MESSAGE OF APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE TO MALCOLM MACDONALD

The Chief Minister: Mr Speaker, Sir, it is my privilege today once more to give expression to the voice of the people and, in this instance, to express the appreciation of the people of Singapore for what Malcolm MacDonald has been to us.

I confess, Mr Speaker, I find it most difficult and embarrassing to praise a friend publicly - particularly if that friend is still alive and walking on his hands. When perplexed, Sir, I usually seek the counsel of precedent but I have, in this instance, been unable to find any guide. The Clerk of the Assembly, very learned in the lore of Parliaments, has assured me that he knows of no instance in which a Parliament has so honoured a man who is alive and a man who has never been a Member of the Legislature that seeks to honour him. But if the motion is unique, it is because the man is unique, Sir, and his uniqueness lies in this - that he is a warm human being whose humanity has transcended the pomp and the ceremony of his exalted position, and has melted the icicles of protocol that traditionally surround the Sons of Heaven who rule us.

I find, Sir that I have referred in my motion to Malcolm MacDonald. This is not because I am unaware that he has been a Secretary of State for the Colonies, and a Privy Councillor, and is therefore a right honourable; nor am I unaware, Sir, that he is Her Majesty's foremost representative in this territory and therefore entitled to the honorific of Excellency. It is simply because to us in Singapore, the man is immeasura- bly greater than all his richly deserved honours. When he received the Freedom of the City - I think it was last week - Malcolm MacDonald threatened to exercise the privilege of a birthday boy by coming in his birthday suit. And it is in his birthday suit as plain Malcolm MacDonald that we have enjoyed knowing him.

For 9½ years, this man has been with us, holding the highest office in the territory and yet, he has been at all times the humblest, the friendliest, the most courteous of all the expatriates. It does seem a little unfair to refer to him as an expatriate, for if any man is a universalist, Malcolm MacDonald is certainly one. Despite the twinge of nostalgia with which he might greet the call of the bagpipes, he is at home everywhere, because he loves human beings, and differences of colour and differences of custom merely make them more interesting to a man big enough to love all humanity. Sir, it is as a man who loves his fellow-men and who recognises the equal brotherhood of all human beings that Malcolm MacDonald has succeeded in being a one-man civilising factor of colonial rule in this territory at a crucial stage of our development. As the most delightful speaker we have ever known; as an ardent supporter of our national sport; as a judicious and generous patron of our artists; as a gay friend, a wise counsellor and a most unconventional ambassador, he has been a refreshing humanising force in an era of hidebound officialdom.

The political activities of this laughing diplomat, as the Straits Times so happily calls him, are the well-kept secrets of Phoenix Park, but I have had glimpses of this man, so much at home in a bevy of lovely women, working arduously and tirelessly through long hours at affairs of state. I believe, and I say this in all sincerity, that his efforts have been consistently directed to help us to stand on our own feet - a free and a happy people. I am satisfied, Sir, that in the recent constitutional crisis, his experience, his wisdom and his love for the people of Singapore, were material factors in assisting us in our legitimate aspirations.

To this man on the eve of his departure to wider pastures, I ask that this Assembly, in the name of the people of Singapore, should say: "Malcolm MacDonald, it has been good knowing you - Selamat Jalan and Selamat Kembali!"

Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

That we the members of the Singapore Legislative Assembly, on behalf of the people of Singapore, do place on record in the following terms our recognition of the unique services rendered to Singapore by Malcolm MacDonald as Governor-General, and then as Commissioner-General for the United Kingdom in South-East Asia: -

"Holding the highest office among Her Majesty's representatives in South-East Asia, you have interpreted your duty to represent Her Majesty not only to Governments and with Governments but to the people, and we the people of Singapore have been impressed by your wide and warm sympathies and sincere friendliness as you move freely among us. You have appreciated the liberating and creative forces of democratic nationalism in Asia, and have understood that democracy in practice among us means its interpretation in the distinctive way of life of each of the peoples of South-East Asia, and in this way you have forged lasting links between the democratic traditions of East and West. We believe your influence has always been to build our self-confidence and the confidence of others in us which has helped speed our political advance. We are deeply grateful for your understanding and friendliness to the people of this territory, and your constant readiness to give us advice and assistance in matters great and small. Not only are you the first of Her Majesty's representatives but the first among those who have shown understanding of the people of this territory and our needs, and the first in helpfulness in achieving our legitimate aspirations."

