Yusof Bin Ishak

Yusof bin Ishak Al-Haj ( ; 12 August 191023 November 1970) was a Singaporean journalist and civil servant who served as the head of state of Singapore from 1959 to 1970. He initially served as the second Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore between 1959 and 1965 and the first president of Singapore between 1965 and 1970. Born in the Federated Malay States, Yusof received his education in Malaysia and Singapore, graduating from Raffles Institution in 1929. Upon his graduation, he worked in journalism, creating a sports magazine with friends before joining ''Warta Malaya'', a Malay-language daily newspaper. Leaving ''Warta'' in 1938, Yusof co-founded '' Utusan Melayu'', a newspaper more centred on Malay issues, in 1939 with other Malay figures in Singapore.

He was a central figure in ''Utusan''s success, staying with the newspaper for two decades. He left Kuala Lumpur in 1959 following conflicts between ''Utusan'' and UMNO, which ultimately led to UMNO buying all the shares of ''Utusan''. Returning to Singapore, Yusof was invited to serve as chairman of the Public Service Commission by prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. On 3 December 1959, he succeeded Sir William Goode as Yang di-Pertuan Negara after the People's Action Party (PAP) won the 1959 general election. He would serve in this role until 1965, when Singapore gained independence and the Yang di-Pertuan Negara post was succeeded by the president of Singapore.

Yusof served three terms as head of state in office before he died on 23 November 1970 due to heart failure. During his presidency, he was known for his multi-racial beliefs, especially in the 1960s, when he was a strong supporter of Singapore's merger with Malaysia. Even after Singapore's split from Malaysia, he continued to spread the idea of a multi-racial society. Yusof also believed in education and supported talks on religion. Following his death, he was succeeded by Benjamin Sheares on 2 January 1971. Several places in Singapore bear his name and his portrait appears on the Singapore Portrait Series currency notes introduced in 1999.

Early life and education

Yusof was born on 12 August 1910 in Padang Gajah, Terong, Perak, which was then a part of the Federated Malay States (present-day Malaysia). The eldest son of nine siblings, Yusof was of Malay and Sumatran descent. His father was of Minangkabau descent who lived in Penang before moving to Perak whilst his mother was of Malay descent who came from Langkat, North Sumatra. Yusof and his family lived in government housing in McNair Road.

His father was Ishak bin Ahmad, a civil servant who held the post of Acting Director of Fisheries. His younger brothers, Aziz Ishak and Abdul Rahim Ishak, were active in politics in Malaysia and Singapore respectively. Yusof received his early education at the Malay School and King Edward VII School, both in Taiping, Perak. In 1923, when his father was posted to Singapore as director of the Fisheries Department, his family relocated to Singapore and Yusof began studying at Victoria Bridge School. In 1924, he was enrolled in Raffles Institution (RI) for his secondary education.

During his time in RI, he played various sports such as swimming, weight lifting, water-polo, boxing, hockey, basketball, and cricket. A member of the National Cadet Corps, Yusof was the first student to be appointed as an officer, holding the rank of second lieutenant. He was also a part of ''The Rafflesian'', a school newspaper, as a co-editor and a prefect. In sports, he also won the Aw Boon Par Cup in boxing and was the national weightlifting champion in 1932 and 1933, respectively. In 1927, Yusof passed his Cambridge School Certificate examination with distinctions and entered the Queen's Scholarship Class in RI. He was one of 13 students in the Queen's Scholarship Class, along with being the only Malay student. He studied at RI for two more years, graduating in 1929 when he was unable to get the scholarship.

Yusof initially wanted to pursue law, but his study application in London was rejected and his father could not afford to send him overseas. Instead, Yusof started working in the police force in Kuala Lumpur as a trainee cadet. Yusof was promised a promotion to officer by the Police Commissioner, but it was later withdrawn after he stood up to a Malaysian royal family member who had mistreated his juniors. Yusof left the police force soon after and returned to Singapore.

Journalism career

In Singapore, he began his journalism career after he partnered with two of his Chinese friends – Ong Chin Beng and Soh Swee Tuck – to publish ''Sportsman'', a fortnightly sports magazine devoted entirely to sports. In 1932, Yusof joined ''Warta Malaya'', a Malay newspaper with the highest circulation during that time, after his friend Syed Hussein bin Ali Alsagoff invited him to join it. He worked at ''Warta'' for eight years, becoming a manager. During his time there, ''Warta Malaya'' was heavily influenced by developments in the Middle East and Yusof wanted a newspaper more dedicated to Malay issues; the other largest Malay newspaper was ''Jawi Peranakan'', which was run by Muslims of Indian descent. In 1938, Yusof was among a group of twenty other Malays who met up at the home of the president of the Singapore Malay Union to discuss creating a Malay newspaper that was owned by Malays.

