Professor S. Jayakumar Teeing Up Strong

His role in nation building cannot be over-estimated, yet Professor S. Jayakumar, former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore has the benefit of golf to carry him through life in politics and now, simply a life well deserved.

- Darryl Wee

As the saying goes, “I know him but he does not know me”, and little did I expect our paths to cross because of golf. Like many Singaporeans, I knew of Professor S. Jayakumar as politician, diplomat and our previous Deputy Prime Minister.

I had seen “Prof ” numerous times at the golfer’s terrace at Sentosa Golf Club on weekends, and one day, a common friend called and asked if I would be interested in joining them for a game as another friend had pulled out.

Due to the golfing official secrets acts, I will have to withhold the various candid conversations and stories we had. However, I can honestly say that for someone who just celebrated his 80th birthday, I found him exceptionally sharp, witty and genuinely kind.

Still very competitive, there is always a small wager on our game which starts with the usual negotiation of strokes.

I was very excited when Prof agreed to be featured in our Interview Series as I felt that looking at the game from the lens of a diplomat would be something different from the lens of a business leader or professional golfer.

What can be seen from the interview was how golf was instrumental in helping advance diplomacy for Singapore.

GV: How did you get started in golf?

Prof: I took up golf around 1987 when I was Minister of Home Affairs. I had thought golf was an awful waste of time. However, I had a problem on my hands. I had many visiting dignitaries, especially from ASEAN countries, who were very keen to play golf.

I had to plead with other Cabinet colleagues to host games for them. Mr Goh Chok Tong then advised me to take up the game as it was a good way to forge closer links with our foreign counterparts. I heeded his advice and that is how I got started in golf.

Did golf really prove to be helpful then, in terms of courting diplomatic relations?