singapore Mr. Lee Kuan Yew on 29 October 1969. Then at the age of 72 he wanted to start another project to help keep our precious water resources clean by moving the duck farms out of Singapore. He contributed significantly to this project.

In 1979 when I was awarded the Gold Medal for Applied Research, Dr. Ling at the age of 82 invited me to start another project with him. I really admired that indomitable spirit of Dr. Ling who taught me that age and apparent disadvantages do not really matter if one has the spirit and the drive to do what has to be done. Dr. Ling lived to the ripe old age of 95 years.

There is a parallel between what Dr. Ling did for his animal feed industries and the RISIS orchid that I did with its impact on the gift and tourist industries in Singapore. We started with no product, no market, no technology, no finance, and no experience except a hunch or gut feel. Instead there were lots of ridicules and criticisms to live with. I survived because of the inspiration I got from Dr. Ling by his personal example.

Many people are apprehensive of their “retirement”. Some even live in fear of their twilight years. Dr. Ling has shown that we can have golden years throughout our lives. It is all in our mind and our attitude towards life itself.

Being the eldest in the family my parents always wanted me to show a good example to my siblings. Now as a father and grandfather it is natural for me to want to leave some legacies for my children and grand children. I learned from Dr. Ling on how to set a good example. Whether I will be accepted as a role model is a different matter.

Dr. Ling has taught me not to be afraid of life but to enjoy it as golden years.

Thank you, Dr. Ling. I salute you.

Lee Kum Tatt