Benjamin Sheares elected the Second President of Singapore

Benjamin Henry Sheares was the second President of the Republic of Singapore. He was elected by Parliament on 30 December 1970 and sworn into office on 2 January 1971, about two months after the death of the first President, Yusof bin Ishak, on 23 November 1970 (Government Gazette. Extraordinary, 2 January 1971, G.N. 1, p. 1). Sheares was 64 years old when he became President. He held this post for a total of three terms until his death on 12 May 1981.

 

A distinguished medical career

Prior to becoming President, Sheares was a distinguished medical practitioner (National Library of Singapore, 1997) in the field of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G). He began his medical career as an Assistant Medical Officer at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) at Sepoy Lines after obtaining the degree of L.M.S. from King Edward VII Medical College (KECOM) in March 1929. In April 1931, Sheares was transferred to the KECOM Department of O&G at SGH where he stayed until 1937 before he was put in charge of all the obstetric patients at the Kandang Kerbau Hospital (KK Hospital). In 1939, Sheares was awarded the Queen’s Fellowship for a two-year postgraduate training stint in Britain. However, his studies were delayed due to the outbreak of the Second World War. During the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese appointed Sheares Deputy Medical Superintendent of KK Hospital, where he was responsible for the treatment of local patients. After the end of the Japanese Occupation, the British appointed Sheares acting Professor of O&G at KECOM, a post he held until 1947, when he left Singapore to complete his postgraduate studies at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School at Hammersmith Hospital in Britain. Upon returning in 1948, Sheares was reappointed acting Professor of O&G at KECOM (later renamed University of Malaya in Singapore). He was made full professor in 1951. He held this post until he retired in 1960 and went into private practice.

 

In the course of his medical career, Sheares achieved a list of commendable milestones (National Library of Singapore, 1997). For instance, he was the first Singaporean to specialise in O&G and the first local to be appointed Professor of O&G at the University of Malaya in Singapore. Sheares also pioneered the Lower Segment Caesarean Section and created the internationally recognised vaginoplasty surgical procedure, which was later named after him. In addition, Sheares was a strong advocate of voluntary sterilisation and family planning, and was responsible for the modernisation and expansion of the field of O&G in Singapore.

 

When President Ishak passed away, there was speculation about who would replace him. A total of six candidates were “deemed by political and professional circles as likely to be the next President” (The Straits Times, 25 Nov 1970, p. 17). They were Yeoh Chim Seng, then Speaker of Parliament and acting President; Othman Wok, then Minister for Social Affairs; Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin; Ismail Bin Abdul Aziz, then president of the Muslim Religious Council; Punch Coomaraswamy, then High Commissioner to India; and A. P. Rajah, then Higher Commissioner to Britain (The Straits Times, 25 Nov 1970, p. 17). However, when Parliament met on 30 December 1970 to elect the second President of Singapore, Sheares was named (Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 30 December 1970, Vol. 30, col. 382).

 

A man of distinction, ability, integrity and understanding

The motion to elect Sheares as President was moved by Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew (Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 30 December 1970, Vol. 30, col. 378). In his speech, Lee explained why Sheares was invited to undertake the position. Lee said that the “duties of President require not only distinction and ability, but [also] integrity and understanding”. Judging from what Sheares had accomplished in the medical field, Lee and his Cabinet felt that Sheares possessed the necessary qualities (Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 30 December 1970, Vol. 30, col. 379). Lee also mentioned that Sheares displayed the qualities after he accepted the post and was informed that he was to receive the heads of various Commonwealth delegations for the Commonwealth Conference in less than a fortnight. Instead of treating the task as a “perfunctory duty”, Lee shared with Parliament that Sheares’ first reaction was to ask for the curriculum vitae of the leaders of the delegations and background information of their countries as he wanted to learn more about the officials he would be meeting (Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 30 December 1970, Vol. 30, col. 379). Based on this, Lee voiced his confidence that Sheares would “develop a grasp and understanding” of the different dynamics in the political and diplomatic field, in which Sheares had limited experience (Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 30 December 1970, Vol. 30, col. 379).