Creating ''Utusan Melayu''

They discussed the feasibility of this idea and whether they would be enough funds for it, given that another member attempted the same idea in 1937 but had to shut down due to a lack of support. Yusof was assigned with gathering funds and expertise from the Malay community for this project. To raise funds, Yusof and other members travelled around Singapore, Johor, and Kuala Lumpur to sell shares for the newspapers; they were only able to sell a few. They also visited mosques weekly and held talks to the congregation about their newspaper, usually receiving a lukewarm reception. Their deadline to gather the money was approaching soon and if they were not able to, their project would have failed. To help with the remaining money, members Ambo Sooloh and Daud J. P. raised between themselves, saving the project; in total, was raised. In May 1939, Yusof and other Malay figures, including Sooloh and Abdul Rahim Kajai, successfully founded '' Utusan Melayu'', with Yusof serving as its first managing director. He also rented out a cheap office in Queen Street, the then-red-light district in Singapore, and a moveable jawi flatbed press from Hong Kong. Initial sales were low, but Yusof and the other members continued to work twelve hour workdays for the whole week. ''Utusan''s sales would eventually improve.

Under his management, he was described as "the driving force of ''Utusan Melayu''". Writers were punished for writing or grammar mistakes and were corrected while inactive reporters were fired immediately, but received a month's pay. During the Pacific War, despite suffering a decrease in staff and frequent bombing from the Japanese, Yusof and other staff continued to publish ''Utusan Melayu''. According to one account, during the bombings of 1941, Yusof ignored the air-raid sirens and made the staff continue working on ''Utusan''. A lookout had been placed on the roof and, only when the planes were directly overhead, would Yusof allow the staff to head to the bomb shelters. This allowed ''Utusan'' to remain on schedule even during the war. His editorial policy at ''Utusan'' was Malay-Muslim centred, multi-racial, and progressive, and he supported education in the Malay community. Due to his beliefs of multi-racialism and racial equality, he was considered controversial in the Malay community, as he never blamed issues with the Malay on other communities nor did he defend the Malay royal families. By 1958, ''Utusan'''s daily circulation would be around 30,000, the largest amount ever reached by any Malay newspaper at that time.

Two days before the fall of Singapore, ''Utusan'' had only printed about fifty copies. Despite that, Yusof went around with three other staff members to distribute the newspaper themselves. At the start of the Japanese occupation, ''Utusan Melayu'' stopped circulation as machinery used to print the paper was requisitioned by the Japanese military to publish a Japanese newspaper instead. During the occupation, Yusof was detained by the Japanese for two weeks. He was released but ordered to work at ''Berita Malai'', a newspaper that was run by the Japanese, as an editor. He worked there till 1943, when he fell ill and returned back to Taiping, Perak. After the war ended in 1945, Yusof helped to reestablish ''Utusan'' alongside some other members. Although they lost their machines to make newspapers, they managed to republish the paper by 10 September, five days after British forces returned to Singapore, by printing at the Straits Times Printing Press. Yusof returned to Singapore on 17 September to take over management and editing of ''Utusan'' from Ramli Haji Tahir. During this time, ''Utusan'' moved its headquarters to Cecil Street and recovered two of their old machines. In 1948, Yusof addressed the ban on ''Utusan Zaman'', a Singaporean newspaper, in Indonesia. In 1949, ''Utusan'' celebrated its tenth anniversary, and Yusof gave a speech where he stated that " 'Utusan''s130 employees owned more than 25 per cent of the firm's total capital", further stating that it "was perhaps the only newspaper in the world in which 95 per cent of the employees were shareholders".