And that Mr Speaker do convey to His Excellency this message of our appreciation and gratitude and our best wishes for his success in his high post in India, our great neighbour.

Mr Lim Choon Mong: Mr Speaker, Sir, it is my pleasure and the pleasure of my Party to second this motion.

Malcolm MacDonald has been a friend to all. He has admitted in many gatherings that his friends are not only those with high and big coats on, but also those without any shirts on them! Indeed, Sir, to consider other people his friends is one thing, but he has been considered by all concerned as their friend. We witness, before his departure, many parties given in his honour, and you have to book in advance or else you may not get a date. Higher circles have their say; trade unionists call him 'the greatest trade unionist'; youth movements with their little boys and girls have always looked towards him as a friend and he has always been their very sincere friend.

Malcolm MacDonald, in contrast to a few expatriates, I should say, is about the best Britisher we have known in recent times. I think he is a shining example of what a Britisher should be. I therefore, Sir, take pleasure to second the motion.

Question proposed.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Mr Speaker, Sir that must have been the longest of all the messages which you have recently been asked by this House to carry to various persons and parties. In so far as we are being asked to wish Mr Malcolm MacDonald well in his new post in India, we join in the valedictions which, by local custom, accompany the departure of popular British officials. Sometimes even more so, these valedictions accompany the departure of unpopular British officials. But Mr MacDonald need have no fears under which category he falls.

Had this motion confined its eulogies to a recital of the charm and grace with which he moved amongst the Asians, it would have had a completely smooth passage in this House. It is to his credit that he bore the burden of empire without the air of a tin god, moving disdainfully amongst we benighted heathens. He took the stuffing out of the stuffed shirts, a felony for which many members of the Tanglin Club have not quite forgiven him. Much to the dismay of the white aristocrats, he started to break down the barriers, which kept the heaven-born in their place - the Putney-born and the London-born - and the Asians in theirs. As I said, had this motion confined itself to this aspect of his contributions to Malaya and to South-East Asia, it would have had our unanimous blessings.

But, Mr Speaker, Sir, unfortunately, we are also being asked, if I may read the words of the motion:

"on behalf of the people of Singapore, do place on record our appreciation" of the political activities of the right honourable Gentleman, His Excellency the Commissioner-General for the United Kingdom in SouthEast Asia - the instrument of British foreign policy in this part of the world.

My Party thinks it is unfair, both to the people of Singapore and to the Commissioner-General, to link up a message of goodwill with an unnecessary endorsement of British foreign policy in SouthEast Asia. It may be that the Government has its reasons for approving the political activities of Phoenix Park. The Government is entitled to its opinion. But there are other opinions. There is the opinion of the People's Action Party shared by a not inconsiderable portion of the population.

Although we all want to convey to His Excellency our best wishes, we cannot place on record something with which we profoundly disagree. This motion attributes to the Commissioner-General an appreciation, if I may read it from the text of the motion, of "the liberating and creative forces of democratic nationalism in Asia." This is a claim, Sir, which I feel the Commissioner-General would be the first to repudiate as having erred on the side of effusiveness. Such an assertion might pass in an after-dinner speech when sentiment is what matters. But when something is to be put on record in this Assembly, and after ten days' notice has been given of the terms of the motion, we feel a greater degree of objectivity would not be uncalled for.

The British Government's appreciation, through its political representative, of the liberating and creative forces of democratic nationalism in Asia has not been all it could and should have been, and indeed can yet still be. I am willing to concede that, as a person, Mr MacDonald may have appreciated these things differently.

There is the case of His Majesty the Emperor Bao Dai, whom Mr MacDonald, on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, recently had to present as a great Vietnamese patriot who was going to save Indo-China from Communism for democracy. The only thing that that gentleman has saved is himself, and I understand he is now languishing in the casinos on the French Riviera. I had the singular experience of being present at a Press club luncheon when His Excellency, on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, described this same monarch as "His Majesty the Emperor Bao Dai - a great statesman, cool, calculating and courageous". A short while later, when the Communists were sweeping down from North Vietnam and the patriotic Emperor had packed up his extensive luggage and left the country even before the French quitted, it occurred to me that an alliteration, equally euphonious but more accurate in describing that gentleman, would have been cold, calculating and callous.

