Deeply saddened by the passing of Mr Ngiam Tong Dow, a versatile and outstanding civil servant from our founding generation.
Tong Dow stood out among his peers for his intellect and empathy, and willingness to speak his mind. He served with distinction for over 40 years across various Ministries, and was appointed Singapore’s youngest Permanent Secretary at the age of 33.
I had the privilege of working closely with him at the Ministry of Trade & Industry when I was Minister of State and he was Permanent Secretary. As a young office holder, I benefited greatly from his considerable experience and sage advice. He served on the Economic Committee that I chaired in 1985, which recommended measures to help Singapore recover from our first major economic recession since independence. His inputs made a major difference to our report.
After Tong Dow formally retired in 1999, he continued to serve as Chairman of the CPF Board and the Housing & Development Board. Many of the schemes introduced during his tenure at HDB, including the Build-To-Order system and the Lift Upgrading Programme, have stood the test of time and are still continuing today.
My deepest condolences to Mrs Ngiam and the family. Tong Dow may have left us but his legacy will live on, and his contributions will touch the lives of many generations of Singaporeans to come. – LHL
(With Mr Ngiam Tong Dow at the Economic Committee Press Conference in 1986. / Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)
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