Tributes by Leader of the House and Opposition Leaders

The Deputy Prime Minister (Dr Toh Chin Chye): Mr Speaker, Sir, it is my sad duty to formally inform the House that the Minister for Labour, Inche Ahmad bin Ibrahim, Member for Sembawang, passed away on 21st August, 1962, barely two weeks ago.

My colleague, the Prime Minister, has already paid a tribute to him on behalf of the people and Government of Singapore. I find it an equally difficult task, as Leader of the House, on behalf of this House, to pay our tribute to an honourable and brave colleague. The people will never know how indebted we are to him.

In our moment of rejoicing after the verdict of the referendum was known, our hearts were filled with sorrow by the thought of how much the results of the referendum would have cheered him. Had he been alive, he would have known that he had not lived and fought to live in vain. He was in great pain and suffering. Had he asked for sedation, which the doctors would have been fully justified in giving him, he would have shortened his life. But he wanted to live on in order that he could see this referendum through with us.

I am sure all Members of this House will wish these proceedings to be placed in the records of this House.

I am grateful, Mr Speaker, for your message of sympathy which you sent on behalf of the House to his widow and children. They will shortly return to their kampong in Penang.

It is my sad privilege, Sir, to pay this tribute to a man, by nature humble and unassuming, a man who made friends easily, who was unselfish, and who I believe was liked by all who knew him in this House since 1955.

1.05 p.m.

Mr S. T. Bani (Thomson): Sir, may I on behalf of the Barisan Sosialis, say that we associate ourselves with the sentiments expressed by you and by the Leader of the House?

We have known Inche Ahmad to be a sincere friend in spite of our political differences.

We take this opportunity to express our deepest concern over his unfortunate death.

Tun Lim Yew Hock (Cairnhill): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to associate my Party with the sentiments expressed by you and by the Leader of the House in regard to the sad loss sustained by this Assembly and by the people of Singapore.

The saying is indeed true, Sir, "Those whom the gods love die young." The late Inche Ahmad bin Ibrahim was indeed a very good man. I knew him for many, many years, even before he became a Member of this Assembly. He was a man sincere in his desire to work for the people of Singapore, and when his Party came to power and he was made a Minister, he did his best, in spite of his failing health, to discharge his duties in the best interests of the people.

Sir, we feel a great loss in the death of our very good friend and worker.

1.08 p.m.

Inche Ahmad Jabri Bin Mohammad Akib (Southern Islands): (In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, allow me to express our sense of great loss to Inche Ahmad bin Ibrahim widow and to his children.

Our friend has gone to where he will never come back. His passing away is indeed a great loss to the State of Singapore. He was a man who served Singapore in all earnestness, and nothing was too much trouble for him. We have known him as a person with a wonderful I character not only as a friend but as a political opponent.

It is a great pity indeed that he is not here to know of the result of our joint effort for the welfare of Singapore.

On behalf of my Party and my colleagues, I wish to thank you, Mr Speaker, for having expressed on behalf of this House our sympathy to his widow and children.

Mr Ong Eng Guan (Hong Lim): Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Member for Punggol and myself, I wish to express our deepest sympathy on the passing away of Inche Ahmad bin Ibrahim, the former Minister for Labour.

He was a humble man and he earned the respect of the Members of all Parties in this House whatever political differences we might have had. He will be a loss to this House.

On behalf of the Member for Punggol and myself, I wish to take this opportunity of expressing our sympathy to his widow and his children who have suffered much by his loss.

Mr David Marshall (Anson): Mr Speaker, Sir, Inche Ahmad Bin Ibrahim was the only Member of the Cabinet for whom I had affection and regard.

I have known him for seven years as a political opponent, and I say truthfully he was a good man, sincere and genuinely humble.

I am grieved to learn of the long period of physical agony that he suffered with such quiet dignity, and I would like to express a sense of personal loss and sincere condolence to his bereaved family.

Mr Speaker: As a mark of respect to the late Member, I propose to suspend. I shall take the Chair again at 1.15 p.m.

Sitting accordingly suspended at 1.11 p.m.until 1.15 p.m. Sitting resumed at 1.15 p.m.