'A force of good': Singapore’s leaders pay respects at funeral of late Puan Noor Aishah

SINGAPORE: Several past and present Cabinet ministers – including Prime Minister Lawrence Wong – paid their respects to Puan Noor Aishah on Tuesday (Apr 22) morning at the Ba’alwie Mosque, where funeral prayers were held following her death.

The 91-year-old, who was the wife of Singapore’s first President Yusof Ishak, died peacefully at Singapore General Hospital at about 4.30am on Tuesday.

Mr Wong said she had been “thrust into the public spotlight at a very young age” when Mr Yusof was sworn in as Singapore’s first Malayan-born head of state – or Yang di-Pertuan Negara – in 1959.

“She rose to the occasion and she made a lasting contribution … at a time when we were going through difficulties as a young nation,” Mr Wong told reporters.

“But she was also a force of good in her own right, championing various social causes, and she was patron to various organisations. Many Singaporeans have been touched by her.”

Mr Wong said he met and interacted with Puan Noor Aishah during a few public events and was “always struck by her grace and her dignity”. He also spoke with members of her family, including her son, Dr Imran Yusof Ishak.

“LIVED A FULL LIFE”

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who had known Puan Noor Aishah since he was seven, said he had been aware “for some time” that she was ill and in hospital.

Mr Lee said he and his wife Ho Ching visited her last month: “She was still conscious and recognised us, and gave us a broad smile.”

“Over the years, I’ve kept in touch with her … and remembered old times and new developments in our families - how many children, grandchildren. In her case, how many great-grandchildren.

“She’s lived a full life, made a significant contribution to Singapore - particularly in the early years, crucial years of our first years of independence - and we will remember her for a very long time and miss her very much.”

Former President Halimah Yacob, who was accompanied by her husband Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee, said Puan Noor Aishah will be remembered for how she changed the Istana when her husband first took office.

“The British legacy was so strong, yet she came to the Istana and she transformed it, made it more Asian, more localised … That’s important and that is remembered by people, not just in Singapore,” Madam Halimah said.

She recalled that when she was a Member of Parliament for the Bukit Batok ward from 2001 to 2015, Puan Noor Aishah would spend time at Yusof Ishak Secondary School, which was within the ward and named after her husband.

“She will be fondly remembered, and the various contributions she made - I hope that will also be part of our proud legacy as Singaporeans, as a nation state,” added Mdm Halimah.

“VERY GRACIOUS LADY”

Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said he will always remember Puan Noor Aishah as a “very, very gracious lady”, recounting how - as a student - he used to see her portrait beside her late husband’s in school.

Mr Teo described her death as the “passing of an era” that represented “all the tribulations that came through independence”.

Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli said Singaporeans will “remember her well”.

“We hope that she will continue to be in our memories as someone who defined for us what it meant to be Singaporean and how we should all be together in harmony,” he added.

Mr Masagos noted she was the patron of several organisations, including the Singapore Red Cross and the Singapore Muslim Women’s Association.

He added that when Mr Yusof’s health deteriorated during his third term of office, Puan Noor Aishah took his place to present medals for the 1968 National Day awards. Mr Yusof died of heart failure in 1970.

Mr Masagos was joined by Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman.

Other prominent figures who paid their respects on Tuesday included Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Defence Zaqy Mohamad, former Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim, and National Trades Union Congress president K Thanaletchimi.

Puan Noor Aishah will be laid to rest at Kranji State Cemetery later on Tuesday alongside her late husband.

As a mark of respect, she will be accorded the honour of being borne on the Ceremonial Gun Carriage for her final journey from Masjid Ba’alwie to the cemetery, said the Prime Minister’s Office.