 

Besides Lee, other Members of Parliament (MPs) also agreed that Sheares was suitable to be President. For instance, MP for Tiong Bahru Ch’ng Jit Koon said that Sheares was the right candidate because he was “an outstanding figure” and had “by his own efforts” made himself known both internationally and locally. Furthermore, Sheares held “a distinguished record of service” to Singapore and had shown his dedication and devotion to the welfare of society through his medical achievements (Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 30 December 1970, Vol. 30, col. 381). MP for Anson P. Govindasamy also endorsed Sheares’ appointment as President. The MP remembered Sheares “as a friendly, approachable and understanding person who shows great concern for other people's problems” (Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 30 December 1970, Vol. 30, col. 382).

 

The motion to elect Sheares as President was passed by Parliament on 30 December 1970 (Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 30 December 1970, Vol. 30, col. 382). The appointment was gazetted on 2 January 1971, which was also the day Sheares took the Oath of the office of President (Government Gazette. Extraordinary, 2 January 1971, G.N. 1, p. 1). The swearing in ceremony was held in the State Room at the Istana. Among those present were Cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament and other guests (The Straits Times, 3 Jan 1971, p. 1). Attorney General Tan Boon Teik read the resolution of Parliament electing Sheares President, and Chief Justice Wee Chong Kin administered the Oath of office of the President (Government Gazette. Extraordinary, 2 January 1971, G.N. 1, p. 1). It was a simple ceremony that lasted about five minutes (The Straits Times, 3 Jan 1971, p. 1).

 

Under Article 1 of the Singapore Constitution, Sheares would hold office for a term of four years (The Straits Times, 30 Dec 1970, p. 6). The Constitution also stipulated that he had to act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet but could exercise his discretion in acting on matters such as the appointment of the Prime Minister and the withholding of consent to a request for the dissolution of Parliament (The Straits Times, 30 Dec 1970, p. 6). As the Constitution stated that the President was not allowed to “hold any office of profit” or “actively engage in any commercial enterprise”, Sheares had to give up his private practice (The Straits Times, 30 Dec 1970, p. 6).

 

Sheares gave his first reception as President of Singapore on 8 January 1971 at the Istana. It was a simple affair, involving mostly heads of diplomatic missions, Cabinet ministers and local VIPs. The reception was for the officials to meet the newly elected President and his wife, Yeoh Seh Geok (The Straits Times, 9 Jan 1971, p.2). Following this, Sheares held another reception on 12 January 1971 (The Straits Times, 12 Jan 1971, p. 1). The reception was for the foreign dignitaries attending the Commonwealth Conference in Singapore from 14 January 1971 to 22 January 1971 (The Straits Times, 14 Jan 1971, p. 8). After the conference ended on 22 January 1971, President Sheares and his wife hosted a farewell dinner for the foreign dignitaries at the Istana (The Straits Times, 22 Jan 1971, p. 1).

 

Sheares served as President of Singapore for three terms from 2 January 1971 until his death on 8 May 1981 (The Straits Times, 11 May 1981, p. 1). He was elected by Parliament for his second and third terms as President on 6 November 1974 and 29 December 1978 respectively (Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 6 November 1974, Vol. 33, cols 1081-1084; Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 29 December 1978, Vol. 38, cols 55-60). Sheares was fondly remembered by the people of Singapore. When his body was lying in state at the Istana, more than 85,000 people turned up to pay their respects (The Straits Times, 15 May 1981, p. 1). Sheares was also commended by Prime Minister Lee. In his tribute to Sheares in Parliament on 12 June 1981, Lee stated that Sheares had “discharged his duties with dignity, with thoroughness, and with consideration for others” and that he was a “good man who put his ability in the service of his fellow man” (Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 12 June 1981, Vol. 41, cols. 14-15). Today, several landmarks in Singapore are named after Sheares. These include the Benjamin Sheares Bridge (National Library Board, 1997), Sheares Hall in the National University of Singapore (The Straits Times, 21 Jul 1981, p. 7), and the Benjamin Sheares College, part of the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School).

Sources

The information in this article is valid as at 2011 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Politics and Government