PRESIDENT YUSOF BIN ISHAK

Encik Yusof Bin Ishak, the first President of the Republic of Singapore, was born on 12th August 1910 in Perak. Encik Yusof was of Sumantran descent tracing his lineage on the paternal side to Minangkabau, and on the maternal side to Langkat. They first settled in Penang and later, Perak.

The Student

Encik Yusof was the eldest son in a family of nine. He received his early education in the Malay school in Kuala Kurau, Perak. Two years later, Encik Yusof was transferred to the Malay school at Taiping and in 1921, he began his English studies at King Edward VII School, Taiping. In 1923 when his civil servant father was posted to Singapore, Encik Yusof accompanied his parents and studied at the former Victoria Bridge School until December 1923.

The Scholar

In 1924 he was admitted to Raffles Institution where he passed the Cambridge School Certificate in 1927 with distinction, and extended his studies for two more years in the Queen’s Scholarship class.

The Sportsman

While in school, Encik Yusof joined practically all forms of sport. While at Raffles Institution, he played hockey and cricket, and took part in swimming, weight lifting, water polo and boxing. In 1933, he became Singapore’s lightweight champion. As the most outstanding cadet of the National Cadet Corps, he became the first student ever in Singapore to have been commissioned by the then Governor as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Cadet Corps. He was a school prefect and co-editor of the ‘Rafflesian’.

After leaving school in 1929, Encik Yusof went into partnership with two friends and embarked on the publication of the “Sportsman”, a fortnightly magazine devoted entirely to sports. In 1932, he joined the staff of ‘Warta Malaya’, the leading Malay newspaper of that time. His journalistic ability took him rapidly from the ranks to the top posts of Assistant Manager and Acting Editor. In 1938, he resigned from the ‘Warta Malaya’ and with a few close friends, established the ‘Utusan Melayu Press Ltd’. In May 1939, the now well-known ‘Utusan Melayu’ came into being with Encik Yusof at the helm, its first Managing Director.

During most of the period of the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945), Encik Yusof remained in Malaya and on the capitulation of Japanese Forces, he returned to Singapore on 3rd September 1945 and immediately resumed publication of the ‘Utusan Melayu’.

In May 1957, he moved to Kuala Lumpur to supervise the construction of the Utusan Building. While in Kuala Lumpur, Encik Yusof was elected President of the Press Club of Malaya. He was the moving spirit behind the ‘Utusan Melayu’ during the difficult period of Malayan Independence.

The Statesman

Encik Yusof took up the appointment of Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore on 3rd December 1959.

On 9th August 1965, when Singapore ceased to be a state in the Federation of Malaysia to become an independent nation separate from Malaysia, Encik Yusof Bin Ishak became the first President of the Republic of Singapore. He was re-appointed for a further term of four years from 4th December 1967.