She says it goes against his wishes but author says she sought the former DPM's views beforehand

July 6, 2007
AsiaOne

A biography documenting the life of former Deputy Prime Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee has sparked the ire of his wife.

The 222-page book, Goh Keng Swee: A Protrai,tauthored by Dr Goh's daughter-in-law, Ms Tan Siok Sun, is due to be launched at the Arts House on July 16, according to The Straits Times today.

But ahead of this event, the wife of Dr Goh issued a statement yesterday saying that the book goes against his wishes and is a "show of a show of disregard and utmost disrespect".

Ms Tan, however, said she had sought Dr Goh's views before before proceeding to write the biography, which gives an in-depth look at the man who played a pivotal role in Singapore's economic transformation, defence strategy and education policy.

Dr Goh, 88, retired from politics in 1984, and has been in ailing health since the late 1990s.

In a statement to the media yesterday, Mrs Goh said: "I wish to say that Goh Keng Swee is not aware of and has not been consulted on both the contents of and the publication of this book. Goh Keng Swee has not endorsed and is not responsible for the contents of the book.

"As far as I am aware, Goh Keng Swee had indicated that he did not want any book to be written about him. Therefore the publication of this book is contrary to his wishes, and is a show of disregard and utmost disrespect to him."

However, in the preface to the book, the author, who is married to Mrs Goh's stepson, Mr Goh Kian Chee, writes that Dr Goh was consulted on the biography.

Ms Tan, director of a human resources firm, says: "This is not an authorised biography in the sense that he (Dr Goh) had approved the text. Except for the very first draft of the defence chapter, GKS (Goh Keng Swee) did not see its contents before it was published.

"Yet, on the other hand, it is not an unauthorised biography either. When I sought his views to write his biography, he burst into his characteristic guffaw and asked who would want to read it.

"I promised him that I would keep the interviews short and manageable, and this seemed to have met with his approval."

In a statement last evening, Ms Tan said that the book is a "personal tribute to her father-in-law, Dr Goh Keng Swee, whom she loves and respects."

"I had been encouraged to write this book by members of my family and friends," she added.

The biography is published by Editions Didier Millet and traces Dr Goh's life, from his childhood years in Malacca to his retirement days after 1984.

For the full report, read The Straits Times today.

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