Mr Speaker, Sir, in so far as this motion appears to seek approval - I would like to be very fair to the Hon. the Chief Minister - for British foreign policy in South-East Asia, we must record our complete dissent. We disagree with the policy which Phoenix Park has been responsible for executing in this part of the world. We disagree with the support of the French for Bao Dai which has led to the Communist victory in Indo-China. We disagree with the creation of Bangkok as a military base in S.E.A.T.O.

This motion also propounds another thesis of doubtful political validity. It says:

"We believe your influence has always been to build our self-confidence and the confidence of others in us which has helped speed our political advance."

Speaking for the P.A.P., at no time has the Commissioner-General given us self-confidence, nor has he strengthened the support of our followers in our Party -

The Chief Minister: He is not a P.A.P. member!

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: No, he is not indeed! The P.A.P. draws its inspiration from the people and its self-confidence is the confidence that comes out of conviction. We cannot -

Mr Francis Thomas rose - [Interruption.]

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: I beg your pardon?

Mr Speaker: Carry on, Mr Lee. Order, Mr Thomas.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am indebted to you for protecting me from an attack by the Hon. the Minister for Communications but if he would make his interruptions more audible, I would be -

Mr Speaker: Mr Lee, I am protecting order in this House.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: As you please, Mr Speaker, Sir, I submit. If there are Parties in this House which feel that it is necessary to confess to an appreciation of the services which the Commissioner-General has rendered them, then, of course, they must make their own appreciations and pay their own respects. We have at no time, in the words of the motion again, sought "advice and assistance in matters great and small". Sir, it is the fortunate position of my Party in not having to bother about small matters such as the one about the four Assistant Ministers. We do not have to seek advice on matters big and small. But, of course, it may be that some acknowledgments must be made by those who are indebted to him.

We feel confident that Mr Malcolm MacDonald, who more than any one Britisher, I should think, in Malaya believes in a self-reliant and self-respecting Malaya, would be the last to censure us for this affirmation of our independence and self-reliance. He would understand why the People's Action Party, or, for that matter, any self-respecting nationalist Party cannot subscribe to such a statement. In any case, as our Chief Minister has publicly pointed out just now, it would have been most embarrassing for him if we were publicly to put on record our thanks for his having given the P.A.P. advice and assistance. It might jeopardise his somewhat delicate position -

The Chief Minister: The P.A.P. is not the people of Singapore! [Interruption.]

Mr Speaker: Order, please.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Mr Speaker, Sir, the wording of this motion has made it impossible for us to give it our unqualified assent.

The Chief Minister: More shame!

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Had it been confined to Malcolm MacDonald the man, we would have joined in without reservation. He, more than any other British official, is loved by all the men and nearly all the women in Malaya. He, more than any other British official, has never allowed the people to forget that a high British official is human. Indeed, it was only recently at a dinner with the gentlewomen of the Chinese Ladies' Association that he went on record as saying that he would be quite happy if all the husbands there left their wives and that he stayed on with the ladies for breakfast!

Now, Mr Speaker, Sir, in so far as this motion records our personal esteem for Mr Malcolm MacDonald, the man, we endorse it whole-heartedly, but we cannot endorse the policy of Her Majesty's Government in South-East Asia for which he has been the political instrument.

Mr Goh Chew Chua: Mr Speaker, Sir, we are all aware of Mr MacDonald's qualities as a gentleman, and his reputation as a gentleman has spread widely throughout South-East Asia. If this was an occasion for wishing him farewell in other surroundings, I would have no hesitation in associating myself with the kind things that have been said of him today; but we are now speaking on a motion before this House and I, for one, do not believe that it is quite proper in this place to eulogise Mr MacDonald in the terms of the motion before this House.

