TRIBUTE TO DR BALAJI SADASIVAN

TRIBUTE TO DR BALAJI SADASIVAN:

(Announcement by Mr Speaker):

Mr Speaker: Order. On behalf of the House, I would like to place on record the demise of Dr Balaji Sadasivan, former Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Member for Ang Mo Kio GRC, on 27th September 2010.

Dr Balaji was elected as a Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC on 25th October 2001 and served the constituency for nearly nine years. During this period, he held office first as Minister of State in the Ministries of the Environment, Health and Transport from 2001 to 2004. In August 2004, he was appointed Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts and for Health. In May 2006, he relinquished his portfolio for Health and became the Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs along with his concurrent appointment to the Ministry of Information, Communications

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and the Arts. From April 2008 till his death, he was the Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Dr Balaji was an unassuming Member and colleague. He will be remembered for his humility and sincerity to serve the House and the people of Singapore. Despite his failing health in the last two years, he continued to discharge his duties in the best interest of the nation and was steadfast in the service of his fellow men.

On behalf of this House, I express with great sadness and a deep sense of loss at the passing of Dr Balaji Sadasivan and extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family of the late Member.

The Leader of the House (Mr Mah Bow Tan): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to pay tribute to Dr Balaji Sadasivan who passed away three weeks ago.

Dr Balaji distinguished himself in many ways – as a Member of Parliament, representing the people of Cheng San Division in Ang Mo Kio GRC, an office-holder appointed to many different portfolios, a dedicated and accomplished neurosurgeon before he entered public office and a learned intellectual and caring family man.

Dr Balaji, the Member of Parliament, served his constituents well, right till the end. I asked Mr Inderjit Singh, his fellow GRC MP in Ang Mo Kio who worked closely with him and knew him well. Despite his illness, he made it a point to attend most grassroots functions.

At the last major event – Cheng San's 30th anniversary celebrations in August – he was there for the whole event and dinner. Those who were there knew he was in pain but he never let that dampen the mood of the celebrations.

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In April this year, he called his fellow GRC MPs for help to cover his Meet-the-People Session (MPS) as he was starting a new round of chemotherapy. After half an hour, to everyone's surprise, he called to say he was coming to conduct the MPS himself. This, after a difficult chemotherapy session.

The last time most of us saw Dr Balaji was when he came to Parliament on 15th September 2010. He was here to see the Prime Minister to discuss plans to cover Cheng San. He explained that he had little time left and worried about how his residents would be supported in his absence.

Even at this late hour of his life, he still put his residents before himself. On that day, Dr Balaji also celebrated Minister Mentor's birthday together with other Members. Little did many of us realise that that would be the last time he would set foot in Parliament.

Dr Balaji, the office-holder, served many Ministries in his nine years in Government – Health, Environment, Transport, Information, Communications and the Arts and, finally, Foreign Affairs. He applied his mind and dedicated himself diligently to all his responsibilities.

He was an invaluable member of the SARS task force which tackled the crisis when we were hit by SARS in 2003. He helped to explain to the international community how Singapore was dealing with the disease, especially some of the difficult decisions we had to make.

I recall being with him in Switzerland to address the Saint Gallen Symposium on how Singapore responded to the threat of SARS. Recently, I received a note from the Saint Gallen Foundation for International Studies, conveying their condolences. Allow me to read an extract

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from this note: "We still have strong memories of Dr Balaji's most vibrant lecture 'Successfully fighting SARS'. He was a highly distinguished person whom we greatly admired." He had obviously made an impact on the international faculty and audience.

Dr Balaji also played a major role in efforts to prevent and control the spread of HIV in Singapore. It was a cause he was deeply passionate about. He took bold steps, many in the face of criticism. He engaged the gay community to win their support for the things he wanted to do. He was convinced that he was doing the right thing and, patiently and calmly, did it.

Finally, Dr Balaji, the man. Highly intelligent, witty, selfless, humble, caring, courageous. These words and more have been used by those who knew him best. I recall every time I talked to him, the conversation was never dull. His thoughts ranged far and wide and took you to many new fields of knowledge. Recently, we were in Beijing together for an official meeting. The car journeys were long as the traffic was heavy but they were never boring. We discussed everything from contemporary Chinese politics to ancient Chinese history, from Chinese opera to modern Chinese architecture. He did most of the talking.

Dr Balaji was a good and loyal friend to those who knew him. They in turn cherished his friendship. His medical classmates have set up a fund – the Balaji Sadasivan Fund for medical undergraduates – to honour his memory. They have also set up a blog in remembrance of him.

We know from the touching eulogy of his son Dharma what a loving family man he was, his sense of humour, his strength in the face of adversity, his courage in facing up to his illness, and his care and concern for his family in preparing them for life without him.

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Sir, we have lost a dear friend and colleague, and an outstanding Singaporean. On behalf of this House, I wish to express our deepest condolences to the family of the late Dr Balaji Sadasivan – to his wife Swan Hoo, his son Dharma and his daughter Anita. I wish to acknowledge the presence of his family and relatives in the House today.

Mr Speaker: As a mark of respect to the late Dr Balaji Sadasivan, I propose that the House observe a one-minute silence. Will Members please rise?

[ The House rose and observed a one-minute silence. ]