Following the end of World War II, Yusof's views were more anti-colonial and pro-independence, mainly following the British's performance during the war. This was seen in ''Utusan''s publications as its tone became more progressive and political. Sometime after the war, Yusof wanted to replace ''Utusan''s legal advisor, Progressive Party founder C. C. Tan, with someone with a more "radical, nationalist outlook". After consulting with lawyer John Laycock, Yusof was informed that a young lawyer, Lee Kuan Yew, was soon to return from England to work at his firm Laycock & Ong. Yusof met Lee at the Laycock & Ong office upon his return to Singapore and they became good friends and fellow nationalists. In 1951, Yusof got help from Lee to represent his friend Abdul Samad Ismail after he was detained by the British; Abdul would later found the People's Action Party with Lee. In his memoir, Lee described Yusof in their meeting as a "tall, Indian-looking Malay in his late 40s, with a long, thin, un-Malay nose" and that he "pokeEnglish well but in a hesitant manner and with a slight stammer". That same year, Yusof was invited by the United States to represent Malaya as a journalist along with being recommended as a nominated member of the Legislative Council.

Yusof's departure from ''Utusan''

In 1957, Yusof moved to Kuala Lumpur and, in February 1958, the headquarters of ''Utusan Melayu'' were also relocated to the city, making the newspaper more Malaya-based with only a branch office remaining in Singapore. Even though ''Utusan'' was an independent newspaper, it became a supporter of the United Malay Nationalist Organisation (UMNO) and the Alliance Party, moreso after the war. Yusof, as ''Utusan''s managing director, stated this of the UMNO and the Alliance Party:

The ''Utusan Melayu'' has been a strong supporter of the UMNO and lately of the lliance Party particularly during the first federal election of 1955, because the ''Utusan'' was launched with the expressed object of raising the status of our people, country and religion, and such an object could not be achieved if colonialism were to exist. The lliance Party as everybody knows, was the only political party which articulately strove for independence and freedom. This explains the reason why ''Utusan Melayu'' has always been pro-UMNO and the lliance Party

However, as ''Utusan'' began to have a more socialist slant in the 1950s, it would end up conflicting with the UMNO's beliefs. While the newspaper did support the Malays, ''Utusan'' published some articles which were considered critical of UMNO, and ''Utusan''s deputy editor said of the Sultans to be "feudal elements". This led the UMNO to begin buying shares from ''Utusan'' in 1955 in an attempt to get the newspaper under their control. Yusof initially resisted the UMNO's attempts but finally left in 1959 after he sold all his shares and left to Singapore.

Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore (1959–1965)

After his resignation from ''Utusan Melayu'', Yusof returned to Singapore. The People's Action Party (PAP) had just won the 1959 general elections and set up their own government. In July 1959, he was invited by then-new Prime Minister Lee to serve as chairman of the Public Service Commission, to which he accepted and was subsequently appointed by Yang di-Pertuan Negara Sir William Goode.

Since Singapore gained full internal self-governance from the British following the 1959 general elections, there were talks to replace the current Yang di-Pertuan Negara Goode. In December 1959, it was announced by the government that Yusof would succeed Goode as Yang di-Pertuan Negara, the head of state of Singapore, on 3 December. This marked the end of 140 years of colonial rule as Singapore became a true self-governing state. Yusof had held a few minor roles in the government before his appointment such as on the Film Appeal Committee from 1948 to 1950, member of the Nature Reserves Committee for a year, and member of the Malayanisation Commission.

According to Minister for Culture Othman Wok, Yusof was chosen as he was Malay, a nationalist, and had a background at ''Utusan Melayu''. Lee stated that a Malay Yang di-Pertuan Negara was needed to show the multi-racialism of Singapore and to remove its "Third China" image. Another possible candidate for Yang di-Pertuan Negara was Tengku Ya'acob, the brother of then- Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Despite Tunku's strong support for his brother to be Goode's successor, to the point where Tunku requested Queen Elizabeth II to intervene, Yusof was still chosen over him. Yusof's brothers Aziz and Abdul Rahim Ishak believed that it was due to his strong pro-Singapore views and his previous reputation with ''Utusan Melayu'' that he was chosen.

In his memoir ''The Singapore Story'', Lee stated that "we chose usof ..to be oode'ssuccessor, our first native Yang di-Pertuan Negara. We wanted a distinguished Malay in order to show the Federation that Singaporeans were willing to accept Malays as their leaders, and I knew him as a good man of simple habits who carried himself with dignity."

