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?
This story is from the October - November 2019 edition of GOLF VACATIONS.
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This story is from the October - November 2019 edition of GOLF VACATIONS.
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