You are a product of an excellent School within a great University. Your School and lecturers have given you their best in teaching and training you, to equip you with the intellectual discipline and practical skills to make a head start in life.
So, be justly proud and thankful for it. Will you now join me in showing appreciation for all the benefits you have received at the School, by giving them a big round of applause.

We must also not forget your beloved parents who have brought you up, struggled and sacrificed to enable you to go for higher education. May I ask you to join me in giving them a very big heartfelt “thank you”.

Now, we shall ‘come down to earth’. You are now at the threshold of going out into the real world. You are full of expectations. Some of you already know which career path you will be taking, whilst others of you have yet to decide. The reality of daily living will be thrust upon you very soon. Graduands, from now on, you really are on your own. So make the best of what you have been taught and make the best of the Degree Certificate that you are about to receive shortly.

Above all, my family felt that the School’s connection with the name “Wee Kim Wee” might inspire the young student and graduate of the School to reach for excellence - not just to excel in your intellectual pursuits, but also to excel as a human being (with a heart of love, care and compassion for your family and friends and your fellowmen), and to be good and useful citizens.

We hope that the memory of Dr Wee, as a mentor figure for the School, will be etched in your mind and remain in your heart, as you go on in life from now on, to strive for accomplishments and successes in your career.

The Important Fundamental Principle

Wee Kim Wee rose from a mere clerk to become the Head of State. It was not plain-sailing. He went through it all - pain and heartaches, struggles and sacrifices, disappointments and uncertainties. How then did he sail through and overcome the storms? What did he have that gave him that strength of character, undaunted spirit, hard work, striving for excellence to achieve and accomplish, despite his financially disadvantaged position and lack of formal education.

What motivated and shaped my father to be what he was? He steadfastly lived by several principles.

My father had never failed to preach that particular principle, especially to young people, whenever given an opportunity. So, I am sure that, if he were here to speak to you today, he would have seized the opportunity to talk about it - why it is important to be content and why you should make a conscious effort to apply it in your daily life.

My father came from a poor family. His father died early. His mother was not educated and had to do menial jobs to feed the family. They struggled. He had to leave school just when he turned 14 in November 1929 to find a job. It would not be surprising if he had been embittered; if he had feelings of hopelessness at being cheated of a good education, and so on. But no, he rose above all that. So what had happened?

In that situation, my father learnt a few important lessons from his parents - discipline and dignity, hard work, sacrifice, love and care for family, making the best of things. Apart from his parents, he did not have a mentor to show him the way to live life

The objective of the Club was not only to help promising young Straits Chinese boys to acquire a wider acquaintance of the English language and literature, but to inculcate in them the “higher and nobler ideals in life” - to teach the young to be good human beings and good citizens. The classes were held at the famous Presbyterian Church at Princep Street and he was taught by Sir Ong Siang Song (a God-fearing Cambridge scholar and lawyer and author of the famous book “One Hundred Years’ History of the Chinese in Singapore” and another lawyer, Mr C J Koh). That was my father’s only formal education after he left school at the age of 14.

My father said that he learnt about contentment from Sir Ong Siang Song in those classes. Coupled with his parents’ example, that Godly principle had helped him to cope in all circumstances and to give him that comfort and peace in his heart to be able to achieve and accomplish.

What is “contentment”? or what is “to be content”?

“Contentment” or “to be content” is having that “inner sufficiency that keeps us at peace, inspite of outward circumstances”. It is: to be satisfied with our circumstances and with whatever we have, so that the love of money, greed, or craving for earthly possessions cannot overcome us.

But, does being content mean accepting your lot without question and opening yourself to being abused, exploited or oppressed? Does it mean to simply sit under a coconut tree and wait for the fruit to drop? Does it mean discouraging a person to excel or better his circumstances? Most certainly not, as you can discern from my father’s career path. He was never daunted by setbacks. He never buckled under threats of intimidation. He always strove to do better and to learn new skills to the very end of his life. Contentment gave Wee Kim Wee that inner strength.

Dr Wee preached and practised the principle of contentment. As a practical example, he taught us that to be content means to realise the limits of our skills and our physical and mental capacities; to carry out the task we are given as best we can; and when we have tried our best, we can know and must take stock of the limits of our skills and capacities. If we are not content with our situation and persist to go beyond our limits, then, almost certainly, we would go into a state of anxiety, depression or mental breakdown and do some foolish things that we would live to regret.

Another thing he often told us was: Be content with what we have. We should never be covetous nor greedy nor compare ourselves with the Jones, because, at the end, we would not be able to take anything with us. He would paraphrase the truth like this: We came with nothing on our back and most certainly we will go with nothing on our back.

I remember well his advice to me, when I had to decide on a job offer: He told me never mind about the money. Be content. Don’t get worked up. There are other more important considerations like getting into the right organisation, job satisfaction, good working environment, getting experience and so on. Talent, good work and right attitude towards your work would be recognised in due course.

How right he was. A few months after I joined my friend’s law firm in partnership, she decided, in her wisdom and generosity, that we should split the profits down the middle. My partner soon enough recognised that I was able to deliver the goods and she was content to take less. Contentment brought about long-term stability, harmony and prosperity for our firm and we have never been in want.

Discontentment –which can come in various forms - envy, jealousy, covetousness, obsession for money and greed, lust, to name a few – a very destructive force that would affect our peace of mind; our emotion, our sense of right and wrong, and even our physical well-being.

We need to be content even in food and clothing. If we do not practise contentment, excesses would set in, affecting our physical health and even our finances, and our excesses would, in turn, encourage the earth to be plundered to satisfy our want: like destroying the forests; killing the great whales for meat; cutting the fins of sharks for sharksfin soup and throwing the live sharks back into the sea.

My father never craved for exotic food like sharkfins or abalones or branded shirts, suits, shoes or anything at all. He was content to eat three simple square meals a day and wear humble generic products.

I remember that, on his State Visit to China in 1992, my father made it a point to send a message across to his Chinese host that he would prefer to eat the usual chicken, duck and fish and would prefer not to be served bears paws, camel paws and all the other exotic dishes that he heard would usually be laid for visiting Heads of State. He was content with simplicity in food. He was concerned about the poor exotic animals being slaughtered just for his temporal enjoyment.

You can see that whatever we do as individuals will affect us and also the world we live in. So learn to live simply, to take the straight and narrow path and to be content, like Wee Kim Wee, and make this world a better place to live in. You will bring honour to the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information and the name “Wee Kim Wee” – which stands for contentment, dignity, integrity and righteousness and love and care for his fellowmen. Be proud of that name on your Degree Certificate.

I congratulate you once again, graduands, on your achievement and wish you a successful career and a life of peace and joy.