What he did for Singapore?

2nd Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore: In office: 1 March 1973 – 3 December 1984

Minister for Education: In office: 12 February 1979 – 31 May 1980,1 June 1981 – 3 December 1984
3rd Minister for Defence: In office: 11 August 1970 – 11 February 1979
3rd Minister for Finance: In office: 17 August 1967 – 10 August 1970
1st Minister for the Interior and Defence: In office: 9 August 1965 – 16 August 1967
1st Minister for Finance: In office: 5 June 1959 – 8 August 1965

•Singapore’s finances were in a mess when Dr Goh took over as Finance Minister. He instituted reforms to strengthen Singapore’s financial position and cut the pay of civil servants, including parliamentary secretaries and ministers.
Coupled with stringent economy in government spending, he was able to announce by September that instead of a budget deficit of $14million, Singapore had a surplus of $1million.

•He initiated the setting up of the Economic Development Board which was established in August 1961 to attract foreign multinational corporations to invest in Singapore.

•It was the work of Dr Goh and his team that led to the creation of Jurong, an industrial estate literally hacked out of swamp and jungle. About 8600 acres of land were drained, levelled and developed over 10 years. Foreign Minister S.Rajaratnam said in 1968 that “if there were no Jurong today we might have instead mass unemployment, starvation and riots”. It now offers incentives to local and foreign business to locate there.

•Both Singapore Zooological Garden and the Jurong Bird Park was set up by Dr Goh to attract tourists and as a sanctuary for people to unwind and relax.

•He also setting up an 18-hole golf course in Jurong and Sentosa Golf Course to draw tourists.

•He was also the man who pushed for the forming of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and introduced National Service and streaming in schools.

•He was instrumental in creating Singapore’s army. He was Minister for Defence since the time Singapore left Malaysia in 1965. He created a modern army, set up the People’s Defence Force of civilian volunteers and started the compulsory National Service.

•As early as 1968, he announced an exercise to take the education system in a new direction. The 1979 Dr Goh Report led to a major overhaul of primary and secondary schooling in Singapore, and introduced streaming.

•In 1969 , he warned the Singapore Manufacturers’ Association that the “unthinking and unenlightened employer who pushes his labour force around” would be dealt with severly by the government.

•He also initiated a movement that improved workers’ lives -cooperatives- during a seminar in 1969. NTUC Income, a cooperative insurance society, was formed in 1970. After that came Comfort, a cooperative to organise the rag-tag band of taxi drivers.

•This would prevent strikes from taking place which would then hamper Singapore’s march to progress and prosperity.

•He provided jobs for people, encourage capitalism and private enterprise.