I do not think that Mr MacDonald has always been right in his political judgment. About political events in this country, if I might be pardoned for using an expression, which is better used elsewhere, Mr MacDonald has, in my opinion, on many occasions, backed the wrong horse. Political events in this country have not turned out as Mr MacDonald would have liked, and I am sure that he would be the first person to admit this. I say again that if this was an occasion to wish him God-speed in other circumstances, I would be only too glad to join in the kind things that have been said of him. I am, however, not prepared to associate myself or my Party with the motion before this House.

The Chief Minister: Shame!

Mr Seah Peng Chuan (Kampong Kapor): Mr Speaker, Sir, it gives me great pleasure to rise to support the motion of the Chief Minister. In doing so, I am sure I will also have the support of many of the hon. Members of the Opposition and even the members of the public in the Strangers' Gallery.

No praise for Mr MacDonald is high enough. The good work that he has done in Malaya and South-East Asia is known throughout the length and breadth not only of Malaya but all over the world. He is liked by one and all, rich and poor, and the continuous stream of functions in his honour is evidence of his popularity with all the people of Malaya and which the P.A.P. cannot deny.

The Assistant Minister for Commerce and Industry (Mr J. M. Jumabhoy): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to associate myself with the motion put before the House by the Hon. the Chief Minister.

Mr MacDonald, during his stay here for the last 9½ years, has endeared himself to the hearts of the people, whether they be rich or poor. He has never let stand between him and the people barriers of class, or creed, or race, or colour, or even for that matter, of station of life. He has always broken down such barriers. He has never stood on false dignity. He has always come out and met the people as a human being.

Sir, he has been an ambassador of goodwill and friendship, and no better proof of the success and appreciation of his work can be found than in the unanimous voice that was raised about three years back when it was thought that he was about to be transferred.

One cannot, Sir, always keep a good thing to oneself and today we are reconciled to having to lose him, but I must say that we feel sorry to lose him..

As a diplomat, Sir, I must say that he is one of those few high British officials who have really understood the aspirations of today's nationalist Asia, and I think he has done the best he can to help us to achieve our goal of self-government and independence.

Sir, about his personal qualifications, a lot has been said but there are three words in the English language which express emotionally a great deal more than an expression in detail, and I will end, Sir, with those three words - that he is a 'jolly good fellow'!

Mr Sutherland: Sir, the Member for Tanjong Pagar, though he did not name me, undoubtedly included me in the stuffed shirts of Tanglin Club of which I am admittedly a member, although it is not my constituency. There are many people who like bush shirts and open shirts but I personally like being as well-dressed as possible.

However, I am happy to say that Mr MacDonald happens also to be my personal friend and I am one of his greatest admirers. Many Britishers have asked the question - I have heard them ask many times - 'What does Mr MacDonald do?' I think the answer is contained in the Chief Minister's motion and, in my opinion, there is no exaggeration in it at all.

Mr Lee Choon Eng (Queenstown): Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully associate myself with the remarks made by the previous speakers with the exception, of course, of the Members for Tanjong Pagar (Mr Lee Kuan Yew) and Ponggol-Tampenis (Mr Goh Chew Chua)

Apart from the qualities of His Excellency expressed by the previous speakers, he has made much effort in improving the conditions of service of the civilian workers in the Armed Forces in Singapore. As an ex-President of the Federation of Services Union, I have known that, on many occasions, he had been very successful in negotiations between employers and employees of the Services, and on behalf of the civilian workers of the three Services, I wish to place on record the appreciation of Mr MacDonald's services and wish him every success in his new appointment.

Mr Francis Thomas: Sir, I attended a lunch party today in which Mr MacDonald spoke and a vote of thanks was proposed. It is the vote of thanks that I wish to refer to, because it was wrong in my opinion.

He was described as an empire builder comparable to Stamford Raffles. I do not deny him equal status with Stamford Raffles, or greater, but I do not personally regard him as an empire builder, and when the Member for Tanjong Pagar referred to Mr MacDonald as having borne the burden of empire, I thought we were falling back into days which are really past already. 'Empire' is a concept, which is collapsing all around us and there is one empire-building force in the world today and that, I am afraid, is building itself fairly fast and has its centre in Moscow. The other empires are not expanding; they are contracting and they are going into liquidation.

