Eddie+Barker's+contributions

Contributions:

I n the 1960s, there were many squatters who lived in the most unhygenic conditions. They washed their clothes with rain or river water from the Singapore River, had no proper toilets or bathrooms, and made do with whatever shelter they could cobble together. For the newly independent Singapore to develop its economy, there was a pressing need to let these squatters have a house and improve their standard of living. One of Eddie Barker's first moves as Law Minister was to draw up a law that would allow the government to take over private land for this purpose. The law angered many landowners, but it also allowed the government to build affordable flats across Singapore speedily in a housing programme that helped Singaporeans to own their homes.

When Eddie Barker was National Development Minister from 1965 to 1975, he announced an ambitious $90 million set of 14 building projects. His idea was to transform a part of Beach Road into a street or "Golden Mile" as he called it, filled with luxury hotels, apartments and shopping complexes.

Eddie Barker dared to write a document to create a new independent country. He drew up three legal documents to push for Signapore's independence: an amendment to the Constitution in 1965, an Act that legalised the separation, and an official letter proclaiming the birth of a new and independent Singapore. As he had close ties with Tun Abdul Razak, then Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Razak did not bother to check the documents again after they were typed by Barker's secretary. Razak and Barker were schoolmates at Raffles College and the St Catherine's law school at Cambridge. During the days that led to the signing over of Singapore's independence, Barker and other ministers had to stay up late into the night. In the end, his efforts were not wasted as Lee Kuan Yew thanked him and the malaysian side signed the papers.

As the law minister, Barker oversaw legal developments that maintained the island's racial harmony. One example was the establishment of the Presidential Council for Minorities that would make sure it is heard publicly if any proposal was considered discriminatory against a minority group. Barker also spearheaded the preservation of national monuments in a city that thrives on improving and renewing its physical landscape. Barker introduced the Preservation of Monuments Act to guard against the day when we wake up to see our historical monuments either bulldozed or crumbling to dust through neglect as he says.

The last thing any minister would think of is to start a sporting culture. But while the economy was the lifeblood of the country, having national sports icons could build hope and raise the nation's profile to the rest of the world. It was Barker's vision that provided the platform for the future generations of Olympians to train and excel under world-class conditions. to have a sporting culture, Barker needed to create a spritual and physical haven for all athletes. At the same time, it was Singapore's turn to host the South East Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games in 1973. A new national stadium was the answer, but it would cost both money and land needed for national development. The old Jalan Besar Stadium(now refurbished) was not good enough to be an international stadium venue. Barker studied three available sets and picked the Kallang area as it was in a central location and could easily be turned into a sporting arena. Once the Kallang National Stadium was built, he made sure of the speedy construction of the Toa Payoh swimming staidum and the Toa Payoh sports village. The village would house thousands of athletes. He was also frank, honest, loving, and forever supportive.

~ Teng-ya. (3.51pm) Zhi Ren, do edit and add. Thank you.