First Yang di-Pertuan Negara term (1959–1964)

On 2 December, Yusof and his family moved into the Istana, the residence for the head of state. He was taken to City Hall the following day, where he was officially sworn in on 3 December 1959 as the Yang di-Pertuan Negara. Aziz stated that Yusof had accepted the role as he wanted to show the Malay community that the PAP were not anti-Malay and that they believed in multi-racialism. This was especially important at the time as the PAP wanted Singapore to achieve merger with Malaya, and they wanted the support from the Malays. On the Istana's grounds, Yusof moved into the secretary's bungalow with his family instead of living in the Istana itself. He wanted to show himself as a humble person instead of living in the prestigious Istana building. His wife, Noor Aishah, stated herself that " he Istanawas too big. We preferred to stay at the smaller house."

During his terms, he was known for frequently visiting constituencies across the island. He visited various constituencies over the years, including Bukit Panjang, Bukit Merah, Bukit Timah, Bras Basah, and the Southern Islands. Yusof was usually accompanied by the constituency's Member of Parliament and tended to visit schools, community centres, and other points of interest. He often used these visits to unite constituents and reiterate their support for the government.

In 1960, Yusof visited the Southern Islands, where he planted a coconut tree and announced that during the Muslim's month of fasting, rice, sugar, and dates would be provided to them. He stated that the gesture was to show the government's support to the multi-religious people of Singapore. Yusof also marked the site of a new mosque that was to be built at the cost of . In a 1961 visit to Bukit Timah, he gave a speech about the importance of multi-racialism and asked for tolerance between the various races, cultures, and religions. That same year, he additionally visited Changi, Chua Chu Kang, and Pulau Ubin. After the 1961 Bukit Ho Swee fire, Yusof and Lee met with the homeless victims. He would later tour the new housing blocks in Queenstown, Bukit Ho Swee, MacPherson, and Jalan Eunos for the victims of the fire in 1962.

Merger with Malaysia

In May 1961, Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman announced a proposal to merge Singapore, Malaya, Borneo, Brunei, and Sarawak. Following this announcement, both Lee and Yusof were strong supporters of the merger with Malaya, with Yusof stating that "Whatever our political differences, those of us who love this country and wish to spare it the tragedy of racial conflict must join forces to present a solid, anti-communal front." In November 1961, Yusof delivered a speech at the opening of the third Legislative Assembly, where he spoke about his support of merging with Malaya.

Following the 1962 integration referendum, Singapore declared independence on 31 August 1963 to merge with Malaya to form Malaysia, but Malaya delayed the merger to 16 September. During this period, Yusof, as Yang di-Pertuan Negara, held the powers of defense and external affairs of the state. However, this was disputed by the Malayan and British governments. Singapore would officially merge to form Malaysia on 16 September 1963.

Second Yang di-Pertuan Negara term (1964–1965)

On 8 January 1964, Yusof was sworn in for a second term as Yang di-Pertuan Negara. It was under the state's new constitution, under which his previous term ended on 3 December 1963. Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin administered his oath of office. In April 1965, Yusof opened the National Language Month at the Victoria Theatre. He gave an opening speech at the theatre, emphasising his support for the initiative as it would help to develop a "deep sense of communication with one another", especially now that Singapore was a part of Malaysia. A second National Language Month was held in November, which at its opening Yusof repeated the importance of adopting Malay as the common language of Singapore.

1964 race riots

On 21 July 1964, Yusof led a procession of 25,000 Muslims at the Padang to celebrate the prophet Mohammed's birthday. He gave a speech before the procession to the Muslims, stating that they had to be "patient, forbearing and industrious" when it came to adjusting to the merger. Yusof further said that "Our unity must be a lasting one. We must be united not only when Malaysia faces threats from outside but also during other times." He later led the procession but left early once they reached Beach Road. This procession would later be the cause of the 1964 race riots.

President of Singapore (1965–1970)

Continued presidential term (1965–1967)

On 9 August 1965, following conflicts between Malaysia and Singapore such as the 1964 race riots, Singapore was expelled from Malaysia and became an independent nation. Yusof officially started his presidency on 9 August 1965, but was known as the Yang di-Pertuan Negara until December 1965, when the Constitution (Amended) Bill was passed in parliament, which " llowedthe present Yang di-Pertuan Negara, usof to become the first president, as if he had been duly elected." After the recent split from Malaysia, Yusof continued to support his belief of a multi-racial society, commonly referencing it in his speeches. In 1966, he gave a New Year's speech addressing the separation.

Separation cannot deny us the right or deprive us fthe power to demonstrate the correctness of our ideas within Singapore. I believe that we have a special responsibility to demonstrate the essential validity of our ideas because these ideas are relevant to the problems of not just Singapore but those of all multi-racial societies which want to give a better life to its people.

