Former minister Othman Wok died at Singapore General Hospital on Monday at the age of 92, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. He was one of Singapore's first generation of leaders. "Mr Othman was one of the signatories of the Separation Agreement and a founding father of Singapore," the PMO said. "He was a key member of
"He was a key member of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's Cabinet, during the critical period when Singapore was in Malaysia, and then separated from Malaysia to become an independent republic," it added.
The statement also stated, "He supported Mr Lee in the fight for a multiracial and multireligious Singapore, and became one of Mr Lee's closest comrades". According to reports, Othman passed away at 12.21 pm (local time).
In a Facebook post, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said Singapore is indebted to Othman and will always be. "He made a multiracial Singapore possible, which matters more than anything else we have," he said in his tribute.
The People's Action Party said in a statement that Othman was one of the earliest proponents of multiracialism in Singapore.
The authorities said that Othman will be buried at Choa Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery on Tuesday. The PMO said the government will accord him the honour of being borne by the ceremonial gun carriage for his final journey from Sultan Mosque to Pusara Abadi at the Choa Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery
On Wednesday, a memorial service will be organized by OnePeople.sg. As per government order, the State flag on all Government buildings will be flown at half-mast until the memorial service is over.
