"Are you a historian?" the author, Ms Tan Siok Sun asked as I handed her "Goh Keng Swee - A Portrait" to sign after the end of her talk. There was a queue behind me and so I did not talk much or ask her any questions.
Do I look like a historian? "No," I said. "I am a vet."
She had a fun talk with old timers and fans sharing their anecdotes about Dr Goh Keng Swee, a person I had never seen before.
But his political decisions and trouble shooting had great impact on all Singaporeans including veterinarians. I was affected twice by his men, once as a government vet and the other as a private Club vet!
1. PIGS AND CHICKENS
"GKS even had a hand in the Primary Production Department (PPD)," Ms Tan mentioned in passing as she had spoken about the setting up of the Jurong Bird Park was GKS'idea.
"Something about pollution."
I worked in that era when the AVA (Agri-Vet Authority) was known as the PPD. Dr Goh had dismantled the intensive pig production farms in Singapore as the pigs pollute the reservoirs, amongst other reasons. I was a PPD vet doing extension work for pig and poultry farmers. Well, the poultry farms had not been eliminated. Some hope of earning a livelihood.
2. RACEHORSES
I left the PPD in 1982 to become a Singapore Turf Club vet under a 3-year-contract. It was a risky thing to do as I could be jobless after 3 years. Junior vets before me seemed not to be able to continue a life-time employment at the Turf Club.
6 years later, Dr Goh came in with his men of trouble-shooters to make the Turf Club profitable. The Singapore Totalisator Board had taken over in 1988.
"There will be bean counters," the Human Resource Manager told me. "All performance will be analysed and department heads will be accountable for performance." I knew that the car, housing and the rights to private practice provided for the Club vets would be taken away. I would become a salaried man. Take it or leave it. I left after my 7th year of contract expired. I decided to start my own veterinary surgery.
So my destiny was affected even though I had not seen or met GKS at all.
ATTENDING TALKS BY AUTHORS
Much can be learnt at such talks. At the end of this talk, an elderly gentleman told a small group about his experience working for GKS. When a lady asked for his name, he would not say. "Are you going to expose me for revealing matters about GKS under the Official Secrets Act?"
One anecodte was interesting as I was also in National Service in the SAF Provost Unit. He recounted:
"Usually at 12 noon, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's car would leave the Istana. The Military Police guard would stand at attention, lift up his rifle and salute. But on that day, it was GKS inside the car. The M.P. was confused and did not perform his duty. The car left. Somebody later told Dr Goh that the M.P. was put into the detention barracks."
I thought this was rather severe punishment. In the detention barracks at Tanglin and Kranji during my time as a SAF Provost Officer, I could see that the SUS (Soliders Under Suspicion) had a tough life.
The story-teller comforted us: "Dr Goh ordered the M.P. to be released immediately."
We could have talked more but somebody switched on and off the lights to drive us home. It was 5.30 p.m.
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