Yusof continued to spread this view as he visited constituencies, such as at Telok Blangah and Punggol. During a 1966 Telok Blangah visit, he acknowledged the multi-racial harmony of the constituency between the Malays and other races. In his tour to Punggol that same year, he stated that he was "deeply impressed by the spirit of goodwill, harmony, and tolerance amongst all our people." He also watched a dragon dance and met with Arabic musicians. In his 1967 visit to Jurong, Yusof spoke about the area's industrialism and the educational support given to the Malay community.

1967 presidential election

For the first presidential election in Singapore, Yusof was elected by parliament to serve a four year term as president of Singapore after he received an unanimous agreement. He received commendations from Prime Minister Lee, Members of Parliament Rahmat bin Kenap, Lim Guan Hoo, and S. Ramaswamy upon his successful election. He was sworn in on 4 December 1967.

First presidential term (1967–1970)

Yusof began his first presidential term on 4 December 1967. In 1968, while on a tour in Australia, Yusof suffered a heart attack and was flown to Melbourne for treatment. He had arrived at Port Moresby to board a health cruise, the ''Australasia'', after having toured Australia for a week. He was sent to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, which he stayed at for ten days. At the hospital, the doctors described his condition as "a complication of illnesses and heart trouble". However, after he was better, Yusof continued his tour of Australia with a physician and two aides, but returned to Singapore a week earlier than originally planned. While he was away, Speaker of the Parliament Punch Coomaraswamy served as acting president. In 1969, he attended his father Ishak's funeral in Kuala Lumpur; he had previously visited him in the hospital in 1968. Yusof would serve his first presidential term until his death in office in 1970. He was succeeded by Benjamin Sheares.

Death in office

On 23 November 1970, Yusof died of heart failure at 7:30 a.m. at Outram Hospital (now known as the Singapore General Hospital). His death was announced sometime before 11 a.m., where flags were flown at half-mast and solemn music was broadcast on Radio Singapore. He had been admitted to the hospital on 21 November for respiratory and heart issues; it was his second admission to the hospital that month. Yusof had been struggling with his health since his heart attack in Australia in 1968.

Yusof's body was laid in state at the Istana, where members of the cabinet including Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Speaker Yeoh Ghim Seng, Communications Minister Yong Nyuk Lin, Foreign and Labour Minister S. Rajaratnam, Health Minister Chua Sian Chin, Science and Technology Minister Toh Chin Chye, and Defence Minister Goh Keng Swee paid their respects to him.

On 25 November, Yusof was buried with full state honours at 6:03 p.m. at Kranji State Cemetery. He received a 21-gun salute. Present at his funeral were Lee, Toh, Yusof's wife Noor Aishah, Yusof's brothers, Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin, and the rest of the cabinet. Foreign dignitaries present at his funeral include Indonesian Foreign Minister Adam Malik, Governor of Penang Syed Sheh Barakbah, Malaysian Health Minister Sardon Jubir, and Filipino Ambassador to Malaysia Romeo Busuego, representing the Philippines. Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia Abdul Halim of Kedah sent his condolences and stated that " ingaporehas lost a leading statesman who has played a significant role in the progress achieved by the Republic since its birth in 1965". Yusof's predecessor as Yang di-Pertuan Negara Sir William Goode said "Singapore's many friends throughout the world will be deeply grieved to hear of the death of usof" Malaysian Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein stated that Yusof would "be recorded in history as the first Malay head of state of our neighbouring country, the Republic of Singapore."

Countries who paid respect to Yusof include Bulgaria, Thailand, Austria, Nauru, Brunei, Barbados, Italy, Ghana, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, China, South Korea, the Philippines, Zambia, Tonga, Vietnam, France, Peru, Indonesia, Panama, Khmer Republic, Turkey, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, United Arab Republic, Japan, India, Trinidad and Tobago, Indonesia, Hungarian People's Republic, Nepal, German Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Norway, Sweden, Malta, and Nigeria. The United Nations held a minute of silence during a general assembly in honour of Yusof.

