ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
LAWLINK 2021
DEAN’S DIARY PROFESSOR SIMON CHESTERMAN The life of the law is not always determined by logic; it is shaped by experience. I quoted Oliver Wendell Holmes’s observation in a recent message to our alumni to introduce some of the changes we are making to our curriculum. Given transformations in the way in which law is practised and the fields to which it applies, we need to adapt the way in which it is taught. The same is often true of the careers of our graduates, their lives shaped by their own experiences. The trajectory of many of those lives may sometimes be clearer in retrospect than while charting them. President Halimah Yacob ’78 LLM ’01 LLD ’16 in her thoughtful and moving interview with David Tan in these pages, offers an example of someone who reached law school only after she had overcome great hardship — but entered with a commitment to make the way easier for those who might follow. That commitment led President Halimah to pursue a life in public service. Five years ago, I had the great pleasure of reading the citation when she received an honorary Doctorate of Laws. Back then I noted that her life had been a series of firsts: first Malay woman elected to Parliament, first woman to be elected Speaker, first Singaporean elected to the governing body of the International Labour Organization. She has since become Singapore’s first female President, and our first female Chancellor. It is the nature of many trailblazers to be known not only for what they do, but also for what they represent. In this way, President Halimah has not only made a difference to the many people whose lives she has touched as a labour leader and as a politician, but also those whom she has inspired — to see themselves as not defined solely by their class, their gender, their race, or their religion. This edition of LawLink also celebrates other alumni who have shattered boundaries or expectations. Though the vast majority of our graduates practise law in Singapore, for example, many go into different fields or take their legal skills abroad.
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Tan Min-Liang ’02, this year’s commencement speaker, now heads the gaming giant Razer Inc and encouraged graduates to be open to the path less travelled. Ho Kheng Lian ’07 also went into the field of technology and now herself supports entrepreneurs and start-ups.
CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF SG WOMEN WITH OUR ALUMNA – PRESIDENT HALIMAH YACOB ’78 LLM ’01 LLD ’16 President Halimah Yacob ’78 LLM ’01 LLD ’16 has served in NTUC for more than three decades before joining politics. In her career, she has introduced programmes promoting social cohesion, strengthening interfaith unity, programmes for senior and disabled care, and she is also the patron to many social services agencies. She was the first woman to be the Speaker of Parliament, and the first woman to helm the position of Singapore’s President. As 2021 is the Year of Celebrating SG Women, Professor David Tan caught up with President Halimah on her career journey, challenges, and her advice for women in law.
We also feature three of our young alumni making their mark in London, New York, and The Hague, all interviewed by our aviation law expert (temporarily grounded) Alan Tan ’93.
was alive, but the situation worsened after his death when I was eight years old. I spent a lot of my childhood days helping my mother run a cooked food stall.” When her father died, her mother became the sole breadwinner having to raise five children. “It was a real struggle trying to keep body and soul together, and that almost caused me to drop out of school. It’s difficult to describe that childhood journey except that I hope no child would ever have to go through that. Every year we celebrate Children’s Day. It’s a joyous day for children, but growing up I didn’t know such a day existed as I didn’t even get to celebrate my own birthday,” she said.
As I always remind our students, however, you don’t need to travel far to make an impact. The past year has offered many opportunities for service within Singapore, recognised in our Pro Bono Awards — including the tremendous work that our students did in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such achievements — at home and abroad — are an important reason why NUS Law does so well in rankings. Though I always remind my colleagues that we should take such rankings with a pinch of salt, our success in reaching the top 10 in the world creates further opportunities for our graduates, as well as helping to recruit the best faculty and students in a virtuous circle.
President Halimah remarked that today she sees many adults posting happy photos online of their childhood clasping toys or having parties with their families. However, she did not remember having toys or having her photos taken. So, when she became a public figure, she had great difficulty producing any childhood photographs when asked by the media, and indeed, by LawLink. “I have no regrets though, as deprivation and hardship taught me very valuable lessons that stood me in good stead when I went to work and entered politics,” she shared. “It taught me resilience, the ability to bounce back and not let setbacks and difficulties overcome me and define who I am.”
Perhaps more moving was recognition at home for the work my colleague Joel Lee and his team did in support of the successful hosting of the Singapore Convention on Mediation. As we transition through the pandemic, there will be more opportunities to share with you — hopefully in person! — more about what your class and others have been doing. I hope you find these pages as interesting and inspiring as I do. We also devote a couple of pages to thank those who have made all these achievements possible. If you are in a position yourself to help us create more such opportunities for future generations of law students, please consider using the form at the back to make a donation. Until then, I wish you good health and happiness.
I first met President Halimah in 2017, when in her capacity of Speaker of Parliament, she launched the guidebook “Navigating Muslim Law in Singapore” at the Syariah Law Forum on Bukit Timah Campus. I was struck by how friendly Madam Halimah was, and how frequently she smiled in the course of our conversation. Fast forward to 2021, and she is the first female President of Singapore, providing a steady hand to guide the country through the worst pandemic to ravage the country
since its independence. We have read a lot about President Halimah, but not many of us know about her childhood years. I asked if she could tell us more about her life growing up, and whether there were any significant challenges for her and her family. Childhood days President Halimah recalled the times when she grew up amidst great deprivation and hardship: “We were poor when my father
From NUS to NTUC How did President Halimah end up studying law at NUS? She explained that studying law had always been her choice because when she was young, she was seized with the idea that she could help the most vulnerable and deprived gain access to justice and fair treatment. President Halimah said: “This was due in part to my own growing up years where I witnessed how little power and voice those without resources have. Although I was called to the Bar, I didn’t practise law 3
