MEETING HE President S.R. Nathan of the Republic of Singapore recently was a pleasure and a great honour. The President is a man of wit , intelligence and one of the nicest gentlemen you could even hope to meet. Not many people know of the illustrious career of this humble gentleman.
The 6th Presidnent of Singapore began his career in the Singapore Civil Service as a medical social worker in 1955. He was appointed Seamen’s Welfare Officer the following year. In 1962, he was seconded to the Labour Research Unit of the Labour Movement, first as Assistant Director and later Director of the Labour Research Unit until January 1966. He continued as a Member of its Board of Trustees until April 1988.
In February 1966, he was transferred to the Foreign Ministry. He served as Assistant Secretary and rose to be Deputy Secretary before being appointed Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs in January 1971.
In August of the same year, Nathan moved to the Ministry of Defence where he was Director of the Security and Intelligence Division (SID), with the rank of Permanent Secretary. He was involved in the Laju incident on January 31, 1974, when members of the terrorist Japanese Red Army (JRA) bombed petroleum tanks on Pulau Bukom off the coast of Singapore. Nathan, was among a group of government officers who volunteered to be held hostage by the JRA to secure the release of civilian hostages.
Nathan was conferred with the Public Service Star in 1964, the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 1967, and the Meritorious Service Medal in 1974.
President S.R. Nathan with HE The President of Singapore
With President Sellapan Ramanathan Nathan and our PM Lee, sunny Singapore is in good hands. 