I cannot feel that it is right to describe Mr Malcolm MacDonald as an empire builder. I think it is much more appropriate to call him a world builder, one who has sincerely attempted to do something for the world in which he lives and not for the country to which he belongs. It is because of that feeling about him that I have personally thought that this was a sound and right motion to support. We do not always want to infuse party politics into this Chamber and though I could make some wounding remarks if I wanted to, I also -

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Please do.

Mr Speaker: Order, Please

Mr Francis Thomas: I thought it was rather far-fetched for the Member for Tanjong Pagar to make this firm assumption that MacDonald the man is also a sort of Whitehall in himself. No doubt he has to carry out the policies of Whitehall, just as the Member for Tanjong Pagar has to carry out the policies decided for him by the members of the People's Action Party. He has not much option about it. He has to do as he is told but I think we can further say this: whilst I have not a very high opinion of the policies adopted by Great Britain or by the U.S.A. in this part of the world - and I associate myself largely with the views that the hon. Member has expressed - whatever we may think of British foreign policy in this part of the world, I think one thing is certain: it would have been a great deal worse without Mr Malcolm MacDonald. I think we can also say, as a compliment to the Member for Tanjong Pagar, that the policies of the P.A.P. would have been a great deal worse without Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

The Chief Minister: I cannot help but feel a little sorry, Sir, for a people who are congenitally incapable of saying 'Thank you' and having the courage to say 'No'. I think we will have to invent a word which will suit the warped and tortuous mentality which has been displayed across the floor.

I do not know whether it was not perhaps a desire to display erudition in foreign politics which brought about these fireworks from the Member for Tanjong Pagar. I must confess that, as I heard him, he seemed to me to know a great deal more about Bao Dai than about the English language, because nowhere in this motion is there any question of asserting concurrence with the policy of Her Majesty's Government in Bao Dai's territory; and where we express appreciation for his influence in building up our confidence and the confidence of others in us, the protest of the Member for Tanjong Pagar comes from this basic confusion - that he thinks the P.A.P. is the people of Singapore. Sir, may we tell him a simple truth: that the people of Singapore are far greater than the P.A.P., and the 'us' is not the P.A.P. but the people of Singapore. He has influenced, I am satisfied, the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office - the people in whose hands, to some extent, lies our destiny - to an appreciation of our capacity and our desire for political freedom. His activities have been very considerable in so far as this particular area is concerned and I believe they have at all times been for our good.

At first, I felt more than a little chagrined that a motion of this nature should meet with what seems to be - if you will forgive the phrase - somewhat churlish opposition, but on reconsideration, Sir, I believe that, on balance, the views of the other Members of the House are heightened by the depths to which wilful misunderstanding has proved itself capable in this debate.

I reiterate, for myself and my Party and the people of Singapore, our appreciation and our gratitude for the presence of Malcolm MacDonald in Singapore.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That we the members of the Singapore Legislative Assembly, on behalf of the people of Singapore, do place on record in the following terms our recognition of the unique services rendered to Singapore by Malcolm MacDonald as Governor-General, and then as Commissioner-General for the United Kingdom in South-East Asia: -

"Holding the highest office among Her Majesty's representatives in South-East Asia, you have interpreted your duty to represent Her Majesty not only to Governments and with Governments but to the people, and we the people of Singapore have been impressed by your wide and warm sympathies and sincere friendliness as you moved freely among us. You have appreciated the liberating and creative forces of democratic nationalism in Asia, and have understood that democracy in practice among us means its interpretation in the distinctive way of life of each of the peoples of South-East Asia, and in this way you have forged lasting links between the democratic traditions of East and West. We believe your influence has always been to build our self-confidence and the confidence of others in us, which has helped speed our political advance, We are deeply grateful for your understanding and friendliness to the people of this territory, and your constant readiness to give us advice and assistance in matters great and small. Not only are you the first of Her Majesty's representatives but the first among those who have shown understanding of the people of this territory and our needs, and the first in helpfulness in achieving our legitimate aspirations."

And that Mr Speaker do convey to His Excellency this message of our appreciation and gratitude and our best wishes for his success in his high post in India, our great neighbour.