Top Row, left to right
United Kingdom General Service Medal (Malaya clasp), instituted 1948
Awarded to members of the British, Commonwealth and Colonial Forces and Civil personnel, including the Malayan Police Force, for service during the Malayan Emergency.
Singapore Efficiency Medal (Pingat Berkebolehan), instituted 1969
Awarded to public officers, officers of a statutory authority, educational workers and government-owned company employees for exceptional efficiency or devotion to duty or work of special significance.
Malaysia Uniformed Services Malaysia Medal (Pingat Perkhidmatan Beruniform Malaysia), instituted 1964
Awarded to members of the Police Force and Armed Forces who were in active service during the Singapore-Malaysia merger.
Bottom row, left to right
Singapore Police Service Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, instituted 1994
Awarded to Singapore Police Force service members for long and exemplary service and good conduct. Awards are for 10 years, 30 years, and/or 35 years of continuous and unbroken service.
Singapore Defence Medal (Pingat Pertahanan), instituted 1970
Awarded to members of the Singapore Armed forces and Singapore Police Force who were in active service during the Indonesian-Malaysia confrontation (Konfrontasi).
Dad was Internal Security Department’s longest-serving officer, from April 19th 1954 to December 31st 2000; 46 years of continuous service. (ISD was once known as “Special Branch.”) Even after retirement, well into his sunset years, he mentored generations of younger officers who were inspired by his professionalism, commitment and tenacity, as much as they were impressed by his sharp wit, prodigious memory and sheer intelligence.
Dad was born on June 21st 1931. He passed away on July 24th, exactly a month ago at the ripe old age of 95.
I would take dad out for lunch every Sunday. He was perspicacious and incisive till the very end.
Long before the headlines caught up, dad saw it all coming.
He didn’t just predict Trump’s original rise to the presidency – he foresaw his second term and mapped out precisely how he would govern. Years before it happened, dad even envisioned the strategic weaponization of the Strait of Hormuz.
His ability to anticipate what lay ahead was not merely insightful – it was uncanny, almost prophetic.
Dad took a piece of my heart with him, leaving behind an empty space and a towering shadow I can never quite fill.