Personal life and views

Yusof married his wife Noor Aishah Mohammad Salim (1933–2025) in 1949, when she was 16. He had only seen her in a photograph three days before getting solemnised with her. Together, they had three children, Orchid Kamariah, Imran Yusof, and Zuriana Yusof. Noor Aishah was interviewed for the Channel NewsAsia documentary ''Daughters of Singapore'' in 2014, which commemorated the spouses of Yusof and David Marshall, two pioneer leaders of Singapore. One of Yusof's hobbies was photography, and a collection of his photographs was donated to the National Archives of Singapore by Noor Aishah. Yusof was also interested in orchids.

He and his family lived at the secretary's bungalow on the Istana's grounds for his entire presidency. It was known as the Sri Melati and he grew papayas and orchids there. It was eventually demolished in the 1970s after his death due to termite infestations.

Education

In the early 20th-century, Malay parents preferred not to send their children to English schools, in fear that their children might be converted to Christianity. Yusof, however, was English educated, as were his siblings and children. This would instil a sense of importance toward education in him, which he would repeat throughout his life. Yusof even told his wife Noor Aishah that, after he died, if she was unable to afford their children's educational fees, that she should rent out their house. In July 1966, a secondary school named after him, Yusof Ishak Secondary School, was opened.

During his presidency, in November 1965, Yusof was made the Chancellor of the National University of Singapore. At his installation, he stated that "if we do our best, the ationalUniversity of Singapore will be as illustrious as the name of this new nation already is in several fields of administration and enterprise." Over the next two years, he would acknowledge the university's high enrolment numbers in his speeches. Yusof also ignored stereotypes that Malays were lazy, instead encouraging more Malays to focus on their education. An interpretation of his views by former politician Zainul Abidin were that Malays could become anything that they wanted; but they had to be the best in their field.

Religion

Yusof was raised in a " progressive religious tradition"; his father wanted his children to understand Islam outside of rituals and to include science in the study of religion. He wanted Islam to follow modern times, including how Islamic traditions could help solve modern problems. Yusof was a religious person in this regard, where he would visit different mosques weekly to pray. He performed the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1963.

During his time at '' Utusan Melayu'', Yusof encouraged open discussions on religion. Some debates that were carried out at ''Utusan'' include whether Friday sermons could be held in Malay instead of Arabic and whether girls should go to school instead of being homemakers. He would not take sides in these debates, despite his own religious beliefs. In 1950, when ''Utusan'' reported on Maria Hertogh, they kept their news objective instead of taking sides.

Legacy

Several locations in Singapore bear Yusof's name. The Yusof Ishak Secondary School was opened by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 29 July 1966, being renamed from Jubilee Integrated Secondary School. In 1978, the National University of Singapore renamed one of the buildings at its Kent Ridge campus to the Yusof Ishak House. In August 2015, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) was officially renamed to the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute on Yusof's 105th birthday. Its new name was to call to mind Yusof's "vision of equality, justice, harmony and strength amid diversity". In 2017, the Masjid Yusof Ishak was opened by his widow Noor Aishah. It was witnessed by guests including then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim, and Mufti Fatris Bakaram.

The current series of Singapore dollar notes, the portrait series issued from 1999 onwards, features Yusof. In 2014, a wax figure of Yusof was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Singapore. For the celebration of Singapore's 50th anniversary of independence in 2015, Yusof was featured in all six of the SG50 Commemorative Notes.

Honours

In 1963, Yusof was given the Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm, which allowed him the use of the honorific title Tun. However, in 1965, Singapore dropped the use of Tun following its separation from Malaysia. In 1969, Yusof was given the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the National University of Singapore.

National

* :
** Darjah Utama Temasek, 1st Class
** Sijil Kemuliaan, 1st Class
** Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang, 1st Class
** Pingat Jasa Gemilang, 1st Class

Foreign

* :
** Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (S.M.N., ''Tun'')
* :
** Darjah Kerabat Laila Utama Yang Amat Dihormati (DK I, ''Dato Laila Utama''), 1st Class
* :
** Knight of the Order of St John

See also

* Yusof Ishak Secondary School, a secondary school in Punggol, Singapore, named after him.
* Masjid Yusof Ishak, a mosque located in Woodlands, Singapore, named after him.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

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{{Authority control
Presidents of Singapore
Singaporean people of Minangkabau descent
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Singaporean people of Indonesian descent
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Victoria School, Singapore alumni
Raffles Institution alumni
1910 births
1970 deaths
Malaysian emigrants to Singapore
Recipients of the Darjah Utama Temasek
20th-century Singaporean journalists
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Grand Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm
Knights of the Order of St John